Sociology 202 Midterm

The sociological imagination lies at the intersection of _____ and _____

history, biography

Which quote best captures the sociological imagination?

A. "The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the disenchantment of the world."

B. "All knowledge of cultural reality, as may be seen, is always knowledge from particular points of view."

C. "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."

D. "Understand[ing of] the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals."

D: "Understand[ing of] the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals."

Sociologists in the 1800s, such as Auguste Comte, Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber, strived to explain social behavior as an outgrowth of the __________ Revolution.

A. American

B. French

C. Industrial

D. Agricultural

C. Industrial

Which theorist invented the word sociology to describe a new academic discipline?

A. Auguste Comte

B. Émile Durkheim

C. Karl Marx

A. Auguste Comte

According to Durkheim, sociologists must study social facts, which are

A. the ways in which people cooperate.

B. what people report as the reasons for their behavior.

C. aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals.

D. individual opinions.

C. aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals

The concept of _____ was used by Max Weber to refer to the process by which modes of precise calculation and organization, involving abstract rules and procedures, increasingly come to dominate the social world?

rationalization

Which example provides the best illustration of Max Weber's notion of a bureaucratic organization?

A. A local chapter of a sorority

B. A block party in celebration of Independence Day

C. An introductory sociology class

D. North Carolina State University

D. North Carolina State University

What do Marxism and feminism have in common?

A. Neither sees advocating social change as an appropriate activity for sociologists.

B. Both reject the idea that subordinate groups are important to study.

C. Both focus on inequalities and conflict as central features of modern societies.

D. Marxism and feminism deemphasize political reform.

C. Both focus on inequalities and conflict as central features of modern societies.

This founding sociologist developed the concept of sociology, with a goal to discover universally applicable social laws based on observation

Comte

This founding sociologist developed the concepts of social facts, which are social phenomena that can be studied as things unto themselves

Durkheim

This founding sociologist focused on the inequality between the proletariat (workers) and the bourgeoisie (owners of capital)

Marx

This founding sociologist was interested primarily in the spread of bureaucracy to organize human activities

Weber

This founding sociologist argued that gender is the fundamental dividing line in a society

Martineau

This founding sociologist theorized that race is the fundamental division of American society

DuBois

A neighborhood has an annual food drive with the primary purpose of collecting food for disadvantaged families. However, this event also creates a stronger sense of community in this neighborhood. The stronger sense of community would be an example of Robert K. Merton's notion of

A. anomie

B. latent functions

C. microsociology

D. symbolic interactionism

latent functions

The social cohesion that fans feel at a baseball game when their team wins is an examble of a(n) _____

Latent function

According to postmodernist theory,

A. society is highly pluralistic and diverse.

B. the nation-state is growing stronger.

C. society is becoming increasingly homogenized.

D. history is leading us inevitably toward socialism.

A. society is highly pluralistic and diverse

Which single variable would a rational choice theorist choose as most useful for explaining society?

A. Class conflict

B. Self-interest

C. The distribution of power

D. The division of labor

B. self-interest

Which theorist had the greatest influence on the sociological perspective known as symbolic interactionism?

A. Harriet Martineau

B. Émile Durkheim

C. Talcott Parsons

D. George Herbert Mead

George Herbert Mead

A society is a(n)

A. abstract ideal about what is good and bad.

B. enduring system of interrelationships that connects individuals.

C. set of guidelines of behavior for interacting with other people.

D. set of concrete rules of behavior, usually codified into law.

B. enduring system of interrelationships that connects individuals

Definitive principles or rules of behavior that people are expected to observe are called _____

social norms

Values are

A. laws a society creates.

B. modes of behavior shared by all human cultures.

C. concrete rules of behavior.

D. abstract ideals about what is good and bad.

D. abstract ideals about what is good and bad

The components of a cultural system that are not actual physical objects are called _____

nonmaterial culture

The norm for some groups to make direct eye contact when speaking to someone is an example of nonmaterial culture.

