Deck 1: Sociology: Theory and Method

Question 1

Tori's father loses his job during a time of economic crisis when many people are losing their jobs. Her mother is a skilled daycare worker with years of experience, but like many daycare workers, she cannot find any jobs that pay well. Sociologists would likely see the struggle of Tori's parents as:

A) a personal trouble.
B) the fault of Tori's father for not providing for the family.
C) the result of a socialist economy.
D) a public issue.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Women began entering the workforce in larger numbers in the United States until it eventually became normal, altering women's structural place in society. This is an example of:

A) structuration.
B) social stasis.
C) wages for housework.
D) the glass ceiling.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to the textbook, ________ involve constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of situations.

A) empirical answers
B) ideologies
C) theories
D) beliefs

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Émile Durkheim believed that for a society to function and persist over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with each other and function as an integrated whole. He referred to this as:

A) democratic centralism.
B) consensus.
C) class consciousness.
D) organic solidarity.

Question 5

When Juan drinks his morning coffee, he thinks about its production in Colombia, its transportation through many countries, the taxes and tariffs applied for international commerce, and the diverse array of social relations behind his drink. According to the textbook, one might say that Juan is using:

A) an internalized view of things.
B) an individual framework of commodity production.
C) a global perspective.
D) a domestic view of labor.

Question 6

________ argued that class struggles were what led to historical progress and development.

A) Karl Marx
B) Auguste Comte
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Max Weber

Question 7

Sociologists recognize that "personal" troubles, if occurring in patterned ways and to large numbers of individuals, reflect important ________ or consequences of social structures.

A) public issues
B) individualized problems
C) interest groups
D) family values

Question 8

Society, according to Karl Marx, was:

A) a fully functioning grouping of social equals.
B) primarily divided by social class.
C) at its historical apex.
D) a reflection of the mind of God.

Question 9

Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the:

A) accumulation of capital.
B) sociological imagination.
C) emergence theory.
D) recognition of self.

Question 10

In America, obesity has emerged as a major public health concern. How might a sociologist using the "sociological imagination" examine obesity among teenagers?

A) by exploring the role that genetic factors play in a teenager's susceptibility to obesity
B) by speaking to teenagers to understand the role that emotions play in their eating habits
C) by examining obesity rates among teenagers and factors like social class, life chances, and material resources
D) by examining how decreasing levels of low self-esteem may be linked to growing obesity rates among teenagers

Question 11

Which phrase best represents the beliefs of Herbert Spencer?

A) "equality for all"
B) "survival of the fittest"
C) "all human history is the history of class struggles"
D) "society is changing too rapidly"

Question 12

Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage during a time of economic crisis when foreclosures have become a common feature of her country. Jenna would be using a sociological imagination to think about this if she were to:

A) blame her mother for not working hard enough.
B) wonder why her father does not just find a new job.
C) consider what kind of world allows people to be thrown out of their homes.
D) think about ways she can contribute financially to buying their house back.

Question 13

What is the concept that sociologists use to understand the economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world?

A) globalization
B) network theory
C) sociological imagination
D) organic solidarity

Question 14

________ invented the word sociology.

A) Karl Marx
B) Auguste Comte
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Max Weber

Question 15

Parents living in Boston noticed that many of their adolescent children regularly became distressed in early September. Based on what you know about adolescent suicides in Japan, sociologists might attempt to understand this phenomenon by looking into what?

A) parent-student communication
B) genetic predispositions to depression
C) students' experiences with bullying
D) school lunch programs in Boston

Question 16

The ideas of Karl Marx might be criticized for what reason?

A) He had no analysis of power imbalances.
B) His focus on class conflict risked minimizing or ignoring other social divisions, such as those around race and gender.
C) His materialist conception of history relied too much on the ideas people had instead of actual social events.
D) He paid no attention to how society produced and distributed goods.

Question 17

According to ________, sociology must study social facts-aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals-in order to become a science.

A) Karl Marx
B) Auguste Comte
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Max Weber

Question 18

________ refers to how human societies are reconstructed at every moment by the very "building blocks" that compose them-human beings.

