Introduction to Sociology 1. Peter Berger described using the sociological perspective as seeing the in the. a. stable; dynamic b. general; particular c. specific; commonplace d. new; old 2. By stating that the sociological perspective shows us "the strange in the familiar" the text argues that sociologists: a. focus on the bizarre elements of society. b. believe that people often have strange ways. c. reject the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives. d. show that common sense is the best guide to understanding human behavior. 3. Making use of the sociological perspective encourages a. the belief that society has little effect on the average individual. b. people to become isolated from one another. c. challenging commonly held beliefs. d. accepting conventional idea. 4. Sociology differs from earlier philosophy by focusing on a. our human nature. b. how society actually operates. c. the power of God in shaping human events. d. what the ideal society should be. 5. The term "sociology" was coined in 1838 by a. Adam Smith. b. Auguste Comte c. Karl Marx. d. Herbert Spencer 6. is a way of understanding the world based on a scientific approach to knowledge. a. Positivism b. Theology c. Tradition d. Common sense 7. Which of the following phrases best describes the focus of the structural-functional approach? a. the meaning people attach to their action b. the impact of social structure and resulting social functions c. patterns of social inequality d. the way people understand their world 8. Robert Merton explained that what is functional for one category of a society's population a. will always be functional in the future. b. is unlikely to change over time. c. may not be functional for another category. d. is typically functional for everyone.
9. Which of the following statements is an accurate criticism of the structural-functional approach? a. It ignores macro-level social structure. b. It focuses only on latent functions. c. It focuses too much on face-to-face interactions. d. It ignores inequality that can generate tension and conflict. 10. Looking at the operation of U.S. schools, the social-conflict approach might lead a sociologist to conclude that a. society provides much better schooling to some categories of students than to others. b. the experience of schooling differs from child to child. c. schools have been a major path to social advancement. d. the functions of schools is to teach needed skills. 11. Which of the following theoretical approaches paints societies in broad strokes at a macro-level? a. both the social-conflict and symbolic-interaction approaches b. both the structural-functional and symbolic-interaction approaches c. both the structural-functional and social-conflict approaches d. only the symbolic-interaction approach 12. The basic idea of the symbolic-interaction approach is that society is a. the reality people construct as they interact with one another b. an arena of conflict between categories of people. c. a system that operates to benefit people. d. a collection of structures that operate together in an orderly way. 13. A criticism of the symbolic-interaction approach is that it a. overlooks the wide spread influence of culture and structural factors. b. focuses all its attention on major social institutions. c. paints a too rosy picture of society. d. focuses only on conflict and not common values and beliefs. 14. Building social relationships would be a of sports. a. dysfunction b. counter-function c. latent function d. manifest function 15. If you have been criticized for "androcentricity" in your research, you have a. approached the subject from a male perspective. b. ignored gender differences. c. overgeneralized your results. d. used double standards in your research. 16. Drawing conclusions about all of humanity based on information drawn only from males describes the problem called a. interference. b. using double standards. c. gender blindness. d. overgeneralization.
17. You are doing research and never stop to think about the possible importance of gender at all. Your work could be criticized for the problem called a. androcentricity. b. gender blindness. c. overgeneralization. d. employing double standards. 18. You want to conduct an exploratory and descriptive study of people in a particular neighborhood, but you have no specific hypothesis or exact research questions. What method should you use? a. an experiment b. participant observation c. a survey d. secondary analysis 19. Using which of the following methods would a researcher be most likely to reveal information about herself to her subjects? a. questionnaire b. interview c. an experiment d. secondary analysis 20. Car, computers, and iphones are all examples of which of the following? a. high culture b. nonmaterial culture c. material culture d. norms 21. Sam had unpleasant and even frightening experiences when he encountering a strange way of life while visiting another country over spring break. His experiences can be called a. value conflict. b. cultural diffusion. c. acculturation. d. culture shock. 22. Which of the following statements represent an emerging value in our society? a. The present is better than the past. b. Work is important, but I want more time for leisure and personal growth. c. What was good enough for my parents is good enough for me. d. It's good to be free. 23. Wrong-doing such as an adult forcing a child to engage in sexual activity is an example of violating our culture's a. folkways. b. beliefs. c. mores. d. symbols. 24. Gerhard Lenski focused on which of the following factors as having great power to shape a society? a. social conflict b. technology c. social solidarity d. human ideas
25. Compared to an industrial society, a postindustrial society is based on a. a locally based economy. b. a factory-based economy. c. a farming-based economy. d. an information-based economy. 26. Due in part to its historical isolation, is one of the most monocultural of all high-income nations. a. Australia b. Russia c. Canada d. Japan 27. If you were to attend a New York City Ballet performance, you would experiencing a. popular culture. b. high culture. c. subculture. d. counterculture. 28. Harley Davidson motorcycle riders, computer nerds, and jazz musicians all display patterns. a. high cultural b. exactly the same cultural c. subcultural d. virtual cultural 29. The concept "ethnocentrism" refers to a. taking pride in one's ethnicity. b. judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture. c. judging all other cultures as better than one's own. d. judging any culture by its own standards. 30. Studies of children raised in isolation, show that a. humans have most of the same instincts found in other animal species. b. personality is present in humans at birth. c. without social experience, a child is incapable of thought or meaningful action. d. many human instincts appear but only after the first few years of life. 31. In the nature versus nurture debate sociologist claim that a. biology plays no part at all in human behavior. b. nature is far more important than nurture. c. nurture is far more important than nature. d. nature and nurture have equal importance. 32. The Harlows' research with rhesus monkeys, as well as cases of isolated children such as Anna, leads us to conclude that a. social isolation is harmful to monkeys but presents no danger to human children. b. long-term social isolation leads to permanent developmental damage in both monkeys and humans. c. even several months of social isolation is typically fatal to both monkeys and humans. d. both monkeys and humans "bounce back" from long-term isolation.
