Question 1

What was the most important factor in social life according to Karl Marx?

Accepted Answer

A)   race or ethnicity
B)   religious beliefs
C)   relationship to the means of production
D)   level of education C

Question 2

You have just begun studying unemployment rates in a city with fifty million people, of which fifteen million are unemployed. If you are using your sociological imagination, what is your first consideration?

Accepted Answer

A)   the economic and political structures of the society
B)   the work ethic of the average citizen
C)   the intelligence level of the workers who have lost their jobs
D)   how much the people who are unemployed want to work A

Question 3

What could you determine about Pam Fishman if you didn't know anything about her except that she studied conversation patterns?

Accepted Answer

A)   She is a conflict theorist.
B)   She is a macrosociologist.
C)   She is a structural functionalist.
D)   She is a microsociologist. D

Question 4

Why is the term "queer" used to describe queer theory?

Accepted Answer

A)   It emphasizes that some people are born with a fixed orientation and cannot change it.
B)   It emphasizes the importance of difference and rejects a single gay or lesbian identity.
C)   It is an easily definable category.
D)   It has a long history of use within the gay and lesbian community.

Question 5

The sociological imagination conceived by C. Wright Mills incorporates the ideas of biography and autobiography.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The writings of Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber were deeply influenced by their life experiences.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

According to the theoretical position developed by Karl Marx, what is the catalyst for social change?

Accepted Answer

A)   conflict between social groups
B)   exploration beyond the boundaries of a given society
C)   development of technology
D)   shared moral values

Question 8

Émile Durkheim's pioneering study Suicide used statistical data to look for correlations between demographic variables and suicide. In what ways is his work compatible with Auguste Comte's ideas about how society should be studied?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Émile Durkheim's pioneering study Suicide used statistical...

Question 9

Jane Addams was an early advocate of applied sociology. This means that she did not just do research but that she also

Accepted Answer

A)   reported illegal activities to the proper authorities.
B)   examined the historical origins of the phenomena she researched.
C)   addressed social problems through activity in the communities she researched.
D)   compared the communities she studied to communities from other cultures.

Question 10

Many everyday cultural practices such as greeting a friend, giving someone flowers, or using a thumbs-up seem like natural ways of acting. Why does having an awareness of how these practices vary across cultures demonstrate a healthy sociological imagination?

Accepted Answer

A)   It reminds us that everyday interactions are connected to larger societies and norms.
B)   It helps us economically when we do business in different countries.
C)   It lets us understand how immigrants perceive America when they move here.
D)   It shows us that cultures are not as different as we sometimes think they are.

Question 11

C. Wright Mills was critical of social science and worked to connect the academic side of sociology to more tangible social debates of the time. Mills was convinced that sociology had something to offer everyone, not just academics. For these reasons, which term best describes C. Wright Mills?

Accepted Answer

A)   microsociologist
B)   macrosociologist
C)   conflict theorist
D)   public intellectual

Question 12

Although she made contributions to sociology, Jane Addams is perhaps best remembered for her embrace of praxis, which means that she

Accepted Answer

A)   was a pragmatist.
B)   acted on her intellectual convictions in practical ways.
C)   applied dialectics to her understanding of history.
D)   embraced conflict theory.

Question 13

According to Karl Marx, a belief in heaven as a reward for earthly suffering serves the interests of the ruling class by

Accepted Answer

A)   keeping the lower classes from demanding better treatment in this life.
B)   distracting the lower classes with fantastic spectacles.
C)   using the church as a means to extract economic resources from the poor.
D)   keeping working class individuals busy with religious activities and no time to organize.

Question 14

What are the advantages of midrange theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the advantages of midrange theory?...

Question 15

On any given day, you probably depend on many strangers to provide electricity, water, natural gas, weather forecasts, and other services. According to Émile Durkheim, this interdependence gives rise to

Accepted Answer

A)   mechanical solidarity.
B)   class consciousness.
C)   organic solidarity.
D)   pragmatism.

Question 16

The application of economic logic to all human activity is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   Weberian theory.
B)   critical theory.
C)   class consciousness.
D)   social Darwinism.

Question 17

The Egg McMuffin is a vastly more efficient version of eggs Benedict. Egg McMuffins are cheaper, ready almost instantly at drive-through windows, and can be eaten with one hand while driving. However, they do not improve on the taste of or experience eating eggs Benedict. Max Weber might have described the Egg McMuffin as the ________ of breakfast.

Accepted Answer

A)   iron cage
B)   alienation
C)   praxis
D)   rationalization

Question 18

According to C. Wright Mills, what is one quality of mind that all great sociologists possess?

Accepted Answer

A)   open-mindedness
B)   sociological imagination
C)   praxis
D)   attention to detail

Question 19

Max Weber helped lay the groundwork for sociologists who would develop symbolic interactionism as a theory because he believed that a social scientist should approach the study of human action

Accepted Answer

A)   through a theoretical lens that emphasizes disenchantment and bureaucracy.
B)   from a value-free point of view.
C)   with verstehen (understanding) , which emphasizes empathy with individuals' experiences.
D)   through psychoanalysis and the work of Sigmund Freud.

Question 20

There is only one correct theoretical explanation for any particular social phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 1: Sociology and the Real World

What was the most important factor in social life according to Karl Marx?

You have just begun studying unemployment rates in a city with fifty million people, of which fifteen million are unemployed. If you are using your sociological imagination, what is your first consideration?

What could you determine about Pam Fishman if you didn't know anything about her except that she studied conversation patterns?

Why is the term "queer" used to describe queer theory?

The sociological imagination conceived by C. Wright Mills incorporates the ideas of biography and autobiography.

The writings of Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber were deeply influenced by their life experiences.

According to the theoretical position developed by Karl Marx, what is the catalyst for social change?

Émile Durkheim's pioneering study Suicide used statistical data to look for correlations between demographic variables and suicide. In what ways is his work compatible with Auguste Comte's ideas about how society should be studied?

Jane Addams was an early advocate of applied sociology. This means that she did not just do research but that she also

Many everyday cultural practices such as greeting a friend, giving someone flowers, or using a thumbs-up seem like natural ways of acting. Why does having an awareness of how these practices vary across cultures demonstrate a healthy sociological imagination?

C. Wright Mills was critical of social science and worked to connect the academic side of sociology to more tangible social debates of the time. Mills was convinced that sociology had something to offer everyone, not just academics. For these reasons, which term best describes C. Wright Mills?

Although she made contributions to sociology, Jane Addams is perhaps best remembered for her embrace of praxis, which means that she

According to Karl Marx, a belief in heaven as a reward for earthly suffering serves the interests of the ruling class by

What are the advantages of midrange theory?

On any given day, you probably depend on many strangers to provide electricity, water, natural gas, weather forecasts, and other services. According to Émile Durkheim, this interdependence gives rise to

The application of economic logic to all human activity is known as

According to C. Wright Mills, what is one quality of mind that all great sociologists possess?

Max Weber helped lay the groundwork for sociologists who would develop symbolic interactionism as a theory because he believed that a social scientist should approach the study of human action

There is only one correct theoretical explanation for any particular social phenomenon.