Test Bank for Macionis/Gerber, Sociology, Ninth Canadian Edition Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective Multiple Choice Questions 1) What might a sociologist say about people's selection of marriage partners? a. People marry because they fall in love. b. When it comes to romance, it’s all a matter of personal taste. c. Typically, a person marries someone of similar social position. d. When it comes to love, opposites attract. Answer: c Page Reference: 5 Skill: Applied 2) The idea that the social world guides our actions and life choices just as the seasons influence activities and choice of clothing describes a. the basis of what philosophy calls “free will.” b. the essential wisdom of the discipline of sociology. c. the fact that people everywhere have “common sense.” d. the fact that people from countries all around the world make mostly identical choices about how to live. Answer: b Page Reference: 3 Skill: Conceptual 3) Which discipline defines itself as “the systematic study of human society”? a. sociology b. psychology c. economics d. history Answer: a Page Reference: 3 Skill: Factual 4) Peter Berger described using the sociological perspective as seeing the ______ in the _______. a. good; worst tragedies b. new; old c. specific; general d. general; particular Answer: d Page Reference: 3 Skill: Conceptual 5) By stating that the sociological perspective shows us “the strange in the familiar,” the text argues that sociologists a. focus on the bizarre elements of society. b. reject the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favour of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives. c. believe that people often behave in strange ways. d. believe that even people who are most familiar to us have some very strange habits. Answer: b Page Reference: 4–5 Skill: Conceptual 6) Three campus roommates are talking about why they are in college. A sociological view of going to college highlights the effect of a. nationality, because most countries outside of the West don’t have colleges.
b. gender, because women don’t generally attend college. c. our place in history, because a century ago going to college was not an option for most people. d. intelligence, because it’s smarter to go to college than trade school. Answer: c Page Reference: 5 Skill: Applied 7) A sociological analysis of childbearing around the world suggests that the number of children born to a woman reflects a. her preference for family size. b. how many children she can afford. c. whether she herself was born into a poor or rich society. d. the desires of her husband. Answer: c Page Reference: 5 Skill: Applied 8) According to Emile Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate typically has a. more clinical depression. b. less money, power, and other resources. c. lower social integration. d. greater self-esteem. Answer: c Page Reference: 5–6 Skill: Factual 9) The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was a. Robert K. Merton. b. Auguste Comte. c. Emile Durkheim. d. Karl Marx. Answer: c Page Reference: 5 Skill: Factual 10) In Canada today, the suicide rate is highest for which category of people listed below? a. White males b. Black males c. White females d. Black females Answer: a Page Reference: 6 Skill: Factual 11) Because there is more social isolation in rural areas of Canada than in urban areas, we would expect suicide rates to be a. higher in urban areas. b. higher in rural areas. c. high in both urban and rural areas. d. low in both urban and rural areas. Answer: b Page Reference: 6–7 Skill: Applied 12) Sociologists use the term “social marginality” to refer to
a. people who have little understanding of sociology. b. having special social skills. c. being defined by others as an “outsider.” d. people who are especially sensitive about their family background. Answer: c Page Reference: 7 Skill: Conceptual 13) If marginality encourages sociological thinking, we would expect people in which category listed below to make the most use of the sociological perspective? a. the wealthy b. disabled persons or people who are a racial minority c. politicians d. the middle class Answer: b Page Reference: 7–8 Skill: Applied 14) Following the thinking of C. Wright Mills, we would have expected the sociological imagination to be more widespread a. during times of peace and prosperity. b. among the very rich. c. among very religious people. d. during times of social crisis. Answer: d Page Reference: 7–8 Skill: Applied 15) C. Wright Mills claimed that the “sociological imagination” transformed a. common sense into laws of society. b. people into supporters of the status quo. c. personal problems into public issues. d. scientific research into common sense. Answer: c Page Reference: 8 Skill: Conceptual 16) Canada falls within which category of the world’s nations? a. low-income nations b. middle-income nations c. high-income nations d. variable-income nations Answer: c Page Reference: 9 Skill: Factual 17) Which of the following categories contains countries in which average income is typical for the world as a whole and in which people are as likely to live in a rural area as in an urban area? a. low-income nations b. middle-income nations c. high-income nations d. variable-income nations Answer: b Page Reference: 9–11 Skill: Conceptual
18) The nations of Europe, Israel, Japan, and Australia fall into which of the following categories of countries? a. low-income nations b. middle-income nations c. high-income nations d. each belongs to a different category Answer: c Page Reference: 9 Skill: Conceptual 19) Almost all of Latin America and Asia falls within which of the following categories? a. low-income nations b. middle-income nations c. high-income nations d. very rich nations Answer: b Page Reference: 9 Skill: Factual 20) Which of the following is a reason that it is important to understand the world beyond our own borders? a. Nations of the world are increasingly interconnected. b. So we can see how much better our country is than other countries. c. Because of an international agreement mandated by the United Nations. d. It isn’t important. Answer: a Page Reference: 9 Skill: Factual 21) Sarah is spending a summer living in another country where people have a way of life that differs from her own. A sociologist might expect that this experience would lead her to a. end up with a greater understanding of both a new way of life and her own way of life. b. accept what people in Canada call “common sense.” c. assume that people’s lives reflect the choices they make. d. want to move to that other country, because their way of life is clearly superior. Answer: a Page Reference: 12 Skill: Applied 22) Making use of the sociological perspective encourages a. challenging commonly held beliefs. b. accepting conventional wisdom. c. the belief that society is mysterious. d. people to be happier with their lives as they are. Answer: a Page Reference: 12 Skill: Factual 23) Learning more sociology helps us to a. realize that common sense is universal. b. assess the opportunities and constraints in our lives. c. understand why it’s better to live in high-income countries than low-income countries. d. conform to social expectations and fit in better. Answer: b
