Chapter 4 Social Life & Internet Age Verified Test Bank - Essentials of Sociology 7e Test Bank with Answers by Richard P. Appelbaum. DOCX document preview.

Chapter 4 Social Life & Internet Age Verified Test Bank

CHAPTER 4 Social Interaction and Everyday Life in the Age of the Internet

CONCEPT MAP

  1. What Is Social Interaction and Why Study It?
    1. Focused and Unfocused Interaction
    2. Nonverbal Communication
      1. Face, Gestures, and Emotion
      2. Nonverbal Communication in the Digital Age
    3. Nonhumans in Social Interaction
  2. How Do We Manage Impressions in Daily Life?
    1. Social Roles
    2. Front and Back Regions
    3. Impression Management
  3. What Rules Guide How We Communicate with Others?
    1. Ethnomethodology
    2. Interactional Vandalism
    3. Response Cries
    4. Personal Space
    5. Eye Contact
  4. How Do Time and Space Affect Our Interactions?
    1. Clock Time
    2. The Compulsion of Proximity
  5. How Do the Rules of Social Interaction Affect Your Life?
    1. Women and Men in Public
      1. Interaction on the “Digital Street”
    2. Race and the Public Sphere

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The sociologist who contributed to the field of microsociology and emphasized the importance of understanding the seemingly trivial aspects of everyday social behavior was

a.

Erving Goffman.

c.

Émile Durkheim.

b.

Elijah Anderson.

d.

Karl Marx.

2. According to Erving Goffman, reality is neither fixed nor static but created through

a.

mass media.

c.

human interactions.

b.

human ideas.

d.

human mistakes.

3. According to Erving Goffman, one of the reasons it is important to study subtle day-to-day interactions is because

a.

they reveal how humans are like other primates.

b.

they can be used to measure a person's intelligence.

c.

we can learn a great deal about ourselves as social beings.

d.

they can inform us about political and military strategy.

4. Two people are standing together in an elevator, but they do not speak to each other or look each other in the eye. Erving Goffman called this type of interaction

a.

focused interaction.

c.

civil inattention.

b.

interactional vandalism.

d.

compulsion of proximity.

5. Civil inattention is defined as

a.

acknowledging the presence of others but avoiding interaction.

b.

totally ignoring the presence of others.

c.

acting rude and inappropriate.

d.

pretending you do not know someone whom you have met before.

6. What is the definition of agency?

a.

having responsibility for someone else’s welfare

b.

the ability to think, act, and make independent choices

c.

being part of a formal, institutionalized social structure

d.

the capacity to perceive reality and form opinions

7. Unfocused interaction is when people

a.

ignore each other completely in a small space.

b.

exhibit mutual awareness but do not engage in face-to-face interaction.

c.

demonstrate how they perceive others through body language.

d.

communicate over email or text message.

8. Trevor takes the subway to and from work. He usually wears his headphones and listens to his music on the subway. He is careful not to bump shoulders with the passengers next to him when he is standing on the crowded train. Trevor engages in ______ on the subway.

a.

social positioning

c.

impression management

b.

focused interaction

d.

unfocused interaction

9. When Jane arrived at the party, her friend Alyssa came over immediately to say hello. According to Erving Goffman, this is an example of

a.

controlled alertness.

c.

unfocused interaction.

b.

focused interaction.

d.

interactional vandalism.

10. How does our current age of Internet communication complicate Goffman's concepts of focused and unfocused interaction?

a.

In online interactions, people generally have more control over how they are perceived than people engaging in face-to-face interactions.

b.

In online interactions, people are constantly sharing their feelings and have less control over how they are perceived than those engaging in face-to-face interactions.

c.

Online interactions allow for more focused interactions than face-to-face social encounters.

d.

The clever and funny use of emojis makes it much easier to express one's feelings online than in face-to-face interactions.

11. Encounters always need _______, which indicates that civil inattention is being discarded and focused interaction will begin.

a.

impression management

c.

an opening

b.

audience segregation

d.

controlled alertness

12. Identify which of the following social interactions is focused.

a.

A seated bus rider moves his feet so a rider who is carrying luggage can pass.

b.

Someone repairing a machine gives instructions to an assistant.

c.

A surfer riding a wave steers to avoid hitting another surfer.

d.

A woman rolls her eyes and sighs when a man shoves her on the train.

13. The exchange of information about human emotion through facial expressions, gestures, and movements of the body is called

a.

nonverbal communication.

c.

agency.

b.

response cries.

d.

projection.

