Social Interaction, Groups, And Social Ch5 Exam Questions

Sociology: Brief, 13e (Schaefer)

Chapter 5 Social Interaction, Groups, and Social Structure

1) Philip Zimbardo's study of a simulated prison environment that used college students as prisoners and prison guards

A) indicated that it is impossible to replicate a "real life" situation in a laboratory.

B) demonstrated that a social structure can influence the type of social interactions that occur.

C) indicated that social interactions are not influenced by social structure characteristics.

D) demonstrated that a social structure cannot influence the type of social interactions that occur.

2) Social interaction is

A) the process of learning norms, values, beliefs, and other requirements for effective participation in social groups.

B) the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships.

C) the ways in which people respond to one another.

D) a series of relationships linking a person directly to others and therefore indirectly to still more people.

3) According to Herbert Blumer, a distinctive characteristic of human interaction is that

A) the reality of humans is shaped only by our perceptions.

B) humans respond to behavior in a negative fashion.

C) humans interpret or define each other's actions.

D) humans will only react to each other's actions.

4) Which of the following is true regarding marriage in Japan?

A) Most husbands do not call their wife by name.

B) Husbands say "I love you" more often than those of other nationalities.

C) Most married Japanese couples do not actually love one another.

D) Marriage is considered more a relationship than a social status.

5) William I. Thomas wrote from which perspective when observing that people respond not only to the objective features of a person or situation, but also to the meaning that person or situation has for them?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Feminist perspective

6) Which of the following terms refers to the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships?

A) Socialization

B) Social structure

C) Social interaction

D) Culture

7) Which term is used by sociologists to refer to a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status?

A) Social role

B) Structural role

C) Achieved role

D) Ascribed role

8) Which of the following statements about social roles is correct?

A) The roles that belong to a social status are always performed in the same manner.

B) Social roles are always performed in the same manner by those holding ascribed, but not achieved, statuses.

C) Actual performance of a role varies from individual to individual.

D) Role expectations and actual role performances never vary.

9) Which sociological perspective emphasizes that social roles contribute to a society's stability by enabling members to anticipate the behavior of others and to pattern their own actions accordingly?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Feminist perspective

10) A social network is

A) a social structure that derives its existence from the social interactions through which people define and redefine its character.

B) an attempt to reach agreement with others concerning some objective.

C) a series of social relationships that link a person directly to others and therefore indirectly to still more people.

D) the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships.

11) Which of the following terms is used to refer to organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs?

A) Social networks

B) Social institutions

C) Functional prerequisites

D) Communities

12) Which of the following is an example of a social institution?

A) The U.S. government

B) A group of passengers on an inner-city bus

C) The members of a stamp-collecting society

D) A children's playgroup

13) Which term is used by sociologists to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society?

A) Status

B) Culture

C) Social structure

D) Gemeinschaft

14) Jan, Randy, and Terry are science majors, and when they graduate from college, they find jobs as a nurse, a midwife, and a hospital administrator, respectively. These new positions are examples of

A) statuses.

B) social roles.

C) groups.

D) social networks.

15) Ray is an African American who is currently enrolled at a four-year university where he is studying social work. Which of the following is his achieved status?

A) Social worker

B) Male

C) African American

D) College student

16) An ascribed status is a social position

A) attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts.

B) "assigned" to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.

C) that is earned.

D) that is reached as a result of negotiation.

17) Ascribed statuses may be based on an individual's

A) race, gender, and age.

B) age, educational achievements, and gender.

C) employment status, age, and race.

D) gender, race, and social class.

18) Which of the following is considered an achieved status?

A) Race

B) Gender

C) Occupation

D) Age

19) Which sociological perspective is especially interested in ascribed statuses because they often confer privileges or reflect a person's membership in a subordinate group?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Global perspective

20) You walk into your women's studies class, and you look at the person sitting to your left. He is the only male in the class; he is about 20 years old, wears a wedding ring, and carries a bag with a tennis racquet. Which of his characteristics is most likely his master status in the context of this class?

