Foundations of Social Science Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Foundations of Social Science introduces students to the core principles, concepts, and methodologies that underpin the study of human society and behavior. Exploring disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics, the course examines how individuals and groups interact, how societies develop and function, and how cultural, economic, and political systems influence everyday life. Students will engage with key theories and debates, analyze real-world social phenomena, and develop critical thinking skills essential for understanding complex social issues in a globalized world.
Recommended Textbook
Social Science An Introduction to the Study of Society 15th Edition by Elgin F. Hunt
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Social Science and Its Method
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the distinction between correlation and causation? Give a hypothetical example that might occur in social research to demonstrate each.
Answer: Whereas causation implies that changes in one variable bring about change in another variable, correlation simply refers to the simultaneous movement of two variables. For example, the height and weight of adults are correlated, meaning that they are related. If a person is tall, he or she usually weighs more; however height does not cause a person's weight.
Q2) Geography has practical applications related to trade patterns, settlement of populations, and aggression and acquisition.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) To a considerable extent, the social scientist must substitute careful observation and the process of abstraction for experiments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Human Origins
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Q1) Whether evolution is punctuated or continuous is:
A) no longer a question.
B) still much in debate.
C) now replaced by a rapid pace theory.
D) unimportant.
Answer: B
Q2) The process of random genetic changes that create new characteristics is called:
A) natural selection.
B) mutation.
C) competition.
D) migration.
Answer: B
Q3) Science has no explanation for existence; evolution is a theory of change, not a theory of existence.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Origins of Western Society
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Q1) The Hundred Years' War from 1337 and 1453 was fought between:
A) Spain and Italy.
B) Germany and Denmark.
C) England and France.
D) Poland and Russia.
Answer: C
Q2) How was the domestication of plants and animals important in changing human societies?
Answer: The role of domestication of plants and animals was hugely important in changing the nature of human societies. Because people could stay in one place and no longer had to live nomadically they could accumulate things (wealth) and could devote newfound time to other aspects of life. People began to invent things and, since their plants and animals needed care, early villages began to form.
Q3) The "Code of Hammurabi" is an early collection of mathematical equations applied to architectural construction which originated in Egypt.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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5
Chapter 4: Society, Culture, and Cultural Change
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Q1) Cultural relativism asserts that all cultures are for the most part equally valid. A)True
B)False
Q2) The causes of most social problems are:
A) simple.
B) complex.
C) non-existent.
D) obvious.
Q3) Multiculturalism allows subgroups to revere their own history and view that history as a strong building block of the larger culture.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The cycle theory of social change is based on the idea that history repeats itself. A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the doctrine of inevitable progress and the theory of social change. How do these two ideas differ?
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Chapter 5: Geography, Demography, Ecology, and Society
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 2010 the approximate population of the world was just under:
A) 3 billion people
B) 7 billion people.
C) 10 billion people.
D) 20 billion people.
Q2) The decline of the death rate has resulting in the great increase in world population since 1800.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Birth control has not been effective in slowing population growth in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In 1798 "an Essay on the Principle of Population as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society" was written by:
A) Diderot.
B) Thomas Jefferson.
C) Charles Darwin.
D) Thomas Malthus.
Q5) What is geography? What questions does geography consider?
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Chapter 6: Technology and Society
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Q1) Technology can be both a solution and cause of social problems.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Modern machine technology has eliminated great numbers of jobs that require specialized skill or knowledge.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Futurists can help us reflect and think about:
A) what our futures will be with 100% certainty.
B) the implications of possible future changes.
C) the lack of importance of all past history.
D) how the present is unimportant.
Q4) Developments in industrial technology have diminished the importance of an individual's physical strength.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The Industrial Revolution involved the replacement of power-driven machines by hand tools.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Psychology, Society, and Culture
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Q1) What is pop psychology? How is pop psychology different from the more scientific theories of psychology?
Q2) Strain theory sees deviance as a product of society, not of individuals.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Freud originated a system of:
A) environmental categories.
B) personality testing called IQ.
C) psychotherapy known as psychoanalysis.
D) pop psychology.
Q4) Freud's Oedipus complex received much:
A) widespread support because people found it easy to accept.
B) praise from the general public.
C) positive reaction from all psychologists.
D) publicity and aroused widespread opposition.
