Chapter 4: Max Weber (1864–1920)

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Weber’s sociological theory is grounded in Verstehen, meaning ______.

A. individual insights

B. social externalities

C. interpretive understanding

D. collective interpretation

Ans: C

2. How should ideal types be used?

A. to accurately categorize all behaviors

B. to distinguish between charisma and Verstehen

C. as a useful comparison for real-world cases

D. as a way to judge action as good or bad

Ans: C

3. Weber’s argument that scientific advancement could lead to problems of meaning connects most clearly to which other theorist?

A. Robert Michels

B. Karl Marx

C. Emile Durkheim

D. Friedrich Nietzsche

Ans: D

4. Weber defines rationalization as ______.

A. the shift from objectivity to Verstehen

B. increased specialization in the division of labor

C. a process resulting in greater affinity for the social world

D. an ongoing increase in procedures and rules governing our lives

Ans: D

5. One of the major themes running through Weber’s work is ______.

A. the source of crime

B. the rationalization of society

C. the critique of capitalism

D. forms of solidarity

Ans: B

6. While the authors acknowledge the complexity of Weber’s arguments, they characterize his basic theoretical orientation as ______.

A. nonrational, collective

B. nonrational, individual

C. rational, collective

D. rational, individual

Ans: C

7. Which of the following best reflects Weber’s view of the relationship between Protestantism and capitalism?

A. The Protestant Reformation caused Western capitalism to emerge.

B. Western capitalism caused the Protestant Reformation to emerge.

C. Similar beliefs and attitudes undergird both Protestantism and capitalism.

D. Changes to the material forces in society created Protestantism and capitalism.

Ans: C

8. According to Weber, what motivates individuals to pursue worldly success?

A. They want to donate their money to religious charities.

B. They aspire to advance to the capitalist class.

C. They are showing they are committed to Calvinism, not Catholicism.

D. They want to follow their calling to know if they are saved.

Ans: D

9. Weber used the term “iron cage” to describe ______.

A. the Church prior to the Protestant Reformation

B. the emergence and spread of bureaucratic structure

C. the religious motivation that encourages individuals to pursue worldly success

D. monastic or religious asceticism

Ans: B

10. What function did Weber see religion playing in the world?

A. Religion acted as an opiate of the masses.

B. Religion obscured the coercive power of society.

C. Religion provided a system of meaning.

D. Religion challenged corrupt governments.

Ans: C

11. What major religious idea did Martin Luther introduce?

A. Christians should work hard and then donate their earnings to the church.

B. Each individual can have their own relationship with God.

C. Religious groups should be led only by professional clergy.

D. True religion stems from rational authority.

Ans: B

12. In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber quotes Benjamin Franklin extensively to demonstrate which point?

A. The spirit of capitalism encourages hard work and little pleasure.

B. The Protestant ethic directly influenced U.S. founders.

C. The spirit of capitalism contributed to a strong economy across the U.S. colonies.

D. The Protestant ethic discourages class conflict.

Ans: A

13. In an ascetic worldview, which is the deadliest of sins?

A. accumulating wealth

B. exploiting labor

C. finding a new calling

D. wasting time

Ans: D

14. Weber argued that classes are based primarily on ______.

A. shared levels of honor

B. the distribution of power

C. shared life chances

D. property relations

Ans: C

15. According to Weber, when people can achieve their own ends even when faced with resistance, they have ______.

A. honor

B. class

C. power

D. authority

Ans: C

16. People working together to strategically pursue goals are members of a(n) ______.

A. social class

B. party

C. status group

D. iron cage

Ans: B

17. Weber defines ______ as an estimation of social honor expressed through styles of life.

A. party

B. class

C. authority

D. status

Ans: D

18. ______ authority is the type of domination based on the rule of law and obedience to the office.

