Course Introduction
Sociology for Non-Majors Test Preparation
Sociology for Non-Majors introduces students to the foundational concepts, theories, and methods of sociology, providing a comprehensive overview of how society shapes individuals and how individuals, in turn, shape society. This course covers key topics such as socialization, culture, social stratification, institutions, deviance, and social change, with an emphasis on applying sociological perspectives to everyday life. Designed for students in fields outside of sociology, the course encourages critical thinking about issues like inequality, identity, group dynamics, and the impact of social structures on various communities.
Recommended Textbook
Sociology 14th Edition by John J. Macionis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
24 Chapters
3010 Verified Questions
3010 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3623 Page 2
Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
186 Verified Questions
186 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71929
Sample Questions
Q1) The ancient Romans saw the stars as being gods.Auguste Comte would classify Roman society as which of the following stages of history?
A)scientific stage
B)metaphysical stage
C)theological stage
D)post-scientific stage
Answer: C
Q2) Sociology is useful training for any job that involves working with people.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Robert Merton explained that what is functional for one category of a society's population
A)is always functional for everyone.
B)may not be functional for another category.
C)is unlikely to change over time.
D)can never be functional in the future.
Answer: B
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: Sociological Investigation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
133 Verified Questions
133 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71930
Sample Questions
Q1) Three researchers wish to test the effects of playing soft music during an exam on the test performance of their sociology students.They conduct an experiment in which one test-taking class hears music and another does not.In experimental terms, the class hearing the music is called
A)the placebo.
B)the control group.
C)the experimental group.
D)the dependent variable.
Answer: C
Q2) Baltzell found that a surprisingly large number of high-achieving people in our country's history came from the Boston area.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The very act of observing people may affect their behavior.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
4
Chapter 3: Culture
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
146 Verified Questions
146 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71931
Sample Questions
Q1) George Murdock pointed to many cultural universals.Which of the following is NOT an example of a cultural universal?
A)belief in a heavenly afterlife
B)funeral rites
C)the family
D)telling jokes
Answer: A
Q2) Culture refers to values, beliefs, behavior, and material things that form a way of life.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) An act of kindness, such as opening the door for an elderly man, illustrates conforming to A)mores.
B)taboos.
C)folkways.
D)proscriptive norms.
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
142 Verified Questions
142 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71932
Sample Questions
Q1) Industrial societies use powerful sources of energy to drive large machinery.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Emile Durkheim viewed society as an external, objective reality.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Marx claimed that capitalism alienated workers from their work as well as from each other.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What type of society engages in large-scale farming based on the use of plows drawn by animals or more powerful energy sources?
A)hunting and gathering
B)horticultural
C)pastoral
D)agrarian
Q5) Karl Marx claimed that societies were defined by patterns of social conflict.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What did Durkheim mean by "anomie"? How does modern society cause anomie?
Page 6
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Socialization
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71933
Sample Questions
Q1) According to Mead, social experience involves
A)understanding the world in terms of our senses.
B)the exchange of symbols.
C)a mix of biological instinct and learning.
D)acting but not thinking.
Q2) Provide evidence in support of the position that stages of the life course are socially constructed.
Q3) The "ego" in Freud's model of personality is the same as "conscience."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Harlow studies found that six months of social isolation was sufficient to permanently damage infant rhesus monkeys.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The social sciences, including sociology, make the claim that A)humans have instincts that guide our lives.
B)biological forces underlie human culture.
C)as humans, to nurture is our nature.
D)Darwin's model of biological evolution explains the patterns of human culture.
Page 7
Q6) Note one criticism often made of Erik Erikson's "Stages of Development" theory.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Social Interaction in Everyday Life
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71934
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain Erving Goffman's ideas on the presentation of self.What are the elements of "presentations?" For example, how does a college professor engage in a scripted presentation of self to a class? What about a professor's office? What features of the office are used to convey information to an observer?
Q2) Describe how status and role operate as two building blocks of daily social interaction.
Q3) Because men typically have more power in daily interactions than women, they are more likely to intrude on the personal space of women.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Emotions have both a biological and cultural foundation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The process by which people act and react in relation to others is called
A)social connectedness.
B)social construction.
C)social dynamics.
D)social interaction.
Q6) Explain how emotions are guided by both biology and culture.
Page 8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 7: Groups and Organizations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
126 Verified Questions
126 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71935
Sample Questions
Q1) Milgram's experiment showed that people are easily influenced by both "ordinary people" and legitimate authority figures.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is the best example of a secondary group?
