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1.1 What Is Sociology?

1.

Which of the following best describes sociology as a subject?

  1. The study of individual behavior
  2. The study of cultures
  3. The study of society and social interaction
  4. The study of economics
2.

C. Wright Mills once said that sociologists need to develop a sociological __________ to study how society affects individuals.

  1. culture
  2. imagination
  3. method
  4. tool
3.

A sociologist defines society as a group of people who reside in a defined area, share a culture, and who:

  1. interact
  2. work in the same industry
  3. speak different languages
  4. practice a recognized religion
4.

Seeing patterns means that a sociologist needs to be able to:

  1. compare the behavior of individuals from different societies
  2. compare one society to another
  3. identify similarities in how social groups respond to social pressure
  4. compare individuals to groups

1.2 The History of Sociology

5.

Which of the following was a topic of study in early sociology?

  1. Astrology
  2. Economics
  3. Physics
  4. History
6.

Which founder of sociology believed societies changed due to class struggle?

  1. Emile Comte
  2. Karl Marx
  3. Plato
  4. Herbert Spencer
7.

Weber believed humans could not be studied purely objectively because they were influenced by:

  1. drugs
  2. their culture
  3. their genetic makeup
  4. the researcher

1.3 Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

8.

Which of these theories is most likely to look at the social world on a micro level?

  1. Structural functionalism
  2. Conflict theory
  3. Positivism
  4. Symbolic interactionism
9.

Who believed that the history of society was one of class struggle?

  1. Emile Durkheim
  2. Karl Marx
  3. Erving Goffmann
  4. George Herbert Mead
10.

Who coined the phrase symbolic interactionism?

  1. Herbert Blumer
  2. Max Weber
  3. Lester F. Ward
  4. W. I. Thomas
11.

A symbolic interactionist may compare social interactions to:

  1. behaviors
  2. conflicts
  3. human organs
  4. theatrical roles
12.

Which research technique would most likely be used by a symbolic interactionist?

  1. Surveys
  2. Participant observation
  3. Quantitative data analysis
  4. None of the above

1.4 Why Study Sociology?

13.

Kenneth and Mamie Clark used sociological research to show that segregation was:

  1. beneficial
  2. harmful
  3. illegal
  4. of no importance
14.

What did the Clarks use in their experiment noted in Exercise 1.13?

  1. children and dogs
  2. adults and dolls
  3. children and dolls
  4. adults and pets
15.

Studying sociology helps people analyze data because they learn:

  1. interview techniques
  2. to apply statistics
  3. to generate theories
  4. all of the above
16.

Berger describes sociologists as concerned with:

  1. monumental moments in people’s lives
  2. common everyday life events
  3. both a and b
  4. none of the above
17.

Berger writes that sociology

  1. is not an academic discipline
  2. makes the strange familiar
  3. makes the familiar strange
  4. is not a science
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