Q5) People with an IQ of less than 80 are considered retarded.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Answer and explain why the following question is important: What is the greater determinant of human behavior: nature or nurture?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Family
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Q1) Serious challenges to the family's survival are realities.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Polygamy and same-sex marriages in the U.S. are rejected by all religious faiths.
A)True
B)False
Q3) No-fault divorces were introduced in many U.S. states during the:
A) 1780s.
B) 1950s.
C) 1970s.
D) 1890s.
Q4) In 2012, the number of unmarried couples living together is about:
A) 40 million.
B) 1.5 million.
C) 10 million.
D) 7.5 million.
Q5) The family has only two functions.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Religion
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Q1) Which religious identification does most of the world's population claim?
A) Buddhist
B) Muslim
C) Hindu
D) Christian
Q2) The pilgrimage to the Kaaba at Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Buddha's teaching involved appeals to a higher being.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The spread of Christianity after Jesus' death was:
A) gradual.
B) never accepted in the area of the Roman Empire.
C) relatively rapid.
D) very brief and limited.
Q5) Bodhisattvas are people who have already entered Nirvana.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are the central beliefs of two of the five major religions of the world?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Education
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Q1) U.S. public education is designed to teach citizens to be literate so people can learn about politics and public policy to:
A) lose a sense of heritage by all knowing the same history.
B) dislike other people.
C) vote more intelligently and to choose leaders more wisely.
D) make uninformed choices.
Q2) Today, almost 100 percent of children from the ages of five to seventeen are in school at least some days every school year.
A)True
B)False
Q3) There are four reasons why education serves as a fundamental building block of U.S. democracy. Identify and describe two of them.
Q4) The methods of teaching and what needs to be taught:
A) remain unchanged forever.
B) is the same in all societies.
C) changes when technology changes.
D) is not part of culture.
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12
Chapter 11: Social and Economic Stratification
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the three major types of social stratification? How do these three types differ from one another?
Q2) Horizontal mobility has reduced class consciousness in the U.S.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Except in rare cases all members of a family are regarded as belonging to the same social stratum.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What effect is reform in public assistance programming believed to be having?
A) If it continues it will increase the number of people on welfare.
B) If it continues it will decrease the number of people on welfare.
C) If it continues it will decrease the number of jobs available to unskilled workers.
D) If it continues it will eventually eliminate public assistance all together.
Q5) As a rule, the most important factors in determining social class are:
A) random chance and fortune.
B) occupation, wealth and income.
C) regional.
D) based on geography.
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Chapter 12: Stratification, Minorities, and Discrimination
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Q1) Burnita S. Matthews was the first woman ever appointed as a:
A) college professor in 1950.
B) U.S. Cabinet member in 1990.
C) U.S. Federal Judge in 1949.
D) U.S. Ambassador in 1841.
Q2) The Chinese first came to the U.S. in large numbers when:
A) gold was discovered in California.
B) oil was discovered in Oklahoma.
C) the Revolutionary War ended.
D) the War of 1812 ended.
Q3) Hispanics with historical and cultural ties to Latin American are called Latinos.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1896 which was based on the so-called separate-but-equal doctrine was:
A) Brown v. Board of Education.
B) Dred Scott v. Sandford.
C) Plessy v. Ferguson.
D) Bingham v. Cabot.
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Chapter 13: The Functions and Forms of Government
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Q1) Justice means:
A) the same things to all people.
B) different things to different people.
C) some are entitled to more than others.
D) inequality is the way of life.
Q2) The U.S. army moving into Iraq:
A) reestablished the government of Saddam Hussein.
B) did not completely halt the economic and social life of most Iraqis.
C) led to anarchy-widespread looting and destruction of property.
D) is a classic example supporting the theory that government is an unnecessary evil to be abolished as soon as possible.
Q3) The Magna Carta is a document that helps enforce the power of autocracies.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The number of people counting themselves as politically independent is decreasing as more and more people affiliate themselves with one of the two mainstay parties, Republicans and Democrats.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Governments of the World
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Q1) In the year 2012 the population of France was larger than the population of Mexico.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The sixty years of British rule were marked by continual peace.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In 2000 Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In 1932 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created by:
A) Ibn Saud.
B) a democratic election.
C) King Faisal.
D) Prince Fahd.
Q5) In Saudi Arabia the country's oil revenues constitute more than 75 percent of its annual budget.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What is the Russian Federation? How is power divided in the Russian government?