Page Reference: 12 Skill: Factual 24) Sociology provides an advantage to students preparing for later careers by preparing them for work a. only as teaching sociologists. b. only in criminal justice or social work. c. only as clinical sociologists. d. in all of the above careers and many others, including business, education, law enforcement, and social work. Answer: d Page Reference: 12 Skill: Factual 25) Examples of people applying their knowledge of sociology at work include people in a. law enforcement understanding which categories of people are most likely to commit crimes. b. law enforcement understanding which categories of people are at high risk of becoming victims of crime. c. resource-extraction industries that seek to remove ancestral lands from indigenous inhabitants for profit. d. people in the clergy who want to weed out undesirable elements in their congregations. Answer: b Page Reference: 12 Skill: Applied 26) Which of the following historical changes is among the factors that stimulated the development of sociology as a discipline? a. the founding of the Roman Catholic Church b. the rise of industrial factories and cities c. the power of tradition d. a belief that our futures are defined by “fate” Answer: b Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 27) We would expect the sociological perspective to be most likely to develop in a place that was a. very traditional. b. experiencing many social changes. c. very poor. d. small and socially isolated. Answer: b Page Reference: 13 Skill: Applied 28) In which of the countries noted below did sociology as a formal discipline appear first? a. the United States b. Japan c. France d. China Answer: c Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 29) The term sociology was coined in 1838 by a. Karl Marx. b. Herbert Spencer.
c. Adam Smith. d. Auguste Comte. Answer: d Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 30) Sociology differs from the older discipline of philosophy by focusing on a. what the ideal society should be. b. human nature. c. the place of God in shaping human events. d. how society actually operates. Answer: d Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 31) The major goal of sociology’s pioneers, including Comte and Durkheim, was a. to change social patterns and events. b. to help build an “ideal society.” c. to discover how society actually operates. d. to prevent disruptive social change. Answer: c Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 32) Comte described the earliest human societies as being at which stage of societal development? a. theological stage b. metaphysical stage c. scientific stage d. post-scientific stage Answer: a Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Conceptual 33) The ancient Romans saw the stars as gods. Comte would classify Roman society as which of the following types? a. scientific stage b. metaphysical stage c. theological stage d. post-scientific stage Answer: c Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Applied 34) According to Comte, people begin to see society as a natural—rather than a supernatural— phenomenon as their society enters which stage of development? a. theological stage b. metaphysical stage c. scientific stage d. post-scientific stage Answer: b Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Conceptual 35) Thomas Hobbes’s idea that society reflects a selfish human nature illustrates the thinking common at which of Comte’s stages of societal development?
a. theological stage b. metaphysical stage c. scientific stage d. sociological stage Answer: b Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Applied 36) According to Comte, people living in Europe during the Middle Ages thought of society as a. a system operating according to its own laws. b. chaotic and having little form. c. an expression of God’s will. d. operating precisely as nature intended. Answer: c Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Factual 37) According to Comte’s approach, the kind of thinking favoured by people such as Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, becomes common in a society at which stage of societal development? a. theological stage b. metaphysical stage c. scientific stage d. positivist stage. Answer: c Page Reference: 13–14 Skill: Applied 38) _____ is a way of understanding the world based on science. a. Theology b. Positivism c. Metaphysics d. Free will Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Conceptual 39) When did sociology become established as an academic discipline in North America? a. during the Middle Ages b. about 1800 c. about 1900 d. about 1975 Answer: c Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 40) Most of today’s sociologists agree with Auguste Comte that science is a crucial part of sociology, but most also recognize that a. human beings are orderly and always accepting of structure and definition. b. human behaviour is far less complex than natural phenomena. c. no rigid “laws of society” hold everywhere and at all times. d. the framework of society is a naturally occurring phenomenon which will play out the same across the world. Answer: c Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual
41) Sociologists cannot identify “laws of society” that allow us to predict individual human behaviour a. because human behaviour is patterned but also spontaneous. b. because sociology is still very young. c. because no sociologist ever tried to discover such laws. d. because society is modelled after God’s will, which is beyond the understanding of sociology. Answer: a Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 42) French-Canadian sociology was influenced, initially, by a. sociology in France. b. August Comte. c. the Roman Catholic Church. d. Harriet Martineau. Answer: c Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 43) Canadian sociology, as distinct from American sociology, contains a. a unique anglophone component. b. a unique francophone component. c. a reflection of four major cultures. d. an Aboriginal component. Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Conceptual 44) With whom do we associate the “staples thesis”? a. Auguste Comte b. Harold Innis c. John Porter d. Dorothy Smith Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 45) Who said “the medium is the message”? a. Harold Innis b. John Porter c. Dorothy Smith d. Marshal McLuhan Answer: d Page Reference: 15 Skill: Factual 46) Who coined the term “institutional completeness”? a. John Porter b. Dorothy Smith c. Harold Innis d. Raymond Breton Answer: d Page Reference: 17 Skill: Factual
47) Which of the following does NOT contribute to Canadian sociology’s concern with questions of unity, political movements, regionalism, environment, identity, diversity, and cultural expression? a. Canada’s massive size b. Canada’s distance from Europe c. Canada’s sparse but diverse population d. Canada’s proximity to the United States Answer: b Page Reference: 14–17 Skill: Conceptual 48) A statement of how and why specific facts are related is called a(n) a. approach. b. precept. c. concept. d. theory. Answer: d Page Reference: 17 Skill: Conceptual 49) To evaluate a theory, sociologists a. gather data or facts. b. follow the conventional wisdom of their society. c. are guided by what they personally want to be true. d. ask their sociology professors if it sounds right. Answer: a Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Factual 50) If we state that children raised in single-parent families are at high risk of being single parents themselves, we have constructed a(n) _____ of family life. a. approach b. precept c. concept d. theory Answer: d Page Reference: 17 Skill: Conceptual 51) In deciding what kinds of questions to ask in their research, sociologists are guided by a. one or more theoretical approaches. b. their own common sense. c. our society’s traditional wisdom. d. sheer chance. Answer: a Page Reference: 17 Skill: Conceptual 52) Which theoretical approach was used by early sociologists Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim? a. the structural-functional approach b. the social-conflict approach c. the symbolic-interaction approach d. the deviance and social control approach Answer: a Page Reference: 17
Skill: Conceptual 53) The theoretical approach in sociology that assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability is the a. structural-functional approach. b. social-conflict approach. c. symbolic-interaction approach. d. None of the above is correct. Answer: a Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Conceptual 54) Which term is used to describe relatively stable patterns of social behaviour? a. social structure b. eufunctions c. social functions d. social dysfunctions Answer: a Page Reference: 17 Skill: Conceptual 55) Which of the following best describes the focus of the structural-functional approach? a. the meaning people attach to their behaviour b. patterns of social inequality c. the consequences of social patterns for the operation of society d. the conflicts which arise between genders or ethnicities. Answer: c Page Reference: 17 Skill: Conceptual 56) Using the structural-functional approach, which of the following questions might you ask about marriage? a. What do people think marriage means? b. How does marriage benefit women and men unequally? c. What are the consequences of marriage for the operation of society? d. How can we help people find more pleasure in their marriages? Answer: c Page Reference: 18 Skill: Applied 57) Social structures sometimes have negative consequences for the operation of society as a whole. What is the term for these negative consequences? a. social structure b. eufunctions c. social functions d. social dysfunctions Answer: d Page Reference: 18 Skill: Conceptual 58) Identify the three sociologists who played a part in the development of sociology’s structural-functional approach. a. Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois b. Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim c. Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Auguste Comte
d. Harriet Martineau, Robert Merton, W.E.B. Du Bois Answer: b Page Reference: 17 Skill: Factual 59) Herbert Spencer described human society as having much in common with a. animal societies. b. planets and stars. c. the human brain. d. the human body. Answer: d Page Reference: 17 Skill: Factual 60) Who was the sociologist who distinguished between the manifest functions and the latent functions of social patterns? a. Robert K. Merton b. William Graham Sumner c. Talcott Parsons d. C. Wright Mills Answer: a Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 61) The recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern are referred to as a. latent functions. b. manifest functions. c. eufunctions. d. dysfunctions. Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Conceptual 62) Unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social pattern are called a. latent functions. b. manifest functions. c. eufunctions. d. dysfunctions. Answer: a Page Reference: 18 Skill: Conceptual 63) Which of the following is the best example of a latent function of going to college? a. providing skills needed for later jobs b. keeping young people out of the labour force, which may not have jobs for them yet c. gaining the knowledge required to be an active and thoughtful citizen d. giving young people experience living on their own Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Applied 64) Robert Merton explained that what is functional for one category of a society’s population a. is functional for everyone. b. may not be functional for another category. c. is unlikely to change over time.