A)a fraternity chapter meeting on campus
B)a Microsoft Corporation awards banquet
C)parents meeting with their daughter and her coach
D)girl scouts at a cookout
Q3) Expressive leaders are more likely than instrumental leaders to enjoy more personal affection from group members.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The number of people in a group does not affect how the members interact with one another.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the differences between categories and social groups?
Q6) What are the important differences between primary and secondary groups?
Page 9
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 8: Sexuality and Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71936
Sample Questions
Q1) Apply the three theoretical approaches to the topic of sexuality.What are important insights provided by the structural-functional, symbolic-interaction, and social-conflict approaches?
Q2) What is the basic assertion of queer theory? Using this approach, what criticism would you make of our society?
Q3) Sociobiologists point out that, in every society throughout the world, people are attracted to youthfulness.
A)True
B)False
Q4) U.S.culture discouraged open discussion of sexuality, so researchers did not begin to study sexuality until the middle of the twentieth century.
A)True
B)False
Q5) People who oppose pornography argue that
A)it may contribute to a breakdown in morals.
B)it may contribute to violence against women.
C)it unfairly depicts women as the playthings of men.
D)All of these are correct.
Q6) What are the traits of the campus culture of "hooking up"?
Page 10
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: Deviance
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
119 Verified Questions
119 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71937
Sample Questions
Q1) Using a Marxist approach, Steven Spitzer claims that prime targets for deviant labeling include
A)people who try to take the property of others.
B)people who do not want to work for a living.
C)radicals who call for basic change in society itself.
D)All of these are correct.
Q2) The concept of due process refers to
A)the criminal justice system operating within the bounds of the law.
B)the idea that people get what they deserve.
C)the process of plea bargaining.
D)the obligation of all citizens to report crime.
Q3) In legal terms, a crime is composed of which two components?
A)the act and criminal intent
B)a criminal and a victim
C)the act and the social harm
D)the law and the violation
Q4) Many researchers agree that, in the United States, most arrests for street crime involve people of lower class position.According to Robert Merton, Albert Cohen, Walter Miller, and Elijah Anderson, why would this be the case? How would a broader definition of crime
Page 11
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 10: Social Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
122 Verified Questions
122 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71938
Sample Questions
Q1) Ideology refers to ideas that support social stratification.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Explain the differences in the approach to social stratification of Karl Marx and Max Weber.How did each envision stratification? Why is Weber's approach more complex? Which approach do you think better represents social inequality in the United States? Why?
Q3) Summarize the Davis-Moore thesis.Specifically, what are the functional consequences of inequality for society as a whole? Illustrate the thesis by pointing out various jobs and the relative rewards each job commands.Conclude by noting several criticisms of the Davis-Moore thesis.
Q4) What is status consistency? Provide a description of a person with high status consistency and an example of someone with low status consistency.
Q5) Caste systems encourage the commitment to long-term labor required by agriculture.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What is status consistency? Give an example.
Q7) State several ways in which caste and class systems differ.
Page 12
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 11: Social Class in the United States
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
122 Verified Questions
122 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71939
Sample Questions
Q1) Define the concepts "intragenerational mobility" and "intergenerational mobility." Based on research data presented in the chapter, describe patterns of intergenerational mobility for people born to families with various levels of wealth.
Q2) What were some of the consequences of the 1996 welfare reform in the United States? To what extent would you say that this reform was or was not successful?
Q3) Sociologist William Julius Wilson suggests the cause of poverty lies in
A)a lower-class culture of poverty.
B)lack of government action.
C)too few available jobs.
D)bad public schools.
Q4) People of low social position are more liberal on _____ issues and more conservative on _____ issues.
A)social; economic
B)economic; social
C)very few; almost all
D)almost all; almost no
Q5) How is the wealth of the rich different from the wealth of ordinary people?
Q6) Give three examples each of blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: Global Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71940
Sample Questions
Q1) In the world's lowest-income nations, two in ten children born die by the age of A)one.
B)five.
C)thirty-five.
D)seventy.
Q2) Some forms of marriage found in the world today amount to slavery.
A)True B)False
Q3) Dependency theory states that high-income nations have narrow, export-oriented economies.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Global income is divided more equally than income within the United States. A)True B)False
Q5) Explain Rostow's stages of modernization theory.Explain the history of the United States in these terms, being as specific as you can about when this country entered each stage of development.
Q6) State the basic ideas of modernization theory.Provide several criticisms of this approach.
