Ch.1 Introduction
As defined by C. Wright Mills, ____ “enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”
a. formal sociology
b.macrosociology
c.microsociology
d. sociological imagination
Ans: d. sociological imagination
Mike hypothesized that the time people spend commuting to work decreases their sense of well-being. Mike considers commute time to be the ____ variable and well-being to be the ____ variable.
a. dependent; independent
b. independent; dependent
c. moderating; dependent
d. spurious; independent
Ans: b. independent; dependent
What is a counterculture?
a. a condition by which a dominant group uses its power to elicit the consent of the majority
b. the distinct cultural values and behavioral patterns of a particular group in society
c. a conflict between distinct cultures within a given society
d. a large cultural group defined in opposition to the ideologies, values, and norms of the mainstream culture
Ans: d. a large cultural group defined in opposition to the ideologies, values, and norms of the mainstream culture
Sociology is the study of ____.
a. how urges, drives, and the mind account for human behavior.
b. causal mechanisms within the biological nature of individuals.
c. humans as rational utility maximizers.
d. group-level dynamics and social structures.
Ans: d. group-level dynamics and social structures
What is the essential attribute of all media?
a. They create a permanent record.
b. They provide entertainment.
c. They are produced for commercial reasons.
d.They communicate information.
Ans: d. They communicate information.
Which discipline focuses its analyses on larger social dynamics at the societal and structural levels?
a. macrosociology
b. microsociology
c. social ecology
d. symbolic interactionism
Ans: a. macrosociology
If a researcher fails to accurately measure a concept in a study, that measure lacks ____ .
a. generalizability.
b. reflexivity.
c. reliability.
d. validity.
Ans: d. validity.
We can divide culture into two main categories. The category that includes values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors is known as __________.
a. counterculture.
b. material culture.
c. nonmaterial culture.
d. subculture.
c. nonmaterial culture.
A goal in sociology is to question things that are taken for granted in order to better understand the social world. Another way of saying this is to _____.
a. place our own values above data we collect.
b. see culture as a more powerful force than armies or industry.
c. think of the world in such a way as to make the familiar seem strange.
d. think of individuals as members of an organized group.
Ans: c. think of the world in such a way as to make the familiar seem strange.
What is a culture war?
a. a large cultural group that stands in opposition to mainstream ideologies and beliefs
b. the projection of structures and relationships into the public sphere
c. a conflict between distinct cultures within a given society
d. the process by which communities internalize dominant ideologies into their lived experiences
Ans: c. a conflict between distinct cultures within a given society
___ is defined as the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running.
a. Midrange Theory
b. Conflict Theory
c. Post-modernism
d. Functionalism
e. Symbolic Interactionism
Ans: d. Functionalism
Ash begins their research with a theory, then forms hypotheses, and finally makes some observations. Ash is using a(n) ____ research approach.
a. dependent
b. deductive
c. independent
d. inductive
Ans: b. deductive
If a person uses their own cultural standards to judge another cultural group, that person is being __________.
a. culturally relative.
b. ethnocentric.
c. realistic.
d. symbolic.
Ans: B.ethnocentric.
_____is defined as a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, assumptions form the basic motivations behind people’s actions.
a. Midrange Theory
b. Conflict Theory
c. Post-modernism
d. Functionalism
e. Symbolic Interactionism
Ans: e. Symbolic Interactionism
Karl Marx argued that social institutions in a society were the result of the economic makeup of that society. Max Weber argued that _____.
a. there are no social institutions in a society.
b. ideas influence society, not just economics.
c. Marx was correct except for his ideas about religion.
d. the epistemological stage of that society influenced the social institutions.
Ans: b. ideas influence society, not just economics.
What is anomie as defined by Émile Durkheim?
a. behavioral scripts, which people use to navigate through the social world
b. a system of stratification based on social prestige
c. a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer expect life to be predictable
d.modes of behavior and understanding that are not universal or natural
Ans: c. a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer expect life to be predictable
A sociologist finds a strong relationship between exercise and depression. She assumes that the frequency of exercise directly causes people to have higher or lower risk of depression, but she fails to consider that depression can determine how frequently a person exercises. In this case, she is forgetting to consider ________.
a. deduction.
b.correlation.
c. operationalization.
d. reverse causality.
Ans: d. reverse causality.
The technology for autonomous (self-driving) cars is already available, and a few models have been built. However, when an autonomous vehicle hits another car, it is unclear who should be liable. Should it be the owner of the autonomous vehicle who was riding in the car? The manufacturer? The person who created the software? Sociologists are considering the concept of __________ when exploring these questions.
a. cultural relativism
b. material culture
c. nonmaterial culture
d. cultural lag
Ans: d. cultural lag
Kiara, a graduate student at a university, is studying children in a high-poverty neighborhood. She carefully considers how her gender, social class, race, and education may affect the children and their responses to her. Kiara is practicing __________.
a. content analysis.
b. positivism.
c. reflexivity
d. reverse causality.
Ans: c. reflexivity
A research method using ____ involves collecting data from written reports or other artifacts in order to discover patterns in behaviors or attitudes dating to an earlier time period.
a. ethnography
b. experiments
c. historical methods
d. panel surveys
Ans: c. historical methods
____is defined as the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general.
a. Midrange Theory
b. Conflict Theory
c. Post-modernism
d. Functionalism
e. Symbolic Interactionism
Ans: B. Conflict Theory
Positivists are more often concerned with the factors that influence social life, whereas ____ are more often concerned with the meaning respondents attach to their behavior.
a. comparative sociologists
b. interpretive sociologists
c. psychologists
d. survey researchers
Ans: b. interpretive sociologists
Joe is visiting New York City for the first time and is overwhelmed by the lack of polite conversation, the number of people, and the large food portions she is served at every meal. What could Joe be experiencing?
a. code switching
b. cultural lag
c. culture shock
d. hegemonic culture
Ans: c. culture shock
Kevin grew up in Washington and is visiting his family in Korea for the summer. During dinner, he drinks before the eldest member of his family. His cousin reminds him that in Korea, he is supposed to wait for the elder to drink first. Kevin apologizes for his behavior, and the rest of the night goes well. What did Kevin do wrong?
a. He broke a cultural norm.
b. He violated ethical family dynamics.
c. He used the wrong cultural lens at dinner.
d. He did nothing wrong; his family is overreacting.
Ans: a. He broke a cultural norm.
Antonio Gramsci described how a dominant group may exercise moral and intellectual leadership by gaining the voluntary approval and consent of the masses. This concept is known as ______.
a. domination.
b. hegemony.
c. rebellion.
d. socialization.
Ans: b. hegemony.