Test Bank Chapter 2 American Sociology: Theory And Methods - Test Bank | Living Sociologically Concise by Jacobs by Ronald Jacobs. DOCX document preview.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 1
1) What does it mean to say that all people are sociologists?
Feedback: In order to survive and thrive in the social world, you have to pay attention to how other people act. We navigate our social world based on these observations.
Page reference: See the introduction to Chapter 2.
a. We use ideas about our social world to navigate our way through life.
b. High school students who study sociology are more likely to say they enjoy making observations about human behaviors.
c. More jobs than ever require employees to understand how people relate to each other.
d. We can rely on common sense to help us understand the world accurately.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 2
2) What is the difference between common sense and sociology?
Feedback: Common sense is haphazard, unreliable, imprecise, and often inaccurate.
Page reference: See the introduction to Chapter 2.
a. Sociologists use specific theories and methods to ask critical questions about social life.
b. Common sense is reliably accurate.
c. Common sense is based on precise measurement.
d. Sociological conclusions are based on haphazard observations.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 3
3) Which example illustrates that individuals’ lives are not entirely shaped by social structures?
Feedback: When an individual’s outcomes defy the constraints that social life attempts to put on them, we see that life has opportunities for contingency.
Page reference: See section “Sociology: Theory and Contexts.”
a. The children of movie stars often go on to become movie stars.
b. Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty but rose to become one of the wealthiest people in America.
c. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was related to 11 other presidents.
d. In the US, upward economic mobility—the ability to enter a social class that is higher than the one you were born into—is relatively weak.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 4
4) A question that investigates why a social phenomenon happened as it did and not otherwise is called a
Feedback: While questions appropriate for sociological inquiry are measurable and researchable, it is their critical dimension that invites us to think about why things are as they are and not otherwise.
Page reference: See subsection “Critical Questions and the Sociological Imagination.”
a. measurable question.
b. researchable question.
c. critical question.
d. reflexive question.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 5
5) Central to the sociological imagination is the recognition that
Feedback: People exercising their sociological imagination understand that their position in society determines what is available for them to observe.
Page reference: See subsection “Critical Questions and the Sociological Imagination.”
a. people become less biased the older they get.
b. all people share common insights simply by the fact of being human.
c. the more similar two people are, the less likely they will be to see the world similarly.
d. where you stand in the social world shapes what you perceive.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 6
6) Reflexivity is the
Feedback: Reflexivity is the ability to see yourself from outside of your own perspective in order to understand yourself as part of a wider social scene.
Page reference: See subsection “Critical Questions and the Sociological Imagination.”
a. willingness to confess publicly to your own biases.
b. ability to see from the perspective of someone you disagree with.
c. ability to see yourself from outside of your own perspective in order to understand yourself as part of a wider social scene.
d. ability to hold two contradictory opinions in your mind at the same time.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 7
7) Why did French sociologist Auguste Comte argue that sociology was the most important of the sciences?
Feedback: Comte argued that social phenomena are more complex than those in the natural sciences, so sociology had to integrate the most complex information.
Page reference: See section “Sociology: Theory and Contexts.”
a. Basic sociological principles are relatively easy to learn, which makes the discipline easy to spread.
b. Sociology helps people in both their personal and public lives.
c. Social phenomena are the most complex phenomena, and thus sociology must integrate the most complex information.
d. Sociology has the most profitable applications to the industrial world.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 8
8) The social sciences are those disciplines that
Feedback: Disciplines that use systematic scientific and culture methods to study the social world comprise the social sciences.
Page reference: See section “Sociology: Theory and Contexts.”
a. ignore stringent methods in favor of relying on common sense.
b. gather knowledge through experiments on humans.
c. deal with human experiences.
d. use systematic scientific and cultural methods to study the social world, as distinct from the natural and physical world.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 9
9) According to French sociologist Émile Durkheim, sociology is different from other fields of study because
Feedback: Durkheim saw sociology as uniquely relying on social facts.
