Deck 21: Collective Action and Social Movements

Question 1

According to breakdown theory,which of the following factors influence(s)nonroutine collective action,such as lynching?

A)economic deprivation that impoverishes and marginalizes
B)the inherent irrationality of crowds
C)serious violations of norms
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Robert Brym relates an anecdote about a high school model parliament in which he was unable to motivate his schoolmates to undertake political protest.His anecdote underscores the difficulties bound up with creating:

A)economic development
B)collective action
C)democratic government
D)population stability
E)school discipline

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Collective action that is usually nonviolent and follows established patterns of behavior in bureaucratic social structures is called:

A)nonroutine collective actions
B)general collective action
C)democratic collective action
D)routine collective action
E)socially stable protest

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Who argued that crowd behavior can turn a cultivated individual into "a creature acting by instinct"?

A)Neil Smelser
B)Charles Tilly
C)Gustave Le Bon
D)Erving Goffman
E)Emile Durkheim

Question 5

Which term refers to the growth of an intolerable gap between the social rewards people expect to receive and those they actually receive?

A)absolute deprivation
B)relative deprivation
C)organizational deprivation
D)contagion
E)strain

Question 6

Enduring and usually bureaucratically organized collective attempts to change (or resist change to)part or all of the social order are called:

A)collective actions
B)social movements
C)social organizations
D)social institutions
E)revolutions

Question 7

When workers decide to form a union,they are engaging in what kind of collective action?

A)routine collective action
B)nonroutine collective action
C)revolutionary action
D)pluralist collective action
E)socially stable protest

Question 8

Because breakdown theory sees collective action as a form of social imbalance that is caused by social institutions not working it may be seen as a variant of:

A)conflict theory
B)functionalism
C)symbolic interactionism
D)political process
E)none of these choices

Question 9

Until the 1970s,sociologists stressed which of the following as a necessary precondition for nonroutine collective action to take place?

A)a group of people must be economically deprived or socially rootless
B)the norms of a group must be disrupted
C)group members must lose their capacity to act rationally by getting caught up in the supposed madness of crowds
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 10

Collective action that is usually nonviolent and follows established patterns of behavior in bureaucratic social structures is called:

A)nonroutine collective actions
B)general collective action
C)democratic collective action
D)socially stable protest
E)none of these choices

Question 11

The theory that assumes that collective action results from the disruption or breakdown of traditional norms,expectations,and patterns of behavior is called:

A)resource mobilization theory
B)political opportunities theory
C)social control theory
D)breakdown theory
E)breakup theory

Question 12

People acting in unison to bring about or resist social,political,and economic change are engaged in:

A)democratic government
B)economic development
C)collective action
D)collectivization
E)all of these choices

Question 13

According to relative deprivation theory,people are most likely to rebel when:

A)social strain fluctuates out of control
B)expectations reach low levels
C)they reach absolute deprivation
D)organizations fail to maintain social control
E)rising expectations are met by a sudden decline in received social rewards

Question 14

If people participate in short-lived and sometimes violent protests they are engaged in:

A)nonroutine collective action
B)general collective action
C)democratic collective action
D)socially unstable protest
E)collectivization

Question 15

Sociologists moved away from the term "collective behavior" to the new term "collective action" because:

A)"action" denotes greater consciousness of self
B)"behavior" suggests a relatively low level of consciousness of self
C)the new term implies more rationality
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 16

Widely valued goods such as money,education,prestige,and security are known as:

A)social goods
B)social inducements
C)social commodities
D)social rewards
E)social desires

Question 17

According to breakdown theory,which of the following factors do (does)NOT influence nonroutine collective action,such as lynching?

A)economic deprivation that impoverishes and marginalizes
B)the inherent irrationality of crowd behavior
C)increasing levels of social solidarity
D)serious violations of norms
E)none of these choices

Question 18

When Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)lobby for tougher laws against driving under the influence of alcohol they are engaging in:

A)nonroutine collective actions
B)general collective action
C)democratic collective action
D)routine collective action
E)socially stable protest

Question 19

The social conditions leading to the formation of lynch mobs,riots,and other types of nonroutine behavior is part of the study of:

A)economic sociology
B)collective action and social movements
C)political institutions
D)demography
E)cohort behavior

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of breakdown theory?