A) His age

B) His marital status

C) His gender

D) His interest in tennis

21) Which of the following statements about an ascribed status is correct?

A) It is easy to change when an individual becomes older.

B) It has the same social meaning in every society.

C) It is based on an individual's skills.

D) It is generally biological in origin, but it is significant mainly because of the social meanings attached to it within a given culture.

22) An achieved status is a social position

A) attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts.

B) "assigned" to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.

C) that is assigned to an individual at birth.

D) that is given to an individual based upon his or her age, race, or gender.

23) Penelope is a twenty-year-old Hispanic female. She is currently enrolled at her local community college. The achieved status in this scenario is

A) Penelope's education.

B) Penelope's gender.

C) Penelope's age.

D) Penelope's race/ethnicity.

24) A master status is a

A) category used by sociologists for any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society.

B) social position attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts.

C) status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position within society.

D) series of social relationships linking a person directly to others and therefore indirectly to still more people.

25) When Malcolm X's eighth grade teacher ignored Malcolm's academic and social successes and dismissed his desired career goal of lawyer and instead suggested he become a carpenter, the teacher was viewing Malcolm's race as a(n)

A) achieved status.

B) master status.

C) ascribed status.

D) assigned status.

26) Which term is used to refer to incompatible expectations that arise when the same person holds two or more social positions?

A) Role strain

B) Role conflict

C) Role ambiguity

D) Role exit

27) Elaine is a clinical sociologist who practices marriage and family therapy. She is also a college professor. One of her current students asks her if she can make an appointment for a therapy session. Elaine tells the student that she will refer her to a colleague because she feels that holding therapy sessions with a student might create

A) role strain.

B) role conflict.

C) role exit.

D) status displacement.

28) The difficulty that arises when the same social position imposes conflicting demands and expectations is known as

A) role conflict.

B) role strain.

C) role exit.

D) resocialization.

29) Transitioning from high school to college is an example of

A) role conflict.

B) role exit.

C) role acceptance.

D) role strain.

30) Role exit is defined as

A) the process of disengagement from a role that is central to one's self-identity in order to establish a new role and identity.

B) a difficulty that occurs when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by the same person.

C) a difficulty that occurs when incompatible expectations arise within one social position occupied by an individual.

D) a set of expectations of people who occupy a given social position.

31) In Ebaugh's four stages of the process of role exit, which of the following is a core element of the first stage?

A) Searching for alternatives

B) Identity creation

C) Doubt

D) Action

32) A(n) ________ is any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who regularly and consciously interact.

A) group

B) negotiation team

C) organic solidarity

D) aggregate

33) A primary group is a small group that is

A) characterized by impersonality, with little intimacy or mutual understanding.

B) characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation.

C) used as a standard for evaluating oneself and one's behavior.

D) characterized by impersonality and face-to-face associations.

34) Which type of group plays a pivotal role in the socialization process and the development of roles and statuses?

A) Secondary groups

B) Primary groups

C) Aggregates

D) Formal organizations

35) Which of the following is likely to be a primary group?

A) All of the players in the National Hockey League

B) The American Civil Liberties Union

C) The members of a neighborhood softball team

D) All American citizens

36) Which type of group is most important for socialization?

A) Primary groups

B) Coalitions

C) Out-groups

D) Secondary groups

37) Which term is used to refer to a formal, impersonal group in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding?

A) Primary group

B) Secondary group

C) Tertiary group

D) Reference group

38) Which of the following is most likely to be a secondary group?

A) The members of a small weekly seminar class in cultural diversity

B) The members of a small commune in Idaho

C) The members of the United Nations General Assembly

D) The members of a family

39) Which of the following is a characteristic of a secondary group?

A) They are generally small.

B) Relationships are generally superficial.

C) The dynamic is cooperative and friendly.

