Final Exam: Sociology

1. What might a sociologist say about why an individual chooses a particular person
to marry?

A. In the case of love, opposites attract.

B. There is no accounting for personal feelings like love
C. This shows that peoples actions reflect human free will
D. This shows that the social world guides human behavior

2. Which discipline defines itself as “the systematic study of human society”?

A. Psychology
B. Economics
C. History
D. Sociology

3. By saying that the sociological perspective shows us “the strange in the familiar,”
the text argues that this point of view:

A. Rejects the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in
favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives.
B. Shows that common sense is a good guide to understanding human behavior
C. Shows that people often behave in strange ways
D. Focuses on the bizarre elements of society

4. From a sociological perspective, patterns of childbearing around the world

suggest that the number of children born to a woman reflects:

A. Whether she lives in a poor or rich society

B. How many children she can afford
C. Her personal choice
D. The desires of her husband

5. Three roommates are in their dorm room sharing a late-night discussion about
why they are in college. A sociological point of view would point to the importance
of:

A. The desires of her husband

B. Which country we live in, because going to college is far more
common in higher-income nations.
C. Class, because college students tend to come from families with above-
average incomes
D. Age, because college students tend to be young adults.

6. The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was:

A. Emile Durkheim
B. Margaret Mead
C. Auguste Comte
D. Karl Marx

7. Suicide rates are generally higher among:

 A. Females compared with males
B. Poor people compared with rich people
C. Single people compared with married people
D. All the above are correct

8. According to Emile Durkhiem, a category of people with a higher suicide rate

typically has:

A. Greater self-esteem
B. Less money and other resources
C. Lower social integration
D. More clinical depression

9. People in which of the following categories are most likely to make use of the
sociological perspective?

A. People of color
B. Politicians
C. People living in suburbs
D. The middle class

10. C. Wright Mills pointed out that sociological awareness tends to be more
widespread:

A. When life is getting better

B. During times of peace and prosperity
C. In times of social crisis
D. Among the very rich

11. Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A. There is no longer serious poverty in the world

B. People the world live in ways that are mostly the same
C. Learning more about other societies helps us better understand our
own way of life
D. Because the Untied States is so rich, there is little reason for us to learn
about the international economy

12. Making use of the sociological perspective encourages:

A. Accepting conventional ideas

B. The belief that society is mysterious
C. Challenging commonly held beliefs
D. People to become isolated from one another

13. Learning more abou sociology helps us to:

A. Be more active participants in society

B. See the constraints in our lives
C. See the opportunities in our lives
A. All of the above are correct

14. An example of the “Sociology advantage” in a career would be a person in:

A. Medicine understanding patterns of health and illness in a community

B. Retail sales understanding how effectively connect with diverse people
 C. Law enforcement understanding which categories of people are at high risk of
becoming victims of crime
A. All of the above are correct.

15. All but one of the following historical changes stimulated the development of the
discipline of sociology. Which one did NOT?

A. The spread of the Roman Catholic church

B. The rise of an industrial economy
C. New political ideas stressing individual rights
D. The growth of cities

16. Historically, the sociological perspective was most likely to develop in:

A. Isolated villages
B. Countries experiencing rapid social changes
C. Nations with little social change
D. Countries where tradition was strong

17. In which of the following countries did sociology develop first?

A. Canada
B. The united states
C. France
D. Japan

18. The term “sociology” was coined in 1838 by:

A. Herbert Spencer
B. Karl Marx
C. Adam Smith
D. Auguste Comte

19. Which of the following is a way of understanding the world based on science?

A. Theology
B. Tradition
C. Free will
D. Positivism

20. By linking specific facts together to create meaning, we create a:

A. Principle
B. Concept
C. Theory
D. structure

21. Which woman made a mark as an early sociologist by studying the evils of
slavery and also translating the writing of Auguste Comte?

A. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

B. Margaret Mead
C. Jane Addams
D. Harriet Martineau

22. Two of sociology’s early founders were:

 A. Augste Comte and C. Wright Mills
B. Robert Merton and Emile Durkheim
C. C. Wright Mills and Karl Marx
D. Auguste Comte and Karl Marx

23. If we state that children raised in single-parent families are at high risk of being
single parents themselves, we have constructed a ____ of family life.