Page 14
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 13: Gender Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71941
Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States, a majority of bachelor's degrees are earned by men.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Why is "earning an income" no longer a man's role in the United States? Provide some specific data in support of your claims.
Q3) Friedrich Engels claimed that capitalism
A)reduced all forms of inequality.
B)reduced patriarchy.
C)had little affect on patriarchy.
D)increased patriarchy.
Q4) In athletics, the performance gap between male and female athletes is increasing.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The beauty myth is the idea that beauty is the key to success in a career.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Briefly describe the extent of male-female differences in mental and physical abilities.
Q7) What criticisms of pornography are made in the text?
Page 15
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: Race and Ethnicity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
130 Verified Questions
130 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71942
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the "trend toward mixture" in terms of race in the United States?
Q2) White ethnics are non-WASPs of European ancestry.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The adoption of the English language by Mexican immigrants in the United States is an example of A)genocide. B)segregation. C)assimilation. D)pluralism.
Q4) Assimilation refers to everyone shedding all their traditions and "melting" into a new population with a new way of life.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Ethnicity is harder to change than racial identity. A)True
B)False
Q6) Prejudice and discrimination can be either positive or negative. A)True
B)False
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 15: Aging and the Elderly
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
124 Verified Questions
124 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71943
Sample Questions
Q1) The economic downturn that began in 2007 has forced many older workers to postpone retirement and to continue working.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Following the ideas of Karl Marx, Steven Spitzer suggests that capitalist societies
A)care more about the elderly than about children.
B)ensure that seniors have the most wealth.
C)treat the elderly as being the wisest.
D)devalue the elderly because they are less productive.
Q3) What effect did industrialization have on life expectancy in the United States and Western Europe?
A)Life expectancy went up.
B)There was little effect on life expectancy.
C)Life expectancy went down.
D)Life expectancy rose for women but fell for men.
Q4) Women are more likely than men to visit and care for their elderly parents.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Why is social isolation a greater problem for aging women than aging men?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: The Economy and Work
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71944
Sample Questions
Q1) Agricultural production is part of the primary sector of the economy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The United States is a mostly capitalist nation because
A)the vast majority of productive businesses are privately owned.
B)we have a system of free elections.
C)of our high living standards.
D)of the extensive government control of the economy.
Q3) In the United States, union membership is higher today than ever before.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Concerning the issue of personal freedom, capitalist systems emphasize people's _____, while socialist systems emphasize people's _____.
A)collective needs; personal needs
B)freedom from basic want; freedom to pursue their self-interest
C)freedom to pursue their self-interest; freedom from basic want
D)social needs; material needs
Q5) Large corporations dominate many markets in the global economy.
A)True
B)False
18
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 17: Politics and Government
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
112 Verified Questions
112 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71945
Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement about terrorism is TRUE?
A)Whether someone is a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is often a matter of definition.
B)Democratic societies are especially vulnerable to terrorism.
C)Identifying and effectively targeting terrorists is usually difficult.
D)All of the responses are correct.
Q2) Socialist societies base their claim to democracy on
A)people having personal liberty.
B)meeting the basic needs of all.
C)maintaining public order.
D)their high living standards.
Q3) Authority refers to power that people perceive as coercive.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Extensive civil liberties make democratic societies more vulnerable to terrorism.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How are social issues different from economic issues in the political spectrum?
Provide an example of each type of issue.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19
Chapter 18: Families
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71946
Sample Questions
Q1) In most African nations, the law permits a man to have more than one wife.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What are three tasks of the family, according to the structural-functional approach? Why do some analysts claim that the family is the "backbone of society"?
Q3) Why do some analysts analysts (especially those guided by the social-conflict approach) describe the family as a system that perpetuates social inequality? Consider (a) class stratification, (b) gender stratification, and (c) racial and ethnic stratification. Does the family system encourage or discourage meritocracy? Why? Can you imagine a family form that would not play a part in supporting social inequality? Explain.
Q4) In the United States, family violence is
A)considered a private, family matter.
B)a serious, often criminal problem.
C)no longer considered a serious issue the way it was in past decades.
D)mostly harmful to men.
Q5) Define patrilocality, matrilocality, and neolocality.Which pattern is favored in the United States? Why?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20
Chapter 19: Religion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71947
Sample Questions
Q1) Guided by the symbolic-interaction approach, sociologists examine
A)how daily rituals sharpen the boundary between the sacred and profane.