14. Gestures and body postures that are an important part of nonverbal communication are

a.

universal and the same in all cultures.

b.

neither universal nor the same in all cultures.

c.

unique to each person.

d.

embedded in our DNA.

15. According to the research by Paul Ekman and W. V. Friesen, who developed the Facial Action Coding System, the modes of human emotional expression

a.

vary across cultures.

c.

are similar across cultures.

b.

change as we grow older.

d.

are the same among almost all mammals.

16. According to Charles Darwin, basic human emotional expressions

a.

are exactly the same as the basic emotional expressions of other primates.

b.

are the same in all human beings.

c.

vary widely, depending on the culture one is in.

d.

are learned and vary among cultures.

17. If one wanted to show that the relationship between emotions and facial expressions has nothing to do with culture, which research technique would make the most sense?

a.

Observe the facial expressions of children who were born blind.

b.

Ask children how they learned to frown when angry, and so on.

c.

Ask children to draw pictures of a sad person, a surprised person, and so on.

d.

Observe the facial expressions children make when they don’t know they’re being watched.

18. Katrina, who is sixteen years old, would consider it rude for someone to read a book during a conversation. However, she thinks that someone reading and responding to messages on his or her phone is socially acceptable. One reason that young people may find nothing wrong with answering texts during a conversation is that

a.

they believe online interaction can enhance face-to-face interaction, especially if one is looking up information relevant to the conversation.

b.

they believe online communication is more important than face-to-face communication.

c.

people can use nonverbal communication in face-to-face interactions.

d.

there is an expectation to keep up with the latest technology and applications.

19. Jane sent her boss an email suggesting that they have a performance review to see whether she was ready for a raise. Her boss replied in an email that Jane was out of line and that she would give her a performance review at the same time as other employees. Face-to-face communication may have helped Jane avoid upsetting her boss by

a.

allowing her to pressure her boss by looking her straight in the eye.

b.

allowing her to respond to her boss's anger in real time.

c.

allowing Jane to claim gender discrimination without putting it in writing.

d.

allowing her to evaluate her boss's body language before suggesting she was ready for a raise.

20. An example of ______ is when humans endow nonhumans with human capacities, making them viable others in social interaction.

a.

projection

b.

microanalysis

c.

ethnos

d.

a cosmopolitan canopy

21. Alexa, a virtual personal assistant, is an example of

a.

how artificial intelligence has allowed human–nonhuman interaction to become more and more sophisticated.

b.

how nonhumans cannot be viable others in social interaction.

c.

how nonhumans cannot evoke human empathy and feelings of companionship.

d.

how Erving Goffman’s predictions of human–nonhuman interaction has come true.

22. According to Erving Goffman, social interaction is like

a.

playing basketball in a gym.

c.

swimming in a pool.

b.

playing baseball in a stadium.

d.

performing a play in a theater.

23. You may be a sibling, a spouse, a student, an employee, and a parent. These are called

a.

background expectancies.

c.

occupations.

b.

stereotypes.

d.

social positions.

24. Another term for status is

a.

structure.

c.

saving face.

b.

agency.

d.

social position.

25. Socially defined expectations of a person in a given social position are referred to as

a.

social facts.

c.

values.

b.

social roles.

d.

background expectancies.

26. Arrive to class on time, raise your hand before speaking, turn in assignments on time—these expectations are part of the ______ of students.

a.

back region

c.

background expectancies

b.

social role

d.

values

27. What do sociologists call the social prestige (high or low) that society accords to a group of people?

a.

status

c.

front region

b.

agency

d.

structure

28. As a medical doctor, Enrique has the privilege of being called Dr. Chavez. This is because our society gives high ______ to medical doctors.

a.

agency

c.

status

b.

wages

d.

expectations

29. Social positions can be both general and specific. Which of the following is an example of a general social position in American society?

a.

politician

c.

woman

b.

doctor

d.

basketball player

30. Social positions can be both general and specific. Which of the following is an example of a specific social position in American society?

a.

Asian American

c.

man

b.

doctor

d.

lesbian

31. The social positions that a person occupies determine that person's

a.

social roles.

c.

gender.

b.

ideas.

d.

agency.

32. A teacher might be quite formal in the classroom but use profanity or substandard speech in the teacher’s lounge. According to Erving Goffman, if students are the “audience,” then the teacher’s lounge would be the teacher’s

a.

front region.

b.

back region.

c.

neutral space.

d.

“extended” personal space.