D) The interaction is intimate and usually a face-to-face association.

40) Any group or category to which people feel they belong is called a(n)

A) dyad.

B) triad.

C) in-group.

D) out-group.

41) A group to which people feel they do not belong is called a(n)

A) social network.

B) primary group.

C) reference group.

D) out-group.

42) Proper behavior for the in-group is often viewed as unacceptable behavior for the out-group. Sociologist Robert Merton describes this process as the conversion of "in-group virtues" into

A) "in-group vices."

B) "out-group virtues."

C) "out-group vices."

D) goal displacement.

43) The destructive consequences of tensions between in-groups and out-groups would probably be stressed by which sociological perspective?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Global perspective

44) A woman who has not attended school in 13 years enrolls for classes at the local community college. She is afraid that her younger classmates might not accept her. On the first day of class, she observes the clothing styles of her classmates, and after school she goes shopping and purchases similar clothes. Her classmates could be considered

A) a reference group.

B) a secondary group.

C) a focus group.

D) a status group.

45) Which sociological perspective emphasizes the role of reference groups in setting and enforcing standards of conduct and belief?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Feminist perspective

46) Which term is used by sociologists when speaking of any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior?

A) Primary group

B) Secondary group

C) Tertiary group

D) Reference group

47) A college law enforcement major watches the behavior of television police detectives with great admiration. These detectives could be considered

A) an out-group.

B) a focus group.

C) a triad.

D) a reference group.

48) A temporary or permanent alliance geared toward a common goal is referred to as

A) an out-group.

B) a focus group.

C) a coalition.

D) a reference group.

49) Which of the following statements pertaining to coalitions is true?

A) Coalitions can be broad-based.

B) Coalitions can usually only take on one objective.

C) Coalitions are formed with groups that are small.

D) Coalitions can only be narrow.

50) Sociological research that maps sexual relationships amongst high school students is an example of research on

A) ascribed statuses.

B) role exit.

C) social networks.

D) social institutions.

51) A group of businesswomen meet on a monthly basis to assist one another in advancing their careers. They give each other job leads and advice, and they invite business leaders to attend their sessions to provide further assistance. This group is an example of

A) role connection.

B) impression management.

C) status assistance.

D) social networking.

52) Which of the following networks is more likely to become elitist or exclusionary?

A) In-groups

B) Out-groups

C) Reference groups

D) Coalitions

53) According to the text, network research is beginning to focus on

A) face-to-face encounters.

B) social media.

C) letter writing.

D) phone calls.

54) Which sociological perspective suggests that a society or a relatively permanent group must accomplish certain major tasks if it is to survive?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Feminist perspective

55) Functional prerequisites are

A) tasks that a society or relatively permanent group must accomplish if it is to survive.

B) organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs.

C) social relationships that link a person directly to others and therefore indirectly to still more people.

D) attempts to reach agreement with others concerning some objective.

56) Which of the following is true of the functional perspectives?

A) Finding or producing new members is not sufficient.

B) Groups should not replace personnel when they die.

C) Patriotism does not generally help people develop and maintain a sense of purpose.

D) Failure to preserve order is not dangerous.

57) The patriotic behavior of U.S. citizens on January 20, 2009 in coming to witness the Inauguration of President Barack Obama represents what kind of functionalist prerequisite?

A) Teaching new recruits

B) Preserving order

C) Replacing personnel

D) Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose

58) The conflict perspective holds that social institutions

A) maintain the privileges of the powerful individuals and groups within a society.

B) preserve order and equality.

C) train personnel equitably.

D) provide and maintain a sense of basic fairness.

59) The role of a social institution from a functionalist perspective is to

A) meet basic social needs.

B) foster everyday behavior.

C) preserve autonomy.

D) influence the masses.

60) Which of the following perspectives emphasizes that our social behavior is conditioned by the roles and statuses we accept, the groups to which we belong, and the institutions within which we function?