d. may not be functional in the future. Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 65) The main characteristic of the _____ approach is its view of society as orderly and stable. a. structural-functional b. social-conflict c. social-interaction d. deviance and social control Answer: a Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Factual 66) Which of the following is an accurate criticism of the structural-functional approach? a. It ignores inequality that can generate tension and conflict. b. It focuses too much on social dysfunction. c. It focuses too much on power divisions in society. d. It is a politically liberal view of society. Answer: a Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 67) The “framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change” is the a. structural-functional approach. b. social-conflict approach. c. symbolic-interaction approach. d. feminist approach. Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Conceptual 68) The social-conflict approach draws attention to a. how elements contribute to the overall operation of society. b. how people construct meaning in their interactions. c. patterns of social inequality. d. the stable aspects of society. Answer: c Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 69) Looking at the operation of Canadian schools, the social-conflict approach might lead a sociologist to conclude that a. the function of schools is to teach needed skills. b. the meaning of schooling varies from child to child. c. schools have been a major path to social advancement. d. tracking provides some students with far better schooling than others. Answer: d Page Reference: 18–19 Skill: Applied 70) Which of the following statements might be made by a sociologist using the gender-conflict approach? a. Men and women share in the joys of family life. b. Men earn more than women in the workplace.
c. Gender functions in an important way to keep society operating. d. The glass ceiling is a myth. Answer: b Page Reference: 19 Skill: Applied 71) Which woman helped launch the discipline of sociology by studying the evils of slavery and also by translating the writings of Auguste Comte? a. Harriet Martineau b. Jane Addams c. Elizabeth Cady Stanton d. Dorothea Dix Answer: a Page Reference: 19 Skill: Factual 72) Which pioneering sociologist founded Chicago’s Hull House to assist immigrants and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? a. Jane Addams b. Harriet Martineau c. W.E.B. Du Bois d. Herbert Spencer Answer: a Page Reference: 19 Skill: Factual 73) Karl Marx, speaking for the social-conflict approach, argued that the point of studying society was a. to understand how society really operates. b. to compare U.S. society to others. c. to foster support for a nation’s government. d. to bring about needed change. Answer: d Page Reference: 19 Skill: Factual 74) Which of the following early sociologists had an important influence on the development of the socialconflict approach? a. Karl Marx b. Talcott Parsons c. Emile Durkheim d. Herbert Spencer Answer: a Page Reference: 19 Skill: Factual 75) Which early sociologist received the first doctorate ever awarded by Harvard University to a person of colour? a. Jane Addams b. Harriet Martineau c. W.E.B. Du Bois d. Herbert Spencer Answer: c Page Reference: 20 Skill: Factual
76) Which early U.S. sociologist studied the Black community and served as a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)? a. Jane Addams b. Harriet Martineau c. W.E.B. Du Bois d. Herbert Spencer Answer: c Page Reference: 20 Skill: Factual 77) Which theoretical approach would highlight the fact that, on average, Aboriginal families have less income than White families? a. the race-conflict approach b. the gender-conflict approach c. the structural-functional approach d. the symbolic-interaction approach Answer: a Page Reference: 20 Skill: Conceptual 78) Using the social-conflict approach, a sociologist might highlight which of the following? a. the standard of fairness all students receive in the public education system b. the importance of gender roles in a well-ordered society c. racial inequality in a company’s hiring and promotion practices d. the positive function of inequality in the workplace Answer: d Page Reference: 18–19 Skill: Applied 79) W.E.B. Du Bois claimed that _____ was the major problem facing the United States during the twentieth century. a. class b. race c. gender d. ethnicity Answer: b Page Reference: 20 Skill: Factual 80) The social-conflict approach sometimes receives criticism for a. focusing on values that everyone shares. b. being openly political. c. promoting the status quo. d. condemning the free flow of ideas and information. Answer: b Page Reference: 20 Skill: Factual 81) The _____ approaches are macro-level, describing societies in broad terms. a. structural-functional and social-conflict b. structural-functional and symbolic-interaction c. social-conflict and symbolic-interaction d. social conflict and social control Answer: a Page Reference: 17–20
Skill: Conceptual 82) Which of the following examples illustrates a micro-level focus? a. the operation of the U.S. economy b. patterns of global terrorism c. two people on an airplane getting to know one another d. class inequality in the armed forces Answer: c Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Applied 83) The basic idea of the symbolic-interaction approach is that society is a. an arena of conflict between categories of people. b. the product of people interacting in everyday situations. c. a system that operates to benefit people. d. an accident of chaos which we don’t understand. Answer: b Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Conceptual 84) Which theoretical approach claims that it is not so much what people do that matters as much as what meaning they attach to their behaviour? a. structural-functional approach b. social-conflict approach c. symbolic-interaction approach d. social-exchange approach Answer: c Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Conceptual 85) Who, of the following, had a wife named Marianne who was a prominent German feminist, politician, and prolific writer on social and women’s issues? a. Karl Marx b. Emile Durkheim c. Max Weber d. Erving Goffman Answer: c Page Reference: 22 Skill: Factual 86) Which of the following founding sociologists urged sociologists to understand a social setting from the point of view of the people in it? a. Karl Marx b. Emile Durkheim c. Auguste Comte d. Max Weber Answer: d Page Reference: 21 Skill: Factual 87) Which of the following statements reflects a social-exchange analysis? a. People typically seek mates who offer as much as they do. b. Class differences are reflected in favoured sports. c. People build reality as they introduce themselves. d. People who do more important work usually earn more pay.