A. True

B. False

A. True

Which action listed below is an informal method of social control enacted when a person fails to conform?

A. having to pay a library fine for an overdue book

B. gossiping about another person without their awareness

C. receiving detention for acting up in a high school classroom

D. being arrested for committing a crime

B. gossiping about another person without their awareness

Which example illustrates the globalization of material culture?

A. Businesses based in the United States manufacture goods for sale in the United States.

B. The citizens of Japan are embracing individualism.

C. Starbucks coffee shop locations can be found all around the world.

D. University attendance is increasing globally.

C. Starbucks coffee shop locations can eb found all around the world.

Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture is known as _____

ethnocentrism

Assessing a society by its own cultural standards is known as

A. ethnocentrism.

B. nationalism.

C. multiculturalism.

D. cultural relativism.

D. cultural relativism

Rico's parents teach him the values and norms of American society. This process is known as

A. cognitive development

B. socialization

C. self-consciousness

D. the life course

B. socialization

In the "Bobo doll" experiments conducted by Albert Bandura in the 1960s, which experimental condition was found to have the most power in influencing children to act aggressively?

A. observing an actual adult actor behaving aggressively

B. watching a videotaped adult actor behaving aggressively

C. watching a cartoon version of aggression

D. observing no acts of aggression committed by others

A. observing an actual adult actor behaving aggressively

Which situation below best illustrates the process of anticipatory socialization?

A. a child learning how to say "thank you" after receiving a gift

B. a recruit learning the rules of the military during boot camp training

C. a student repairing a car engine alone for the first time

D. a pregnant person learning how to be a parent in a parenting class

D. a pregnant person learning how to be a parent in a parenting class

Mass media are an important agent of socialization for children.

A. True

B. False

A. True

When sociologists consider the topic of identity, they are broadly focused on

A. gender, nationality, and sexual orientation as the "big three" elements that define each person's identity.

B. an abstract, intangible concept that combines an individual's genetic inheritance and personality.

C. people's understandings about who they are and what is meaningful to them.

D. whether people can integrate into or remain aloof from social situations.

C. people's understandings about who they are and what is meaningful to them.

What is the difference between social identity and self-identity?

Social identity focuses on group membership (similarities) while self-identity focuses on what makes us unique (differences)

George Herbert Mead referred to the general morality and values of the culture in which a child develops as the

A. social self

B. social identity

C. generalized other

D. looking-glass self

C. generalized other

According to sociologist Charles Horton Cooley's theory, the reactions we elicit in social situations create a mirror in which we see ourselves. Cooley called this mirror the _____

looking glass self

One criticism of Charles Horton Cooley's theory of the looking-glass self is that

A. some people never reach the looking-glass-self stage of cognitive development.

B. people do not passively accept what others think of them.

C. this process does not exist in many cultures.

D. it focuses too much on cognitive development rather than social or personality development.

B. people do not passively accept what others think of them

Set of formal and informal social ties that link people to eachother are called _____ by sociologists.

networks

Which collection of people is an example of a primary group?

A. everyone shopping at a grocery store on a given day

B. the entire group of Walmart employees

C. U.S. citizens

D. a high school girl's group of close friends

D. a high school girl's group of close friends

Dr. Patel wants to study the smallest social group, so she develops a study based on

A. individuals

B. dyads

C. triads

D. families

B. dyads

The most important reason why dyads are fragile social groups is that ______

they consist of two members

When studying social groups, sociologists expect to see that

A. larger groups are less intimate than small groups but are more stable.

B. larger groups are more intimate than small groups because everyone must look after everyone else.

C. dyads are the most stable and enduring of all social groups.

D. triads are more intimate than dyads because members are working to keep the group together.

A. larger groups are less intimate than small groups but are more stable.

A sociologist studies group formation among first graders. He studies Mr. Gomez's classroom, which is next door to Ms. Ishi's classroom. The sociologist notices the presence of an out-group when Mr. Gomez's first graders say,