A) Conflict

B) Interactionist

C) Global

D) Functionalist

61) Which sociological perspective might observe the division of labor among the staff members in a hospital emergency room and focus on how the allocation of responsibilities affects their social behavior?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Global perspective

62) Special-purpose groups designed and structured in the interests of maximum efficiency are known as

A) informal organizations.

B) formal organizations.

C) coalitions.

D) primary groups.

63) Which of the following is an example of a formal organization?

A) A community college basketball team

B) The people in a New York City subway car

C) The General Motors Corporation

D) The local kids' swim team

64) A bureaucracy is a(n)

A) two-member group.

B) small group in which there is little intimacy or mutual understanding and in which relationships are impersonal.

C) organization established on the basis of common interest whose members volunteer or even pay to participate.

D) component of a formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency.

65) A construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which specific cases can be evaluated is called a(n)

A) coalition.

B) ideal type.

C) metaphor.

D) questionnaire.

66) By working at a specific task, people are more likely to become highly skilled and carry out a job with maximum efficiency. This is the rationale for the bureaucratic characteristic of

A) employment based on technical qualifications.

B) hierarchy of authority.

C) division of labor.

D) written rules and regulations.

67) In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels charged that the capitalist system reduces workers to a mere "appendage of the machine," which leads to extreme

A) motion sickness.

B) alienation.

C) anomie.

D) goal displacement.

68) Which of the following does Marx and conflict theorists believe is weakened by restricting workers to very small tasks?

A) Job security

B) Family values

C) Economic positions

D) Hierarchy of control

69) The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems is known as

A) goal displacement.

B) oligarchy.

C) manifest destiny.

D) trained incapacity.

70) The failure of various government intelligence-gathering organizations to detect the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, illustrates which poorly functioning aspect of government bureaucracy?

A) Division of labor

B) Hierarchy of authority

C) Impersonality

D) Employment based on technical qualifications

71) A college is run by a board of trustees, which hires a president, who in turn selects vice presidents, deans, and other administrators. This is an example of the bureaucratic characteristic of

A) written rules and regulations.

B) division of labor.

C) impersonality.

D) hierarchy of authority.

72) Goal displacement is

A) the tendency for workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems.

B) a principle of organizational life according to which each individual within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.

C) overzealous conformity to official regulations within a bureaucracy.

D) the process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

73) A domestic abuse counselor fails to listen to an injured woman because the woman has no valid proof of U.S. citizenship. This is an example of

A) goal displacement.

B) goal multiplication.

C) trained incapacity.

D) hierarchy of authority.

74) Which of these comments about a bureaucracy is correct?

A) The division of labor does not really produce any positive consequences.

B) The hierarchy of authority has the negative consequence for the individual of depriving employees a voice in decision making.

C) An organization's written rules and regulations have the positive consequence of leading to goal displacement.

D) Hiring is based on technical qualifications rather than on favoritism.

75) The untested hypothesis that every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence is referred to as

A) goal displacement.

B) the Peter principle.

C) trained incapacity.

D) bureaucracy.

76) Bureaucratization is

A) an element or process of society that may disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability.

B) organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs.

C) the process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

D) the process through which an organization identifies an entirely new objective because its traditional goals have been either realized or denied.

77) The "iron law of oligarchy" is a principle

A) of organizational life according to which even democratic organizations will become bureaucracies ruled by a few individuals.

B) under which organizations are established on the basis of common interests.

C) of organizational life according to which each individual in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.

D) under which organizations are created to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

78) Oligarchies emerge because

A) people in leadership roles have skills, knowledge, or charismatic appeal.

B) the most capable people always rise to the top of a bureaucracy, and they are respected by their followers, who permit them to rule unhindered.

C) the rank and file of a movement or organization look to leaders for direction and thereby reinforce the process of rule by a few.

D) people in leadership roles have skills, knowledge, or charismatic appeal; and the rank and file of a movement or organization look to leaders for direction and thereby reinforce the process of rule by a few.