Page reference: See section “Sociology: Theory and Contexts.”
a. it argues that people are unable to influence their social worlds.
b. sociologists rely on intuition to make conclusions.
c. it is limited to applications in the present and future and cannot help us understand the past.
d. it relies on social facts, which are external to people, unlike biological or psychological ones.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 10
10) Which of the following was a social change produced by the Industrial Revolution?
Feedback: The Industrial Revolution brought more people into cities, where factories were located.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. Urbanization
b. Decentralization
c. Diminishing bureaucracies
d. Reduced gender inequality
Title: Chapter 2 Question 11
11) Which of the following is not one of the three main theories of classical sociology?
Feedback: The three theoretical orientations of classical sociology are the consensus, conflict, and symbolic interactionist models.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. Reflexivity
b. Consensus
c. Conflict
d. Symbolic interaction
Title: Chapter 2 Question 12
12) The sociological canon is
Feedback: A canon of any kind refers to the key thinkers, publications, and ideas that serve as standard point of reference for a scholarly or artistic tradition.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. a collection of writing that was once important but that few sociologists read anymore.
b. the entire body of sociological scholarship ever written.
c. the over-valued contributions of powerful but ultimately mediocre thinkers from the 19th century.
d. the ideas that have become seen as “required reading” to have a firm understanding of the foundations of sociology.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 13
13) According to Marx, society is shaped primarily by the history of
Feedback: Marx saw economic conflict as a major force in history.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. racial conflict.
b. economic conflict.
c. conflict over gender.
d. religious conflict.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 14
14) False consciousness is
Feedback: In order for the dominated class to become free, its members needed to overthrow the dominant class and set up a new system for organizing work. The problem was that the dominated class often failed to realize the true path to their freedom and happiness, a situation that Marx called “false consciousness.”
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. unwarranted confidence in your own abilities.
b. ignorance of your own biases.
c. a refusal to recognize the contributions of others to your thinking.
d. belief in the validity of the forces that oppress you.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 15
15) Capitalism is an economic system
Feedback: Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of property, including the means of material life such as food, clothing, and shelter, and in which the production of goods and services is controlled by private individuals and companies, and prices are set by markets.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. in which the goods of society are distributed based on need.
b. that seeks to maximize the well-being for the greatest number of people.
c. in which the goods of society are distributed based on merit.
d. based on the private ownership of the things necessary for human life to survive.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 16
16) The practice of public sociology is built upon
Feedback: Public sociology is committed to the application of sociological ideas in wider conversations and in pursuit of social justice.
Page reference: See subsection “Basic, Applied, and Public Sociology.”
a. a commitment to using sociological ideas in wider public conversations and struggles for social justice.
b. transparency in how research funds are spent.
c. the crowdsourcing of data collection.
d. the public funding of research.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 17
17) According to Max Weber, all modern institutions are organized
Feedback: Weber argued that bureaucracies are central to the organization of modern life.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. mechanically.
b. organically.
c. reflexively.
d. bureaucratically.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 18
18) Disenchantment is a condition of rationalized bureaucratic society characterized by
Feedback: When people are less likely to be motivated to social action by belief, they are experiencing disenchantment.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. the decline of belief as a motivation for social action.
b. social divisions based on differences in religious identity.
c. depression due to the inevitability of climate change.
d. failure to act due to pessimism about the honesty of political leaders.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 19
19) For Durkheim, what advantage does organic solidarity have over mechanical solidarity?
Feedback: For Durkheim, organic solidarity allows dissimilar people to experience bonds.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. It is easier to achieve.
b. It produces stronger connections between people.
c. It excludes people who might threaten the values of the community.
d. It can produce solidarity even with people whose experiences we do not share.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 20
20) Collective representations are
Feedback: Collective representations are images we have of our own social groups.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. stereotypes we hold of people who are outside of our own social groups.
b. media representatives that are inaccurate and create damaging expectations of what people should look and behave like.
c. propaganda created by political leaders to create an image of a nation that is more noble than it is.
d. images we have of our own social groups.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 21
21) ‘Asabiyyah is an Arabic word describing
Feedback: ‘Asabiyyah refers to social cohesion produced by group life.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. the social cohesion arising from group life.
b. the conflict between those who have and do not have power in a society.
c. unjust treatment of people in a society based on some characteristic they cannot control.
d. economic inequality.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 22
22) Which is considered to be a founder of sociology?
