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Chapter 1The Sociological Perspective
1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Of the following influences, the one that C. Wright Mills most attributed to being the one that
sociologists would use to explain individual behavior is ______.
A) common senseB) instinct
C) external influencesD) inherited abilities
Answer: C
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Skill: Knowledge
2) Meegan is taking a course at a university in New Delhi, India as a part of a student exchange
program. She is having difficulty accepting many of the local customs including the status of
bovines and the apparent lack of respect women receive. Meegan is making a sincere effort,
however, to understand the Indian customs and to place this behavior within a broader social
context. In view of this, Meegan is engaging ______.
A) the sociological perspectiveB) ethnocentrism
C) the relativist fallacyD) the social imperative
Answer: A
Diff: 2Page Ref: 2
Skill: Comprehension
3) When sociologists group people into categories based on their age, gender, educational level,
job and income, they are trying to determine their ______.
A) social networkB) social location
C) social personalityD) social skills
Answer: B
Diff: 3Page Ref: 2
Skill: Application
4) Sociologists emphasize the notion that our thinking and motivation are largely determined by
______.
A) our individual personalities
B) our natural born instincts
C) our biologically inherited genetic structure
D) influences drawn from our life experiences
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
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5) Clarise is employed as an FBI profiler. She has been asked to identify the common personality
characteristics among a list of 15 serial killers. Clarise would most likely contact a[n] ______
to assist her in her efforts.
A) sociologistB) anthropologistC) psychologistD) economist
Answer: C
Diff: 3Page Ref: 4
Skill: Application
6) James is studying for his doctorate. He is living among the homeless in Philadelphia. James
has stated he wants to experience everything the homeless experience to gain a broader
understanding into the culture of the homeless. James is probably studying for a doctorate in
______.
A) sociologyB) anthropology
C) political scienceD) psychology
Answer: A
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Skill: Application
7) The first goal of each scientific discipline is to ______.
A) explain why something happens
B) make generalizations why things happen
C) look for patterns when things happen
D) predict what will happen in the future
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
8) The two events that contributed the greatest incentive to the development of sociology because
they destroyed tradition and encouraged people to rethink social life were ______and
______.
A) the Renaissance; the discovery of the new world
B) the invention of the printing press; the invention of the steam engine
C) the colonization of the Americas and Africa; the development of cities
D) the American Revolution; the French Revolution
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
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9) The first person to propose that the scientific method could be applied to the study of social
life was ______.
A) Emile DurkheimB) Max Weber
C) Karl MarxD) Auguste Comte
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
10) The notion that only the fittest members of society deserve to survive and that social programs
to help the poor will ultimately weaken the social order is a doctrine known as ______.
A) Social DarwinismB) positivism
C) post-modernismD) social welfare
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
11) Karl Marx suggested that the force which drives human history and is at the core of human
progress is ______.
A) class conflictB) religionC) familyD) education
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
12) The Wall Street Journal has declared the ʺthree greatest modern thinkersʺ as being ______,
______, and ______.
A) Karl Marx; Sigmund Freud; Albert Einstein
B) Max Weber; B. F. Skinner; J. Edgar Hoover
C) Karl Marx; Louis Pasteur; Albert Einstein
D) Frank Lloyd Wright; Jonas Salk; Sigmund Freud
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
13) Tom works on the assembly line at the local automobile factory. Karl Marx would consider
Tom to be a ______because he does not own the factory.
A) capitalistB) proletariatC) zeitgeistD) bourgeoisie
Answer: B
Diff: 3Page Ref: 9
Skill: Application
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14) The social thinker of the 19th century who predicted that there would be a classless society
once the working class united and began a revolution was ______.
A) Emile DurkheimB) C. Wright Mills
C) Herbert SpencerD) Karl Marx
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
15) The early European sociologist known for his work on suicide and social integration was
______.
A) Emile DurkheimB) Auguste Comte
C) Max WeberD) Henri Saint Simon
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
16) Durkheim introduced the concept ______to express the degree to which people feel part of
a social group.
A) conflict conflictB) social integration
C) sociopathD) social class
Answer: B
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Skill: Knowledge
17) The early theorist who is sometimes referred to as ʺthe second founder of sociologyʺ because of
his contributions to the discipline and coined the phrase ʺsurvival of the fittestʺ was ______.
A) Henri Saint SimonB) Herbert Spencer
C) Emile DurkheimD) Karl Marx
Answer: B
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Skill: Knowledge
18) Weber referred to the self-denying approach to life characterized by people living frugal lives
and saving their money as the ______.
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A) spirit of capitalism
C) Protestant ethic
Answer: C
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B) socialist conscience
D) Communist Manifesto
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19) In contrast to Marx, Weber makes the argument that ______.
A) economics are the central force for social change
B) education provides the main force for social change
C) government and politics are the source of social change
D) religious beliefs are the central force in social change
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
20) According to Max Weber, the Protestant ethic was a central factor in the birth of ______.
A) capitalismB) democracyC) socialismD) bureaucracy
Answer: A
Diff: 2Page Ref: 11
Skill: Comprehension
21) Max Weber termed the readiness to invest capital in order to make more money the ______.
A) Protestant ethicB) spirit of capitalism
C) the spirit of verstehenD) entrepreneurial ethic
Answer: B
Diff: 1Page Ref: 11
Skill: Knowledge
22) Weber stressed the notion that sociological research should be ʺvalue free.ʺ This means that
sociologists should NOT ______.
A) develop personal opinionsB) study social values
C) let personal values affect their researchD) be social critics
Answer: C
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Skill: Application
23) According to Max Weber, ______means ʺto grasp by insightʺ and to have an understanding
of the feelings and motivations of people being studied.
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A) anomieB) Gemeinshaft
Answer: D
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C) GesellschaftD) verstehen
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24) Art has an interest in developing psychological profiles and is an avid student of William
Sheldonʹs work on body types and personality. Art has submitted a research request to repeat Sheldonʹs classic study on body types to determine if Sheldonʹs original findings are still valid. This type of research is referred to as ______.
A) replicationB) ethnographyC) triangulationD) correlation
Answer: A
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Skill: Comprehension
25) Durkheim stressed the need for sociologists to focus on ______, while Weber stressed that
______should also be studied by sociologists.
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A) subjective meanings; social facts
C) social facts; subjective meanings
Answer: C
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B) empirical definitions; social facts
D) symbols; social facts
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26) Durkheim referred to patterns of behavior that characterize a social group as ______.
A) a social profileB) stereotyping
C) social integrationD) social facts
Answer: D
Diff: 1Page Ref: 13
Skill: Knowledge
27) Over twenty years prior to the birth of Durkheim and Weber, Society in America, an analysis of
American customs, was published by sociologist ______.
A) W. I. ThomasB) W. E. B. DuBois
C) Harriet MartineauD) Ernest Burgess
Answer: C
Diff: 1Page Ref: 15
Skill: Knowledge
28) Because of her outstanding and effective efforts at social reform as demonstrated in her work
as co-founder of Hull House, ______was a co -winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
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A) Elsie Clews Parsons
C) Alice Hamilton
Answer: D
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B) Charlotte Perkins Gilman
D) Jane Addams
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29) Sociology first took root as an academic discipline at ______in 1890.
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A) the University of Pennsylvania
C) Stanford University
Answer: B
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B) the University of Kansas
D) Princeton University
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30) The university that dominated sociology as an academic discipline where Albion Smalls
headed the department was ______.
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A) the University of California at Berkeley
C) Princeton University
Answer: D
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B) Harvard University
D) the University of Chicago
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31) The book published by W.E.B. DuBois in 1899 that analyzed how African Americans in a
major United States city coped with racism was ______.
A) The Souls of Black FolkB) White Over Black
C) The Philadelphia NegroD) The Crisis
Answer: C
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Skill: Knowledge
32) The first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, spent his lifetime
studying race relations in America, and was one of the founders of the NAACP was ______.
A) W. E. B. DuBoisB) Booker T. Washington
C) George Washington CarverD) Benjamin Quarles
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
33) The American sociologist who focused on social theory in the 1940s, developing detailed
models of how society harmoniously works together was ______.
A) Talcott ParsonsB) Ernest Burgess
C) Robert ParkD) W. I. Thomas
Answer: A
Diff: 1Page Ref: 19
Skill: Knowledge
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34) Dr. Zahn spends virtually all his academic interest in analyzing various aspects of society and
publishing his findings in sociological journals. In view of this, Dr. Zahn is considered to be
a[n] ______sociologist.
A) appliedB) practicalC) pureD) reform
Answer: C
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Skill: Application
35) Sociologists who analyze how behavior depends on the ways that people define themselves
and others are most likely ______.
A) ethnomethodologistsB) functionalists
C) conflict theoristsD) symbolic interactionists
Answer: D
Diff: 2Page Ref: 22
Skill: Comprehension
36) The sociologist who developed the concept of the power elite was ______.
A) C. Wright MillsB) Talcott Parsons
C) Robert K. MertonD) F. Ivan Nye
Answer: A
Diff: 1Page Ref: 19
Skill: Knowledge
37) Of the following social science theorists, which one least embraced the concepts associated
with symbolic interactionism?
A) William JamesB) Karl Marx
C) Charles Horton CooleyD) William I. Thomas
Answer: B
Diff: 4Page Ref: 21-22
Skill: Analysis
38) According to symbolic interactionists, the deciding factor that determines if change in society
is good or bad requires ______.
A) an understanding of who benefited from the change
B) an understanding of who may have been victimized by the change
C) a value framework from which to view the change
D) a macroanalytical focus of the extent of the change
Answer: C
Diff: 3Page Ref: 24
Skill: Application
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39) According to Robert Merton, ______are the intended beneficial consequences of peopleʹs
actions.
A) latent functionsB) manifest dysfunctions
C) manifest functionsD) latent dysfunctions
Answer: C
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Skill: Knowledge
40) College provides a haven for several million potential workers who are classified as ʺstudentsʺ
rather than ʺunemployedʺ which helps stabilize the job market. This situation represents what
Merton would describe as a ______.
A) manifest functionB) latent dysfunction
C) manifest dysfunctionD) latent function
Answer: D
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Skill: Application
41) Functionalists generally agree that the family, as it exists today ______.
A) is an obsolete institution
B) is almost entirely self sufficient
C) has lost many of its traditional functions
D) is dysfunctional
Answer: C
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Skill: Knowledge
42) Functionalists refer to how parts of a society fit together to form a whole as ______.
A) processB) synthesisC) integrationD) structure
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
43) Karl Marx believed the key element in understanding human history is to understand
______.
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A) family and its function
C) class conflict
Answer: C
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B) the role of education in society
D) the importance of religion
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44) The contemporary conflict sociologist who pointed out that conflict is most likely to develop
among people in close relationships was ______.
A) Lewis CoserB) Ralf Dahrendorf
C) William DomhoffD) Howard Winet
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
45) Mark views society as a system of interrelated parts, while John views society as composed of
groups competing for scarce resources. Mark would be considered a ______theorist and
John would be seen as a ______theorist.
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A) symbolic interactionist; functionalist
C) functionalist; symbolic interactionist
Answer: D
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B) conflict; functionalist
D) functionalist; conflict
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46) Sociologist Lewis Coser pointed out that conflict is most likely to occur among people who are
______.
A) in close relationshipsB) have racial and ethnic differences
C) in different social classesD) less educated
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
47) Conflict theorists would contend that changes in ______explain the high divorce rates in the
United States.
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A) the functions of the family
C) the male-female power relationship
Answer: C
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B) our cultureʹs beliefs about marriage
D) the attitudes about commitment
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48) The major difference between the three sociological perspectives is:
A) their degree of conservative ideology.
B) the personality profile of those who embrace each of the perspectives.
C) the impact each ideology has on the common person.
D) the level of analysis of each perspective.