A. Principle
B. Framework
C. Theory
D. Concept

24. In deciding what question to ask as they begin research, sociologists are guided
by:

A. Sheer chance
B. Their own common sense
C. One or more theoretical approaches
D. The data they collect

25. Which theoretical approach is closest to that taken by early sociologists Auguste
Comte and Emile Durkheim?

A. Symbolic-interaction approach
B. Social-conflict approach
C. Structural-functional approach
D. None of the above is correct

26. Which of the following concepts refers to a social group that people use as a
point of reference in making evaluations or decisions?

A. Peer group
B. Reference group
C. Out-group
D. Cohort

27. Which of the following concepts refers to a social group that commands a
member’s esteem and loyalty?

A. In-group
B. Out-group
C. Reference group
D. Network

28. Which of the following concepts refers to a social group toward which we feel
competition or opposition?

A. In-group
B. Out-group
C. Reference group
D. Network

29. Formal organizations are:

A. Small groups with elected leaders.

 B. Large secondary groups organized to achieve goals efficiently.
C. Networks that have clear social boundaries.
D. Government agencies with multiple goals.

30. The concept “bureaucracy” refers to:

A. A large, normative organization.

B. Any source of inefficiency in organizational operation.
C. An organizational model that operates informally.
D. An organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks
efficiently.

31. Read the following list of traits. Which of the following is NOT one of the traits of
bureaucracy noted by Max Weber?

A. Favoring kin over strangers

B. Hierarchy of offices
C. Rules and regulations
D. Specialization

32. Max Weber argued that formal organizations, while efficient, have the ability to
______ people within them.

A. Impoverish
B. Generate conflict among
C. Alienate
D. Unite

33. Which of the following concepts refers to the rule of the many by the few?

A. Bureaucracy
B. Formal organization
C. Oligarchy
D. Democracy

34. In his “iron law of oligarchy,” Robert Michels stated:

A. Bureaucracy always means inefficiency

B. Bureaucracy always means the few rule the many
C. Bureaucracy always means formal rules and regulations
D. All of the above are correct

35. Which of the following is part of the scientific management approach?

A. Managers carefully observe each worker on the job

B. Managers figure out how workers can be more efficient
C. Workers receive more pay for being more productive
D. All of the above are correct

36. What traits have been described as a “female advantage”?

A. More willingness to ask questions

B. More emphasis on communication
C. More flexible leadership
D. All of the above are correct
37. Which of the following is NOT one of the principles of the McDonaldization?

A. Efficiency
B. Creativity
C. Uniformity
D. Control through automation

38. The term “McDonaldization of society” refers to:

A. McDonald’s organizational principles coming to dominate much of

society
B. The spread of McDonald’s restaurants around the world
C. Society becoming more filled with inefficient “red tape”
D. The less and less predictable nature of today’s society

39. Which of the following is evidence of the “McDonaldization of society”?

A. Replacingbank tellers with automatic teller machines (ATMs)

B. Shopping in carefully designed, climate-controlled malls
C. The spread of world-wide chain stores and restaurants
D. All of the above are correct

40. The sociologist who described the primary group was Charles Horton Cooley.
True or False?

A. True
B. False

41. Generally, people in the secondary relationship think of others as a mean to

some end. True or False?

A. True
B. False

42. Expressive leadership emphasizes the completion of tasks. True or False?

A. True
B. False

43. Solomon Asch’s experiment in group conformity showed many people stick to
their opinions even if doing so encourages others to see them as “different”. True or
False?

A. True
B. False

44. What does the opening chapter story about the conviction of corporate
executive Martha Stewart suggest about crime in the United States?

A. We fail to punish most criminals

B. People accused of crimes do not always fit the common stereotype
of “street” criminal.
C. Corporate executives never have to account for criminal actions
D. Rich people get longer prison sentences than poor people.
45. Which of the following sociological term refers to “the recognized violation of
cultural norms”?