A)a group of people must be economically deprived or socially rootless
B)a group must be well organized
C)group members must lose their capacity to act rationally by getting caught up in the supposed madness of crowds
D)the norms of a group must be disrupted
E)all of these choices

Question 21

Based on research by Charles Tilly and his associates,why was there more collective violence in France when national elections were held?

A)these were periods of great deprivation
B)these were periods of great strain in French society
C)the elections gave people new political opportunities to protest
D)only unpopular candidates were running for the presidency
E)only one candidate was running for the presidency -- the electorate had no choice

Question 22

Brym and Lie conclude that lynching was:

A)caused by traditional social life
B)unconnected to traditional social life
C)a form of collective action that was intended to maintain traditional social life
D)a result of the social disruption caused by the mechanization of agriculture
E)all of these choices

Question 23

Governments can try to lower the frequency and intensity of protest by engaging in:

A)resource mobilization
B)political opportunism
C)social control
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 24

Nonroutine action may be wild but it is usually:

A)organized
B)structured
C)supported by values and norms that already exist in the community or area
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 25

Chances for protest emerge when influential allies support protesters,when ruling political alignments become unstable,and when elite groups get divided and come into conflict with one another.This suggests that collective action and social movements do not occur just when disadvantaged groups become more powerful but also when:

A)elites and privileged groups struggle against social movements
B)elites focus on protecting their privilege
C)elites and privileged groups become divided and weaker
D)the poor become disenchanted with politics and avoid collective action
E)all of these choices

Question 26

According to Brym and Lie,people were predisposed to participate in the Neal lynching because of their:

A)class background
B)gender
C)deprivation
D)racist attitudes
E)geographical proximity

Question 27

According to solidarity theory,most collective action is part of a power struggle.The struggle usually intensifies as disadvantaged groups become more powerful relative to privileged groups.Disadvantaged groups become more powerful by:

A)engaging in violence
B)gaining new members and becoming better organized
C)increasing their access to scarce resources
D)basing organization on personal likes and dislikes
E)b and c

Question 28

Charles Tilly and his colleagues define events in which groups of people seize or damage persons or property:

A)collective organization
B)spontaneous violence
C)directed violence
D)collective violence
E)revolutions

Question 29

The idea that a crowd creates a sense of invincibility that allows individuals to yield to basic instincts that they would normally hold in check is the primary view of which theory?

A)resource mobilization theory
B)political opportunities theory
C)social control theory
D)contagion theory
E)strain theory

Question 30

Brym and Lie apply the elements of breakdown theory (deprivation,contagion,and strain)to the tragic story of the lynching of Claude Neal.They conclude that:

A)with some minor qualifications,breakdown theory is an adequate explanation
B)breakdown theory has several serious flaws
C)most sociologists today accept the validity of breakdown theory
D)breakdown theory is as relevant today as it was in the 1930s
E)all of these choices

Question 31

Lynching was a chief means by which black farm workers in the South were:

A)enslaved
B)socially segregated
C)hurt by religious bigotry
D)disciplined and tied to the cotton industry after the abolition of slavery
E)all of these choices

Question 32

A breakdown in traditional norms is an indicator of:

A)violent behavior
B)group solidarity
C)strain
D)relative deprivation
E)contagion

Question 33

The creation of a social movement requires:

A)energy
B)money
C)time
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 34

Social movements emerge from collective action only when the discontented succeed in establishing:

A)stable membership
B)a "reserve army" of labor
C)an organizational base
D)charismatic leadership and a "reserve army" of labor
E)stable membership and an organizational base

Question 35

Chances for protest emerge when influential allies offer support,when ruling political alignments become unstable,and when elite groups get divided and come into conflict with one another.This illustrates the importance of ____ in the emergence of social movements.

A)strain
B)political opportunities
C)frame alignment
D)breakdown
E)resource mobilization

Question 36

Which of the following structure nonroutine collective action?

A)ideas and norms that emerge in the crowd
B)predispositions in the crowd
C)the degree to which different types of participants adhere to emergent norms
D)the influence of already existing social relationships among participants
E)all of these choices

Question 37

Deprivation is not a compelling explanation for collective action partly because in most cases of collective action,leaders and early joiners are:

A)marginalized individuals
B)poor
C)well-integrated members of their communities
D)outsiders who come to the community to engage in collective action
E)charismatic individuals

Question 38

Which of the following does NOT generally structure nonroutine collective action?