Feedback: Harriet Martineau was an early promoter of the new discipline of sociology.
Page reference: See subsection “Classical Sociology.”
a. Charlotte Gilman Perkins
b. Jane Addams
c. Mirra Komarovsky
d. Harriet Martineau
Title: Chapter 2 Question 23
23) Charles Horton Cooley’s idea of the “looking glass self” says that
Feedback: Cooley argued that we look into society as if it were a mirror, using its image of us to help us build our self-concept.
Page reference: See subsection “Sociology in America.”
a. society serves as a mirror that we use to develop our own self-concept as we see ourselves as others see us.
b. individuals serve as a canvas on which society paints a unique picture.
c. we do not see the differences between ourselves and those close to us until society tells us that we are different from them.
d. despite growing up in different societies, all people develop similar self-images.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 24
24) What is the central question of the consensus theory?
Feedback: Consensus theory focuses on what makes a society stable.
Page reference: See subsection “Sociology in America.”
a. Who has power in a society and how did they get it?
b. How do our everyday interactions create our social world?
c. What factors contribute to stable social systems?
d. Who can exert agency to change their lives?
Title: Chapter 2 Question 25
25) Symbolic interactionism focuses on
Feedback: Symbolic interactionists explore interactions among individuals and small groups.
Page reference: See subsection “Sociology in America.”
a. economic forces in history.
b. power differentials among different people groups.
c. how people work together to reach common goals.
d. individuals and small groups and their interactions.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 26
26) A nominal variable is also called a(n)
Feedback: Nominal and categorical both describe the same kind of variable—one in which categories are ranked as higher or lower, but the distance between them is unknown.
Page reference: See subsection “Data and Measurement.”
a. linear variable.
b. categorical variable.
c. ordinal variable.
d. continuous variable.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 27
27) Which is an example of a continuous variable?
Feedback: A continuous variable is inherently numerical. It can be counted, and the number assigned to it provides us with meaningful information.
Page reference: See subsection “Data and Measurement.”
a. Someone’s race
b. Someone’s address
c. Someone’s gender
d. Someone’s age in years
Title: Chapter 2 Question 28
28) Which is an example of an ordinal variable?
Feedback: An ordinal variable is a measure of categorical order, where distances between categories are not numerically precise.
Page reference: See subsection “Data and Measurement.”
a. The value of your house in dollars
b. The size of your house not in square feet but relative to your neighbors’ houses (smaller, larger, the same size)
c. The address of your house
d. The distance in miles between your house and the nearest hospital
Title: Chapter 2 Question 29
29) In which circumstances would a sociologist choose a qualitative over a quantitative project?
Feedback: Qualitative projects tend to yield more nuanced, detail-rich information, but over a smaller number of cases.
Page reference: See subsection “Data and Measurement.”
a. When they want to conduct research quickly
b. When they want to produce numeric data
c. When they want to look at a single case in great depth
d. When they want to conduct research with many research subjects
Title: Chapter 2 Question 30
30) In which research question is income a dependent variable?
Feedback: A dependent income is predicted to change in response to the independent income. In the list of questions below, only one predicts that income will change.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. Does college GPA increase a new graduate’s income in the first year after graduation?
b. Does parental income predict a child’s college GPA?
c. Are students whose parents are wealthy more likely to receive merit-based scholarships than those whose parents are not?
d. Which is more influential over a child’s acceptance into a prestigious university: parental income or student GPA?
Title: Chapter 2 Question 31
31) Dr. Locklear wants to study the impact of the hours spent on social media on high school students’ hours spent studying. Which variable is the dependent variable and which is the independent variable?