A. Deviance
B. Crime
C. Unsuccessful socialization
D. Juvenile delinquency

46. “Crime” differs from “deviance” in that crime:

A. Is always more serious

B. Is always less serious
C. Is a violation of norm enacted into law
D. Involves a larger share of the population

47. Every society regulates the behavior of individuals with the goal of preventing
deviance. This process of regulation is called:

A. Neighborhood watch
B. Childhood socialization
C. Social control
D. The legal system

48. What concept refers to the formal system that responds to alleged violations of
the law using police, courts, and prison officials?

A. The normative system

B. Socialization
C. Civil law
D. The criminal justice system

49. Which of the following is a function of deviance noted by Emile Durkheim?

A. Deviance affirms cultural values and norms

B. Responding to deviance promotes social unity
C. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries
D. All of the above are correct

50. Which of the following concepts is used in Robert Merton’s strain theory of
deviance to refer to the process of seeking conventional goals but rejecting
conventional means to get there.

A. Innovation
B. Ritualism
C. Retreatism
D. Rebellion

51. The anthropologist Oscar Lewis suggested the cause of poverty lies in:

A. A lower-class “culture of poverty”

B. Lack of government action
C. Too few available jobs
D. Official corruption

52. Government data show that about what share of the heads of poor households
in the United States did not work at all in the last year?
 A. 12 percent
B. 32 percent
C. 52 percent
D. 72 percent

53. Rough estimates suggest that about_______ people in the United States are
homeless for some time during a given year.

A. 100,000
B. 250,000
C. 1,000,000
D. 1,500,000

54. Read the following four statements about homeless people in the United States.
Which one of the statements is TRUE?

A. Most homeless adults are mentally ill.

B. Most homeless adults are substance abusers
C. The elderly are the fastest-growing category of the homeless
D. One-third of all homeless people are entire families

55. The deadly fire in a Bangladeshi sweatshop described in the opening to the
chapter shows that:

A. The lives of the world’s poor are far worse than most people in
the United States realize
B. Bangladesh has suffered a number of natural disasters in recent years
C. Factory jobs are hard to find in low-income nations
D. Some countries do a far better job of protecting workers than the
United States does.

56. The wealthiest 20 percent of the global population receives about what share of
all global income?

A. 20
B. 40
C. 60
D. 80

57. The poorest 20 percent of the global population receives about what share of all
global income?

A. 1
B. 5
C. 10
D. 15

58. High-income nations are found where on the planet?

A. Evenly spread throughout all world regions

B. Mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
C. All within North America
D. Mostly in the Southern Hemisphere

59. Which of the following statements about high-income nations is correct?

 A. They are at the forefront of the information revolution.
B. They make use of large factories and advanced energy sources
C. They contain almost all the world’s financial markets
D. All of the above are correct

60. In high-income societies, people benefit from:

A. The largest and strongest families

B. The strongest sense of tradition and cultural heritage
C. The highest material living standards
D. All of the above are correct

61. compared to poverty in the United States, poverty in low-income nations is:

A. More likely to involve men

B. More widespread and severe
C. Less likely to involve children
D. Less serious a problem

62. the most productive economy in the world is that of:

A. China
B. Norway
C. Japan
D. The United States

63. the concept “absolute poverty” refers to:

A. A lack of resources that is life-threatening

B. The absolute number of people in any country
C. The real poverty rate as opposed to what governments claim to be the
case
D. The poverty rate in low-income countries

64. in the poorest countries of the world, roughly half of all children who are born
die before reaching the age of:

A. One
B. Ten
C. Fifty
D. Seventy-five

65. for the world as a whole, about how many people suffer from chronic hunger
that leaves them less able to work and places them at high risk of disease?

A. 1 million
B. 10 million
C. 100 million
D. 1 billion

66. in poor countries, the disadvantages women face relative to men are:

A. About the same as in rich nations

B. Not as great as in rich nations
C. Greater than in rich nations
D. Just about nonexistence
67. of the roughly 1 billion people in the world who live in absolute poverty, what
share are women?

