Chapter 13: Religion and Society

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which term refers to a system of common beliefs and rituals centered on “sacred things” that unites believers and provides a sense of meaning and purpose?

a. culture

b. society

c. education

d. religion

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The sociological study of religion was built on the work of which sociologist?

a. Weber

b. Simmel

c. Mead

d. Durkheim

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Religion is a form of which of the following?

a. theism

b. culture

c. anthropology

d. sociology

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Which statement is true of the way sociologists study religion?

a. They reject the idea that nationalism is a form of civic religion.

b. They view religion as a form of culture.

c. They study whether religious beliefs are true or false.

d. They study sociology as believers or atheists.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Which of the following contributions did Robert Merton make to the sociological study of religion?

a. He posited that rituals have both manifest and latent functions.

b. He defined the difference between the sacred and the profane.

c. He pioneered the study of the social organization of religion.

d. He was the first to study how people “get religion” in response to trauma.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Unlike Buddhism, which statement is true of religious practice in Christianity and Judaism?

a. It often occurs in formal organizations.

b. It often occurs in the home or in natural settings.

c. It is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics.

d. It is often practiced privately.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Which statement is true of religious practice in Hinduism and Buddhism?

a. It often occurs in formal organizations.

b. It often occurs in the home or in natural settings.

c. It is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics.

d. It has not been studied yet by sociologists.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Which statement is true of religious practice in Islamic societies?

a. It often occurs in formal organizations.

b. It often occurs in the home or in natural settings.

c. It is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics.

d. It is often practiced privately.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which sociologist examined religion as a source of solidarity within a group or society?

a. Max Weber

b. Émile Durkheim

c. Karl Marx

d. W. E. B. Du Bois

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. If a single religion dominates a society, which statement is true?

a. It is less likely to provide its adherents with a sense of purpose and meaning.

b. Its importance as a social institution diminishes.

c. It may function as a source of social stability.

d. It is perceived as too dominant by its adherents.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The historical relationship between Hindus and Muslims in India best reflect which statement?

a. Religion provides a sense of purpose and meaning.

b. Religion is sometimes—but not always—practiced in formal organizations.

c. If several religions compete for resources and power, it may lead to sectarian conflicts.

d. Social forces affect people’s commitment to religion.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Which type of theorist is more likely to study religion on a micro-level than on a macro-level?

a. functionalist theorist

b. conflict theorist

c. symbolic interactionist theorist

d. feminist theorist

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion and Society

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Along with sociology, which other discipline views religion as a form of culture?

a. anthropology

b. psychology

c. geography

d. economics

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion and Society

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Which term refers to the sphere endowed with spiritual meaning that is set apart from the ordinary everyday life?

a. the profane

b. the totem

c. the ritual

d. the sacred

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion and Society

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Durkheim based his theories of the functions of religion on which group of people?

a. the Aztecs of Mexico

b. the Inuit

c. the Munduruku of Brazil

d. Australian Aborigines

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. According to Durkheim, which statement is true of the profane?

a. It is a sphere that is set apart from the ordinary.

b. It is a sphere endowed with spiritual meaning.

c. It is a sphere that has acquired transcendent or magical qualities.

d. It is a sphere of routine, everyday life.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. According to Durkheim, which statement is true of the sacred?

a. It is void of ordinary objects.

b. It is endowed with spiritual meaning.

c. It lacks transcendent qualities.

d. It represents routine, everyday life.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Within a sacred space, ordinary objects that are believed to have qualities connecting humans with the divine are referred to as ______.

a. profane

b. totem

c. secular

d. rituals

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Which of the following is an example of a totem?

a. Catholicism

b. a Catholic priest

c. Catholic Mass

d. the wafer and wine used in Catholic Mass

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Hard

20. Which of the following assertions did Durkheim make about totemism?

a. It is the most primitive form of religion.

b. It is the most advanced form of religion.

c. It is the source of social instability in religion.

d. It is the basis of secular religion.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. Which of the following did Durkheim believe about religion and modern industrial society?

a. The profane was disappearing.

b. The realm of the sacred was extending over wider areas of life.

c. Societies were likely to eventually reject the profane.

d. Societies would secularize.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. Which of the following is a criticism of Durkheim’s observations about religion?

a. His observation that sacred rituals and objects foster solidarity and embody the community itself did not advance the sociology of religion.

b. His perspective on the connection between the sacred and social solidarity is less applicable to highly homogenous societies.

c. His perspective on the connection between the sacred and social solidarity is less applicable to highly diverse societies.

d. His perspective overlooked the connection between modernization and secularization.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. Which of the following statements is in accordance with Herbert Blumer’s views?

a. A nation’s flag can become a sacred symbol.

b. Islam has less symbolic meaning than Christianity.

c. Prayer can cure chronic illness.

d. Buddhism and Hinduism are similar religions.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Hard

24. “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Which of the following theoretical perspectives best fits this statement?

a. functionalism

b. conflict theory

c. symbolic interactionism

d. anthropology

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Which of the following assertions did Karl Marx make about religion?

a. Religion functions as a positive source of social solidarity.

b. Totemism is the most primitive form of religion.

c. Capitalism first appeared where the Protestant Reformation had taken hold.

d. Religion discourages oppressed people from understanding the nature of their oppression.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. Which of the following statements did Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx agree on regarding religion?

a. Secularization was inevitable.

b. Religion prevents the masses from recognizing the ways in which the ruling class exploits them.

c. Sacred rituals serve an important social function by bringing communities together.

d. Disenchantment would lead modern society to become an “iron cage,” imprisoning people in lives that lacked spirituality and creativity.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. Which concept describes the rise of worldly thinking, particularly seen in the rise of science, technology, and rational thought, and a simultaneous decline in the influence of religion?

a. automation

b. industrialization

c. secularization

d. totemism

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Why did Karl Marx view secularization as a progressive trend?

a. He believed that the social solidarity and harmony promoted by religion were contrary to the interests of the masses.

b. He was a proponent of social instability.

c. He was concerned about the fraying of social bonds that he believed would accompany secularization.

d. He championed the bureaucratization of society.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. Which sociologist asserted that Protestantism helped spur the development of capitalism?

a. Max Weber

b. Karl Marx

c. Herbert Blumer

d. Robert Merton

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. Max Weber believed that the Protestant belief in ______ was one of the factors that fostered capitalism.

a. consumption

b. predestination

c. the holiness of the Church

d. totemism

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. Which Protestant belief did Max Weber assert encouraged Protestants to reinvest their earnings?

a. Faith in God alone was needed to gain entry to heaven.

b. Both good deeds and faith in God were needed to gain entry to heaven.

c. Whether someone would be saved was predestined by God.

d. Consumption-centered lifestyles were sinful.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

32. Max Weber believed that which of the following would make modern society an “iron cage”?

a. religiosity

b. economic growth

c. consumption

d. secularization and bureaucratization

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

33. Which of the following aspects of Marx’s insights about religion is problematic?

a. His assertion that religion may divert people from the immediate problems of daily life.

b. His central idea that religion is purely a mystification enabling the ruling class to deceive the masses.

c. His understanding that religion can fill a need that has little to do with economic or political power.

d. His failure to see the connection between modernization and secularization.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. Which of the following is a criticism of Max Weber’s conclusions about religion?

a. His conclusions are of interest to historians and anthropologists but have little sociological utility.

b. His conclusions were based on the actual practices of Protestants rather than the writings of Protestant theologians.

c. During the colonial period, which he cited as the birthplace of U.S. capitalism, church attendance was much higher than he estimated.

d. Some scholars argued that capitalism developed among other religious groups as well.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. The religious economy approach suggests which of the following?

a. Religions can be understood as organizations that oppress their followers.

b. Religions can be understood as organizations in competition with each other.

c. Religions can be understood as organizations that are primarily driven by the desire for economic profit.

d. Religions can be understood as organizations that are highly bureaucratized.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. Which statement reflects the religious economy approach?

a. Individuals cannot choose to change their religious affiliations.

b. Religion weakens when challenged by competing religious or secular viewpoints.

c. Religions do not need to make efforts to attract followers.

d. There is likely to be a religious option for just about everyone.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

37. The religious economy perspective is adapted from the business world, where which statement is true, at least in theory?

a. Competition encourages the emergence of specialized products that appeal to specific markets.

b. Competition necessarily improves products and services.

c. Competition causes undue stress for businesses.

d. Economic downturns cause a reduction in self-employment.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

38. Which statement is true of switching religious affiliation among U.S. adults?

a. Fewer than 10% of U.S. adults change their religious affiliation over the course of their lives.

b. Most U.S. adults change their religious affiliation over the course of their lives.

c. Religious switching among U.S. Christians is extremely rare.

d. Religious switching among U.S. Protestants is not uncommon.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

39. Which statement is true regarding the proportion of the U.S. population that is religiously unaffiliated?

a. It has increased in recent decades.

b. It remained the same in recent decades.

c. It first increased and significantly decreased thereafter.

d. It decreased significantly in recent decades.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

40. Which statement is a valid critique of the religious economy approach?

a. It underestimates the extent to which people rationally pick and choose among religions.

b. It underestimates the fact that people are likely to practice the religion they were born into without considering alternatives.

c. It overemphasizes the fact that the most common shift in affiliation is from a religious group to the nonaffiliated group.

d. It does not account for changes of affiliations within religious traditions.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

41. Max Weber’s concept of the “routinization of charisma” can best be described as which of the following?

a. the institutionalization of a charismatic leader’s beliefs into an organized religious structure

b. the loss of the charismatic figure who started the religion

c. the use of prescribed, tried-and-true techniques by a charismatic leader to achieve a mass following

d. the use of modern technology, such as radio, Internet, and television, to evangelize

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Religious Organizations

Difficulty Level: Medium

42. Which of the following is considered the most bureaucratized religious group?

a. a sect

b. a cult

c. a new religious movement

d. a church

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Church

Difficulty Level: Easy

43. Which religious group receives special rights and privileges from the state?

a. a sect

b. a denomination

c. an ecclesia

d. a cult

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Church

Difficulty Level: Easy

44. Which of the following best represents an example of a church that is formally allied to a specific state?

a. the Greek Orthodox Church

b. the Episcopal Church

c. the Evangelical Church

d. the Baptist Church

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Church

Difficulty Level: Easy

45. Which term refers to a religious organization that has splintered off from an established church in an attempt to restore perceived true beliefs and practices?

a. denomination

b. cult

c. ecclesia

d. sect

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sect

Difficulty Level: Easy

46. Which statement is true of churches and sects?

a. Sects tend to intellectualize religious practice, while churches may emotionalize it.

b. Unlike churches, sects are marked by exclusivism in membership and beliefs,

c. Churches provide new sources of religious ideas and vitality outside mainstream faiths.

d. When they are successful, churches may decline in size, and evolve into sects.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Sect

Difficulty Level: Medium

47. Which of the following is a religious organization that is thoroughly unconventional in the larger society?

a. a sect

b. a denomination

c. a cult

d. a church

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Easy

48. Which statement describes a characteristic of a cult?

a. A cult is relatively unstable.

b. A cult is perceived as conventional.

c. A cult is viewed as established.

d. A cult is widespread.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Easy

49. Why did sociologists adopt the term “new religious movements” to describe cults?

a. in an effort to appeal to the youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s

b. in an effort to standardize language among social scientists in related fields

c. in an effort to legitimize the study of cults

d. in an effort to use a more neutral term to describe cults

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Medium

50. Scientology can best be described as which type of religious organization?

a. sect

b. denomination

c. ecclesia

d. new religious movement

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Easy

51. Which of the following religions is the world’s largest religion?

a. Judaism

b. Islam

c. Christianity

d. Hinduism

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Christianity

Difficulty Level: Easy

52. Which statement is true of Christianity?

a. Christianity continues to lose followers around the world.

b. It has an estimated number of five billion followers.

c. The growth of Christianity is particularly robust in parts of Africa.

d. The growth of Christianity outpaces the growth of Islam.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Christianity

Difficulty Level: Medium

53. Which statement is true of Islam?

a. It is the largest religion in the world.

b. It is the fastest growing religion in the world.

c. Its followers are primarily found in the Middle East.

d. It is the oldest religion of the world.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Islam

Difficulty Level: Medium

54. Which statement is true of Judaism?

a. It is the smallest of the world’s major religions.

b. It teaches that followers have a duty to convert others to their faith.

c. It is the fastest growing religion in the world.

d. Reform Judaism views that the Bible is literally the word of God.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Judaism

Difficulty Level: Medium

55. Which of the following best describes Zionism?

a. a movement calling for the conversion of non-Jews

b. a movement calling for the eradication of anti-Semitic organizations

c. a movement calling for a modern interpretation of the Mishnah and the Talmud

d. a movement calling for the return of Jews to Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Judaism

Difficulty Level: Medium

56. Which statement describes a characteristic of Hinduism?

a. Hinduism is the newest of the world’s major religions.

b. Hinduism is based on the teachings of a single individual.

c. Hinduism’s followers believe in reincarnation and karma.

d. Hinduism is primarily practiced in Pakistan.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hinduism

Difficulty Level: Medium

57. Which of the following religions is polytheistic?

a. Christianity

b. Hinduism

c. Islam

d. Judaism

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hinduism

Difficulty Level: Easy

58. Buddhism is characterized as which type of religion?

a. monotheistic

b. polytheistic

c. nontheistic

d. Zionist

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Buddhism

Difficulty Level: Easy

59. Which religion is more a set of rules for righteous living than a doctrine of belief in a particular god?

a. Judaism

b. Catholicism

c. Buddhism

d. Islam

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Buddhism

Difficulty Level: Medium

60. The Shinto religion in Japan has which of the following elements?

a. totemistic

b. monotheistic

c. polytheistic

d. animistic

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Buddhism

Difficulty Level: Medium

61. Which statement accurately describes a characteristic of religiosity in the United States?

a. The United States is one of the least religiously diverse countries in the world.

b. The number of conservative Protestants has seen a steady decrease.

c. More men than women claim a religious affiliation.

d. Religiosity in the United States is high relative to similar nations.

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion in the United States

Difficulty Level: Medium

62. Among U.S. adults who change their religious affiliation over the course of their life, which is the most common shift?

a. from the nonaffiliated group to a Christian group

b. from the nonaffiliated group to any religious group

c. from a religious group to the nonaffiliated group

d. from a non-Christian group to a Christian group

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Trends in Religious Affiliation

Difficulty Level: Easy

63. Which statement is true of religion in the United States?

a. Islam is the fastest growing religion.

b. The number of Protestants has increased due to evangelicalism.

c. Adults with strong religious beliefs are less likely to vote.

d. Less educated people tend to be the most religious.

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion and Politics

Difficulty Level: Medium

64. Which statement is true of evangelical Protestant groups?

a. They have seen their numbers shrink considerably.

b. They are characterized as cults in the United States.

c. They tend to agree with conservative Republicans on most social issues.

d. They do not feel they have a duty to convert others to their faith.

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion and Politics

Difficulty Level: Medium

65. Which of the following is a characteristic of conservative Protestantism?

a. lack of political participation

b. secular humanism

c. flexible interpretation of the Bible

d. belief in spiritual rebirth

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion and Politics

Difficulty Level: Medium

66. Some sociologists argue that the United States has a civil region. Which of the following concepts is most strongly associated with this civil religion?

a. American exceptionalism

b. American presidential religiosity

c. American minimalism

d. American separation of church and state

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: “Civil Religion” in the United States

Difficulty Level: Medium

67. Which term refers to the linkage of religious convictions with beliefs about a state or ethnic group’s social and political destiny?

a. civil religion

b. religious nationalism

c. disestablishmentarianism

d. civil liberty

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Easy

68. Which of the following is an example of religious nationalism?

a. disestablishmentarianism

b. Mormonism

c. Buddhism

d. Zionism

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

69. Which statement is true of religion in the context of globalization?

a. China has increasingly embraced Confucianism as an ecclesia.

b. Globalization has weakened the role of religiosity.

c. Hostilities involving religion have increased over the past decade.

d. Islam increasingly rejects modern technology.

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

70. Religious strife is most common in which part of the world?

a. North America

b. South America

c. Europe

d. Asia

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. As scientists, sociologists’ main research objective is to disprove or provide empirical evidence for certain religious beliefs.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Religion can have both a stabilizing and a destabilizing effect in a given society.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. When a single religion dominates a society, it may function as a source of social stability.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. According to Durkheim, sacred rituals strengthen solidarity and social bonds.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. According to Karl Marx, secularization was a positive trend.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Churches, sects, and cults all have the same characteristics.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Church

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Islam

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Reform Judaism is the most liberal form of Judaism.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judaism

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Confucianism emphasizes harmony in social relations; respect for authority, hierarchy, and tradition; and the honoring of elders.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Confucianism

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. A set of sacred beliefs and practices that become a part of society is known as religious nationalism.

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Identify and explain the five characteristics of religion.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Discuss the four primary ways sociologists approach the study of religion in society.

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Why could religion be considered an agent of socialization?

Learning Objective: 13.1: Explain why and how sociologists study religion.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Why and How Do Sociologists Study Religion?

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. How did Durkheim and Marx differ in their views regarding religion?

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Explain Weber’s concept of “the iron cage.” How does it relate to religion’s role in society?

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Explain what is meant by the term religious economy and identify two ways in which competition may lead to increased engagement in religious organizations.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The “Religious Economy” Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Define and distinguish churches, sects, and cults, and provide an example of each.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Types of Religious Organizations

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Explain the term new religious movement and why usage of this term is growing in popularity.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Explain two similarities and two differences between sects and cults.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Cults and New Religious Movements

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Discuss three major trends in religious affiliation and religiosity in the United States.

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Trends in Religious Affiliation

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Émile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life set forth one of the most influential theories in the sociology of religion. Provide an explanation of Durkheim’s theory, as well as a critique of its strengths and weaknesses.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Classical Views: Religion, Society, and Secularization

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Compare and contrast the views of Max Weber and Karl Marx regarding religion.

Learning Objective: 13.2: Apply classical and contemporary sociological perspectives to analyze the place of religion in human societies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion and Society

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Explain polytheism, monotheism, nontheistic religion, and animism, and provide an example of each.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Great World Religions

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Define and explain the relationships between a church, a denomination, and an ecclesia, and provide an example of each.

Learning Objective: 13.3: Describe five different types of religious organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Church

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Discuss Zionism and its relationship to Judaism.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Judaism

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Identify the major tenets, provide a brief historical background, and discuss the global presence of Islam.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Islam

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Discuss the relationship between religion and caste in Hindu culture.

Learning Objective: 13.4: Identify key characteristics of the six major global religions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Hinduism

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Define the term civil religion and provide three examples of civil religion in the United States.

Learning Objective: 13.5: Discuss religion in the United States including trends in affiliation, the practice of civil religion, politics and religion, and the importance of considering gender, sexuality, and race.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: “Civil Religion” in the United States

Difficulty Level: Hard

9. Discuss religious conflicts and why they occur in societies.

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Discuss the relationships between globalization, war and conflict, and religious nationalism.

Learning Objective: 13.6: Discuss globalization’s effects on relations between religious groups.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Religion and Globalization

Difficulty Level: Medium