Quiz 1
Question 1 of 15
The main difference between social theories and other scientific theories is that scientific theories are noted for their heavy use of subjectivity (defined as the use of implicit moral assumptions in the scientific process).
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 2 of 15
______ and ______ make up the two central questions that social theorists and philosophers have grappled with since well before the establishment of sociology as an industrialized discipline.
Correct Answer: Order, Action
Question 3 of 15
According to the "action" paradigm presented in the Introduction, what are the forces that produce the supposed orderliness of social life?
A.rationality and law
B.preexisting social arrangements
C.norms and values
D.none of the above
Correct Answer: B
Question 4 of 15
From a rational, ACTION perspective, people stop at red lights because:
A.people stop at red lights because they believe that it is good and rights to follow the law
B.people stop at red lights because it is in their best interest to avoid getting a ticket or into an accident
C.people stop at red lights because they have formed the unconscious habit of doing so
D.people stop at red lights because subconscious cultural knowledge tells them that red means stop and green means go.
Correct Answer: B
Question 5 of 15
The explanations provided in secondary sources:
A.are taken from interviews with the theorists themselves
B.can be trusted just as much as primary courses because secondary sources explain the material within primary sources
C.are almost always wrong and looked down upon by sociologists
D.can be used to supplement the primary source materials
Correct Answer: D
Question 6 of 15
__________________ coined the term "sociology."
A.Durkheim
B.Comte
C.Marx
D.trick question: both Comte and Marx claimed they coined the term
Correct Answer: B
Question 7 of 15
Early sociologists were concerned with making sociology:
A.a co-discipline with psychology
B.an inquiry into small scale social interactions
C.an objective science of the social world
D.all of the above
Correct Answer: C
Question 8 of 15
A collectivist approach states that:
A.individuals will always seek to maximize their own agenda, even at the cost of the group
B.individual and group conduct is shaped by external forces
C.our taken-for-granted knowledge of the world is largely a fade offered by a capitalistic market
D.the interests of the collectivity must become a priority in order to have civil society
Correct Answer: B
Question 9 of 15 1.0 Points
One of the basic premises of this book is that social life is complex, requiring an examination of both peace and order within social frameworks.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 10 of 15
The social world is a function of either "individuals" or "social structures" which explains why different academic disciplines study different types of human behavior.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 11 of 15
Thinkers who can be clearly identified as sociologists began to appear in the:
A.1600s
B.1700s
C.1800s
D.1900s
Correct Answer: C
Question 12 of 15
Early sociologists wanted to model sociology after the prestigious and influential disciplines of:
A.physics, biology and chemistry
B.economics, history, and philosophy
C.anthropology, criminology, and psychology
D.electrical, chemical, and civil engineering
Correct Answer: A
Question 13 of 15
The ____________ was a period of intellectual development and change characterized by the belief that people could comprehend and control the universe by means of reason and empirical research.
A.Renaissance
B.Industrial Revolution
C.Enlightenment
D.Golden Age
Correct Answer: C
Question 14 of 15
The conservative reaction to the Enlightenment tended to see modern social changes such as industrialization, urbanization, and bureaucratization as having _________________.
A.positive consequences for workers
B.proven the worth of our scientific knowledge
C.redistributed wealth to rich elites at the expense of the poor
D.profoundly disorganizing effects on society
Correct Answer: D
Question 15 of 15
During the Industrial Revolution, large numbers of people left the industrial occupations offered in burgeoning factories to work on farms in protest against poor wages and working conditions.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Quiz 2
Question 1 of 15
Which four elements distinguish social action from isolated, individual action according to Parsons?
A.ends, means, motive, and opportunity
B..goals, structure, norms, and laws
C.goals, preexisting assumptions, action, and understanding
D.goals, situations, norms, and effort
Correct Answer: D
Question 2 of 15
According to Parsons, the pattern variable labeled affective-neutrality is more likely to be found in older, traditional societies as opposed to modern, Western societies.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 3 of 15
_________ is a process of learning that occurs within a community. The result of this process is that individuals come to regard specific norms as binding.