Feedback: Because Dr. Locklear predicts that hours spent on social media will effect a change in high schoolers’ hours spent studying, hours on social media is independent and hours spent studying is dependent.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. Hours spent on social media is dependent and hours spent studying independent.
b. High school GPA is dependent and hours spent on social media is independent.
c. Hours spent studying is dependent and hours spent on social media is independent.
d. High school GPA is independent and hours spent on social media is dependent.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 32
32) The speedometer in your old car is broken. Sometimes it accurately reports your speed, sometimes it reports a speed that is slower or faster than your actual speed, and sometimes it reports that you are not moving, even when you are. The speedometer lacks
Feedback: Reliability is consistency. Your speedometer is not consistent.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. validity.
b. reliability.
c. generalizability.
d. falsifiability.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 33
33) Your thermometer consistently tells you that your temperature is 101 degrees—no matter if you have a fever or not. Your thermometer lacks
Feedback: Your thermometer is not valid—though it is reliable.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. generalizability.
b. reliability.
c. validity.
d. falsifiability.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 34
34) The process of defining measures for a sociological study is
Feedback: Operationalization is the process of defining measures for a sociological study.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. generalization.
b. peer review.
c. falsifiability.
d. operationalization.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 35
35) In most cases, why can’t sociologists study all members of their research population?
Feedback: A research population is comprised of all the possible research subjects, which is usually many more than the number that can reasonably participate in research.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. It is too large.
b. It would produce too much data.
c. The data would not be reliable.
d. The data would not be valid.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 36
36) What is one reason why convenience sampling is sometimes seen as an inferior approach to sampling?
Feedback: Because convenience samples draw from people to whom you have easy access, they tend to be populated by people who have a lot in common, which can bias results.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. It often produces a sample that is too small.
b. It often produces a sample that is too large.
c. It tends to produce samples that are too homogeneous; the people in the sample are too similar to each other.
d. It tends to produce samples that are too heterogeneous; the people in the sample are too different from each other.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 37
37) Which of the following statements about correlation and causation is accurate?
Feedback: Correlation can occur without causation, but causation requires correlation.
Page reference: See subsection “Variables, Data Collection, and Causal Relationships.”
a. You can have correlation without causation.
b. You can have causation without correlation.
c. To have correlation, you must have causation.
d. Causation without correlation is rare but does happen.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 38
38) Dr. Begay wants to learn whether people cooperate more effectively with people with whom they share something in common. He invites 100 people to play a card game in his lab. The game requires people to be partnered, and he assigns half of the players a partner with the same birthday as them. The other half are assigned partners who do not have the same birthday. In all other ways, the partnerships are comparable. He observes each partnership to see whether same-birthday partners collaborate more effectively than partners with different birthdays. What kind of research design is Dr. Begay using?
Feedback: Because Dr. Begay is controlling variables in an effort to influence the outcome, he is conducting a controlled experiment.
Page reference: See subsection “Social Research and Ethics”
a. Participant observation
b. Field experiment
c. Focus group
d. Controlled experiment
Title: Chapter 2 Question 39
39) Selection effect happens when
Feedback: Selection effect is bias produced in the data by the way the data is selected or chosen.
Page reference: See subsection “Common Strategies for Sociological Research.”
a. data is biased because of how it is selected for study in the first place.
b. confirmation bias goes unchecked.
c. the peer review process isn’t anonymous, so scholars who are already well-known are able to put pressure on reviewers to accept their work.
d. research subjects drop out of a research project part way through the process.
Title: Chapter 2 Question 40
40) Which of the following research projects would likely be called unethical?
Feedback: While recording people in places where they assume they have privacy (such as in private conversations) without their permission or knowledge is legal in some states, it is not ethical for purposes of research, because not everyone in the situation is granting informed consent.
Page reference: See subsection “Social Research and Ethics”
a. Asking parents and teachers for permission to observe parent-teacher conferences in order to study parent-teacher interactions
b. Asking all parents in a school district to complete an anonymous survey about their satisfaction with the district’s new online lunch payment system
c. Putting a suggestion box in the school cafeteria so that students can offer feedback about meals
d. Using a hidden camera to record parent-teacher conferences without parent permission but with teacher permission, in order to study how teachers interact with parents and make recommendations for how they can improve their communication strategies
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Test Bank | Living Sociologically Concise by Jacobs
By Ronald Jacobs