Answer: a Page Reference: 21 Skill: Applied 88) A criticism of the symbolic-interaction approach is that it a. calls attention to major social institutions. b. ignores how structural factors such as class affect people’s experiences. c. paints a very positive picture of society. d. cannot be verified by observable data. Answer: b Page Reference: 21 Skill: Factual 89) Which of the following questions is the focus of the symbolic-interaction approach? a. How is society held together? b. How is society divided? c. How do people experience society? d. How do some people protect their privileges? Answer: c Page Reference: 21 Skill: Conceptual 90) Which of the following is a manifest function of sports? a. providing recreation and physical conditioning b. fostering social relationships c. generating jobs d. teaching a society’s way of life Answer: a Page Reference: 23 Skill: Factual 91) Encouraging people to compete and strive for success are two of the _____ of sports. a. manifest functions b. latent functions c. dysfunctions d. controlled variables Answer: b Page Reference: 23 Skill: Factual 92) Who, of the following, would be most likely to ask how shared symbols precipitate Canadians’ pride in their Olympic hockey team? a. a structural functionalist b. a social-conflict theorist c. a symbolic interactionist d. a social-control theorist Answer: c Page Reference: 24–25 Skill: Conceptual 93) Who, of the following would be most likely to ask “how is society held together”? a. a structural functionalist b. a social-conflict theorist c. a symbolic interactionist d. a social-control theorist
Answer: a Page Reference: 23 Skill: Conceptual 94) Who, of the following would be most likely to ask “what factors give rise to social inequality”? a. a structural functionalist b. a social-conflict theorist c. a symbolic interactionist d. a social-control theorist Answer: a Page Reference: 23 Skill: Conceptual 95) Which of the following would be the focus of a social-conflict analysis of sports? a. the way in which sports help encourage competition b. the importance of physical ability in success c. how sports reflect social inequality d. the different meanings people attach to games Answer: c Page Reference: 24 Skill: Applied 96) Racial discrimination in professional sports is evident today in a. the positions typically played by White and Black players. b. the exclusion of Black players from professional sports. c. the fact that most managers and team owners are Black. d. There is no racial discrimination in professional sports. Answer: a Page Reference: 24 Skill: Factual 97) Which of the following statements is based on a symbolic-interaction analysis of sports? a. Winning at sports means different things to different people. b. Some categories of people benefit more than others from sports. c. Sports help develop important cultural values. d. “Stacking” is a type of racial inequality in sports. Answer: a Page Reference: 24–25 Skill: Conceptual 98) Using the symbolic-interaction approach, sports becomes a. a structure that contributes to the functioning of society. b. a matter of social inequality. c. less a system than an ongoing process. d. an accurate means of measuring social cohesion. Answer: c Page Reference: 24–25 Skill: Conceptual True/False Questions 99) According to sociologists, human behaviour reflects our personal “free will.” a. True Incorrect
b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 3 Skill: Factual 100) Sociology is defined as the systematic study of human society. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 3 Skill: Conceptual 101) Sociologists focus only on unusual patterns of behaviour. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 3 Skill: Factual 102) The sociological perspective reveals that people’s lives are mostly a result of what they decide to do. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 3 Skill: Factual 103) Durkheim documented that categories of people with weaker social ties have lower suicide rates. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 5 Skill: Factual 104) In Canada, Aboriginal peoples have a higher suicide rate than other Canadians. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 6 Skill: Factual 105) People with lower social standing are usually more likely to see the world sociologically than people who are well off. a. True Correct
b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 7 Skill: Applied 106) In Canada, men have a higher suicide rate than women a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 5 Skill: Factual 107) Gays and lesbians are aware of social patterns that heterosexual people rarely think about. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 7 Skill: Conceptual 108) A global perspective has little in common with a sociological perspective. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 9–11 Skill: Factual 109) Sociologist C. Wright Mills argued that times of social crisis foster widespread sociological thinking. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 8 Skill: Factual 110) C. Wright Mills claimed that, most of the time, people were responsible for their own problems. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 8 Skill: Factual 111) Studying other societies is a good way to learn about our own way of life. a. True Correct b. False
Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 9–11 Skill: Factual 112) Societies around the world are more interconnected than ever before. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 9 Skill: Factual 113) Sociological research may be interesting, but it is of little use in shaping public policy, including legislation. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 11–12 Skill: Applied 114) The sociological perspective reveals the truth of the “common sense” beliefs we tend to take for granted. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 12 Skill: Conceptual 115) Understanding how society operates offers little benefit to anyone but the most privileged people. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 12 Skill: Factual 116) Sociology is useful training for any job that involves working with people. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 12 Skill: Applied 117) Revolutionary changes in European societies sparked the development of sociology. a. True Correct
b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 118) The term sociology was coined by Emile Durkheim in 1898. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 13 Skill: Conceptual 119) As a discipline, sociology first took root in France, Germany, and England. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 120) Ancient philosophers, including Plato, were more interested in imagining the “ideal” society than in studying society as it really is. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 121) The last of Comte’s “three stages” is the metaphysical stage in which people know the world in terms of God’s will a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Conceptual 122) Among all academic disciplines, sociology is one of the youngest. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 123) Auguste Comte was a positivist who believed that there were laws of society, like the laws of physics that describe the operation of the natural world.