A)ideas and norms that emerge in the crowd
B)predispositions in the crowd
C)the influence of outside agitators
D)the degree to which different types of participants adhere to emergent norms
E)the influence of already existing social relationships among participants

Question 39

The process by which a group engages in more collective action as it gains access to organizational,material,and other resources is called:

A)contagion
B)resource opportunism
C)frame alignment
D)breakdown
E)resource mobilization

Question 40

Which of the following factors is (are)emphasized by solidarity theories of social movements?

A)resource mobilization
B)political opportunities
C)social control
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 41

What was one of the bloodiest years of collective violence in American history?

A)1924
B)1934
C)1954
D)1984
E)1994

Question 42

Which of the following "weapons" have workers typically used to advance their interests?

A)unions
B)political parties
C)strikes
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 43

To attract more members,unions have recently tried to diversify by organizing among:

A)immigrants
B)women
C)senior citizens
D)a and b
E)b and c

Question 44

Until 1933,workers:

A)did not have the right to bargain collectively with their employers
B)had the right to bargain collectively with their employers
C)were members of unions
D)were oppressed by the robber barons
E)lived in the "Gilded Age"

Question 45

Once Osama bin Laden learned that the United States government was tapping his satellite phone,he used what communication system to coordinate Al-Qaeda activities?

A)interpersonal communication
B)the Internet
C)coded messages in newspaper articles
D)short wave radio
E)low frequency bandwidth

Question 46

If protesters' grievances are very deeply felt,and yielding to some of the protesters' demands increases their hopes,government concessions may:

A)encourage protesters to press their claims further
B)encourage protesters to give up their claims
C)stop protest movements in the future
D)make the government appear more democratic
E)make the government appear less democratic

Question 47

Franklin Delano Roosevelt advocated "New Deal" legislation aimed at ending the Great Depression.One of his early laws was the 1933 National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA).Section 7(a)of the NIRA specified:

A)workers' minimum wages
B)the maximum hours of work
C)the right to form unions
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 48

If governments choose not to engage in the surveillance of social movements they assist:

A)enemies of democracy
B)supporters of democracy
C)political lobbies
D)PACs
E)both enemies and supporters of democracy

Question 49

The economic collapse that began in 1929 brought unemployment to ____ of the work force and severely depressed the wages of those lucky enough to have jobs.

A)one-half
B)one-third
C)one-fourth
D)one-fifth
E)two-fifths

Question 50

Workers who withhold their labor are:

A)forming a political party
B)engaging in collective bargaining
C)organizing a coalition
D)going on strike
E)forming a union

Question 51

The union movement brought Americans many things that have improved their lives yet which we now take for granted.Which of the following is NOT one of these improvements?

A)the 8-hour day
B)2 day weekends
C)health insurance
D)pensions
E)none of these choices,that is,the union movement is largely responsible for all these improvements

Question 52

Making concessions to protestors,co-opting the most troublesome leaders,and violently repressing collective action are all examples of:

A)resource mobilization
B)political opportunism
C)social control
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 53

Before 1970,which theory dominated analyses of collective action and social movements?:

A)conflict
B)functionalist
C)symbolic interactionist
D)feminist
E)none of these choices

Question 54

While the firm and decisive use of force often stops protest,using force moderately or inconsistently often:

A)has the same effect
B)backfires and produces more intense protest
C)has no effect
D)is even more effective in stopping protest

Question 55

If governments choose to engage in the surveillance of all social movements they may harm:

A)enemies of democracy
B)supporters of democracy
C)political lobbies
D)PACs
E)both enemies and supporters of democracy

Question 56

After 1970,which theory dominated analyses of collective action and social movements?

A)breakdown
B)functionalist
C)symbolic interactionist
D)feminist
E)solidarity

Question 57

Which of the following represents an improvement in the lives of Americans that the union movement helped to introduce?

A)temporary workers
B)workplace supervision
C)health insurance
D)the 50-hour workweek
E)workplace surveillance

Question 58

By 1920,industrial workers made up what percentage of the American labor force?

A)20%
B)30%
C)40%
D)50%
E)60%

Question 59

When negotiations and political influence do not advance their interests,workers often try to extract concessions from employers by:

A)cooperating and building good will
B)withholding their labor
C)working even harder
D)organizing into coalitions
E)working more slowly

Question 60

Resource mobilization theory suggests that labor unrest in 1934 was associated with:

A)the growing supervision of the working class
B)rapid growth of the industrial working-class
C)the decline of the agrarian class
D)the decline of the urban industrial working-class
E)the rise of white-collar workers

Question 61

Which social movement theory is based on symbolic interactionism?

