Chapter 4: Becoming and Being Religious

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Sociologists suggest that most people continue in the religious traditions of their parents because they have ______.

A. little ability to choose

B. little desire to rebel

C. been socialized into these beliefs

D. been brainwashed

2. How did religious socialization change when the nuclear family became the dominant form of family?

A. It became more informal.

B. It became more formal.

C. It became more personal.

D. It became more impersonal.

3. Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between religious and general socialization over time?

A. These processes have become more distinct.

B. These processes have become more similar.

C. Religious socialization has become more salient than general socialization.

D. General socialization has become more salient than religious socialization.

4. The authors of your textbook argue that religious identity in the United States has been changing in recent decades by becoming ______.

A. more ascribed

B. more achieved

C. more denominational

D. more spiritual

5. Which of the following is an example of a more formalized approach to religious socialization?

A. reading a religious text at home

B. having peers who are mostly religious

C. attending Sunday morning classes at a congregation

D. praying together as a family

6. According to social learning theory, which agent of socialization has the biggest impact on children?

A. media

B. peers

C. religious leaders

D. parents

7. Over time, religious intermarriage has ______.

A. decreased

B. increased

C. stayed the same

D. fluctuated

8. What happens to religious participation during adolescence?

A. It tends to decline.

B. It tends to increase.

C. Formal participation increases and informal participation decreases.

D. Informal participation increases and formal participation decreases.

9. What is the most likely consequence of the increasing rate of religious intermarriage on attendance of religious services?

A. It will not have an effect.

B. Children will stay home while parents go to separate services.

C. Children will attend services with one parent.

D. Both children and parents will be less likely to attend services.

10. What concept was developed to explain the unclear and delayed passage to mature adulthood experienced by American youth today?

A. adolescence

B. emerging adulthood

C. delayed adulthood

D. young adulthood

11. Which of the following factors consistently predicts declining attendance at religious services?

A. going to college

B. getting married

C. leaving one’s childhood home

D. having children

12. Emerging adulthood is characterized by religious ______.

A. stability

B. instability

C. change

D. disaffiliation

13. Which of the following life events signifies mature adulthood?

A. leaving home and getting married

B. getting married and having children

C. having children and getting a job

D. getting a job and getting divorced

14. Which stage of life has the highest rates of religiosity?

A. adolescence

B. emerging adulthood

C. mature adulthood

D. later life

15. Compared to the rest of the world, the United States is ______.

A. less religious overall

B. more Christian

C. more religiously diverse

D. focused more on orthopraxy

16. A significant trend in religious belonging in the United States is ______.

A. an increase in Christian affiliation

B. a decline in Christian affiliation

C. a decline in religious nones

D. a decline in religious diversity

17. The question, “do people believe in Gods?” reflects which definition of religion?

A. symbolic

B. cultural

C. substantive

D. functional

18. Which religious behavior is most commonly discussed by sociologists of religion?

A. frequency religious service attendance

B. belief in God

C. frequency of prayer

D. affiliation

19. Today, many Americans find religious authority in ______.

A. God

B. the Bible

C. the pastor

D. the individual

And: D

20. Faced with a wide range of choices for religious identity, many Americans choose ______.

A. spirituality

B. established denominational identities

C. no label

D. their local church

21. Predominantly ______ countries have the lowest rates of atheism.

A. Jewish

B. Buddhist

C. Muslim

D. Christian

22. The third phase of the “disestablishment of religion” in America is ______.

A. separation of church and state

B. separation of religious identity from denominations

C. the challenge to Protestantism’s monopoly

D. the rise of the religious nones

Essay

When it comes to essay questions, students sometimes write poorly because they are guessing about what the instructor wants, even if the question seems to be perfectly clear. For that reason we strongly recommend provision of an audience (so students know how much to assume in use of sociological vocabulary as well as how much must be made explicit) and criteria for evaluation (which is information that any writer needs to know). Below are two sample statements that might be used as part of an essay question.

A. This essay calls for presentation and defense of an informed opinion. You should write for a well-educated reader, but one unfamiliar with sociological approaches to the study of religion. You will be graded on (a) provision of a clearly stated thesis, (b) the clarity and sophistication of your rationale, and (c) the ability to support your argument with strong evidence. Sophistication of rationale refers to awareness of the complexity of the issues. The side of the argument that you support is irrelevant to the grading criteria.

B. Your audience for this essay should be senior sociology majors who know sociological vocabulary, but have never specifically studied the sociology of religion. The criteria for evaluation will be (1) accuracy of explanation, (2) clarity of illustrations or examples, and (3) thoroughness in exploring all dimensions of the issue.

Since some of these questions call for careful reflection, you might consider giving students a list of these and other essay questions in advance.

1. Why do most individuals end up having the same religion as their parents and grandparents, regardless of where they are born? Use various theories and insights form this unit to explore this issue.

2. Explain the central trends in individual religious identity and affiliation in the United States. How does affiliation in the United States compare to affiliation around the world?

3. Explain how different family factors can contribute to religious socialization or to declines in religious engagement.

4. How does religious participation ebb and flow over the life course? Describe major patterns.

5. Why is it important to consider belonging, believing, and behaving when measuring religiosity?

6. Who are the religious nones? Explain why religious “none” does NOT mean “not religious.”

7. How has religion in North America shifted over the past 50 years from an ascribed to an achieved element of one’s identity?

8. Explain the three phases of the disestablishment in America and their consequences for religious identity and belonging.