33. A student might sit upright in the classroom but engage in “sloppy sitting” in the cafeteria at lunch time. According to Erving Goffman, if the “audience” is the teacher, then the classroom would be the student’s

a.

front region.

b.

back region.

c.

neutral space.

d.

“extended” personal space.

34. If a CEO wears a suit and tie to a board meeting and later in the day changes into jeans and a T-shirt to attend a football event with friends, he is engaging in

a.

saving face.

c.

controlled alertness.

b.

impression management.

d.

ethnomethodology.

35. Wearing a new dress on a first date is an example of

a.

nonverbal communication.

c.

impression management.

b.

controlled alertness.

d.

compulsion of proximity.

36. Maria's friend posted an unflattering and unprofessional picture of her on Facebook. Maria was embarrassed and quickly took it down because she is friends with many of her coworkers on Facebook. This is an example of

a.

impression management.

c.

controlled alertness.

b.

regionalization.

d.

interactional vandalism.

37. People engage in _______ to reconcile their role in one part of life with their role in another part of their social world.

a.

social distance

c.

zoning

b.

audience segregation

d.

regionalization

38. An example of audience segregation is

a.

a student asking their parent not to chaperone on a class trip.

b.

inviting the families of both spouses over for a holiday, even though they are uncomfortable around each other.

c.

a woman texting with her friend while sitting with her family.

d.

taking a friend to a concert to introduce her to music she has never heard before.

39. While grocery shopping, you run into your sociology professor. This creates an awkward interaction because you are not used to seeing her outside of class and you are not sure how to behave. The interaction is awkward because it violated (your)

a.

audience segregation.

c.

sense of agency.

b.

status.

d.

social position.

40. To understand a conversation, we need to understand _______, which is why electronic communication, such as email or text messaging, can lead to miscommunication.

a.

the social context

c.

search procedures

b.

personal space

d.

emoticons

41. Ethnomethodology is the study of

a.

how people make sense of what others say and do in social interactions.

b.

how people learn language.

c.

the methods sociologists use.

d.

extraordinary social events that occur over space and time.

42. According to Harold Garfinkel, people use ______ to organize everyday conversations.

a.

controlled alertness

c.

massive “search procedures”

b.

background expectancies

d.

time space

43. Harold Garfinkel asked his students to engage a friend or relative in conversation and to insist that casual remarks or general comments be actively pursued to make their meaning precise. The students were asked to engage in what Garfinkel calls

a.

a search procedure.

b.

a response cry.

c.

catfishing.

d.

compulsion of proximity.

44. Which expression comes closest to being a synonym for “ethnomethodology”?

a.

conversational norms

b.

commonsense psychology

c.

the study of race

d.

macrosociology

45. Suppose an employee of a large corporation feels that she is being treated unfairly by the firm but needs the income and does not want her supervisors to be angry with her. To draw negative attention to the firm without risking her own job, she writes a weekly blog harshly criticizing her employers and revealing unflattering information about the firm. This is an example of

a.

response cries.

c.

audience segregation.

b.

interactional vandalism.

d.

impression management.

46. An example of interactional vandalism in an online setting can be

a.

users who rely on profanity to get their message across.

b.

users who intentionally post inappropriate comments to provoke an emotional response.

c.

bosses who prohibit their employees from posting on social media.

d.

employees who post pictures of themselves on social media enjoying their day off.

47. Interactional vandalism is defined as

a.

a subordinate person breaking the tacit rules of interaction.

b.

a high-status person refusing to interact.

c.

two people having a miscommunication.

d.

social avoidance.

48. According to the textbook, interactional vandalism is likely to have the effect of

a.

challenging status positions.

c.

leaving victims disoriented.

b.

encouraging violence.

d.

breaking down audience segregation.

49. According to the definition in your textbook, identify the scenario that would be considered trolling.

a.

posting complaints about your coworkers on a gripe message board

b.

constantly interrupting your professor with questions about the lecture

c.

passing an untrue rumor along to a fellow student via a handwritten note

d.

a visitor to a Mac users online technical support forum intentionally posting wrong answers to other users’ questions

50. During a dinner at a fancy restaurant, a young woman knocks over a glass of water as she reaches for the salt. As the water soaks the tablecloth she exclaims, "Oops, sorry!" This is an example of

a.

a response cry.

c.

a status marker.

b.

interactional vandalism.

d.

nonverbal communication.

