Understanding Society Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Understanding Society is an introductory course that explores the fundamental concepts, institutions, and issues shaping human societies. Students will investigate the influences of culture, socialization, social structures, and group dynamics on individual and collective behavior. Through the examination of topics such as class, gender, race, roles, norms, and power relations, the course provides insights into how societies are organized and how they change over time. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking and analytical skills by applying sociological theories and perspectives to real-world problems and contemporary societal challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Society The Basics 13th Edition by John
J. Macionis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
16 Chapters
2430 Verified Questions
2430 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1660
Page 2
Chapter 1: Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
194 Verified Questions
194 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32905
Sample Questions
Q1) It is difficult to establish all the cause-and-effect relationships in a social situation because
A) most patterns of behavior have a single cause.
B) most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all.
C) most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors.
D) sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect.
Answer: C
Q2) 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
Q3) 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
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: Culture
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
178 Verified Questions
178 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32906
Sample Questions
Q1) In general, low-income nations have cultures that value individualism and personal self-expression.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Other than English, which is the most widely-spoken language in the United States?
A) French
B) Spanish
C) German
D) Chinese Answer: B
Q3) The emergence of rock-and-roll in the United States demonstrates
A) the lack of a youth culture.
B) that musical tastes are not linked to people's social standing.
C) that cultural patterns are subject to change.
D) that cultural patterns rarely change.
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 4
Chapter 3: Socialization
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
126 Verified Questions
126 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32907
Sample Questions
Q1) Communities differ in terms of the racial composition of the population.In which of the following regions of the United States is there a relatively high number of people who claim to be multiracial?
A) the Southwest, including Arizona and southern California
B) the Plains States, including North Dakota and South Dakota
C) the New England states of Maine and New Hampshire
D) the Rocky Mountain states of Montana and Wyoming
Answer: A
Q2) The Harlow studies found that six months of social isolation was sufficient to permanently damage infant rhesus monkeys.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) A community college is a good example of a total institution.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 4: Social Interaction in Everyday Life
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
129 Verified Questions
129 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32908
Sample Questions
Q1) Julie is a police officer who finds that wherever she goes in her small town, people seem to think of her as a "cop." Julie is experiencing the effects of
A) role exit.
B) master status.
C) ascribed status.
D) status conflict.
Q2) Which concept is used to designate the process by which people creatively shape reality as they interact?
A) status interaction
B) social construction of reality
C) interactive reality
D) role reality
Q3) Which concept is involved when a plant supervisor wants to be a good friend and confidant to the workers, but must remain distant in order to rate the workers' performances?
A) role conflict
B) role strain
C) role ambiguity
D) role exit
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 6
Chapter 5: Groups and Organizations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
128 Verified Questions
128 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32909
Sample Questions
Q1) As groups grow larger, they become less stable.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A social group with only two members is called a
A) primary group.
B) dyad.
C) triad.
D) bond.
Q3) Irving Janis demonstrated how discussion always improves decision making in a social group.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What type of leaders downplay their own power, letting group members function more or less on their own?
A) authoritarian leaders
B) democratic leaders
C) laissez-faire leaders
D) instrumental leaders
Q5) What does it mean to say that rationality may be irrational? How might Weber respond to this question?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Sexuality and Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32910
Sample Questions
Q1) State two common myths about rape.Explain why these beliefs are wrong.
Q2) State two common myths about rape.Explain why these beliefs are wrong.
Q3) Explain the significance of the Muxes of central Mexico for our understanding of gender.Develop a similar argument that takes the existence of transgender people in the United States into account.In other words, what cultural changes would be necessary for our society to recognize the full range of sexual diversity that exists here?
Q4) The sexual counterrevolution had begun in the United States by A) 1920.
B) 1960.
C) 1980.
D) 1995.
Q5) Research on extramarital sex shows that about _____ of married men and about _____ of married women remain faithful to their spouse throughout their married lives.
A) 18 percent 22 percent
B) 25 percent 75 percent
C) 75 percent 50 percent
D) 81 percent 88 percent
Q6) What are several functions of the incest taboo for society as a whole?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Deviance
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32911
Sample Questions
Q1) Mike reports the theft of his dirt bike from the front yard of his house.The police would record this as which type of crime?
A) burglary
B) larceny-theft
C) robbery
D) auto-theft
Q2) What does the story about the conviction and imprisonment of Bruce Glover suggest about punishment in the United States?
A) Crime truly does pay.
B) Convicts can lose everything important to them while in prison and, after release, they often struggle to fit back into society.
C) The U.S. criminal justice system truly rehabilitates criminals effectively.
D) After you get out of prison, society welcomes you back with open arms.
Q3) Most criminal cases handled by the criminal justice system in the United States are resolved
A) through plea bargaining.
B) with a judge dismissing all charges.
C) with convictions after a courtroom trial.
D) with a suspect being convicted and sentenced to prison.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 9
Chapter 8: Social Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
181 Verified Questions
181 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32912
Sample Questions
Q1) Using what you know about the distribution of income in the United States, why is it incorrect to say that we live in a "middle-class society"?
Q2) 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.
Q3) Being in the upper-upper class is usually the result of _____ being in the lower-upper class is more a matter of _____.
A) birth achievement
B) business success birth
C) gender birth
D) high-income low-income
Q4) Half of all the people in the United Kingdom today consider themselves to be in the A) upper class.