A. 20 percent
B. 35 percent
C. 50 percent
D. 70 percent

68. gender refers to:

A. The degree of inequality between men and women in a society

B. The secondary sex characteristics of men and women
C. The personal traits and social positions that members of a
society attach to being female and male
D. People’s sexual orientation

69. the chapter argues that gender is not a matter just of difference, but also a
matter of differences in:

A. Power
B. Wealth
C. Privileges
D. All of the above are correct

70. comparing the athletic performances of females and males over time shows:

A. Little or no change in female-male differences in performance

B. The male performances are improving faster than female
performances
C. That women have been closing the gap with men in most
athletic performances
D. None of the above is true

71. the point of describing gender in the Israeli kibbutzin is:

A. To show that gender is basically biological

B. To show that women can dominate men
C. To show that cultures define gender in different ways
D. To show that boys and girls should not be raised by biological parents

72. Margaret Mead’s research on gender in three societies showed that:

A. All societies define “masculine” the same way

B. All societies define “feminine” the same way
C. Societies may define both “masculine” and “feminine”
differently
D. All of the above are correct

73. Margaret Mead’s research on gender in three societies in New Guinea illustrates
that:

A. Farming is always done by men

B. All societies consider men to be more aggressive than women
C. All societies display much the same gender definitions
D. What is feminine to one society may be masculine to another
74. which of the following concepts refers to social organization in which males
dominate females?

A. Patriarchy
B. Matriarchy
C. Monarchy
D. Gerontocracy

75. in the United States, the cost of sexism for men include:

A. Having less power than women

B. Having fewer privileges than women
C. Engaging in many high-risk behaviors
D. All of the above are correct

61. An Iowa farmer is part of the primary sector of the U.S economy. True or False?

A. True
B. False

62. The family is a social institution that is found in:

A. Most but not all societies

B. About half of human societies
C. High-income nations but not in low-income nations
D. Every human society

63. Kinship is defined as two or more people who:

A. Know each other well

B. Are related by blood, marriage, or adoption
C. Live together
D. Have the same last name

64. Which of the following is a trait of marriage?

A. It is a legally sanctioned relationship

B. It usually involves sexual activity
C. It usually involves childbearing
D. All of the above are correct

65. A family unit that includes parents and children, as well as other kin, is called:

A. A nuclear family
B. An extended family
C. A family of affinity
D. A conjugal family

66. A family composed of one or two parents and their children is called:

A. A nuclear family
B. An extended family
C. A family of affinity
D. A consanguine family

67. The concept “endogamy” refers to marriage between:

 A. People of the same sex
B. People ofdifferent racial categories
C. People of the same social category
D. People married at least once before

68. A system of marriage that unites two partners is called:

A. Polygyny
B. Polygamy
C. Polyandry
D. Monogamy

69. Around the world, the most common form of marriage is:

A. Polygamy
B. Polygyny
C. Monogramy
D. None of the above are correct

70. A trend over the course of the last century in high-income nations such as the
united states is that families have become:

A. More dominated by males

B. More egalitarian with regard to gender
C. Larger in terms of numbers of children
D. Less likely to experience divorce

71. Which of the following are counted among the functions of family?

A. Socialization of the young

B. Regulation of sexual activity
C. Social placement
D. All of the above are correct

72. Following the structural-functional approach, the family:

A. Operates to perpetuate social inequality

B. Might be called the backbone of society
C. Is not necessary for a society to operate
D. All of the above are correct

73. A social-exchange analysis of family life might consider:

A. How families keep society as a whole operating

B. How families perpetuate social inequality
C. How individuals select partners who offer about as much as they do
D. How families regulate sexual activity

74. In many traditional societies, especially in rural areas, marriage is:

A. Set up by the parents of the people to be married

B. Unknown
C. Delayed until the people reach their thirties
D. Based almost entirely on romantic love

75. The concept “homogamy” means that:

 A. People marry because they enjoy being married
B. Women usually marry older men
C. People marry others who are spcoa;;u ;ole the,se;ves
D. Marriage is based on romantic love

76. One concern about the great importance most people in the United States give
to romantic love as the basis of marriage is that:

A.

77. What is the effect of industrialization on the typical number of children in a

family?

78. In today’s high-income societies, children are:

79. Compared to fifty years ago, U.S women in their late twenties are now:

80. In the united states today, the average number of children per family is about:

81. The concept “empty nest” refers to:

82. Today’s baby boomers are often called the “sandwich generation
because:

83. Patterns that describe many latino families include: