Question 1

Which of the following correctly describes the origins of large-scale cultivation?

It was invented in Asia and spread westward.

It was invented in the Middle East and spread both east and west.

It was invented in North America and spread both east and west.

It was invented in Africa and spread northward.

Question 2

What type of society engages in large-scale farming based on the use of plows drawn by animals or more powerful energy sources?

hunting and gathering

horticultural

pastoral

agrarian

Question 3

The social standing of women and men in hunting and gathering societies is:

unequal, with men dominating.

largely egalitarian, with men and women making a vital contribution to survival.

unequal, with women raising the young while men secure food.

equal, because both men and women perform the same tasks.

Question 4

In terms of social inequality, agrarian societies generally:

have much more inequality than earlier societal types.

are about the same as earlier societal types.

have less social inequality than earlier societal types.

come very close to being egalitarian societies.

Question 5

According to Lenski, the term sociocultural evolution refers to:

changes brought about by new ways of thinking.

cultural diffusion that brings ideas from other societies.

cultural diffusion that spreads ideas to other societies.

changes that occur as a society acquires new technology.

Question 6

Weber traced the origins of the capitalist economy in Europe to:

colonialism.

feudal monarchy.

the Protestant Reformation.

technological innovation.

Question 7

Which of the following would likely be a question Emile Durkheim would ask about the 2001 terrorist attacks?

How might these attacks unite people across the United States?

Which class benefits most from the war on terror?

What new kinds of technology will come out of this crisis?

How might the attacks increase bureaucracy and the power of government?

Question 8

Of the following sociologists, who focused the most on how society is divided?

Gerhard Lenski

Karl Marx

Max Weber

Emile Durkheim

Question 9

The Roman Empire reached its peak power operating as what kind of society?

hunting and gathering

horticultural and pastoral

agrarian

industrial

Question 10

Today, hunting and gathering societies:

are spreading around the world.

represent about half the world's population.

have a longer average lifespan than U.S. society.

are close to disappearing from the world.

Question 11

The term ______refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share culture.

culture

society

nation

state

Question 12

Which of the following provides striking evidence of the power of ideas to shape society?

Marx's study of economic production

Durkheim's study of increasing specialization

Lenski's study of changing technology

Weber's study of Calvinism and capitalism

Question 13

How did Weber describe traditional societies?

People look open-mindedly to the future.

People pass beliefs from generation to generation.

People live in the present, paying little attention to the past or the future.

People strive to live differently from the way they did in the past.

Question 14

Which of the following sociologists considered class conflict as the "engine of history"?

Gerhard Lenski

Karl Marx

Max Weber

Emile Durkheim

Question 15

The story of the Tuareg nomads that begins the text shows us that:

all human societies are mostly the same.

some societies change faster than our own.

some societies are very different from what most people in the United States find familiar.

some societies are far richer than our own.

Question 16

Karl Marx argued that the dominant social institution is:

the family.

religion.

politics.

the economy.

Question 17

Comparing and contrasting the ideas of Karl Marx and Max Weber, which of the following statements is TRUE?

Marx thought modern society was alienating; Weber did not.

Weber thought modern society was alienating; Marx did not.

Both Marx and Weber thought modern society was alienating, although for different reasons.

Neither Marx nor Weber thought modern society was alienating.

Question 18

What is the term for a person's fairly consistent pattern of acting, thinking, and feeling?

socialization

behavior

human nature

personality

Question 19

George Herbert Mead considered the self to be:

that part of an individual's personality composed of self-awareness and self-image.

the presence of culture within the individual.

basic drives that are self-centered.

present in infants at the time of their birth.

Question 20

Jean Piaget called the level of development at which individuals first use language and other cultural symbols the ______stage.

sensorimotor

preoperational

concrete operational

formal operational

Question 21

______refers to efforts to radically change someone's personality through carefully controlling the environment.

Anticipatory socialization

Resocialization

Total socialization

Degradation

Question 22

The special contribution of schooling to the socialization process includes:

exposing the child to a bureaucratic setting.

exposing the child to people of similar social backgrounds.

teaching children to be highly flexible and to express their individuality.

helping children break free of gender roles.

Question 23

Carol Gilligan's work on the issue of self-esteem in girls showed that:

girls begin with low self-esteem, but it gradually increases as they progress through adolescence.

at all ages, girls have higher self-esteem than boys.

at all ages, boys have higher self-esteem than girls.

girls begin with high levels of self-esteem, but it gradually decreases as they go through adolescence.

Question 24

Sociologists claim the main reason that many young people in the United States experience adolescence as a time of confusion is:

cultural inconsistency in defining this stage of life as partly childlike and partly adultlike.

the effect of hormones as young people mature.

growth always involves change.