A. Traditional

B. Rational-legal

C. Charismatic

D. Moral

Ans: B

19. Weber defines traditional authority as ______.

A. legitimacy based on custom and lore

B. domination based on the rule of law

C. legitimacy based on the ruler’s charm

D. the leading force of rationalization

Ans: A

20. According to Weber, the most unstable type of authority is ______.

A. charismatic

B. rational-legal

C. traditional

D. legitimate

Ans: A

21. Which type of authority is primarily individualistic?

A. charismatic

B. rational-legal

C. traditional

D. modern

Ans: A

22. Which of the following is a fundamental characteristic of bureaucracy?

A. charismatic leadership

B. asceticism

C. hierarchical authority

D. Protestantism

Ans: C

23. Durkheim focused on the ______ elements of a society, while Weber focused on the ______ elements.

A. collective; individual

B. individual; collective

C. subjective; objective

D. objective; subjective

Ans: D

24. How does Weber define the routinization of charisma?

A. the shift from Protestantism to capitalism

B. the efforts of traditional leaders to gain new followers

C. the transformation of individual character into an organization

D. the removal of meaning of daily life

Ans: C

25. How does Weber characterize the role of the worker in a bureaucracy?

A. The worker becomes a replaceable cog in a machine outside of her control.

B. The worker selects the job of most interest to her.

C. The worker becomes detached from the class struggles.

D. The worker gives up earthly pleasures in her pursuit of wealth.

Ans: A

True/False

1. Weber sought to develop universal, causal explanations for social phenomena.

Ans: F

2. Weber’s basic theoretical orientation is rational and individual.

Ans: F

3. According to Weber, a calling is useful if it benefits the community.

Ans: T

4. According to Weber, rationalization disenchants Western society and strips actions of their meaning.

Ans: T

5. According to the Protestant ethic, leisure and enjoyment are acceptable if one is working hard in their calling.

Ans: F

6. Weber agreed with Marx that economic behavior shapes religious doctrines.

Ans: F

7. According to Weber, religion can be used to legitimize a person’s wealth.

Ans: T

8. Weber believed that religion primarily reflected capitalists’ interests.

Ans: F

9. Religions based on the emissary prophecy seek mystical experiences outside of daily life.

Ans: F

10. Weber argues that the spirit of capitalism persists even when the religious meaning has faded away.

Ans: T

11. Weber defines a “class” as a group that shares the economic situation and a sense of community.

Ans: F

12. People who share “life chances” are considered a party.

Ans: F

13. Weber agreed with Marx’s definition of class.

Ans: F

14. Economic power contributes to social honor.

Ans: F

15. U.S. presidents preside via rational-legal authority.

Ans: T

16. Hitler could be considered someone who led by charismatic authority.

Ans: T

17. Bureaucratic organization has advanced primarily due to its technical superiority.

Ans: T

18. Weber and his wife worked to establish an egalitarian partnership.

Ans: T

19. Weber famously pronounced that “God is dead.”

Ans: F

20. Weber agreed with other scholars that socialism would address most of society’s problems.

Ans: F

21. Asceticism encouraged hard work and discouraged avarice.

Ans: T

22. According to Weber, your status honor would shape who you interacted with.

Ans: T

23. The problem of succession can prompt the routinization of charisma.

Ans: T

24. Bureaucracy is most closely associated with traditional authority.

Ans: F

25. Weber argued that rationalization, not the division of labor, contributed to disenchantment in his time.

Ans: T

Essay

1. Explain Weber’s notion of Verstehen and its significance to the discipline of sociology.

2. Discuss the ideas of a “calling” and how it connects to the Protestant Reformation.

3. Explain how the quotes from Benjamin Franklin’s writing in Weber’s work capture the spirit of capitalism.

4. Explain the significance of Weber’s line from The Protestant Ethic: “And this calling is not, as it was for the Lutheran, a fate to which he must submit and which he must make the best of, but God’s commandment to the individual to work for the divine glory.”

5. How does asceticism, coupled with the idea of the “calling,” contribute to the rise of capitalism?

6. What is the relationship between Protestantism and capitalism, and how will that relationship change over time?

7. How does Weber define power? Why is it important to consider different sources of power?

8. Define Weber’s concepts of class and status and apply them to two different contemporary examples.

9. Explain the three types of authority discussed by Weber and provide concrete contemporary examples.

10. Compare and contrast Weber’s themes and theoretical orientation with that of Karl Marx. Be sure to discuss Marx’s historical materialism and definition of classes.

11. According to Weber, what role did the “calling” and outward signs of grace play in the development of capitalism? Once it was firmly established, what effect did capitalism have on these religious ideas?

12. Discuss Weber’s main argument from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

13. Discuss Weber’s essay on bureaucracy. Explain the negative and positive attributes of this system.

14. Compare and contrast Weber’s and Durkheim’s understandings of religion.

15. What is the routinization of charisma, and why is it necessary?