A) Evolutionary biology
B) Metatheory
C) Structuration
D) Dramaturgy

Question 19

Anita puts forward the idea that under capitalism, working people and their bosses will struggle. From this struggle, a new kind of society will emerge. Her thoughts most closely mirror those of which theorist?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Max Weber

Question 20

Kevon believes that society should be looked at like a body, with constituent parts necessary to the functioning of the whole. His ideas probably most closely mirror those of which theorist?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Max Weber

Question 21

According to the textbook, ________ was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) W. E. B. Du Bois
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Lucy Parsons

Question 22

According to the textbook, George Herbert Mead reasoned that language allows us to become self-conscious beings-aware of our own individuality. This idea forms the basis of the theoretical perspective known as:

A) symbolic interactionism.
B) postmodern theory.
C) feminist theory.
D) Marxism.

Question 23

Sangeeta argues that African Americans often see themselves through the eyes of white society. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Harriet Martineau
D) W. E. B. Du Bois

Question 24

________ coined the term double consciousness to refer to the African American experience.

A) W. E. B. Du Bois
B) Gloria Steinem
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Lucy Parsons

Question 25

Theorists of ________, such as Auguste Comte and Émile Durkheim, compared societies to the workings of a human body.

A) functionalism
B) postmodern theory
C) feminist theory
D) symbolic interactionism

Question 26

One possible criticism of functionalism might be:

A) that it is impossible to research large social bodies.
B) that it does not take into account society's major institutions.
C) that it has an anti-Western bias.
D) that societies are in conflict just as often as they are stable.

Question 27

Marxist and feminist theory often have different objects of study. Why are they both considered conflict theories?

A) They regularly contradict each other.
B) Marxists and feminists have both been historically ostracized by academia.
C) They both focus on the role of power in shaping society.
D) They are often criticized by people of color.

Question 28

Paco has begun using symbolic interaction as a theoretical perspective to think about the role of food in religious ceremonies. What is one possible critique of this approach?

A) One cannot use symbols to study religious phenomena.
B) Individual behaviors do not matter in religious ceremonies.
C) Paco runs the risk of missing larger social context by focusing on symbolic communication.
D) Religion involves inner meaning rather than communication between different sets of people.

Question 29

Maria believes that contemporary societies are primarily defined by the rise and maintenance of hierarchical bureaucratic forms of organizing large parts of social life. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Max Weber

Question 30

A key difference between functionalism and conflict theory is:

A) functionalism was developed at a time of great social upheaval.
B) functionalism emphasizes cooperation while conflict theory stresses competition.
C) functionalism is an example of microsociology whereas conflict theory is an example of macrosociology.
D) functionalism stresses the importance of science in the study of sociology.

Question 31

Mohammed believes that studies of human behavior should focus primarily on how we construct meaning through abstract representations. His position is closest to which theoretical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) Marxism and class conflict
C) symbolic interactionism
D) feminist theory

Question 32

We might identify one of the latent functions of public schools as:

A) providing low-cost educational training to the public at large.
B) teaching our children the values of our society.
C) training kids to obey authority and grow up to become obedient workers.
D) teaching the citizenry of the country the basics of subjects such as math and science.

Question 33

The German sociologist Max Weber was highly influential in sociology for his studies of:

A) the French Constituent Assembly.
B) hunter-gatherer societies.
C) bureaucracy.
D) urban planning.

Question 34

Pierre prefers to think of institutions and human activities by analyzing the relationship of each individual part as it relates to the whole. His way of thinking most closely resembles which theoretical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) Marxism and class conflict
C) symbolic interactionism
D) feminist theory

Question 35

Sociologists who use ________ as a theoretical perspective argue that women's lives and experiences are central to the study of society.

A) functionalism
B) postmodern theory
C) feminist theory
D) Marxism

Question 36

Max Weber's theoretical contributions might be criticized for:

A) focusing narrowly on the individual.
B) not taking into account the role of bureaucracy in modern societies.
C) ignoring large social institutions.
D) ignoring collective forms of organization that are common in modern societies.

Question 37

Chris insists that any decent analysis of our social world must include investigations into the lived experiences of women. Chris's ideas match most closely with those of which theorist?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Max Weber

Question 38

Latisha believes that sociologists need to look at both how our institutions were intended to work and the unintentional effects of those institutions. According to the textbook, this is a major part of which theoretical perspective?