51. Edward T. Hall identifies how many zones for personal space?

a.

one

c.

three

b.

two

d.

four

52. According to Edward T. Hall, which zone of personal space is only acceptable during an encounter with your spouse or romantic partner?

a.

personal distance

c.

social distance

b.

public distance

d.

intimate distance

53. One difficulty with applying Edward T. Hall's theories of nonverbal communication, including his definition of personal space, is

a.

that the theory was written so long ago it is no longer applicable to our current moment.

b.

that most nonverbal communication now takes place in an online setting.

c.

that cultural differences play a major role in defining nonverbal communication like personal space.

d.

that the theory was written from a male perspective and does not take into account women's experiences.

54. Whites in the United States have been known to look intently at Black people walking past. This staring behavior is most likely

a.

an attempt to conform to the norm that strangers or chance acquaintances should look intently at the other.

b.

an indication of hostile intent.

c.

an attempt to appear likable.

d.

a sign of trust.

55. According to research cited in your textbook, Asians are more likely than persons from Europe or the United States to regard a person who makes eye contact as

a.

angry or unapproachable.

b.

likable or pleasant.

c.

intelligent or credible.

d.

confident or polite.

56. Erving Goffman noted that people can present themselves as more tidy and formal by keeping front and guest-accessible rooms clean and nicely furnished. Today, people can use privacy settings on social media sites to limit who can see their posted content. People may also use social media to maintain close friendships with people in other parts of the world. All three of these are examples of

a.

regionalization.

c.

civil inattention.

b.

personal space.

d.

nonverbal communication.

57. Before the Internet and smartphones became standard features of most people's lives in the United States, people mainly relied on phone calls or letters to exchange information with friends, dating partners, and business associates. This earlier context of communication lacked

a.

time-space.

c.

instantaneousness.

b.

clock time.

d.

proximity.

58. Throughout our day we alternate our activities and where they take place according to what sociologists call

a.

time-space.

c.

social distance.

b.

personal space.

d.

social expectations.

59. Our actions throughout the day are generally organized according to both the time of day and

a.

information.

c.

mood.

b.

other people.

d.

space.

60. A young woman sleeps from midnight to 5 AM in her apartment bedroom, eats breakfast in her kitchen from 6 to 6:30 AM, works in her law office from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, has dinner with her friends from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, and then returns to her apartment to watch TV. This scenario illustrates the sociological concept of

a.

personal space.

c.

social distance.

b.

regionalization.

d.

ethnomethodology.

61. Social life is divided into different settings or zones. These social zones, such as a kitchen and a bedroom, are separated physically but also by

a.

time.

c.

modern architectural design.

b.

income.

d.

interior design principles.

62. In modern societies, large-scale social institutions are organized by , which allows for the precise timing of activities.

a.

clock time

c.

the “digital street”

b.

search procedures

d.

ethnos

63. For what social function are clocks essential?

a.

ensuring that laborers perform enough work to earn their wages

b.

coordinating the activities of workers over time and across large distances

c.

predicting natural disasters, such as storms and earthquakes

d.

governing society by the principle of representative democracy

64. Sociologists Deirdre Boden and Harvey Molotch argue that even with the growth of electronic communication, such as text messaging and email, people have a strong need to interact in each other's presence. They call this concept

a.

focused interaction.

c.

impression management.

b.

compulsion of proximity.

d.

status.

65. Lenhart's 2015 study showed that the majority of teens had made new friends through online communication. This ability to establish new relationships without the benefit of face-to-face interaction challenges what Boden and Molotch (1994) called

a.

the importance of nonverbal communication.

b.

the compulsion of proximity.

c.

unfocused interaction.

d.

focused interaction.

66. Which of the following is an example of the compulsion of proximity?

a.

John and Irma went to high school together and reconnected on Facebook.

b.

Maria and Thomas met online and communicated using email, text messages, and the phone regularly, but they did not feel a real connection until they met in person for the first time over coffee.

c.

Trevor and Alyssa broke up, and now they dislike having to see each other in their sociology class.

d.

Travis and Alma do not know each other, but the bus they are on is very crowded, which forces them to rub shoulders.

67. Sociologist Carol Brooks Gardner linked the face-to-face interactions of women being harassed by men to the larger social system of male privilege in public spaces, women's physical vulnerability, and the omnipresent threat of rape. Her analysis of these interactions shows the importance of linking _______ and _______ to understand social interaction.

a.

gender; class

c.

norms; actions

b.

harassment; violence

d.

microsociology; macrosociology

68. How do microanalysis and microanalysis intersect when male construction workers direct catcalls at female pedestrians passing a job site?

a.