a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 124) The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that society reflected the basic goodness of human nature. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 125) Erving Goffman pioneered macro-analysis. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 16 Skill: Factual 126) Sociology had its own department at the University of Toronto in 1902. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 14 Skill: Factual 127) John Porter compared Canada and the United States in his book The Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 15 Skill: Factual 128) W.E.B. Du Bois translated the writings of Auguste Comte from French into English. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 20 Skill: Factual
129) Sociologists test their theories by gathering facts in order to confirm, reject, or modify them. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 17 Skill: Applied 130) The structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction approaches are three basic theoretical approaches in sociology. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 17–21 Skill: Conceptual 131) According to Robert K. Merton, social patterns are always good, and have the same effect on all members of a society. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 132) People rarely recognize all of the functions of social structure. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Factual 133) To say that a social pattern is “dysfunctional” means that it has more than one function for the operation of society. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Factual 134) Keeping young people out of the labour market is one latent function of higher education. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 18
Skill: Applied 135) The manifest functions of our society’s reliance on personal automobiles include tens of thousands of deaths each year in traffic accidents. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 18 Skill: Applied 136) The goal of the structural-functional approach is not simply to understand how society operates but to reduce social inequality. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Factual 137) In Canada, secondary schools place students in college preparatory tracks partly reflecting the social background of their families. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 18–19 Skill: Factual 138) Both Karl Marx and W.E.B. Du Bois carried out their work following the structural-functional approach a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 19, 20 Skill: Factual 139) Feminism and the gender-conflict approach highlight ways in which women are unequal to men. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 19–20 Skill: Conceptual 140) Both Jane Addams and Harriet Martineau are remembered today because they were married to important sociologists. a. True Incorrect
b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 19 Skill: Factual 141) Like the gender-conflict approach, the race-conflict approach is concerned with social inequality. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 19–20 Skill: Conceptual 142) The symbolic-interaction approach is a micro-level orientation. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Conceptual 143) The focus of the symbolic-interaction approach is how society is divided by class, race, and gender. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Conceptual 144) Social-exchange analysis is one micro-level approach to understanding social interaction. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 21 Skill: Conceptual 145) Sociological research shows that all categories of people have had the same opportunities to participate in sports. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 24 Skill: Factual 146) A social-conflict analysis of sports points out that the games people play reflect their social standing. a. True Correct
b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 24 Skill: Factual 147) The meaning people find in competitive sports would be one focus of a symbolic-interaction approach. a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Page Reference: 24–25 Skill: Conceptual 148) A symbolic-interaction analysis focuses not on how individuals perceive a social setting but how what happens in that setting involves social inequality. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b Page Reference: 24–25 Skill: Factual Short Answer Questions 149) In several sentences, what is the essential wisdom of sociology? Page Reference: 3–5 Skill: Conceptual 150) What did Peter Berger mean when he said the sociological perspective is “seeing the general in the particular”? Page Reference: 3–4 Skill: Conceptual 151) Why, in individualistic North America, can the sociological perspective be described as “seeing the strange in the familiar”? Page Reference: 4–5 Skill: Conceptual 152) Explain why the power of society is evident in the decision to bear a child or even in the act of committing suicide. Page Reference: 5 Skill: Applied 153) Why is a global approach a logical extension of the sociological perspective? Page Reference: 9–10 Skill: Conceptual 154) What did C. Wright Mills mean by “the sociological imagination”? How does this point of view change the way we see personal problems? Page Reference: 8
Skill: Conceptual 155) Explain some of the personal benefits of learning to use the sociological perspective, including career advantages. Page Reference: 12 Skill: Applied 156) Name the three social changes in European history that were especially important to the development of sociology. Page Reference: 13 Skill: Factual 157) What can you say sociologically about why sociology arose when and where it did? Page Reference: 13–14 158) Is, as McLuhan suggested, the “medium” the “message”? Page Reference: 15 Skill: Conceptual 159) In several sentences, explain the focus of the structural-functional approach. Page Reference: 17–18 Skill: Conceptual 160) Distinguish between the manifest and latent functions of any social pattern. Page Reference: 18 Skill: Conceptual 161) What is social structure? How do the structural-functional and social-conflict approaches understand social structure differently? Page Reference: 17–19 Skill: Conceptual 162) In several sentences, explain the focus of the social-conflict approach. Page Reference: 18–19 Skill: Conceptual 163) Explain the focus of the gender-conflict or feminist approach. Compare and contrast this approach to the race-conflict approach. Page Reference: 19–20 Skill: Conceptual 164) Briefly explain the difference between a macro-level and micro-level theoretical orientation. Page Reference: 20 Skill: Conceptual 165) In several sentences, explain the focus of the symbolic-interaction approach. Page Reference: 20–21 Skill: Conceptual 166) Discuss the early contributions of women to the development of the social sciences. Page Reference: 22 Skill: Conceptual
