Question 1

Which of the following statements is an example of a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Minority women are overrepresented in our sample. 
B)  Nonmarital births accounted for one-third of all U.S. births in 2000. 
C)  Most women, even unwed mothers, eventually marry. 
D)  Unmarried mothers are less likely to marry men with college degrees. 
A)  Minority women are overrepresented in our sample. 
B)  Nonmarital births accounted for one-third of all U.S. births in 2000. 
C)  Most women, even unwed mothers, eventually marry. 
D)  Unmarried mothers are less likely to marry men with college degrees. D

Question 2

Can social scientists ever prove the cause(s) of human behavior? Why or why not? Discuss the nature of causation in social science, including special considerations in studying human subjects.

Accepted Answer

Answers may vary but include: No, due to the complexity of human behavior; multiple causation; ethical considerations; and the impacts of social context, biology, and researchers. There should be some note about the ability of experiments to establish causality with certain variables.

Question 3

What is one advantage of experiments over surveys or ethnographies?

Accepted Answer

Answers may vary but include: Researchers can control particular variables, and experiments are usually easier for subsequent researchers to repeat.

Question 4

To study the homeless, you must actually live among them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Recently, social scientists using participant observation have written about how their race, class, gender, and sexual orientation:

Accepted Answer

A)  affected their research due to power differences 
B)  allowed them to be completely objective about their work 
C)  caused many of them to go native 
D)  did not affect the research process 
A)  affected their research due to power differences 
B)  allowed them to be completely objective about their work 
C)  caused many of them to go native 
D)  did not affect the research process

Question 6

Which of the following describes an advantage of survey research?

Accepted Answer

A)  It allows us to see a situation from inside a particular group. 
B)  It provides richer detail about a population than other methods. 
C)  The response rates are usually high. 
D)  Results can be easily quantified and analyzed. 
A)  It allows us to see a situation from inside a particular group. 
B)  It provides richer detail about a population than other methods. 
C)  The response rates are usually high. 
D)  Results can be easily quantified and analyzed.

Question 7

The strongest sociological research begins with problems that:

Accepted Answer

A)  answer socially pertinent questions related to policy 
B)  are puzzles created by a gap in our 
C)  detail factual evidence that can be standardized 
D)  explore new social phenomenon or events 
A)  answer socially pertinent questions related to policy 
B)  are puzzles created by a gap in our 
C)  detail factual evidence that can be standardized 
D)  explore new social phenomenon or events

Question 8

A research project 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 it will most likely need to use is _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis testing 
B)  observation 
C)  quantitative 
D)  qualitative 
A)  hypothesis testing 
B)  observation 
C)  quantitative 
D)  qualitative

Question 9

In Jeff's sample, the number of siblings each person has is as follows: one, two, three, four, and ten. What is the mean number of siblings in his sample?

Accepted Answer

A)  three 
B)  four 
C)  five 
D)  six 
A)  three 
B)  four 
C)  five 
D)  six

Question 10

A sociologist wishes to gain insight into street vendor activities in a major American city. What research method would probably be best to use in such a study? Why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this method in regard to this topic?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A sociologist wishes to gain insight into...

Question 11

The mean, median, and mode are all types of _______________.

Accepted Answer

A)  measures of central tendency 
B)  correlations 
C)  degree of dispersal 
D)  ranges 
A)  measures of central tendency 
B)  correlations 
C)  degree of dispersal 
D)  ranges

Question 12

In Waves of War, Andreas Wimmer reported the finding that since 1800, wars around the world have increasingly resulted from:

Accepted Answer

A)  class differences between workers and capitalists 
B)  concerns over human rights violations 
C)  disputes over land 
D)  ethnic and nationalist concerns 
A)  class differences between workers and capitalists 
B)  concerns over human rights violations 
C)  disputes over land 
D)  ethnic and nationalist concerns

Question 13

Why are experiments much less common in sociology than in the natural sciences?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is too difficult to find willing participants who meet the criteria of sociological studies. 
B)  Sociological researchers must control all of the conditions, making experiments more laborious for them. 
C)  Sociological researchers can bring only small groups into a laboratory setting, where people may behave unnaturally because they are being watched. 
D)  Sociological researchers exercise unconscious prejudices while choosing experiment subjects. 
A)  It is too difficult to find willing participants who meet the criteria of sociological studies. 
B)  Sociological researchers must control all of the conditions, making experiments more laborious for them. 
C)  Sociological researchers can bring only small groups into a laboratory setting, where people may behave unnaturally because they are being watched. 
D)  Sociological researchers exercise unconscious prejudices while choosing experiment subjects.

Question 14

What calculation gives a researcher a good idea of how spread out a series of numbers is?

Accepted Answer

A)  mean 
B)  median 
C)  mode 
D)  standard deviation 
A)  mean 
B)  median 
C)  mode 
D)  standard deviation

Question 15

MATCHING
-The figure that occurs most frequently in a given set of data

Accepted Answer

A) Standard deviation 
B) Mode 
C) Measures of central tendency 
D) Mean 
E) Correlation coefficient
F)Median 
A) Standard deviation 
B) Mode 
C) Measures of central tendency 
D) Mean 
E) Correlation coefficient
F)Median

Question 16

Sociologists engage in historical analysis because:

Accepted Answer

A)  societies were more complex in the nineteenth century 
B)  sociology is less equipped to study the modern world 
C)  survey research and fieldwork are inadequate research methods 
D)  a time perspective is frequently needed to make sense of a research problem 
A)  societies were more complex in the nineteenth century 
B)  sociology is less equipped to study the modern world 
C)  survey research and fieldwork are inadequate research methods 
D)  a time perspective is frequently needed to make sense of a research problem

Question 17

MATCHING
-Measure of the degree to which one variable relates to another in a patterned way.