Correct Answer: Socialization
Question 4 of 15
Merton continually argued for a highly abstract and all-encompassing structural functionalist theory that could be applied to almost topic of analysis.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 5 of 15 1.0 Points
Parsons's Model of Social Action places the hypothetical actor in a hypothetical situation at the center of analysis.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: A
Question 6 of 15
Which of the following is NOT one of Talcott Parsons's action systems?
A.the cultural system
B.the latent system
C.the social system
D.the personality system
Correct Answer: B
Question 7 of 15
Whereas structural functionalism has been criticized for being ideologically radical, conflict theory has been attacked for being ideologically conservative.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 8 of 15
According to Parsons' thesis on the three modes or realms of action, the _______ system is composed of the values, norms, and symbols that guide the interactions and choices of actors.
Correct Answer: cultural
Question 9 of 15
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of structural functionalism?
A.It is a historical
B.It cannot deal with the process of social change
C.It focuses too narrowly on the micro, behavioral level of analysis
D.It does not deal with conflict.
Correct Answer:
Question 10 of 15
Which of the following is NOT one of Talcott Parsons's functional imperatives?
A.Adaptation
B.Integration
C.Personality system
D.Goal attainment
Correct Answer: D
Question 11 of 15
In Talcott Parsons's work, the behavioral organism handles the _______________ function.
A.Integrative
B.Exploitative
C.Reproductive
D.Adaptation
Correct Answer: D
Question 12 of 15
Latent pattern management is carried out primarily by the:
A.Personality system
B.Cultural system
C.Social system
D.All of the above
Correct Answer: B
Question 13 of 15
Internalization is the process by which individuals come to regard specific norms as binding.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: B
Question 14 of 15
According to Parsons, affective-neutrality is more prevalent in modern Western societies when compared to traditional societies.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: A
Question 15 of 15
In contemporary America, college students tend to choose their major based on their own interests and goals. This is most consistent with Parsons notion of:
A.Particularism
B.Affective-neutrality
C.Self-orientation
D.Achievement
Correct Answer: C
Quiz 3
Question 1 of 15
The roots of critical theory can be traced back to:
A.Marxist-inspired social philosophy
B.the proliferation of communist economic arrangements
C.the latent functions of Structural Functionalism
D.Parsons's Action Systems and Social Systems
Correct Answer: A
Question 2 of 15
Marx maintained that the dominant economic class controls society's means of production but is not able to control the production of ideas.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 3 of 15
Critical theorists drew from Hegel and Weber when they he argued that forms of thought and the totalitarianism of reason and rationality were responsible for the oppression of humanity - not the exploitation inherent in the capitalist structure.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 4 of 15
According to critical theory, the authority for determining legitimate courses of action in modern society was rooted in:
A.the manifest and latent functions of government
B.technical/instrumental rationality
C.the basic structure of interactive relationships between individuals and communities
D.the dilemma of pattern variables
Correct Answer: B
Question 5 of 15
The ________ __________ refers to the beliefs, concepts, and worldview that inform the taken-for-granted or common-sense knowledge that shapes the understanding of reality as well as the nature of society.
Correct Answer: Dominant ideology
Question 6 of 15 1.0 Points
The critical school offered critiques of which of the following two "industries"?
A.culture and manufacturing
B.knowledge and manufacturing
C.culture and knowledge
D.knowledge and communication
Correct Answer: C
Question 7 of 15
For the critical school, modern society was rational, but not:
A.Reasonable
B.Productive
C.Cultured
D.Predictable
Correct Answer: A
Question 8 of 15
Critical theorists examine the ways in which culture, science, and technology help individuals both recognize and attain their true human needs.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 9 of 15
A "dominant ideology" refers to:
A.Shared beliefs and norms
B.The taken-for-granted knowledge that shapes social life
C.A shared worldview
D.All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Question 10 of 15
For Marx, the dominant ideology, by definition, represents the interests of the common person.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 11 of 15
"Religion is the opiate of the masses." This famous quote by Marx simply means that:
A.Religion could provide nirvana/pleasure much like a drug might
B.Religion is addictive because of the message of hope it brings
C.Religion is the only social institution to offer an answer to the question of Why?