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Democratic Government in the United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) One great protection against an unfair trial is the right to:
A) a trial by jury.
B) a trial by a panel of three judges.
C) a trial without legal advice.
D) an instant trial outside the court system.
Q2) Rights are never absolute. Furthermore, rights involve duties.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A presidential veto can be overridden by a:
A) simple majority in each house.
B) three-quarters majority in each house.
C) two-thirds majority in each house.
D) simple majority in the Senate but a five-eighths majority in the House.
Q4) The potential development of a third party prevents the two major parties from being responsive to the demands of the people.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is the historical development of the U.S. government? Why was compromise important in the writing of the U.S. Constitution?
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Chapter 16: The Organization of Economic Activities
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Q1) Soviet-style socialism was abandoned because:
A) soviet-style economies delivered too many goods.
B) new technologies gave the soviet-style economies an advantage.
C) a strong national consensus was maintained by the economy.
D) socialist economies were significantly lagging behind capitalist economies.
Q2) Which institution controls a planned economic system?
A) the citizenry
B) the religious institution of that nation
C) the private sector
D) the government
Q3) In modern industrial societies, economic relationships are quite simple.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The supply curve, SS, shows the amount of a goods buyers are willing to purchase on a certain day.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Karl Marx had much to say about how a communist economy would operate.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: The Economy, Government, and Economic Challenges Facing the United States
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Q1) One of the most controversial forms of government involvement in the economy is through microeconomics.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Each year, the federal and state governments spend over $3 and $1 trillion respectively to fund their activities.
A)True
B)False
Q3) If a firm is too big to fail, economists argue it is too big to be regulated.
A)True
B)False
Q4) From 1929 to 1932, U.S. industrial production and national income:
A) rose by 33 percent.
B) dropped by about half.
C) increased by 25 percent.
D) dropped by about 90 percent.
Q5) A depression is a period of drastic decline in an economy.
A)True B)False
Q6) Describe the problem facing the U.S. Social Security system. Page 19
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Page 20
Chapter 18: International Political Relations
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Q1) During the century that followed the Congress of Vienna (1815), a fairly effective:
A) balance of power existed with no wars.
B) balance of terror existed because of the constant world wars.
C) balance of power was maintained.
D) peace persisted with no power adjustments.
Q2) In the 2003 Iraq War, some members of the press were "embedded" within military units.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The election of Barack Obama in 2009 brought a shift towards unilateral foreign policy and continued preemption.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following countries chose not to adopt the euro?
A) Britain and Denmark
B) France and Netherlands
C) Spain
D) Germany
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Page 21
Chapter 19: International Economic Relations
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Q1) Invisible items of trade consist of services of all sorts for which people of one country pay those of another.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Trade imbalances can be offset by foreign capital investment.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Since the 1930s, the importance of international trade for the United States has:
A) declined.
B) remained unchanged.
C) increased until 1950 and then sharply declined.
D) grown significantly.
Q4) The United States is the largest debtor nation in the world.
A)True
B)False
Q5) International trade raises standards of living by increasing consumer purchasing power.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: The Political Economies of Developing Countries
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Q1) From 1966 until 1976, China was governed by a radical faction that attempted:
A) world conquest.
B) a Cultural Revolution.
C) increased contact with Western culture.
D) to introduce a market economy.
Q2) Over the last sixty years, the U.S. has given foreign aid at about the rate of:
A) 10 percent of U.S. total output.
B) one half of 1 percent of U.S. total output.
C) 33 percent of U.S. total output.
D) 50 percent of U.S. total output.
Q3) The National Revolutionary Party in Mexico was formed from all major political groups in 1939.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How many Internet users were in China as of 2010?
A) 1 million
B) 500,000
C) 389 million
D) China still has no access to the Internet
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Chapter 21: International Institutions and the Search for Peace
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Q1) Nation-states began to develop in the late Middle Ages.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In 2009, President Obama reached out to the Arab and Palestine communities and took a strong stand against the expansions of Israeli settlements.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the role of the United Nations in international relations? How is the UN organized? How successful has the UN been in keeping the peace? What are the limitations on the UN's ability to maintain peace?
Q4) The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has supervisory power over:
A) all of the world's nuclear weapons.
B) every nation using nuclear energy.
C) all physics projects.
D) the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Q5) Nigeria is ruled by Robert Mugabe.
A)True
B)False
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