A. "We're the smartest students!"

B. "Ms. Ishi's students are all stinky!"

C. "Mr. Gomez is the best teacher!"

D. "First-graders rule!"

B. "Ms. Ishi's students are all stinky!"

A large group of people that engages in concerted collective actions to achieve specific objectives is called a(n) _____

organization

_____ refer(s) to principles or rules that people in society are expected to observe

norms

Nonconformity to a set of norms accepted by a significant number of people in a community is called _____

deviance

The context in which behavior occurs often makes the difference in whether it is considered deviant.

A. True

B. False

A. True

Formal norms defined by governments as principles their citizens must follow are called

A. crimes

B. laws

C. sanctions

D. informal sanctions

B. laws

Émile Durkheim proposed that ___________, which is in keeping with his ____________ perspective.

A. crime is merely an abstraction; symbolic interactionist

B. deviance is good for society; functionalist

C. deviance is a response to social control; Marxist

D. crime leads to anomie; conflict theory

B. deviance is good for society; functionalist

Timo lives in a high-crime area. Many of the people he sees during the course of a day are involved in criminal activities, thus increasing Timo's opportunity to learn criminal behavior. Which sociological notion best explains why Timo might engage in crime?

A. relative deprivation

B. secondary deviation

C. labeling

D. differential association

D. differential association

Primary deviation occurs when an individual accepts the label of deviant and acts accordingly.

A. True

B. False

B. False

Which statement best illustrates the labeling theory of deviance?

A. Adolescents in romantic relationships are less likely to commit crime than adolescents who are not in a relationship.

B. The definition of crime is class biased; for example, the crimes listed in the Uniform Crime Reports are disproportionately committed by members of impoverished groups in the United States.

C. Frustration arising from a lack of access to legitimate means to achieve culturally prescribed goals lies at the root of crime and deviance.

D. Ex-offenders are much less likely to be called back by potential employers compared to people with similar résumés but no criminal record.

D. Ex-offenders are much less likely to be called back by potential employers compared to people with similar résumés but no criminal record.

Davante speaks at a local town hall meeting. When asked about crime in the town, he says, "I can tell you why there's crime. It's because all the fat cats who have power want to keep their power! You think they go to jail when they're caught doing something wrong? No way! It's the social structure, man; that's the root of crime and deviance." Davante's views are most consistent with the __________ perspective.

A. conflict theory

B. functionalist

C. control theory

D. interactionist

A. conflict theory

Which statement would a conflict theorist most closely agree with?

A. Deviants are born into a culture that rewards criminal behavior.

B. Deviant behavior results from deviants associating with other deviants.

C. Deviant behavior could be a response to inequalities in capitalist society.

D. Deviant behavior can arise from various types of negative relationships that individuals maintain.

C. Deviant behavior could be a response to inequalities in capitalist society

Some sociologists propose that any sign of social disorder in a community encourages more serious crime, which has come to be known as

A. target hardening.

B. differential urban association.

C. the theory of broken windows.

D. boundary maintenance.

C. the theory of broken windows.

Which statement is true of all systems of social stratification?

A. If a person no longer identifies with the other members of a social category, that person is no longer classified at that level.

B. Ranks tend to fluctuate rapidly and significantly over time.

C. A person's life chances are significantly influenced by social position.

D. Upward mobility is a norm that is valued in all societies.

C. A person's life chances are significantly influenced by social position

A form of stratification in which people earn income and own wealth and distinguish between groups on the basis of economic standing is called _____

class

What is the primary difference between a caste system and enslavement?

A. Enslaved people are not able to move into different classes, whereas caste members can do this.

B. Enslaved people may be bought and sold, whereas caste members may only be given away freely.

C. Enslaved people may have contact with others who are not enslaved people, whereas caste members may not contact those of a different caste rank.