D.Religion is used by the ruling class to control the masses/working class
Correct Answer: D
Question 12 of 15
Weber's sociology focuses on three related topics:
A.Stratification, organization, and politics
B.Class, status, and party
C.Culture, ideology, and rationality
D.Class, culture, and ideology
Correct Answer: A
Question 13 of 15
According to critical theory, the root of the inhumanity of the modern era was the result of technological or instrumental rationality coming to form the basis of the dominant ideology.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 14 of 15
Critical theorists claim that individuals who live in advanced, capitalist societies are:
A.Pacified
B.Relevant
C.Liberated
D.Reasonable
Correct Answer: A
Question 15 of 15
Critical theorists praise mass culture and technology for enhancing the ability of individuals to reason.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Quiz 4
Question 1 of 15
In general, Exchange Theory characterizes individuals as _________ _________ who use their resources to optimize their rewards.
A.psychological beings
B.economic pragmatics
C.calculated economists
D.strategic actors
Correct Answer: D
Question 2 of 15
According to Homans, ________ ________ may be one of the conditions of group equilibrium.
A.distributive justice
B.rational norms
C.economic equity
D.formal legality
Correct Answer: A
Question 3 of 15 1.0 Points
Blumer's symbolic interactionist approach drew mainly from the works of:
A.Erving Goffman
B.George Herbert Mead
C.Arlie Russell Hochschild
D.Karl Marx
Correct Answer: B
Question 4 of 15
_______ _______ are described as an internal dialog of words and actions whose meanings are shared by all those involved in a social act.
A.significant gestures
B.value representations
C.symbolic expressions
D.normative values
Correct Answer: A
Question 5 of 15
According to Blumer, it is during the process of _____________ that meanings are created and responses carried out.
A.rational action
B.reciprocal relationships
C.nonrational action
D.social interaction
Correct Answer: D
Question 6 of 15
According to Goffman, _________ _________ is the fundamental dynamic underlying social interaction.
A.shared meaning
B.impression management
C.normative gesturing
D.explicit morality
Correct Answer: B
Question 7 of 15
George Homans argues that all behavior can be explained by ____________ principles.
A.Ideological
B.Political
C.Sociological
D.Psychological
Correct Answer: D
Question 8 of 15
Which of the following is NOT one of Homans's propositions?
A.Success
B.Distribution
C.Value
D.Stimulus
Correct Answer: B
Question 10 of 15
Unlike rational choice theorists, exchange theorists view the actor as a rational, purposive agent motivated by maximizing rewards.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 11 of 15
George Herbert Mead's work was influenced by which of the following two approaches?
A.positivism and pragmatism
B.behaviorism and pragmatism
C.positivism and behaviorism
D.behaviorism and biology
Correct Answer: B
Question 12 of 15
At the center of symbolic interactionism is Mead's view of:
A.The self
B.The mind
C.Society
D.Institutions
Correct Answer: A
Question 13 of 15
Mead refers to ____________ as the basic mechanism in a social act.
A.Perceptions
B.Impulses
C.Gestures
D.Manipulations
Correct Answer: C
Question 14 of 15
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of symbolic interactionism?
A.It has too readily given up on conventional scientific techniques.
B.It has downplayed large-scale social structures.
C.It has concentrated too much on psychological factors.
D.It has not been sufficiently microscopic.
Correct Answer: D
Question 15 of 15
Sheldon Stryker proposed a micro-macro integrative goal for symbolic interactionism. What did he see as most fundamental in realizing this goal?
A.focusing on impression management
B.focusing on the concept of roles
C.focusing on human psychology
D.focusing on the looking-glass self
Correct Answer: B
Quiz 5
Question 1 of 15 1.0 Points
According to Berger and Luckmann, it is through ____________ that human life becomes coherent, meaningful, and continuous.