A) feminist theory
B) Marxism and class conflict
C) symbolic interactionism
D) functionalism

Question 39

Janice thinks that sociology should be a science used to bring about radical social change, with particular emphasis on power and ideology. Her position most closely aligns with which theoretical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) Marxism and class conflict
C) symbolic interactionism
D) postmodernism

Question 40

One of the main ways that Karl Marx differs from Émile Durkheim and Auguste Comte is that:

A) Marx argued for a scientific study of postindustrial society.
B) Marx argued that industrialization could only take off in the West.
C) Marx argued that social change was prompted by economic influences as opposed to ideas or values.
D) Marx argued that class struggle causes anomie.

Question 41

Hunches about the nature of the problem can sometimes be turned into definite ________, or educated guesses about what is going on.

A) data
B) truth claims
C) hypotheses
D) analyses

Question 42

Why would the development of a social movement like Occupy Wall Street be difficult to study using experimental methods?

A) Experiments take too long to conduct.
B) Experiments tend to be quantitative in nature.
C) Sociologists who use experiments are usually more politically conservative.
D) Activists regularly refuse to participate in experiments.

Question 43

Harpreet wants to research differences in attitudes toward globalization between people from the United States and people from Colombia. She is creating a survey instrument to give to people from both regions. What part of the research process is she in?

A) defining the research problem
B) reviewing the evidence
C) working out a design
D) interpreting the results

Question 44

Maynard believes that studying women's experiences is key to understanding modern Russia. According to the textbook, his beliefs most closely align with which theoretical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) Marxism and class conflict
C) symbolic interactionism
D) feminist theory

Question 45

Michelle has spent the past year among a subculture of twenty-somethings who all listen to the same kind of music. She spends time with them, participates in their events, and observes their interactions and behaviors. All the while, she records what she witnesses in her field notebook. What kind of sociological research best describes what Michelle is doing?

A) survey research
B) experimental research
C) ethnography
D) comparative research

Question 46

If sociologists wanted to study how young people got involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, what method would they likely use?

A) Surveys, because they could link this information with social network analysis.
B) Experiments, so they could reproduce the conditions in a lab.
C) Comparative, since Black Lives Matter is a global social movement.
D) Historical, so they could rely on archival material.

Question 47

Sally has come up with an interesting research question about the behaviors of people who have just achieved what they see as major success in their lives. She finds and investigates as much existing literature on the question as she can find. What part of the research process is Sally in?

A) defining the research problem
B) reviewing the evidence
C) working out a design
D) interpreting the results

Question 48

Marissa rejects the idea that we can make historical claims about society progressively developing. Her idea most mirrors which theoretical perspective?

A) functionalism
B) postmodernism
C) symbolic interactionism
D) feminist theory

Question 49

Jennifer wants to collect rich and varied data about the lives of Native Americans who live on reservations. She wants to be able to not only document their lived reality but also to describe it as closely as possible. The best method of research for this kind of study would be:

A) survey research.
B) experimental research.
C) ethnography.
D) comparative research.

Question 50

Abbey studies how people negotiate personal space when they speak to each other in person by closely observing their behaviors. Her study is an example of:

A) conflict studies.
B) microsociology.
C) macrosociology.
D) survey research.

Question 51

Allen participated in religious rituals with members of the Mormon Church for two years. He kept field notes of his experiences, identified major themes within the notes, wrote a paper about his process and results, and submitted the paper to a major research journal. What part of the research process is he in?

A) defining the research problem
B) reviewing the evidence
C) reporting the findings
D) interpreting the results

Question 52

Florence is interested in researching how men's lives have changed as women have increasingly entered the workforce. What kind of research question will she be formulating?

A) factual question
B) comparative question
C) developmental question
D) theoretical question

Question 53

Camilo wants to see whether people in France react the same way to authority as people in the United States. He will likely develop what kind of research question?

A) factual question
B) comparative question
C) developmental question
D) theoretical question

Question 54

Jerome looks at how the global economy functions in continental free-trade zones. His studies might be described as:

A) sexuality studies.
B) microsociology.
C) macrosociology.
D) survey research.

Question 55

What is the first step of the sociological research process?