D. Enslaved people are owned as property, whereas caste members are not.

D. Enslaved people are owned as property, whereas caste members are not.

In which country is slavery still legal today?

A. The United States

B. Somalia

C. North Korea

D. United Arab Emirates

A. The United States

According to French economist Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, ever-increasing wealth inequality is a necessary and inevitable feature of almost all capitalist economic systems. The major exception to this rule was the

A. nineteenth century.

B. mid twentieth century.

C. 1970s.

D. years since the 2008 recession.

B. mid twentieth century

A sociologist conducts a study of superrich Americans. One defining characteristic that separates the superrich from the upper class is that the superrich

A. earn more than $200,000 per year.

B. own a large home and probably a vacation home.

C. derive most of their wealth from investments.

D. vacation abroad and educate their children in private schools.

C. derive most of their wealth from investments

What is the key difference between the sociological definition of income and that of wealth?

A. Income is something everyone has, whereas wealth is limited to those who own property.

B. Wealth is earned, whereas income is held and then invested.

C. Wealth is something everyone has, whereas income must be earned.

D. Income is earned, whereas wealth is held or invested.

D. Income is earned, whereas wealth is held or invested.

Which observation best explains why the wealth gap is greater than the income gap between Black Americans and White Americans, according to some sociologists?

A. The legacy of discrimination provided little or no opportunity to accumulate wealth.

B. A "culture of poverty" among Black Americans discourages achievement and saving money.

C. Some social groups value wealth, whereas others value income.

D. Federal regulation has eliminated racial bias in income.

A. The legacy of discrimination provided little or no opportunity to accumulate wealth.

The reason why a majority of Americans claim to be part of the middle class is due to

A. the tendency to avoid association with the working class.

B. statistics that show them to be earning the correct income for that category.

C. a deep fear of impoverishment.

D. a pervasive cultural belief that the United States is free of class distinctions.

D. a pervasive cultural belief that the United States is free of class distinctions

With which statement would a neoliberal theorist most likely agree?

A. International capitalism has facilitated poverty in low-income countries.

B. The economic plight of low-income countries could be alleviated with more government intervention.

C. The key to economic success in low-income countries is for the government to harness the cultural beliefs of the people into a productive unit.

D. The most effective way for low-income countries to develop economically is to mimic the successful capitalist practices of the United States.

D. The most effective way for low-income countries to develop economically is to mimic the successful capitalist practices of the United States.

How, according to neoliberalism, can a government bring about the best economic consequences for its nation?

A. Invest in infrastructure modernization.

B. Invest in vocational and professional education.

C. Maximize the freedom of individuals and businesses.

D. Limit trade with nations that engage in predatory trading practices.

C. Maximize the freedom of individuals and businesses.

Which observation applies primarily to neoliberal theories?

A. They blame low-income countries for their poverty rather than acknowledge outside factors.

B. They acknowledge the importance of business operations of more powerful nations in sustaining inequality.

C. They acknowledge the ways government can work with the private sector to spur economic development.

D. They adequately explain why some countries take off economically, whereas others remain grounded in poverty and underdevelopment.

A. They blame low-income countries for their poverty rather than acknowledge outside factors.

Dependency theorists argue that low-income countries are locked in a downward spiral of poverty due to

A. a lack of regulation.

B. a lack of sufficient experience with multinational corporations.

C. exploitation by wealthy countries.

D. the absence of values and beliefs that contribute to economic growth.

C. exploitation by wealthy countries.

According to dependency theorists, colonialism played a vital role in the impoverishment of poorer countries because powerful countries

A. exported technology to help countries develop.

B. exploited others for their raw materials.

C. brought democracy to other countries.

D. signed treaties with low-income countries to encourage their development.

B. exploited others for their raw materials.

Which observation applies primarily to dependency theories?

A. These theories cannot account for the expanding

economies of China and East Asia.