A.institutions
B.shared values
C.norms
D.appropriate sanctions
Correct Answer: A
Question 2 of 15
Berger and Luckmann identify two types of socialization based on the extent to which individuals are active and conscious of the process of internalization. Which type of socialization is acquired in a more conscious way?
Correct Answer: secondary, socialization
Question 3 of 15
The main difference between Phenomenology and Ethnomethodolgy is their relationship to:
A.the idea of institutionalization
B.common sense knowledge
C.psychology
D.the explanation of everyday life
Correct Answer: C
Question 4 of 15
Garfinkel's method for identifying the building blocks of everyday interaction was to formulate ________ ___________ that disrupt normal procedures in order to expose them.
Correct Answer: breaching experiments
Question 5 of 15 1.0 Points
___________________ was the founder of ethnomethodology.
A.Erving Goffman
B.Harold Garfinkel
C.Herbert Blumer
D.Max Weber
Correct Answer: B
Question 6 of 15
Which of the following is the term that ethnomethodologists use to describe the ways in which social actors explain specific situations?
A.Hermeneutics
B.Emotions
C.Accounts
D.Ritual
Correct Answer: C
Question 7 of 15
Phenomenologists claim that the language we learn and the social structures within which we live provide us with:
A.Stocks of knowledge
B.Reflections of the self
C.Ideological maps
D.Stereotypes
CorrectAnswer: A
Question 8 of 15
Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology focus on:
A.the phenomena of everyday life
B.the construction of the self within society
C.the impact of social structure on the formation of the self
D.globalization
Correct Answer: A
Question 9 of 15
With which of the following statements would an ethnomethodologist agree?
A.Gender is something that social actors are born with
B.Gender is something that social actors accomplish
C.Gender is not a significant variable to study, because it never changes
D.None of the above
Correct Answer: B
Question 10 of 15
Phenomenologists use this term to refer to the fact that we share the same consciousness with other people __________________.
Correct Answer: intersubjectivity
Question 11 of 15
According to Alfred Schutz, typification is vital to the accomplishment of social life.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 12 of 15
Berger and Luckmann refer to the process by which human activity and society attain the character of objectivity as:
A.Externalization
B.Objectivation
C.Reification
D.All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Question 13 of 15
Ethnomethodologists are more interested in how actors assure each other that meaning is shared than the actual meaning structures themselves.
A. True
B. False
Correct answer: True
Question 14 of 15
The main difference between phenomenology and ethnomethodology:
A.Phenomenology has been heavily influenced by psychology
B.Ethnomethodologists focus on the social actor while phenomenologists focus on the structures of everyday life
C.Phenomenologists use experimental methods while ethnomethodologists use case study methods
D.Ethnomethodologists have been heavily influenced by economics
Correct Answer: A
Question 15 of 15
Roles may be reified in the same manner as institutions.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Quiz 6
Question 1 of 15
Dorothy Smith's standpoint theory has roots both in Marx's sociological writings as well as in ______________ theoretical approach.
A.Alfred Schutz's
B.Herbert Blumer's
C.Max Weber's
D.Erving Goffman's
Correct Answer: A
Question 2 of 15
Smith uses the concept of ____________ to refer to a separation or split between the world as one actually experiences it and the dominant view to which one must adapt.
A.patriarchy
B.reflective self
C.bifurcation of consciousness
D.none of the above
Correct Answer: C
Question 3 of 15
Judith Butler coined the term __________________ to refer to the continual nature of gender performance.
Correct Answer: performativity
Question 4 of 15
_____________ claims that gender is not fixed but is rather a continual performance - a representation or a ritual.
A.Dorothy Smith
B.Patricia Hill Collins
C.Nancy Chodorow
D.Judith Butler
Correct Answer: D
Question 5 of 15
Patricia Hill Collins claims that multiple oppressions makes Black women skeptical of dominant paradigms of knowledge and instead tend to rely on:
A.The knowledge presented by alternative paradigms situated within US society
B.Hierarchical power relations
C.Their own experiential sources of information
D.None of the above.
