Question 1

Why are many sociologists opposed to tracking in schools?

Accepted Answer

A) because studies have generally found that tracking reinforces previously existing inequalities for average or poor students 
B) because tracking is usually done inefficiently by contemporary schools 
C) because tracking creates hierarchies, which sociologists pretty uniformly reject 
D) because tracking reinforces the specialized role of students-as-consumers 
E) because tracking overly emphasizes testable knowledge while de-emphasizing critical thinking and creativity

Question 2

Why did Max Weber believe Christianity contained possibilities for social change that Eastern religions did not?

Accepted Answer

A) Weber thought that the Eastern religions were too focused on sin and salvation instead of experiencing the Divine. 
B) Weber thought that Christianity represented the top of the religious evolutionary chain and beat other religions because of its usefulness to human progress. 
C) Weber believed that the religions of the East cultivate an attitude of passivity or acceptance within the believer while Christianity demands a constant struggle against sin and so can stimulate revolt against the existing order. 
D) Weber thought that Christianity, with its focus on inner development, love, and acceptance of everyone, was suited for multicultural development. 
E) Weber thought that Eastern religions were warped by the corrupting influence of Taoism, which stresses emancipation and, therefore, disobedience.

Question 3

How do religion and education act as socializing agents?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do religion and education act as...

Question 4

The religious grouping that Juana belongs to was primarily a smaller protest group of another larger religious organization,but now it has become institutionalized and no longer functions as a protest group.Sociologists would likely refer to this as a:

Accepted Answer

A) church 
B) sect 
C) denomination 
D) cult 
E) SubGenius devival

Question 5

Why did Max Weber largely disagree with Karl Marx's ideas on religion?

Accepted Answer

A) Weber felt that Marx was wrong that religion was a force that could be used for liberation. 
B) Weber held that religion, rather than being the "opium of the people," actually had a much more sinister effect of teaching the populace basic lessons about the repression of desire. 
C) Weber thought that Marx looked too much at society's structures when it came to religion and failed to account for daily life. 
D) Weber knew that religion was embedded in human culture and that it could not be reduced to the workings of the state. 
E) Weber argued that religion was not necessarily a conservative force; rather, religiously inspired movements have often produced dramatic social transformations.

Question 6

Contrary to Karl Marx,Max Weber believed that __________ was the source of the capitalistic outlook found in the modern West.

Accepted Answer

A) Buddhism 
B) the theory of Pythagoras 
C) sun worship 
D) polytheism 
E) Protestantism

Question 7

__________ is one of the oldest human institutions.

Accepted Answer

A) School 
B) The nation-state 
C) Large-scale private property 
D) Taxation 
E) Religion

Question 8

What is religious nationalism?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is religious nationalism?...

Question 9

According to the text,when it comes to religion,sociologists are NOT concerned about:

Accepted Answer

A) the effects of religion on the economy 
B) the ways religion is used to legitimate authority 
C) whether religious beliefs are true or false 
D) whether religions provide ethical frameworks for understanding society 
E) how religion gives humans a sense of meaning

Question 10

Why do religious economists believe that competition among secular viewpoints and many different religions leads to increased participation in religion in modern societies?

Accepted Answer

A) because competition makes each religious group try harder to win followers and the presence of numerous religions means that there is likely to be something for just about everyone 
B) because competition against secularism has shown that religious viewpoints have better explanatory power for life's basic problems 
C) because religions also must evolve through survival of the fittest until humanity has perfected its religious sensibilities 
D) because modern societies need multiple religions competing in order for the economy to function, providing nontaxed incentives for belief 
E) because religions that see themselves as in competition with one another are more likely to evolve into secular-style beliefs

Question 11

Why are sociologists so concerned with the social organization of religion?

Accepted Answer

A) Religion is the primary source of the development of the economy, which sociologists consider the most important building block of any society. 
B) Religion is among the most important institutions in society and is a primary source of the deepest-seated norms and values. 
C) Sociologists center all of their studies on human culture, and religion is one of culture's primary offspring. 
D) Religion is the institution that determines our basic understandings of ourselves, such as gender, race, nationality, and other markers of identity. 
E) Sociologists view religion as a repressive force, and sociologists value open societies.

Question 12

How is the educational system complicit in the reproduction of inequality?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How is the educational system complicit in...

Question 13

Karl Marx declared that religion was:

Accepted Answer

A) a force for human liberation 
B) the primary means of organizing revolution 
C) the "answer to the social question" 
D) a contradictory incubator for new ideas 
E) the "opium of the people"

Question 14

Lorna's research shows a steady decline in participation in religious life in her small community in Texas and,thus,a decline in the social and political power of religious institutions there.Sociologists refer to this process as:

Accepted Answer

A) secularization 
B) fundamentalism 
C) socialization 
D) role strain 
E) religious economy

Question 15

According to the text,why was education so rapidly expanded with the development of capitalism in the opinion of Marxist sociologists?

Accepted Answer

A) because working people fought for universal education in order to improve their condition 
B) because employers needed certain personality characteristics in their workers-self-discipline, dependability, punctuality, obedience, and the like-and these are all taught in schools 
C) because the state came to compete with the Church as the agent of education 
D) because capitalism's expansion required state-aided work projects and the building of schools provided employment 
E) because Enlightenment values demanded an equal access to a good and stable education

Question 16

How is religion connected to both violence and social change?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How is religion connected to both violence...

Question 17

Donal thinks that religions are best studied as being in competition with one another for followers.Sociologists call this view:

Accepted Answer

A) dialectical materialism 
B) idealism 
C) religious economy 
D) followers theory 
E) sectarianism

Question 18

How do religious groupings in the United States vary by region and socioeconomic status,according to the text?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do religious groupings in the United...

Question 19

As a practice to address racial inequalities in schools in the past,__________ provoked a great deal of opposition,particularly from parents and children in white areas.

Accepted Answer

A) competitive sports 
B) busing 
C) school vouchers 
D) privatization 
E) sociological research

Question 20

What are the connections between education and employment?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the connections between education and...

Exam 12: Education and Religion