Accepted Answer

A) Standard deviation 
B) Mode 
C) Measures of central tendency 
D) Mean 
E) Correlation coefficient
F)Median 
A) Standard deviation 
B) Mode 
C) Measures of central tendency 
D) Mean 
E) Correlation coefficient
F)Median

Question 18

The best way to measure the degree of dispersal for quantitative data is by using the median.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

A good hypothesis will be formulated in such a way that the:

Accepted Answer

A)  existing literature will have already answered the question 
B)  factual material gathered will always disprove it 
C)  factual material gathered will always support it 
D)  factual material gathered will provide evidence either supporting or disproving it 
A)  existing literature will have already answered the question 
B)  factual material gathered will always disprove it 
C)  factual material gathered will always support it 
D)  factual material gathered will provide evidence either supporting or disproving it

Question 20

For a research project in her sociology class, Joan has decided to study gender wage differences between men and women. What should be her next step?

Accepted Answer

A)  develop a hypothesis 
B)  interpret the results 
C)  report the findings 
D)  review the literature 
A)  develop a hypothesis 
B)  interpret the results 
C)  report the findings 
D)  review the literature

Which of the following statements is an example of a hypothesis?

Can social scientists ever prove the cause(s) of human behavior? Why or why not? Discuss the nature of causation in social science, including special considerations in studying human subjects.

What is one advantage of experiments over surveys or ethnographies?

To study the homeless, you must actually live among them.

Recently, social scientists using participant observation have written about how their race, class, gender, and sexual orientation:

Which of the following describes an advantage of survey research?

The strongest sociological research begins with problems that:

A research project 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 it will most likely need to use is _________.

In Jeff's sample, the number of siblings each person has is as follows: one, two, three, four, and ten. What is the mean number of siblings in his sample?

A sociologist wishes to gain insight into street vendor activities in a major American city. What research method would probably be best to use in such a study? Why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this method in regard to this topic?

The mean, median, and mode are all types of _______________.

In Waves of War, Andreas Wimmer reported the finding that since 1800, wars around the world have increasingly resulted from:

Why are experiments much less common in sociology than in the natural sciences?

What calculation gives a researcher a good idea of how spread out a series of numbers is?

MATCHING -The figure that occurs most frequently in a given set of data

Sociologists engage in historical analysis because:

MATCHING -Measure of the degree to which one variable relates to another in a patterned way.

The best way to measure the degree of dispersal for quantitative data is by using the median.

A good hypothesis will be formulated in such a way that the:

For a research project in her sociology class, Joan has decided to study gender wage differences between men and women. What should be her next step?

What Is Sociology

Culture and Society

Socialization and the Life Course

Social Interaction and Everyday Life in the Age of the Internet

Groups, Networks, and Organizations

Conformity, Deviance, and Crime

Stratification, Class, and Inequality

Global Inequality

Gender Inequality

Ethnicity and Race

Aging

Government, Political Power, and Social Movements

Work and Economic Life

Families and Intimate Relationships

Education

Religion in Modern Society

The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality

Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Globalization in a Changing World

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Exam 2: Asking and Answering Sociological Questions

Which of the following statements is an example of a hypothesis?

Can social scientists ever prove the cause(s) of human behavior? Why or why not? Discuss the nature of causation in social science, including special considerations in studying human subjects.

What is one advantage of experiments over surveys or ethnographies?

To study the homeless, you must actually live among them.

Recently, social scientists using participant observation have written about how their race, class, gender, and sexual orientation:

Which of the following describes an advantage of survey research?

The strongest sociological research begins with problems that:

A research project 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 it will most likely need to use is _________.

In Jeff's sample, the number of siblings each person has is as follows: one, two, three, four, and ten. What is the mean number of siblings in his sample?

A sociologist wishes to gain insight into street vendor activities in a major American city. What research method would probably be best to use in such a study? Why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this method in regard to this topic?

The mean, median, and mode are all types of _______________.

In Waves of War, Andreas Wimmer reported the finding that since 1800, wars around the world have increasingly resulted from:

Why are experiments much less common in sociology than in the natural sciences?

What calculation gives a researcher a good idea of how spread out a series of numbers is?

MATCHING -The figure that occurs most frequently in a given set of data

Sociologists engage in historical analysis because:

MATCHING -Measure of the degree to which one variable relates to another in a patterned way.

The best way to measure the degree of dispersal for quantitative data is by using the median.

A good hypothesis will be formulated in such a way that the:

For a research project in her sociology class, Joan has decided to study gender wage differences between men and women. What should be her next step?

What Is Sociology

Culture and Society

Socialization and the Life Course

Social Interaction and Everyday Life in the Age of the Internet

Groups, Networks, and Organizations

Conformity, Deviance, and Crime

Stratification, Class, and Inequality

Global Inequality

Gender Inequality

Ethnicity and Race

Aging

Government, Political Power, and Social Movements

Work and Economic Life

Families and Intimate Relationships

Education

Religion in Modern Society

The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality

Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Globalization in a Changing World

Filters