Sociology can be defined as the systematic and scientific study of human society and social behavior. Given this definition, what level of social structure might sociologists examine?

A. Only small groups.

B.Almost any level- from interactions between two people to large-scale institutions.

C. Mass culture and large institutions.

D. Relations between individuals.

The social sciences are all those disciplines that study:

A. The human, or social, world.

B. The natural world.

C. The physical world.

D. Communication.

Most sociologists specialize in one particular method of study. The first distinction is usually made between qualitative and quantitative methodologies. What do quantitative sociologists do differently from qualitiative sociologists?

A.Quantitative sociologists preserve the detail and diversity of their data so that each individual piece of information can be analyzed to determine its meaning.

B. Quantitative sociologists look for signs of social conflict and tension in their data.

C. Quantitative sociologists translate their data into numbers so that it can be analyzed mathematically or staistically.

D. Quantitative sociologists only do interviews.

C. Wright Mills argued that the one quality of mind that all great sociologists posses is:

A. Stoicism.

B. Sociological imagination.

C. Romanticism.

D. Biographical imagination.

Why does C. Wright Mills think that it's important for everyone, even people who will never take sociology class, to develop a sociological imagination?

A. It will help generate more jobs for sociologists.

B. It makes sociology classes more interesting.

C. Many people remain unaware of the intricate connections between the patterns of their own lives and the larger course of history.

D. It will encourage growth in the field of microsociology.

Which of the following is NOT a reason that the United States continues to be studied by sociologists from all over the world?

A. It has a higher standard of living than anywhere else in the world.

B. It has created social problems that have never existed before.

C. It is astonishingly multicultured.

D. It is a place where old ideas and ways are discarded and innovation takes hold particularly quickly.

Which of the following is a major critique of conflict theory?

A. It has a hard time explaining inequality.

B. It overemphasizes the imprtance of face-to-face interaction.

C. It focusing on conflict and change, it sometimes ignores the stable and enduring parts of society.

D. It overemphasizes continuity.

Sociologists who study gender report that the "women's wage," the amount that women make compared to men doing the same job, is around 78 cents on the dollar. Finding this figure required researchers to gather data from a large number of men and women and compare average salaries. What sort of resarch is this?

A. Everyday

B. Quantitative

C. Comparative historical

D. Qualitative

The divorce rate has steadily increased over time, and now more than a quarter of all marriages end withn the first four years. What sort of factors would C. Wright Mills suggest investigating to explain this increase?

A. Religious issues

B. Personal issues

C. Social structural issues

D. Psychological issues

Which of the following could NOT be used as a synonym for the term "theory"?

A. School of thought

B. Paradigm

C. Perspective

D. Method

What was probably Harriet Martineau's most important contribution to the development of sociology as a discipline?

A. Her theory of alienation

B. Her translation of the work of Auguste Comte into English

C. Her work on an early theorgy of symbolic interactionism

D. Her distinction between manifest and latent functions.

Who coined the phrase "the survival of the fittest"?

A. Charles Darwin

B. Karl Marx

C. Harriet Martineau

D. Herbert Spencer

The functionalist perspective, especially in the work of Herbert Spencer, views society as:

A. A machine

B. An organism

C. A planet

D. A computer

* Emile Durkheim suggested that, in traditional societies, people were bound together through mechanical solidarity. What was the basis of these sorts of bonds?

A. Interdependence and the division of labor

B. Shared traditions and similar experiences

C. A strong rule who exercised absolute control over the population

D. Fear of the unknown

Durkheim theorized that the rapidly changing conditions of modern life lead to anomie. What is anomie?

A. Normlessness, or a loss of social connections

B. Anger and disillusionment with progress

C. The transfer of destructive urges to socially useful activities

D. A failure of the oppressed to recognize the source of their oppression

Which social theorist is associated with communism as a political system?

A. Emile Durkheim

B. Max Weber

C. Auguste Comte

D. Karl Marx

* According to the theoretical position developed by Karl Marx, what causes social change?

A. Conflict between social groups

B. Cooperation between social groups

C. Exploration beyond the boundaries of a given society

D. Developmen of technology

How does Karl Marx differentiate between members of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie?

A. Members of the proletariat own the means of production, while the bourgeoisie possess only their own labor

B. Members of the proletariat benefit directly from their labor, while bourgeoisie do not

C. Members of the proletariat have a greater sense of solidarity than the bourgeoisie

D. Members of the bourgeoisie own the means of production, while the proletariat possess only their own labor

Max Weber believed that, as the Industrial Revolution progressed, society became increasingly rationalized. How did he define rationalization?

A. An increasing number of rules and limit personal freedom

B. An increasing emphasis on vestehen, the attempt to understand others' experiences

C. The application of psychology to the economy in order to increase productivity

D. The application of economic logic to all aspects of social life

What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures, each of which contributes to the equilibrium of the world?

A. Symbolic interactionism

B. Psychoanalysis

C. Structural functionalism

D. Conflict theory

According to Robert Merton, what is the difference between manifest and latent functions?

A. Manifest functions usually have something to do with social conflict and change.

B. Manifest functions are intended and obvious

C. Manifest functions are accidental and often hard to recognize

D. Manifest functions are designed to alleviate inequality

Conflict theorists believe that arguments over values and beliefs have their roots in:

A. Division between urban and rural populations

B. Conflict between conservatives and liberals

C. Struggles over scarce resources and power

D. Longstanding philosophical debates

Which social theory was developed mostly in the United State?

A. Structural functionalism

B. Positivism

C. Marxism

D. Symbolic interactionism

Which of the following theories focuses on how our behaviors are dependent upon the ways we interpret, make sense of, and define ourselves, others, and social situations?

A. Conflict theory

B. Symbolic interactionism

C. Psychoanalysis

D. Structural functionalism

Which school of social theory argues that everything is relative, fragmented, temporary, contingent, and ephemarl?

A. Conversation analysis

B. Postmodernism

C. Ethnomethodology

D. Marxism