Correct Answer: C
Question 6 of 15
Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of ideology?
A.It is a reflection of the interests and experiences of society's dominant group
B.It is institutionalized as public knowledge
C.It becomes taken-for-granted knowledge for all social groups
D.It describes social reality in an objective and truthful manner
Correct Answer: D
Question 7 of 15
The concept of a bifurcated consciousness refers to:
A.how subordinate individuals live with both the reality of actual experiences and the reality of social typifications
B.how dominant groups are privileged to experience reality from the standpoint of both their own group and subordinate groups
C.how subordinate groups have a love/hate relationship with their oppressors
D.how some women are able to experience the social world as if they were men
Correct Answer: A
Question 8 of 15
Nancy Chodorow is unlike most feminist theorists because:
A.She was influenced by philosophical explanations for gender
B.She dismisses the role of activism for feminist causes
C.She accepts Freud's thesis on unconscious, innate erotic and aggressive drives exist
D.Denounced the role of familial socialization in gender development
Correct Answer: C
Question 9 of 15
In her role as a postmodern feminist, Butler was most interested in studying:
A.The structures of modern society that serve to silence women
B.Violence against women
C.What people mean by "women"
D.Women's role in the workplace
Correct Answer: C
Question 10 of 15
Who referred to sex as a norm?
A.Nancy Chodorow
B.Judith Butler
C.Patricia Hil Collins
D.Dorothy Smith
Correct Answer: B
Question 11 of 15
Nancy Chodorow coined the term "performativity," which refers to the way in which gender is continually performed by social actors.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 12 of 15
This theory claims that all sexual behaviors, sexual identities, and categories of normative and deviant sexualities are social constructs:
A.Feminist Standpoint Theory
B.Queer Theory
C.Postmodern Feminist Theory
D.Freud's Theory of Sexuality and Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: B
Question 13 of 15
__________ claims that biological sex, gender identification, and heterosexuality are not dictated by nature but are instead products of a cultural system.
A.Judith Butler
B.Dorothy Smith
C.Nancy Chodorow
D.Patricia Hill Collins
Correct Answer: A
Question 14 of 15
In developing her theory on Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins had to make a clear break with Feminist Standpoint Theory because this theory has been said to privilege White women.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 15 of 15
Judith Butler claims that because mother-daughter bonds remain intact into adulthood, women are better able to form relationships with other women.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Quiz 7
Question 1 of 15
A good example of postmodern theory in practice can be seen in:
A.shared symbols such as the American flag
B.so-called reality television shows
C. artwork produced in the 19th century
D.legal semiotics that disqualify ordinary citizens from an understanding of the law
Correct Answer: B
Question 2 of 15 1.0 Points
Poststructural theories emerged mainly as a critique of:
A.postmodern theories
B.critical/Marxist theories
C.feminist theories
D.structural theories
Correct Answer: D
Question 3 of 15
According to ___________ (a theorist) knowledge is never separate from power but is instead a specific means for exercising power.
Correct Answer: Foucault
Question 4 of 15
During his early works, Baudrillard was influenced by Marx, which led him to develop a critique of:
A.penal systems/punishment
B.the mode of capitalist production
C.consumerism
D.poststructuralist theories
Correct Answer: C
Question 5 of 15
Postmodern theorists, most importantly Boudrillard, developed a set of ideas that was critical of ______________because it was believed to create false needs and result in the fusion of identities to commodities.