79) Activists in a large city join forces to create a new organization with the goal of preserving landmark buildings that have historical importance. At first, the organization functions democratically, but over time it is taken over by three people. These leaders establish a bureaucratic structure that helps them to maintain control of the organization. These developments can be best explained by

A) Parkinson's law.

B) the Peter principle.

C) the iron law of oligarchy.

D) the scientific management approach.

80) According to the classical theory of formal organizations, workers are motivated almost entirely by

A) economic rewards.

B) fear of their superiors.

C) norms of conformity to the group.

D) the need for job satisfaction.

81) Planning based on the human relations approach focuses on

A) the dangers of collective bargaining.

B) the role of people, communication, and participation among the company executives.

C) the conflict perspective's critique of capitalism.

D) workers' feelings, frustrations, and emotional needs for job satisfaction in bureaucracies.

82) ________ is used to describe the process by which the principles of bureaucratization have increasingly shaped organizations worldwide.

A) Globalization

B) Corporatization

C) Privatization

D) McDonaldization

83) ________ consist of organized workers who share either the same skill or the same employer.

A) Political parties

B) Labor unions

C) Reference groups

D) Coalitions

84) Émile Durkheim argued that social structure depends on which of the following?

A) Leadership

B) Laws

C) Division of labor

D) Hierarchy

85) Émile Durkheim suggested that as a society becomes more complex, the nature of solidarity becomes more

A) mechanical.

B) organic.

C) preservationist.

D) institutionalized.

86) Ferdinand Tönnies used the term ________ to refer to communities that are large, impersonal, and often urban, with little consensus concerning values or commitment to the group.

A) Gemeinschaft

B) Gesellschaft

C) mechanical solidarity

D) organic solidarity

87) Ferdinand Tönnies would view hunting-and-gathering societies as examples of a

A) Gemeinschaft.

B) Gesellschaft.

C) Gesundheit.

D) Glockenspiel.

88) In a small town in the Midwest, all of the children attend the same school and most of the community members attend the same church. Everyone in this community knows everyone else, and they have shared numerous experiences with one another. This community would be characterized by Ferdinand Tönnies with the term

A) Gesellschaft.

B) organic solidarity.

C) mechanical solidarity.

D) Gemeinschaft.

89) Today, Steve went into a grocery store where a stranger checked out his purchases and another stranger bagged his groceries. Then he went to a fast-food restaurant and purchased a hamburger from another stranger, and on his way home he stopped at an intersection, where an unknown police officer raised her hand. These experiences are all characteristic of

A) Gesellschaft relationships.

B) organic solidarity.

C) mechanical solidarity.

D) Gemeinschaft relationships.

90) In Gerhard Lenski's view, societal organization is highly dependent on its level of

A) farming.

B) education.

C) technology.

D) banking.

91) Which of the following characteristics applies to Gemeinschaft?

A) Social interactions are impersonal and task-specific.

B) Rural life typifies this form.

C) Self-interest dominates.

D) People are more tolerant of deviance.

92) Which of the following can be defined as the long-term trends in societies resulting from the interplay of continuity, innovation, and selection?

A) Postmodernism

B) Negotiated order

C) Industrialization

D) Sociocultural evolution

93) A preindustrial society in which people rely on whatever foods and fibers are readily available in order to live is called a(n)

A) agrarian society.

B) hunting-and-gathering society.

C) horticultural society.

D) slash-and-burn farming society.

94) The Yanomamö, a South American culture, live in a village and spend most of their time searching for food and tending small gardens. Their primary tool is a stone axe, which they use for cutting down trees to expand their gardens. The Yanomamö are an example of a(n)

A) agrarian society.

B) horticultural society.

C) hunting-and-gathering society.

D) postmodern society.

95) In the most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society, members are engaged primarily in food production. They increase their crop yields through such innovations as the plow. This type of society is called a(n)

A) hunting-and-gathering society.

