Question 1

Which sociological perspective would emphasize the role of reference groups in setting and enforcing standards of conduct and belief?

Accepted Answer

A)   functionalist perspective
B)   conflict perspective
C)   interactionist perspective
D)   feminist perspective A

Question 2

An achieved status is a social position

Accepted Answer

A)   attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts.
B)   "assigned" to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.
C)   that is assigned to an individual at birth.
D)   that is given to an individual based upon his or her age, race, or gender. A

Question 3

Which functionalist theorist views the transition from industrial to postindustrial societies as a positive development because he sees a general decline in organized working-class groups and a rise in interest groups concerned with such national issues as health, education, and the environment?

Accepted Answer

A)   Everett Hughes
B)   William I. Thomas
C)   Daniel Bell
D)   Karl Marx C

Question 4

Which of the following is true of obesity in regards to social ties?

Accepted Answer

A)   The obese are most frequently in social groups with the non-obese.
B)   Weight gain in one person is often related to weight gain of that person's friends and family.
C)   Obese people have few social ties.
D)   All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following can be defined as the long-term trends in societies resulting from the interplay of continuity, innovation, and selection?

Accepted Answer

A)   postmodernism
B)   negotiated order
C)   industrialization
D)   sociocultural evolution

Question 6

Explain the difference between ascribed and achieved statuses, and give examples to support your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the difference between ascribed and achieved...

Question 7

According to Herbert Blumer, a distinctive characteristic of human interaction is that

Accepted Answer

A)   the reality of humans is shaped by our perceptions and evaluations.
B)   humans respond to behavior based on the meaning we attach to the actions of others.
C)   humans interpret or define each other's actions.
D)   All of these answers are correct.

Question 8

In the most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society, members are engaged primarily in food production. They increase their crop yields through such innovations as the plow. This type of society is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   hunting-and-gathering society.
B)   agrarian society.
C)   horticultural society.
D)   postmodern society.

Question 9

Which term is used by sociologists to refer to a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status?

Accepted Answer

A)   social role
B)   structural role
C)   achieved role
D)   ascribed role

Question 10

Which sociological perspective might observe the division of labor among the staff members in a hospital emergency room and focus on how the allocation of responsibilities affects their social behavior?

Accepted Answer

A)   functionalist perspective
B)   conflict perspective
C)   interactionist perspective
D)   global perspective

Question 11

Goal displacement is

Accepted Answer

A)   the tendency for workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems.
B)   a principal of organizational life according to which each individual within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
C)   overzealous conformity to official regulations within a bureaucracy.
D)   the process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

Question 12

Which type of group plays a pivotal role in the socialization process and the development of roles and statuses?

Accepted Answer

A)   secondary groups
B)   primary groups
C)   aggregates
D)   formal organizations

Question 13

Describe sociologist Gerhard Lenski's stages of sociocultural evolution and explain how his view differs from that of Émile Durkheim's mechanical and organic solidarity and Ferdinand Tönnies's Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe sociologist Gerhard Lenski's stages of sociocultural...

Question 14

Discuss how the three major sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism view the role of social institutions in society.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how the three major sociological perspectives...

Question 15

The 2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal brought new relevance to the prison experiments conducted using college students in the 1970s.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

A domestic abuse counselor fails to listen to an injured woman because the woman has no valid proof of U.S. citizenship. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)   goal displacement.
B)   goal multiplication.
C)   trained incapacity.
D)   hierarchy of authority.

Question 17

Today, Steve went into a grocery store where a stranger checked out his purchases and another stranger bagged his groceries. Then he went to Wendy's and purchased a hamburger from another stranger, and on his way home he stopped at an intersection, where an unknown police officer raised her hand. These experiences are all characteristic of

Accepted Answer

A)   Gesellschaft relationships.
B)   organic solidarity.
C)   mechanical solidarity.
D)   Gemeinschaft relationships.

Question 18

In a society organized around mechanical solidarity, which of the following tasks would you likely engage in?

Accepted Answer

A)   preparing food
B)   building homes
C)   making clothing
D)   All of these answers are correct.

Question 19

Which of the following statements about social networks is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Even network connections that are weak may be useful.
B)   Social networks consist exclusively of direct ties to others.
C)   Networking in the workplace pays off more for women than for men.
D)   About 25 percent of male executives find new jobs through social networks.

Question 20

The sociocultural evolutionary approach emphasizes a developmental perspective and pictures different types of social structures coexisting within the same society.

Accepted Answer