All of these are correct.

Question 25

All but one of the following are distinctive characteristics of a total institution; which one is NOT?

Staff members supervise all spheres of daily life.

Staff members encourage individual growth and creativity.

Inmates have standardized food, clothing, and activities.

Formal rules dictate daily routines.

Question 26

According to Piaget, in what stage of human development do individuals experience the world only through sensory contact?

sensorimotor stage

preoperational stage

concrete operational stage

formal operational stage

Question 27

When people model themselves after the members of peer groups they would like to join, they are engaging in:

group conformity.

future directedness.

anticipatory socialization.

group rejection.

Question 28

Based on both the Harlows' research with rhesus monkeys and the case of Anna, the isolated child, one might reasonably conclude that:

the two species react differently to social isolation.

both monkeys and humans "bounce back" from long-term isolation.

even days or weeks of social isolation permanently damages both monkeys and humans.

long-term social isolation leads to permanent developmental damage in both monkeys and humans.

Question 29

The social sciences, including sociology, developed based on the idea that:

humans have instincts that guide our lives.

biological forces underlie human culture.

nurture is human nature.

Darwin's model of biological evolution explains patterns of human culture.

Question 30

Looking at childhood in global perspective, we find that:

childhood is a time of play and learning everywhere.

rich societies extend childhood much longer than poor societies do.

poor societies extend childhood much longer than rich societies do.

biological immaturity is the main factor that defines childhood.

Question 31

Mead would agree with only one of the following statements. Which one is it?

Socialization ends with the development of self.

If you win $10 million, your self may change.

People are puppets with little control over their lives.

Human behavior reflects both nature and nurture.

Question 32

Family is important to the socialization process because:

family members are often what Mead called "significant others."

families give children social identity in terms of class, ethnicity, and religion.

parents greatly affect a child's self-concept.

All of these are correct.

Question 33

Critics of Erikson's theory of personality development point out that:

not everyone confronts the stages in the exact order given by Erikson.

failing to meet the challenge of one stage of development may not mean failing at later challenges.

this process may unfold differently in other times and places.

All of these are correct.

Question 34

Patterns of socialization vary by class; in child-rearing, lower-class parents stress ______, while well-to-do parents stress ______.

independence; protecting children

independence; dependence

obedience; creativity

creativity; obedience

Question 35

A role set refers to:

a number of roles found in a society.

a number of roles attached to a single status.

a number of roles that are similar in function.

a number of roles within any particular organization.

Question 36

What is the term for the process by which people disengage from important social roles?

role rejection

role reversal

role loss

role exit

Question 37

In the United States, people stand farther away from one another when speaking than do two people in a Middle Eastern nation. This pattern reveals differences in meaning attached to:

personal hygiene.

personal space.

facial gestures.

the rights of women compared to men.

Question 38

Being an honors student is an example of which of the following?

central role

master status

ascribed status

achieved status

Question 39

The power relationship between physician and patient is immediately evident when the patient enters the doctor's office because:

it is up to patients when they will see the doctor.

the physician is there to greet the patient

patients must wait until a "gatekeeper" admits them to see the doctor in the office's "back region."

All of these are correct.

Question 40

What does the term presentation of self mean?

efforts to create impressions in the minds of others

acting out major roles

interaction that is highly formal

trying to take attention away from others

Question 41

What is the term for the conflict among roles corresponding to two or more statuses?

role conflict

role strain

role ambiguity

role exit

Question 42

Based on research around the world, Paul Ekman concludes that people everywhere have ______basic emotions.

six

three

one

None of these are correct; emotions vary from culture to culture.

Question 43

Arlie Hochschild explains that companies typically:

try to regulate the emotions of workers.

focus on behavior rather than emotions.

encourage the free expression of emotions.

All of these are correct.

Question 44

Erving Goffman claims that embarrassing situations are ones in which an actor ______.

"breaks" a role

"idealizes" a performance

"recenters" a performance

"loses face"

Question 45

According to Erving Goffman, people usually make efforts to ______their intentions.

idealize

glamorize

hide

contradict

Question 46

"Personal space" refers to:

owned property, such as a house or land.

unowned space in a public place.

the surrounding area over which an individual makes some claim to privacy.

a feeling of needed isolation from others.

Question 47

What is the term for a status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life?

central role

master status

ascribed status

achieved status

Question 48

What term is used to designate the process by which people creatively shape reality as they interact?

status interaction

social construction of reality

interactive reality

role reality

Question 49

Smiling and making polite remarks to people we do not like is an example of:

making another feel embarrassment.

exercising power over another.

idealizing a personal performance.

losing face.

Question 50

What is the term for a social position that is received at birth or involuntarily assumed later in life?

passive role

master status

ascribed status

achieved status