B. These theories cannot account for much of the economic backwardness in Latin America and Africa.

C. These theories explain well the success stories of Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

D. These theories explain well how some formerly low-income countries have risen economically despite the presence of multinational corporations.

A. These theories cannot account for the expanding economies of China and East Asia.

According to world-systems theory, the "flow" of natural resources is from _____ to _____

periphery, core

Which observation applies primarily to world-systems theory?

A. It looks at development and inequality in wealthy nations only.

B. It emphasizes cultural forces at the expense of economic and political ones.

C. It places too much emphasis on the role of nation-states in the world economy.

D. It places too much emphasis on the role of transnational corporations.

C. It places too much emphasis on the role of nation-states in the world economy.

In the theory of global capitalism, members of the transnational capitalist class are loyal to whatever country they make their home in at any given time.

A. True

B. False

B. False

Which type of theorist would argue that a low-income society can improve through economic development only if people give up their traditional ways and adopt new economic institutions, technologies, and values?

A. world-systems

B. dependent development

C. transnational capitalist

D. modernization

D. modernization

Which of the following best describes the relationship between sex and gender?

A. Sex is the psycho-social and cultural identity, while gender refers to physical characteristics.

B. Gender represents both physical characteristics and cultural identities.

C. Sex refers to physical characteristics such as male and female, while gender involves psycho-social and cultural aspects.

D. Both sex and gender are interchangeable terms with no distinct differences.

C. Sex refers to physical characteristics such as male and female, while gender involves psycho-social and cultural aspects.

Which concept do scholars use to refer to the biological and anatomical differences distinguishing females and males?

A. gender

B. gender identity

C. sexual orientation

D. sex

D. sex

A corporate executive raises the question "Why are female employees underrepresented in the tech department?" Which explanation expresses biological essentialism?

A. "Women prefer flexible careers so they can care for children and aging parents."

B. "Girls haven't been encouraged toward learning technological fields in elementary school."

C. "Women's brains don't process technological information as well as men's."

D. "The tech department has a reputation for allowing sexual harassment against women."

C. "Women's brains don't process technological information as well as men's."

Gender socialization begins

A. at birth.

B. around age two or three.

C. when a child starts school.

D. at puberty.

A. at birth.

Still learning (78)

Which activity is an example of microsociology?

Studying the patterns of social interaction among patrons in a coffee shop

In order to ensure that their findings are reproducible, sociologists should always make public not just their results but also their research procedures

True

What are the four basic standards that sociological researchers strive for?

Generalizability, replicability, probability, and reflexivity

Which example listed below best illustrates qualitative methods of data collection?

An observer takes notes on the nonverbal behavior of members of a focus group evaluating automobile commercials

A research team sets out to use large amounts of objective data to describe the rates and averages of several characteristics of a population and the correlations between them. The method the researchers will most likely use is

Quantitative

Eero wants to understand the experiences of homeless people in a large metropolitan area, hoping to derive a rich, detailed, from-the-inside view of this community. As such, Eero should rely on __________ to gather the desired information.

Ethnography

Which research method would be best suited for collecting a large representative sample of people’s attitudes toward gun control?

Survey

Harold Garfinkel developed ethnomethodology, which is

the study of folk, lay, or commonsense methods people use to make sense of what others say and do

Audience segregation allows people to

reconcile their roles in one part of life with their roles in another part of their social worlds

Sometimes someone will smile, but an observer can see sadness in that person’s eyes. Erving Goffman would say the sad eyes are part of the expression the person

Gives off

In Erving Goffman’s account of focused interaction, what is the basic difference between facial expressions an individual “gives” and those they “give off?

Expressions are given deliberately but given off unconsciously.

People use impression management because they

are sensitive to how others see them.

When a student texts friends with familiar abbreviations and acronyms but emails professors with carefully written and edited messages, the student is using media for

impression management

From a sociological point of view, what is significant about human agency?

It means reality is created through human interactions