Sociology Field Exam

**Sociology Field Exam. Please select the best answer based on your overall sociological knowledge. 1. Sociology is the study of social organization and behavior based on ____________ and ______________ a. Data and common sense b. Common sense and conventional wisdom c. Social theory and empirical research d. Social theory and common sense 2. C. Wright Mills claimed that the "sociological imagination" transformed: a. common sense into laws of society. b. people into supporters of the status quo. c. personal troubles into public issues. d. scientific research into common sense. 3. Which of the following historical changes is among the factors that stimulated the development of sociology as a discipline? a. the founding of the Roman Catholic church b. the rise of industrial factories and cities c. the power of tradition d. a belief that our futures are defined by "fate" 4. The theoretical approach in sociology that assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability is the: a. structural-functional approach. b. social-conflict approach. c. symbolic-interaction approach. d. None of the above is correct. 5. The "framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change" is the: a. structural-functional approach. b. social-conflict approach. c. symbolic-interaction approach. d. All of the above are correct. 6. Using the structural-functional approach, which of the following questions might you ask about marriage? a. What do people think marriage means? b. How does marriage benefit women and men unequally? c. What are the functions of marriage for the operation of society? d. Who is more likely to get married? 7. Identify the three sociologists who played a part in the development of sociology’s structuralfunctional approach. a. Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois b. Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim c. Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Auguste Comte d. Harriet Martineau, Robert Merton, W.E.B. Du Bois 8. Which of the following early sociologists had an important influence on the development of the socialconflict approach? a. Karl Marx b. Talcott Parsons c. Emile Durkheim d. Herbert Spencer 9. The basic idea of the symbolic-interaction approach is that society is: a. an arena of conflict between categories of people. b. the product of people interacting in everyday situations. c. a system that operates to benefit people. d. All of the above are correct. 10. Which research method asks subjects to respond to a series of items in a questionnaire or an interview? a. secondary research b. participant observation c. an experiment d. a survey 11. Which sociological research method provides the best chance to understand social behavior and/or routine activities in a natural setting? a. the experiment b. the survey c. participant observation d. secondary analysis 12. The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher: a. must care personally about the topic being studied. b. must adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research. c. must study issues that have no value to society as a whole. d. must carry out research that will encourage desirable social change. 13. Shawna is an excellent artist, but as a mother, she feels that she cannot work and devote enough time to her family. She is experiencing a. role conflict. b. role strain. c. role ambiguity. d. role exit. 14. What concept refers to a social position that is received at birth or involuntarily assumed later in life? a. passive role b. master status c. ascribed status d. achieved status 15. The W.I. Thomas theorem states that a. a role is as a role does. b. people rise to their level of incompetence. c. situations defined as real are real in their consequences. d. people know the world only through their language. 16. What is the term for the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that together constitute a people’s way of life? a. social structure b. social system c. culture d. society 17. Which of the following concepts refers to “the recognized violation of cultural norms”? a. deviance b. crime c. legal infraction d. juvenile delinquency 18. Deviant behavior may vary a. from time to time. b. from place to place. c. from culture to culture. d. in all of the above. 19. Read the following four statements about the social foundations of deviance. Select the one statement that is FALSE. a. Deviance exists only in relation to cultural norms. b. There are many acts that are always and everywhere deviant. c. People become deviant as others define them that way. d. Norms and the way people define situations involve social power. 20. Robert Merton’s strain theory of deviance uses which of the following concepts to refer to the process of seeking conventional goals but rejecting conventional means to achieve them? a. innovation b. ritualism c. retreatism d. rebellion 21. Comparative research indicates that: a. although sex has a biological foundation, sexual practices vary from place to place as an element of culture. b. people throughout the world engage in much the same sexual practices. c. people show affection at the same level of intensity throughout the world d. sexuality is defined entirely by a biological “sex drive 22. If you often had the feeling of being "trapped in the wrong body," you might well be: a. a hermaphrodite. b. a homosexual. c. a transsexual. d. a bisexual. 23. Based on survey research on attitudes towards premarital sex, you would be correct to say that: a. the public is more accepting of premarital sex than it was a generation ago. b. there has been little or no change in public attitudes towards premarital sex in recent decades. c. the public is less accepting of premarital sex than it was a generation ago. d. almost everyone today claims that premarital sex is wrong. 24. The majority of evidence indicates that sexual orientation is rooted in a. human biology, although social experience plays some role. b. how societies construct sexuality. c. individual choice. d. the way young children are raised. 25. Social stratification is a concept that refers to a. specialization in productive work. b. ranking categories of people in a hierarchy. c. the idea that some people are more talented than others. d. All of these are correct. 26. The concept of gender refers to: c. a. the degree of inequality between men and women in a society. b. the secondary sex characteristics of individuals. the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male. d. people’s sexual orientation. 27. What concept refers to an invisible, yet real, barrier that prevents many women from rising beyond middle-management positions? a. glass ceiling b. hidden sexism c. polite discrimination d. imaginary discrimination 28. In today’s U.S. work force, a. men and women have the same types of jobs. b. women and men receive the same pay. c. women tend to be in upper management positions d. a majority of working women hold “pink collar” jobs. 29. If you wanted to understand your social position, you should consider which of the following factors? a. being born into a certain family b. race c. gender d. All of the above are correct. 30. Which of the following social categories has the highest poverty rate? a. African Americans b. Whites c. Men d. Married women 31. The concept “feminization of poverty” refers to the fact that, in the United States: a. more and more women are getting out of poverty b. today’s women have fewer legal rights. c. women make up an increasing share of the poor. d. fewer women are working for income. 32. The concept of “race” refers to: a. people who fall into any minority category. b. skin color. c. a shared cultural heritage. d. a socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important. 33. Institutional discrimination refers to the fact that: a. some people hold rigidly biased attitudes. b. bias was more pronounced in this nation’s history. c. bias is built into the operation of social institutions. d. many people still maintain prejudiced attitudes. 34. Ecological specialization refers to A) a career in pollution control. B) concentrating hazardous waste dumps. C) a concentration of one social group in an urban area. D) zoning restrictions. 35. White flight is the a. Increase of White American pilots b. Increase of White American apartment renters c. Increase of White American city dwellers d. Increase of White American suburban residence 36. The term “sociology” was coined by Emile Durkheim. A. True b. False 37. Among all the academic disciplines, sociology is one of the youngest. A. B. True b. False 38. All individuals who engage in homosexual sex identify as homosexuals. A. True B. False 39. In the United States, wealth is distributed more equally than income. A. True B. False 40. Class systems (rather than caste systems) assign social position based on both birth and individual achievement (merit). A. True B. False 41. Oscar Lewis’s The culture of poverty theory supports the idea that the poor are to blame for their poverty. A. True B. False 42. . Of all industrialized countries, the United States is known to be one of the most highly stratified. A. True B. False 43. Most sociological research suggests that gender is socially constructed and thus is subject to change. A. True B. False 44. The second shift refers to the housework or childcare responsibilities women typically continue to perform after their income producing jobs. A. True B. False 45. Deconcentration refers to mass exit from urban areas, while concentration refers to mass entrance into urban areas. A. True B. False 46. Gentrification is a form of urban rejuvenation where the middle class move into deconcentrated areas of cities A. True B) False