B) agrarian society.

C) horticultural society.

D) postmodern society.

96) A society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services is called a(n)

A) industrial society.

B) post-industrial society.

C) postmodern society.

D) preindustrial society.

97) Which of the following was characteristic of the emergence of postmodern societies?

A) Workplaces moved from the family cottage to centralized locations.

B) Individuals, villages, and regions began to exchange goods and services and become interdependent.

C) Formal educational institutions developed.

D) Mass consumption of consumer goods and media images.

98) A society whose economic system is engaged in the processing and control of information is called a(n)

A) industrial society.

B) postmodern society.

C) post-industrial society.

D) agrarian society.

99) A society that is primarily concerned with providing services rather than manufacturing goods is a(n)

A) preindustrial society.

B) post-industrial society.

C) industrial society.

D) postmodern society.

100) Daniel Bell views post-industrial societies as consensual, because he believes that post-industrial societies are characterized by interest groups concerned with such national issues as health, education, and the environment working for the common good. Bell's view represents which sociological perspective?

A) Functionalist perspective

B) Conflict perspective

C) Interactionist perspective

D) Feminist perspective

101) The practice of buying more than we need or want, and often more than we can afford is referred to as

A) capitalism.

B) McDonaldization.

C) hyper consumerism.

D) consumerism.

102) A technologically sophisticated society that is preoccupied with consumer goods and media images is called a(n)

A) preindustrial society.

B) industrial society.

C) post-industrial society.

D) postmodern society.

103) In the U.S., we listen to music imported from Jamaica, eat sushi and other Japanese foods, and watch movies produced in Italy. These are all features of a(n)

A) preindustrial society.

B) industrial society.

C) post-industrial society.

D) postmodern society.

104) Reality is shaped by our definitions—but not our perceptions and evaluations.

105) Social reality is literally constructed from our social interactions.

106) Ascribed, achieved, and master are all examples of social statuses.

107) Positive age-seniority language distinctions are uncommon in the United States.

108) Gender is an ascribed status.

109) Twitter has functioned as an important social networking tool.

110) The mass media are an example of a social institution.

111) A condition of estrangement or dissociation from the surrounding society is referred to as alienation.

112) Bureaucratization only takes place within large-group settings.

113) Coalitions consist of organized workers who share either the same skill or the same employer.

114) Sociologists have linked the recent decline in private-sector union membership to a widening gap between hourly workers' wages and managerial and executive compensation.

115) Émile Durkheim argued that mechanical solidarity is characteristic of the interdependence of people in a complex society.

116) The sociocultural evolutionary approach emphasizes a developmental perspective and pictures different types of social structures coexisting within the same society.

117) According to sociologist Herbert Blumer (1969), there is one distinctive characteristic of social interaction among people. Identify and discuss this characteristic. Provide an example from your own experience that illustrates this distinctive characteristic.

118) Identify and discuss the elements of social structure.

119) Explain the difference between ascribed and achieved statuses, and give examples to support your answer.

120) Explain the difference between role conflict, role strain, and role exit.

121) Compare and contrast the different types of groups. Have you had any experiences with any of these groups?

122) Explain the ways in which a social network can either help or hinder a person.

123) Define and discuss social institutions. Why is the mass media considered a social institution?

124) Discuss how the three major sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism view the role of social institutions in society.

125) Discuss Max Weber's ideal type of bureaucracy. Is it possible to have a perfect bureaucracy? Why or why not?

126) Describe some of the potential negative consequences of the process of bureaucratization.

127) Define and discuss labor unions. What are some of the reasons that are contributing to the decline in union membership?

128) Describe sociologist Gerhard Lenski's stages of sociocultural evolution, and explain how his view differs from that of Émile Durkheim's mechanical and organic solidarity and Ferdinand Tönnies's Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft.

129) Define and discuss sociocultural evolution. How does this pattern help explain the changes in human societies?