Essay Questions 167) Explain the difference between sociological generalizations about categories of people and the simple stereotypes we hear in everyday life. Skill: Conceptual 168) The sociological perspective helps us recognize that the lives of individuals are shaped by the forces of society. Explain, in a short essay, how the sociological perspective reveals “the general in the particular.” To illustrate, explain how society plays a part in your own decision to attend a post-secondary institution. Skill: Applied 169) Sociologists increasingly focus on, not just Canadian society, but the world as a whole. Provide several reasons for this global focus. How is an awareness of global patterns such as immigration or social inequality very much a part of the sociological perspective? Skill: Conceptual 170) Point out what the viewpoint of a sociologist who is influenced by the structural-functional approach (say, Emile Durkheim) has in common with that of a sociologist influenced by the social-conflict approach (say, Karl Marx). That is, how are they both sociological? At the same time, how does each represent a different assumption about the nature of the society? How is the purpose of sociological study different? Skill: Conceptual 171) Develop the differences among the three theoretical approaches by applying each to the family. In each case, how do we understand a family and its operation? Skill: Applied 172) Do you see any dangers in adopting the sociological perspective too intensely? For example, if we say that society is at work in all our choices about how to live, do we lose any sense of personal responsibility for our actions? Skill: Conceptual 173) Explain how the structural-functional approach is more focused on understanding society as it is, and how the social-conflict approach (consider the gender-conflict or race-conflict approaches) is more focused on social change. Skill: Conceptual 174) Since beginning this course in sociology, how has your view of the world changed? Provide one specific example of something in your life that you see differently now compared to before you started this course. Is this change a good thing? Explain. Skill: Applied 175) How is Canadian sociology distinct from American sociology? Why is this the case? Skill: Conceptual Quick Quiz: Multiple Choice Questions 1) According to Emile Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate typically has a. more clinical depression. b. less money, power, and other resources. c. lower social integration. d. greater self-esteem. Answer: c
2) Canada falls within which category of the world’s nations? a. low-income nations b. middle-income nations c. high-income nations d. various parts of Canada fall within different categories Answer: c 3) Making use of the sociological perspective encourages a. challenging commonly held beliefs. b. accepting conventional wisdom. c. the belief that society is mysterious. d. people to be happier with their lives as they are. Answer: a 4) The term “sociology” was coined in 1838 by a. Karl Marx. b. Herbert Spencer. c. Adam Smith. d. Auguste Comte. Answer: d 5) Looking at Canada, high suicide rates are typical of people who a. live densely packed in cities. b. live spread apart in rural areas. c. have higher incomes. d. live in a warmer climate. Answer: b 6) Herbert Spencer described human society as having much in common with a. animal societies. b. planets and stars. c. the human brain. d. the human body. Answer: d 7) W.E.B. Du Bois claimed that _____ was the major problem facing the United States during the twentieth century. a. class b. race c. gender d. ethnicity Answer: b Quick Quiz: True/False Questions 8) Sociologists focus only on unusual patterns of behaviour. a. True Incorrect b. False Correct Answer: b 9) As a discipline, sociology first took root in France, Germany, and England
a. True Correct b. False Incorrect Answer: a Quick Quiz: Short Answer Question 10) Name the three social changes in European history that were especially important to the development of sociology.
Test Bank for Macionis/Gerber, Sociology, Ninth Canadian Edition Chapter 2: Sociological Investigation Multiple Choice Questions 1) Fundamental to sociological investigation are two requirements—applying the sociological perspective and ________________. a. a global perspective b. be curious and ask questions c. truth d. biases of the researcher Answer: b Page Reference: 33 Skill: Factual 2) Science can be defined as a. a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation. b. belief based on faith in ultimate truth. c. belief based on a society’s traditions. d. a logical system that bases truth on political goals. Answer: a Page Reference: 34 Skill: Conceptual 3) Sociologists use the term “empirical evidence” to refer to a. information that is based on a society’s traditions. b. information that squares with common sense. c. information we can verify with our senses. d. information that most people agree is true. Answer: c Page Reference: 34 Skill: Conceptual 4) The sociological perspective reveals that a. “common sense” is usually pretty close to the truth. b. much of what passes for “common sense” in Canada turns out to be at least partly wrong. c. most people in Canada readily see how society shapes our lives. d. “common sense” is not very popular in Canada. Answer: b Page Reference: 34 Skill: Factual