B) middle class.
C) working class.
D) lower class.
Q5) What is the difference between income and wealth?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Global Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32913
Sample Questions
Q1) The wealthiest 20 percent of the global population receives about what percentage of all global income?
A) 25 percent
B) 37 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 77 percent
Q2) In low-income nations, population growth is generally very high.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The poorest 20 percent of the world's people live on just 2 percent of the world's income.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which world region contains the largest percentage of the world's street children?
A) Asia
B) Latin America
C) Africa
D) Europe
Q5) Identify and define four types of slavery found in today's world.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Gender Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
121 Verified Questions
121 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32914
Sample Questions
Q1) A social-conflict account of the history of gender stratification was developed by Friedrich Engels.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Liberal feminism seeks the elimination of gender itself.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Evidence from the Israeli kibbutzim suggests that cultures have the ability to define what is masculine and feminine in various ways.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Since very few societies have existed without patriarchy, we must conclude that patriarchy is inevitable.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What three factors account for most of the income disparity between women and men?
Q6) What does the research by Margaret Mead in New Guinea lead us to conclude about gender?
Page 12
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
123 Verified Questions
123 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32915
Sample Questions
Q1) What is a stereotype? How can applying the sociological perspective help to assess the validity of any stereotype?
Q2) Prejudice and discrimination can reinforce one another.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton documented which of the following patterns in U.S.inner cities?
A) hypersegregation
B) the absence of racial segregation
C) de jure segregation
D) declining segregation
Q4) Owning and operating gambling casinos have enabled the typical Native American in the United States to achieve well above-average income.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Although based on physical traits like skin color, the concept of "race" is constructed by society.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: Economics and Politics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
201 Verified Questions
201 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32916
Sample Questions
Q1) Contrasted to socialist economic systems, capitalist economic systems are typically
A) equally productive.
B) more productive.
C) less productive.
D) not concerned with productivity.
Q2) A conglomerate is
A) a giant corporation composed of many smaller corporations.
B) a corporation in the manufacturing sector.
C) a corporation engaged in both legal and illegal activity.
D) any company that completely dominates a market.
Q3) In the United States, the share of workers who are members of labor unions is higher today than ever before.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The National Rifle Association is an example of a(n)
A) special-interest group.
B) political action committee.
C) intergovernmental organization.
D) All of these responses are correct.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Family and Religion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
190 Verified Questions
190 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32917
Sample Questions
Q1) What do the sacred texts of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have in common?
A) support for patriarchy
B) belief in multiple deities
C) the same sacred symbols
D) support for secularization
Q2) The claim that the United States is a post-denomination society is based on a movement
A) away from religion.
B) supporting spiritualism, but away from formal denominations.
C) toward greater church attendance.
D) favoring rigid conformity to church doctrine.
Q3) Looking ahead twenty years in the United States, we can predict with confidence that
A) the divorce rate will drop dramatically.
B) most people will not marry.
C) family life will be diverse.
D) women will play an ever-smaller role in child rearing.
Q4) In what specific ways does social class affect families and family life?
Q5) Define the following terms so that you clearly distinguish each from the others: family, kinship, and marriage.
Page 15
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: Education, Health, and Medicine
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
212 Verified Questions
212 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32918
Sample Questions
Q1) Active euthanasia refers to using a physician's services to bring about a patient's death.
A)True
B)False
Q2) 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?
Q3) In the world today, about two-thirds of young people reach secondary school.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In which of the following nations is almost all medical care under the control of government?
A) China
B) Great Britain
C) Japan
D) the United States
Q5) How does social class affect human health? Provide data in support of your answer.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Population, Urbanization, and Environment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
127 Verified Questions
127 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32919
Sample Questions
Q1) More than eighty nations have a birth rate below the zero population growth point.
A)True
B)False
Q2) If you were to examine an age-sex pyramid for a low-income nation, you would expect to see which of the following patterns?
A) a wide base, indicating a high birth rate
B) a square shape, indicating a low birth rate
C) a bulge in the middle, indicating a "baby boom"
D) None of the other responses is correct.
Q3) In the United States, the birth rate is currently
A) at the replacement level.
B) below the replacement level.
C) slightly above the replacement level.
D) well above the replacement level.
Q4) Why is the crude birth rate "crude"?
Q5) What is the "demographic divide"?
Q6) How do population patterns differ in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? What accounts for these differences?
Q7) What is a net migration rate? How is it calculated?
Page 17
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 16: Social Change: Modern and Postmodern
Societies
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
168 Verified Questions
168 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/32904
Sample Questions
Q1) Name and define four types of social movements.How are they different?
Q2) Define "fashion" and "fad" so that their differences are clear.
Q3) Modernity is the concept associated with social patterns that began to change the world about when?
A) 1492
B) 1600
C) the 1750s
D) the 1920s
Q4) Social movements are defined as
A) unlawful activity in the form of rioting.
B) widely dispersed efforts to force people to conform.
C) any formal organization that uses propaganda.
D) organized activity that encourages or discourages social change.
Q5) In what way do "new social movements" differ from those in the past?
A) They are more likely to be international.
B) They are likely to focus on social rather than economic issues.
C) They are likely to attract support from middle- and upper-middle-class people.
D) All of these responses are correct.
Q6) What are four key characteristics of the process of social change?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18