A)resource mobilization
B)solidarity theory
C)frame alignment
D)relative deprivation theory
E)strain theory

Question 62

Over the short term,strikes have been more frequent during:

A)economic "booms"
B)economic "busts"
C)periods of economic stability
D)periods when the economy rapidly cycles between "boom" and "bust"
E)none of these choices

Question 63

In 1945,____ reached its peak in the United States.

A)unionization
B)rural population
C)non-farm employees
D)farm employees
E)employment in manufacturing

Question 64

The process by which individual interests,beliefs,and values either become congruent with the activities,ideas,and goals of the movement or fail to do so is called:

A)resource mobilization
B)relative deprivation
C)frame alignment
D)strain
E)contagion

Question 65

Congress passed a law in 1947 that prevented unions from forcing employees to become members or requiring union membership as a condition of employment.The law also allowed employers to replace striking workers.That law was:

A)the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)
B)the Taft-Hartley Act
C)NAFTA
D)the Labor Relocation Act
E)the Riot Act

Question 66

Which of the following was NOT one of the aspects of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)Section 7(a)?

A)workers' minimum wages
B)the maximum hours of work
C)the right to form unions
D)right to work laws

Question 67

Which of the following trends weakened unions in the 1970s and 1980s by limiting the organizational resources of industrial workers?

A)American firms hired anti-union consultants
B)employers began to contest union elections
C)outright intimidation sometimes prevented workers from unionizing
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 68

Which theory stresses the face-to-face interaction strategies employed by movement members to recruit nonmembers who are like-minded,apathetic,or even initially opposed to the movement's goals?

A)resource mobilization
B)solidarity theory
C)frame alignment
D)relative deprivation theory
E)strain theory

Question 69

When the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)was passed in 1933,employers responded by:

A)embracing the new legislation
B)organizing investigations on the long-term consequences of the legislation
C)challenging the law in court
D)encouraging unionization so that they only had to bargain with one representative of the workers

Question 70

Government action in the United States has limited opportunities for union growth since the end of World War II because:

A)the government has focused legislation on worker's rights
B)anti-union legislation was passed by Congress
C)the government has focused efforts on increasing the minimum wage
D)nearly all administrations have been Republican
E)nearly all administrations have been Democratic

Question 71

Between 1948 and 1983,when unemployment increased,big strikes:

A)were more common
B)were less common
C)were as common as they were when unemployment fell
D)ceased entirely

Question 72

Which social movement theory focuses on how social movement leaders can reach out to other organizations that,they believe,contain people who may be sympathetic to their movement's cause?

A)resource mobilization
B)solidarity theory
C)frame alignment
D)relative deprivation theory
E)strain theory

Question 73

Unions have had great difficulty in penetrating what sector of the American labor force?

A)blue-collar workers
B)pink-collar workers
C)white-collar workers
D)red-collar workers

Question 74

Between 1948 and 1983,strikes were less frequent during:

A)economic "booms"
B)economic "busts"
C)periods of economic stability
D)"placid" economic periods
E)none of these choices

Question 75

What accounts for the post-1945 drop in union density in the United States?

A)the shrinking industrial working class
B)globalization
C)employer hostility to unions
D)government action limiting opportunities for union growth
E)all of these choices

Question 76

Union members as a percentage of non-farm workers is known as:

A)union representation
B)union density
C)union organization
D)union mobilization
E)union mobility

Question 77

Comparing the period 1947-83 to the period 1984-2000,the average annual number of big strikes in the United States has:

A)halved
B)doubled
C)fallen to only one sixth its earlier level
D)none of these choices

Question 78

The globalization of production that began in the 1970s,put American blue-collar workers in direct competition for jobs with:

A)overseas workers
B)low-wage domestic workers
C)information workers
D)service workers

Question 79

Resource mobilization theory teaches us that social organization usually facilitates collective action and that:

A)social organization does not influence the level of social protest
B)less social organization typically means more protest
C)more social organization typically means more protest
D)less social organization typically means less protest
E)none of these choices

Question 80

Which theory of collective action answers the question of why discontent is sometimes expressed collectively and in nonroutine ways?

A)solidarity theory
B)political opportunities
C)frame alignment
D)new social movements
E)breakdown theory