5) Which of the following terms is defined in the text as “a mental construct that represents some part of the world in a somewhat simplified form”? a. variable b. operationalization c. measurement d. concept Answer: d Page Reference: 35 Skill: Conceptual 6) Imagine that you were going to measure the age of a number of respondents taking part in a survey. As you record the data, you are using the concept “age” as a. a theory. b. a hypothesis. c. a variable. d. an axiom. Answer: c Page Reference: 35 Skill: Applied 7) If you were trying to measure the “social class” of various people, you would have to keep in mind that a. it is necessary to specify exactly what you are measuring. b. you must measure this in every way possible. c. there is no way to measure “social class.” d. everyone agrees on what “social class” means. Answer: a Page Reference: 35 Skill: Factual 8) What process involves deciding exactly what is to be measured when assigning value to a variable? a. operationalization b. reliability c. conceptualization d. validity Answer: a Page Reference: 35 Skill: Conceptual 9) Exposing a correlation as spurious is assisted by a technique called a. reliability. b. variability. c. correlation. d. control. Answer: d Page Reference: 37 Skill: Conceptual 10) In the process of measurement, reliability refers to a. whether you are really measuring what you want to measure. b. how dependable the researcher is. c. whether or not everyone agrees with the study’s results. d. whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results. Answer: d Page Reference: 36 Skill: Conceptual
11) What concept below refers to measuring exactly what one intends to measure? a. congruence b. validity c. repeatability d. reliability Answer: b Page Reference: 36 Skill: Conceptual 12) With regard to the process of measurement, which of the following statements is true? a. For measurement to be reliable, it must be valid. b. For measurement to be valid, it must be reliable. c. All measurement is both reliable and valid. d. Consistency does not guarantee validity. Answer: d Page Reference: 36 Skill: Applied 13) A theory states that increasing a person’s formal education results in increased earnings over a lifetime. In this theory, “higher education” is the a. independent variable. b. dependent variable. c. correlation. d. effect. Answer: a Page Reference: 36 Skill: Applied 14) Two variables are said to display correlation if a. they are caused by the same factor. b. one occurs before the other. c. both measure the same thing. d. they vary together. Answer: d Page Reference: 36–37 Skill: Conceptual 15) An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by some third variable is called a. a spurious correlation. b. an unproven correlation. c. an unreliable correlation. d. an invalid correlation. Answer: a Page Reference: 37 Skill: Conceptual 16) The ability to neutralize the effect of one variable in order to assess the relationship between two other variables is called a. making the correlation spurious. b. making the correlation reliable. c. control. d. causing the correlation. Answer: c
Page Reference: 37 Skill: Conceptual 17) Which of the following is true about cause-and-effect relationships in the social world? a. Most patterns of behaviour have a single cause. b. Most patterns of behaviour have no cause at all. c. Most patterns of behaviour are caused by many factors. d. It is impossible to determine the cause, if any, of any behaviour pattern. Answer: c Page Reference: 37 Skill: Factual 18) Which of the following statements is NOT part of the definition of a cause-and-effect relationship? a. Both variables must be shown to be independent. b. The independent variable must come before the dependent variable in time. c. The two variables must display correlation. d. There must be no evidence that the correlation is spurious. Answer: a Page Reference: 37 Skill: Conceptual 19) The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher a. must not care personally about the topic being studied. b. must try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research. c. must study issues that have no value to society as a whole. d. must carry out research that will encourage desirable social change. Answer: b Page Reference: 37–38 Skill: Conceptual 20) The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be value-free was a. Karl Marx. b. Emile Durkheim. c. Herbert Spencer. d. Max Weber. Answer: d Page Reference: 38 Skill: Factual 21) Imagine that you are repeating research done by someone else in order to assess its accuracy. You are doing which of the following? a. replication b. objectification c. reliability d. scientific control Answer: a Page Reference: 38 Skill: Conceptual 22) Sociologists cannot precisely predict any person’s behaviour because a. everyone behaves in the same way, so there’s no need to predict. b. social patterns that are found in one time and place may not be found in others. c. humans do not like being observed. d. they can; that’s the whole point of sociology. Answer: b
Page Reference: 39 Skill: Factual 23) Interpretive sociology is sociology that a. focuses on action. b. sees an objective reality “out there.” c. focuses on the meaning people attach to behaviour. d. seeks to bring about change. Answer: c Page Reference: 39 Skill: Conceptual 24) Which of the following is true about scientific sociology? a. It focuses on the meaning people attach to behaviour. b. It seeks to bring about desirable social change. c. It favours qualitative data. d. It favours quantitative data. Answer: d Page Reference: 38–39 Skill: Factual 25) Which of the following statements about critical sociology is true? a. Critical sociology focuses on the meaning people attach to behaviour. b. Critical sociology seeks to bring about desirable social change. c. Critical sociology endorses the principle of being value-free. d. Critical sociology opposes social change. Answer: b Page Reference: 40 Skill: Factual 26) Critical sociology can best be described as a(n) ________ approach. a. activist b. scientific c. qualitative d. value-free Answer: a Page Reference: 40 Skill: Factual 27) Which of the following is one of the five ways that gender can shape research as identified by Eichler? a. sapphocentricity b. tunnel-vision c. correlation d. androcentricity Answer: d Page Reference: 41–42 Skill: Conceptual 28) In making judgments about how society should be improved, the ________ approach in sociology rejects Max Weber’s goal that researchers be value-free. a. interpretive b. critical c. scientific d. positivist Answer: b