A) defining the research problem
B) making the problem precise
C) reviewing the evidence
D) carrying out the research

Question 56

The study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called:

A) institutional ethnography.
B) microsociology.
C) symbolic interactionism.
D) macrosociology.

Question 57

Farhang begins his research knowing he wants to compare and contrast the lives of gay and straight teenagers. After some consideration, he decides that he will focus on the differences in self-esteem between gay and straight teenagers. What part of the research process is Farhang in?

A) defining the research problem
B) reviewing the evidence
C) working out a design
D) interpreting the results

Question 58

Sarah has been collecting intensive interviews with women who organize in grassroots movements for wages for housework. Now she is looking over the interviews and trying to find common themes within them. What part of the research process is she in?

A) defining the research problem
B) reviewing the evidence
C) working out a design
D) interpreting the results

Question 59

In a(n) ________, the sociologist works or lives with members of a group, organization, or community and perhaps participates directly in its activities as part of the research process.

A) ethnographic study
B) historical/comparative study
C) quantitative study
D) experiment

Question 60

Adherents of ________ contend that there are no longer any "grand narratives" or overall conceptions of history or society that make any sense.

A) functionalism
B) postmodern theory
C) feminist theory
D) symbolic interactionism

Question 61

In a short paragraph, describe how Karl Marx would analyze the contemporary United States.

Question 62

A(n) ________ enables a researcher to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the investigator.

A) ethnographic study
B) experiment
C) quantitative study
D) psychological method

Question 63

In three to five sentences, explain the manifest and latent functions of public schools in the United States.

Question 64

________ is when the research study ends, and the investigator discusses with the subjects their concerns and acknowledges whether strategies such as deception were used.

A) Informed consent
B) Debriefing
C) Sampling
D) Intensive interviewing

Question 65

Max studies marriage rituals in Sweden, India, China, and South Africa to note similarities and differences in the ceremonies. His research would best be described as:

A) survey research.
B) experimental research.
C) ethnography.
D) comparative research.

Question 66

W. E. B. Du Bois and Harriet Martineau are the two neglected founders mentioned in the textbook. In a short paragraph, what might this neglect tell us about the history of sociology as a discipline?

Question 67

In two to three sentences, define sociology and how it differs from psychology.

Question 68

Elise collects data on homeless people in New York City by widely distributing structured questionnaires. What kind of sociological research best describes what she is doing?

A) survey research
B) experimental research
C) ethnography
D) comparative research

Question 69

What is the difference between microsociology and macrosociology? List one example of each.

Question 70

Wesley conducts research that involves meeting with subjects in a controlled setting. He treats some subjects kindly but behaves rudely to others. He notes how the different groups react to his behavior to make inferences about how people react to kindness and rudeness in certain situations. His research would best be described as:

A) survey research.
B) experimental research.
C) ethnography.
D) comparative research.

Question 71

Laud Humphreys's studies on tearooms were controversial because he:

A) was completely honest with his research subjects.
B) studied society to make it better.
C) used deception in his research.
D) focused on gay men.

Question 72

Doug notices in his sample studies that marijuana users are much more likely to report using heroin than people who do not use marijuana. He concludes that marijuana must be a gateway drug-a drug that leads to the use of harder substances. What's wrong with Doug's conclusion?

A) His sample data do not demonstrate causality; an experimental approach would be better for investigating such a claim.
B) Marijuana users cannot be trusted to report their behavior honestly and accurately.
C) Doug could never really know without trying marijuana himself and seeing whether it leads to heroin use.
D) Marijuana users would likely be afraid of needles because they are used to smoking their drug of choice.

Question 73

In a short paragraph, use your sociological imagination to think about the social processes that go into writing an essay for a college course. What is involved?

Question 74

Why is a larger random sample more desirable in survey research?

A) People take big numbers more seriously.
B) Larger samples are more likely to be representative of the population.
C) Larger samples, by their nature, include more women and minorities.
D) Small samples cannot be used for any kind of sociological research.

Question 75

What are two advantages and two disadvantages of ethnographic fieldwork?

Question 76

What is one strength and one limitation of surveys as a research method?

Question 77

In three to five sentences, consider how a sociologist influenced by symbolic interactionism might explain gender in the contemporary United States.

Question 78

In a short paragraph, consider how ideology is used to justify the actions of the powerful in American society.