Answer: D
Diff: 4Page Ref: 28
Skill: Analysis
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49) Sergio is interested in how changes in society are related to homelessness. He is examining
how the movement of factory jobs from the United States to overseas locations have
contributed to the increase in the number of homeless. Sergio is conducting a ______
analysis.
A) macro levelB) transactionalC) micro levelD) meso level
Answer: A
Diff: 3Page Ref: 28
Skill: Application
50) In studying problems of the homeless, ______would focus on the face -to-face micro level
interactions among the homeless.
A) symbolic interactionistsB) functionalists
C) conflict theoristsD) structuralists
Answer: A
Diff: 2Page Ref: 28
Skill: Comprehension
51) Sara is conducting a study on how the North American Free Trade Agreement has resulted in
millions of Americans losing their jobs and how once prosperous manufacturing cities have
become ghost towns. Saraʹs research is being conducted at the ______level of analysis.
A) macroB) theoreticalC) pureD) micro
Answer: A
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Skill: Application
52) Functionalist and conflict theorists tend to focus on the ______, or large scale patterns of
society, in conducting their analyses.
A) macro levelB) micro level
C) symbolic levelD) interactionist level
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
53) At the first meeting of the American Sociological Society, Albion Small announced the primary
reason for sociology was its ʺpractical application to the improvement of social life.ʺ Smalls
was expressing a goal of sociology aligned with the disciplineʹs ______stage of development
in the United States.
A) firstB) secondC) thirdD) fourth
Answer: A
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Skill: Knowledge
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54) Investing to make profits within a rational system is called ______.
A) globalizationB) socialismC) capitalismD) investment
Answer: C
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Skill: Knowledge
55) The breaking down of national boundaries because of advances in communication, trade, and
travel is referred to as ______.
A) multiculturalismB) colonialism
C) neo-colonialismD) globalization
Answer: D
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Skill: Knowledge
1.2 True/False Questions
1) The term society traditionally refers to a group of people who share a culture and a territory.
Answer: TRUE
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Skill: Knowledge
2) Sociologically, the term social location refers to oneʹs occupation, income, gender, education,
age, and ethnicity or race.
Answer: TRUE
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Skill: Knowledge
3) According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological perspective enables us the ability to grasp the
connection between social institutions and social dynamics.
Answer: FALSE
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Skill: Knowledge
4) Although anthropologists study the same groups as sociologists, anthropologists place a
greater emphasis on processes that occur within the individual including emotions,
perceptions, and dreams.
Answer: FALSE
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Skill: Application
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5) Tradition and the scientific method share many similarities, including systematic observation
and common sense.
Answer: FALSE
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Skill: Knowledge
6) Herbert Spencer believed the most capable and intelligent members of a society would survive
while the weak and ʺless fitʺ would die, thus improving society in a master plan he called
ʺsurvival of the fittest.ʺ
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2Page Ref: 8
Skill: Comprehension
7) Credited with the founding of sociology, Auguste Comte was well known for his rigorous
scientific studies of social life in nineteenth century France that are still used today to explain human behavior.
Answer: FALSE
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Skill: Knowledge
8) Karl Marx did not think of himself as a sociologist, preferring instead to concentrate his
research efforts on history, philosophy, economics, and political science.
Answer: TRUE
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Skill: Knowledge
9) Emile Durkheim showed, through rigorous scientific research, that social factors and not
spontaneous events, underlie the rates of suicide among different groups.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1Page Ref: 10
Skill: Knowledge
10) Max Weber argued that the central force in social change was religion.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1Page Ref: 10
Skill: Knowledge
11) Max Weber emphasized the subjective meaning of human behavior, while Durkheim stressed
what he called social facts, which he defined as the patterns of behavior that define a social
group.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1Page Ref: 12-13
Skill: Knowledge
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12) Talcott Parsons was one of the major American social reformers of the 1940s, creating and
applying detailed models that demonstrated the ability of society to change and become more equitable for all classes.
Answer: FALSE
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Skill: Knowledge
13) C. Wright Mills urged American sociologists to concentrate on social reform, developing the
concept of the power elite to illustrate how top leaders of business, politics, and the military
were an imminent threat to American freedom.