B)how religion gives our existence a measure of security and meaning.
C)the use of ritual and religious meaning to strengthen social ties such as marriage.
D)All of these are correct.
Q2) Which of the following would you expect to be the least stable type of religious organizations?
A)cult
B)church
C)denomination
D)state church
Q3) Which of the following concepts refers to the fusion of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character?
A)evangelism
B)liberal Christianity
C)liberation theology
D)fundamentalism
Q4) What are three societal functions of religion pointed out by Emile Durkheim?
Q5) What is Max Weber's thesis regarding Protestantism and the rise of capitalism?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 21
Chapter 20: Education
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71948
Sample Questions
Q1) How does schooling advance the goal of socially integrating a large, diverse population?
Q2) Currently, there is a surplus of teachers in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is taught in schools around the world reflects local cultures.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Why, in your opinion, is there a teacher shortage in the United States? Do you think the pay for teachers is adequate? Do you think teachers, on average, are sufficiently trained and motivated? Why do you think we commonly pay teachers so little for what seems to be the very important work of training our daughters and sons?
Q5) The extent of schooling in a society is closely tied to its level of economic development.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are four societal functions of schooling?
Q7) Why does the home environment have more effect on academic performance than the school environment?
22
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 21: Health and Medicine
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
121 Verified Questions
121 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71949
Sample Questions
Q1) A criticism of Talcott Parsons's approach to health and medicine is that it
A)says little about the issue of prevention.
B)places doctors rather than people in charge of health.
C)assumes sick people can afford to take time off from work.
D)All of these are correct. REMEMBER;
Q2) In much of the world, illness and poverty form a vicious circle, with each increasing the other.
A)True
B)False
Q3) An exception to the general decline of infectious diseases in the United States is the increase in ______ after 1960.
A)cancer
B)obesity
C)flu
D)sexually transmitted diseases
Q4) Discuss the "right to die" debate.How has modern technology created this debate in the first place? What are the arguments for legal euthanasia? What are the arguments against it? Which side do you find more convincing? Why?
Q5) Why is cigarette smoking a major health problem in the United States?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 23
Chapter 22: Population, Urbanization, and Environment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
127 Verified Questions
127 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71950
Sample Questions
Q1) In many low-income nations, parents value sons more than daughters, which explains why the age-sex ratio in these nations may be higher than 100.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Looking at countries around the world, what is the relationship between average income level and rate of population increase?
A)The lower the average income, the greater the population increase.
B)All nations are increasing at about the same rate.
C)The higher the average income, the greater the population increase.
D)Poor nations are holding steady, rich nations are decreasing.
Q3) In global perspective, the crude birth rate of high income nations such as the United States is
A)much higher than average.
B)slightly higher than average.
C)about equal to the average.
D)below average.
Q4) What is the "demographic divide"?
Q5) Examine the two age-sex pyramids on
Q6) What three urban revolutions have reshaped human societies?
Page 24
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 23: Collective Behavior and Social Movements
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
132 Verified Questions
132 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71951
Sample Questions
Q1) The concept "gossip" refers to
A)statements that are untrue.
B)beliefs that are widespread.
C)rumors about people's personal affairs.
D)widespread attitudes about controversial issues.
Q2) Collective behavior involves action that often
A)is unplanned.
B)involves a large number of people.
C)is controversial.
D)All of these are correct.
Q3) Which of the following is a correct statement?
A)Social movements emerge to encourage or resist change.
B)Social movements are rare in modern societies.
C)Social movements have done little to change U.S.society.
D)Social movements are all liberal.
Q4) Fashion differs from a fad in that fashion
A)is shorter lived.
B)is less conventional.
C)reflects established cultural values.
D)All of these are correct.
25
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 24: Social Change: Traditional
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/71952
Sample Questions
Q1) A criticism of Tönnies's thinking about modernity is that he
A)saw modernity as entirely positive.
B)claimed modern people are business-like in their relationships.
C)overlooked the fact that strong social ties still exist in modern society.
D)did not see the Industrial Revolution as making much difference in social patterns.
Q2) Emile Durkheim's concept of mechanical solidarity parallels Tönnies's concept of Gesellschaft.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is a common cause of social change?
A)discovery of existing things
B)diffusion of ideas from one cultural system to another
C)invention of new ideas and things
D)All of these are correct.
Q4) Individuals experience modern mass societies in terms of
A)pronounced moral relativism.
B)little personal choice.
C)too little privacy.
D)powerlessness.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 26