A.mass production
B.reality television
C.leisure activities
D.capitalism
Correct Answer: A
Question 6 of 15
French Structuralism is rooted in the underlying structures governing:
A.Politics
B.Economics
C.Culture
D.Language
Correct Answer: D
Question 7 of 15
The term semiotics refers to the study of:
A.robots that drive
B.language used on traffic signs
C.signs in linguistics
D.all sign and symbol systems
Correct Answer: C
Question 8 of 15
Ferdinand de Saussure's concept of parole refers to:
A.the actual way people use language
B.sign and symbol systems
C.what prisoners get for good behavior
D.the rules that govern language
Correct Answer: A
Question 9 of 15
Foucault's key concern regarding Panoptical technologies was:
A.The internalization of surveillance
B.the prohibitive cost of construction
C.that surveillance was ineffectual
D.that they endorsed Victorian ideas about sexuality
Correct Answer: A
Question 10 of 15
Structuralism sees disorder and chaos in language, while the poststructuralist sees order and stability.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 11 of 15
Foucault thought that archaeology was a good method for:
A.The analysis of the genealogy of power
B.Historical discourse analysis
C.Examining clinics and medicine
D.The deconstruction of reality
Correct Answer: B
Question 12 of 15
Foucault argued that part of the taken-for-granted operating procedures for social institutions include:
A.Discursive knowledge exchanges
B.Rational-legal authority structures
C.The incorporation of technologies for surveillance
D.None of the above
Correct Answer: C
Question 13 of 15
Baudrillard was heavily influenced by George Homans.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 14 of 15
Lyotard argued that what is considered "knowledge" depends on its translatability into rational systems of knowledge.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 15 of 15
Lyotard's premise in his "mercantilization of knowledge" thesis was that the postmodern era prevents knowledge from becoming:
A.Widely known
B.Culturally relevant
C.Fixed in a single ideology
D.All of the above
Correct Answer: C
Quiz 8
Question 1 of 15 1.0 Points
Bourdieu's theoretical term __________ draws from the phenomenology framework and emphasizes the active construction of social life.
Correct Answer: habitus
Question 2 of 15 1.0 Points
Bourdieu's position that modern societies are based fundamentally on relations of power draws especially from the theories of:
A.Sartre
B.Marx
C.Foucault
D.Weber
Correct Answer: B
Question 3 of 15
Giddens critiques a traditional functionalist notion of ________ because in his view, individuals tend to know what they are doing and why they are doing it.
Correct Answer: structure
Question 4 of 15 1.0 Points
In a postmodern society, signs and symbols have taken on a clearer meaning than they did in past societies.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 5 of 15
According to Bourdieu, no institution does more to ensure the reproduction of class relations than:
A.Criminal justice system
B.Politics
C.Education
D.Media
Correct Answer: C
Question 6 of 15
Bourdieu views all symbolic systems as grounded in fundamental binary categories.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 7 of 15 1.0 Points
Bourdieu argues that binary classifications provide the conceptual basis for domination.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: True
Question 8 of 15
Habermas' lifeworld perspective drew from and extended the works of:
A.Husserl and Schutz
B.Marx and Weber
C.Durkheim and Marx
D.Foucault and Bourdieu
Correct Answer: A
Question 9 of 15
Habermas'notion of lifeworld perspective looks very much like Marx's conception of capitalism in the industrial era.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 10 of 15
Steering media refers to the formal structure and mechanisms for community organization.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
Question 11 of 15
Habermas defined a society in which social relationships are mediated by power and money as:
A.Totally administered
B.Lifeworld
C.Patriarchal
D.None of the above
Correct Answer: A
Question 12 of 15
Habermas suggests that the communicative rationality of individuals is countered by a 'system' - of institutions and processes - which are based upon:
A.Instrumental Rationality
B.Irrationality
C.Instrumental irrationality
D.None of the above
Correct Answer: A
Question 13 of 15
What 'school' of sociology is Habermas famous for being a leading representative of:
A.The Chicago School
B.The Leipzig School
C.The Frankfurt School
D.The Postmodern School
Correct Answer: C
Question 14 of 15
Giddens' "stratification model of action" shows that during interactions, individuals:
A.Are trapped within social systems that pre-determine interaction type
B.Act and react to cultural stimuli
C.Engage in practical conscious reproduction of society
D.Continually monitor their own behavior and the behavior of others
Correct Answer: D
Question 15 of 15
Discursive consciousness refers to our capacity to actively suppress knowledge that is counter-cultural.
A. True
B. False
Correct Answer: False
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