1.1 What Is Sociology?
Which of the following best describes sociology as a subject?
- The study of individual behavior
- The study of cultures
- The study of society and social interaction
- The study of economics
C. Wright Mills once said that sociologists need to develop a sociological __________ to study how society affects individuals.
- culture
- imagination
- method
- tool
A sociologist defines society as a group of people who reside in a defined area, share a culture, and who:
- interact
- work in the same industry
- speak different languages
- practice a recognized religion
Seeing patterns means that a sociologist needs to be able to:
- compare the behavior of individuals from different societies
- compare one society to another
- identify similarities in how social groups respond to social pressure
- compare individuals to groups
1.2 The History of Sociology
Which of the following was a topic of study in early sociology?
- Astrology
- Economics
- Physics
- History
Which founder of sociology believed societies changed due to class struggle?
- Emile Comte
- Karl Marx
- Plato
- Herbert Spencer
Weber believed humans could not be studied purely objectively because they were influenced by:
- drugs
- their culture
- their genetic makeup
- the researcher
1.3 Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Which of these theories is most likely to look at the social world on a micro level?
- Structural functionalism
- Conflict theory
- Positivism
- Symbolic interactionism
Who believed that the history of society was one of class struggle?
- Emile Durkheim
- Karl Marx
- Erving Goffmann
- George Herbert Mead
Who coined the phrase symbolic interactionism?
- Herbert Blumer
- Max Weber
- Lester F. Ward
- W. I. Thomas
A symbolic interactionist may compare social interactions to:
- behaviors
- conflicts
- human organs
- theatrical roles
Which research technique would most likely be used by a symbolic interactionist?
- Surveys
- Participant observation
- Quantitative data analysis
- None of the above
1.4 Why Study Sociology?
Kenneth and Mamie Clark used sociological research to show that segregation was:
- beneficial
- harmful
- illegal
- of no importance
What did the Clarks use in their experiment noted in Exercise 1.13?
- children and dogs
- adults and dolls
- children and dolls
- adults and pets
Studying sociology helps people analyze data because they learn:
- interview techniques
- to apply statistics
- to generate theories
- all of the above
Berger describes sociologists as concerned with:
- monumental moments in people’s lives
- common everyday life events
- both a and b
- none of the above
Berger writes that sociology
- is not an academic discipline
- makes the strange familiar
- makes the familiar strange
- is not a science