Verbal interaction is a micro-level event, but when more than two people are involved, it is a macro-level interaction.

b.

Women tend to focus on the unique details of a situation (microlevel), while men think in broad generalities (macrolevel).

c.

The conversation is a micro-level event, but the gender dynamic is a macro-level phenomenon.

d.

The men are acting as if this event is a micro-level interaction, but their actions will have consequences for their employers on a macro-level.

69. According to urban sociologist Jeffrey Lane in The Digital Street, what was problematic about the use of social media among teenagers in Harlem?

a.

Girls and boys felt they were more in danger when using social media.

b.

Girls and boys felt they needed to live out in-person the identities they created online.

c.

Boys messaging girls online rather than approaching them face-to-face made it more likely that if their advances went unmet, their rejection would be publicly known.

d.

The possibility of a fake page created trust issues among boys and girls.

70. According to urban sociologist Jeffrey Lane’s The Digital Street, in Harlem, girls were

a.

more visible and acted more dominant toward boys on the sidewalk than online.

b.

more visible and in control online than boys.

c.

more likely to respond positively to a million messages rather than liking one photo and then leaving the girl to make the next move.

d.

less likely to feel pressure to objectify their bodies online than boys.

71. Elijah Anderson observed and described places where people from different backgrounds got along, as opposed to places where they experienced tense or uncomfortable interactions. As a result of these observations, Anderson coined the term

a.

cosmopolitan canopy.

c.

regionalization.

b.

focused interaction.

d.

unfocused interaction.

72. According to Elijah Anderson, Reading Terminal is a place where diverse groups can come together peacefully because the people who go there are "cosmos" (shorthand for cosmopolitan). According to his observations and interpretations, the dynamic that is largely missing from Reading Terminal is

a.

status.

c.

ethnocentrism.

b.

regionalization.

d.

audience segregation.

73. In the book Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community (1990), Elijah Anderson noted that studying everyday life sheds light on how social order is created by the building blocks of

a.

macro-level institutions.

c.

impression management.

b.

prejudice and racism.

d.

micro-level interactions.

74. Dr. Williams studies police and community relations in New York City. She concludes that negative police interactions with black youth are an expression of institutional and structural racism. Which type of analysis did Dr. Williams use?

a.

macro-level analysis

b.

micro-level and macro-level analysis

c.

micro-level analysis

d.

social media coverage of police brutality

1. Define civil inattention. Using the example of a crowded public bus, explain how individuals on the bus might engage in civil inattention.

2. Describe a set of hypothetical interactions between two people in a dating relationship, comparing and contrasting the likely interactional components of: (a) a face-to-face conversation; (b) a phone call; (c) a text message exchange. Be sure your answer addresses the role of nonverbal communication, the expression of emotions, and the length and complexity of each interaction. Your answer should be one paragraph in length.

3. Using the example of fans watching a football game at your college stadium, explain how individuals would be engaged in both unfocused and focused interaction with others. Please discuss the appropriate terms Erving Goffman and other sociologists used to analyze such situations.

4. In three to five sentences, explain how technology has altered some of the ways in which individuals communicate their emotions to each other.

5. What is impression management? Give an example of how a college student engages in impression management when interacting with professors.

6. Define interactional vandalism and give an example. Why does interactional vandalism create problems in everyday interaction and conversation?

7. Using the concept of regionalization, explain how time and space have shaped your social activities and interactions in the past twenty-four hours.

8. Define compulsion of proximity. Explain how the increase in electronic communication affects the compulsion of proximity. Use examples.

9. Using an example from your own experience, please explain how our day-to-day social interactions are shaped by gender and racial hierarchies and reinforce those same hierarchies.

10. How has the proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media changed how boys and girls in low-income urban areas interact? What does the research conducted by urban sociologist Jeffrey Lane suggest?

Document Information

Document Type:
DOCX
Chapter Number:
4
Created Date:
Aug 21, 2025
Chapter Name:
Chapter 4 Social Life & Internet Age
Author:
Richard P. Appelbaum

Connected Book

Essentials of Sociology 7e Test Bank with Answers

By Richard P. Appelbaum

Test Bank General
View Product →

$24.99

100% satisfaction guarantee

Buy Full Test Bank

Benefits

Immediately available after payment
Answers are available after payment
ZIP file includes all related files
Files are in Word format (DOCX)
Check the description to see the contents of each ZIP file
We do not share your information with any third party