33. Our basic drives or needs as humans are reflected in Freud's concept of a. id. b. ego. c. superego. d. generalized other. 34. Jean Piaget's focus was on a. cognition, which means how people think and understand. b. the role of heredity in shaping human behavior. c. how children respond to stimulation. d. how children develop their motor skills. 35. The focus of Lawrence Kohlberg's research was a. moral reasoning. b. the importance of gender in socialization. c. cognitive development. d. social isolation. 36. George Herbert Mead considered the self to be a. the presence of culture within the individual. b. the part of an individual's personality composed of self-awareness and self-image. c. present in infants at the time of their birth. d. basic drives that are self-centered. 37. When Charles Horton Cooley used the concept "looking-glass self," he was referring to the fact that a. people are self-centered. b. people see themselves as they think others see them. c. people see things only from their own point of view. d. our actions are a reflection of our cultural values. 38. In George Herbert Mead's model, which sequence correctly orders stages of developing self? a. imitation, generalized other, play, game b. imitation, game, play, generalized other c. imitation, generalized other, game, play d. imitation, play, game, generalized other 39. Child-rearing varies by class: typically, well-to-do parents stress, while lower-class parents stress. a. independence; protecting their children b. independence; dependence c. obedience; creativity d. creativity; obedience 40. When people model themselves after the members of peer groups they would like to join, they are engaging in a. future directedness. b. group conformity. c. group rejection. d. anticipatory socialization.
41. In historical perspective, the importance of the mass media to the socialization process has a. increased over time. b. been about the same over the last century. c. decreased over time. d. The mass media have never played a large part in the socialization process. 42. Based on what you have read in this chapter, how would sociologists explain the fact that many young people in the United States experience adolescence as a time of confusion? a. The fact that, for most children, school involves large challenges. b. Hormones greatly affect young people as they mature. c. Growth always involves change and change is confusing. d. There are cultural inconsistencies in defining this stage of life as partly child-like and partly adult-like. 43. In her research, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross found that death a. is one topic that people in the United States have always discussed often and openly. b. is something we must all learn to resist. c. is defined in much the same way by people throughout history. d. is an orderly transition involving specific stages. 44. According to Erving Goffman, the goal of a total institution is a. to encourage lifelong learning in a supervised context. b. to radically alter a person's personality or behavior. c. to give a person greater choices about how to live. d. to help integrate a troubled patient into the outside world. 45. An inmate in prison who loses the capacity for independent living is described as a. unsocialized. b. integrated. c. dissociated. d. institutionalized. 46. Which of the following concepts refers to a social position that is received at birth or involuntarily taken on later in life? a. master status b. status set c. achieved status d. ascribed status 47. Akbar is an honors student. In sociological terms, being an honor student is an example of which of the following? a. status set. b. master status. c. achieved status. d. ascribed status. 48. Julie is a police officer who finds that wherever she goes in her small town, people seem to think of her as a cop. This is an example of which of the following concepts? a. role exit b. ascribed status c. status conflict d. master status
49. Sociologists use which of the following concepts to refer to the behavior people expect of someone who holds a particular status? a. master status b. role c. role exit d. status set 50. Tanya is an excellent artist and enjoys her work, but feels she cannot devote enough time to her family. She is experiencing a. role ambiguity. b. role exit. c. role conflict. d. role strain. 51. Which of the following is involved when a plant supervisor wishes to be a good friend and hang out with the workers, but must also keep a personal distance to remain objective in order to assess the workers' performance? a. role exit b. role ambiguity c. role strain d. role conflict 52. Flirting is a way of seeing if someone is interested in you without risking rejection. From this perspective, flirting illustrates a. the social construction of reality. b. the process of role exit. c. a role set. d. role interaction. 53. According to Erving Goffman, we engage in a when we use of costumes, props, tone of voice, and gestures to convey information to others. a. self b. master status c. performance d. role 54. A more common term for nonverbal communication is a. face talk. b. deceit. c. body language. d. master status. 55. In what way do men and women typically differ in their use of space? a. Men commonly try to control more space than women. b. Women commonly try to control more space than men. c. There is no difference; men and women use space in the same way. d. Men typically allow women more personal space. 56. Which of the following are documented as emotions found all over the world? a. confusion, surprise, greed, and shame b. jealousy, surprise, joy, and empathy c. greed, lust, envy, and joy d. happiness, sadness, anger, and fear
57. Humor is created when humans a. set up double meanings that are conventional and unconventional b. say things that have no meaning at all. c. speak with great clarity. d. say things that offend others. 58. When interacting with people whose cultural background differs from our own, we find that a. telling jokes is the best way to "break the ice." b. people everywhere enjoy the same jokes. c. humor can bridge cultural differences. d. what is funny to people in one society is often lost on those from another society. 59. Looking at humor from a structural-functional viewpoint, jokes a. are often used to safely express potentially disruptive ideas. b. are often used to relieve tension----"lightening" a situation. c. can often be used as a form of tact, stating "Hey, it was only a joke!" d. All of the above are correct. 60. From a social-conflict point of view, jokes a. are often used to make one category of people feel good at the expense of another. b. relieve tension in uncomfortable situations. c. reduce conflict in society. d. All of the above are correct.