Sociology Practice Test

 Sociology Practice Test Time—90 Minutes 100 Questions 1. Which of the following are always members of a person’s family of orientation? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 2. Spouse(s) Son(s) and daughter(s) Parent(s) Aunt(s) and uncle(s) Grandparent(s) The social institution that ensures the maintenance of society through the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 6. 7. 8. products materials goods assets services Steel workers who process metal ore are engaged in what kind of production? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) polygamy civil union polyandry group marriage polygyny work the economy politics the power elite education Tangible objects that are necessary or desired are referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) a disjointed kinship an extended family a nuclear family a conjugal family a modern family The concurrent marriage of a person of one sex (male or female) with two or more members of the opposite sex (male or female) is known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 4. 5. A family unit that is composed of relatives in addition to parents and children who live in the same household is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 3. For each question below, choose the best answer from the choices given. Primary sector Secondary sector Tertiary sector Quarterly sector Terminal sector The practice of marrying within one’s own social group or category is Private ownership of the means of production, from which personal profits can be derived through market competition and without government intervention, is characteristic of (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) exogamy homology heterogamy endogamy monogamy 1 capitalism socialism imperialism mercantilism democracy  SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 9. The means through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 14. “Proper” attitudes toward education, socially approved dress and manners, knowledge about books, art, music, and other forms of high and popular culture are all examples of government the economy politics the military family (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 10. Power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive is known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 15. Assignment of students to specific courses and educational programs based on their test scores, previous grades, or both is control leverage authority political influence militarism (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 11. According to Max Weber, power legitimized on the basis of a leader’s exceptional personal qualities is what kind of authority? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Direct participatory democracy Representative democracy Full voting rights A separation of powers The media a tracking orientation a credentialist orientation a meritocracy an educational bureaucracy a spoils system 17. Which of the following is Emile Durkheim’s term for those aspects of life that are extraordinary or supernatural? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 13. Which of the following is NOT a manifest function of education? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) age grading intelligence grouping tracking ability integration nepotism 16. The type of social arrangement in which people are able to gain higher positions based on their intellectual and educational credentials rather than through the influence of personal contacts is Charismatic Traditional Coercive Rational-legal Influential 12. Which of the following provides U.S. citizens a voice in their government through elected representatives who serve as bridges between the citizenry and the government? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) cultural mystique the proper social grace accumulated social wisdom cultural capital cultural materialism Socialization Transmission of culture Production of social networks Social control Change and innovation 2 Profane Spiritual Sacred Magical Special   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 18. Belief in a single supreme being or God who is responsible for significant events such as the creation of the world is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 22. Who are the working poor? (A) People who live from just above to just below the poverty line (B) Seldom-employed individuals who are caught in long-term deprivation because of low education, low employability, low income, and low self-esteem (C) Skilled and semi-skilled machine operators who work in factories and elsewhere (D) Those who live on the margins of society, are frequently homeless, and have little hope for the future (E) People who make $50,000 a year or less transcendent idealism monotheism polytheism unit theism Zen 19. The study of the causes and distribution of health, disease, and impairment throughout a population is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) social epidemiology social welfare social engineering social biology health demography 23. Which of the following BEST expresses the functionalist explanation of social inequality? (A) Powerful people are able to shape and distribute the rewards, resources, privileges, and opportunities in society. (B) Positions that are most important for the survival of society must be filled by the most qualified people, who are highly rewarded. (C) The presence of inequality in a society does not serve as a motivating force for people. (D) The core values of society support social inequality. (E) Most inequality is the result of patriarchy. 20. According to Talcott Parsons, each of the following applies to persons who play the sick role, EXCEPT (A) they are not responsible for their condition (B) they are temporarily exempt from their normal roles and obligations (C) they must seek medical help if their condition is serious (D) they must want to get well (E) they are blamed for their own illness 24. Powerful individuals and groups use ideology to maintain their favored positions at the expense of others, according to what theoretical perspective? 21. All of the following are factors that have eroded the American Dream for the middle class, EXCEPT (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) escalating housing prices blocked mobility on the job the cost-of-living squeeze a decline in the quality of medical services the need for a college degree as an entrylevel job requirement (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 3 Functionalist Conflict Symbolic interactionist Psychological Differential association   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 25. The hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control over basic resources is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 30. Which of the following categories of people has the highest net worth overall? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) social distinction invidious distinctiveness social stratification social layering sociobiology 31. According to Karl Marx’s theory of class relations, 26. According to Karl Marx, which of the following statements about capitalists is NOT true? (A) the bourgeoisie consists of those who must sell their labor to those who own the means of production (B) the proletariat consists of those who own the means of production (C) class relationships involve inequality and exploitation (D) wealth, prestige, and power are all important in determining a person’s class position (E) class inequality is a recent historical development (A) (B) (C) (D) They own the means of production. They control the means of production. They exploit the workers. They are vulnerable to displacement by machines or cheap labor. (E) They achieve wealth through capital. 27. Large computer software corporations are representative of twenty-first century capitalism, which increasingly is based on (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 32. Karl Marx’s term for government, schools, churches, and all other social institutions that produce and disseminate ideas that perpetuate the existing system of exploitation is society’s heavy industry information technology “smokestack” industries narrow national interests abolishment of private property (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 28. According to Max Weber, individual power depends on a person’s position within (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) primary groups bureaucracies family structures kinship networks religious groups substructure superstructure ecostructure basic structure class structure 33. In Max Weber’s stratification typology, which class consists of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 29. For the upper class, wealth most often is the result of (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Divorced persons Separated persons Single persons Married persons Persons under age 30 job training hard work inheritance education salaries and benefits 4 The working class The middle class The divisional class The lower-middle class The pink-collar class   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 34. The respect or regard with which a person is regarded by others is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 38. Negotiations between employers and labor union leaders on behalf of workers are referred to as wealth power status authority prestige (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 35. Which of the following factors is NOT a contributor to the global feminization of poverty? 39. All of the following are shared by members of the same ethnic groups, EXCEPT (A) Poor women worldwide do not have access to commercial credit. (B) Poor women continue to be trained in low wage jobs. (C) The income gap between men and women continues to grow in low–income nations as well as in some developing nations. (D) High-income nations are importing poor women to their countries to provide them better paying jobs and marketable training. (E) Poor women do not have the additional time to devote to income-producing work. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) unique cultural traits a feeling of ethnocentrism a common educational level territoriality a common language 40. What do sociologists term a group that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights within a society? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 36. All of the following statements regarding contingent work are true, EXCEPT that it (A) is part-time and temporary (B) is found in colleges and universities (C) is found in the federal government and in the health care field (D) often involves subcontracting (E) offers advantages to workers but can be detrimental to employers Majority Minority Superior Powerful Social class 41. A negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of selected racial, ethnic, or other groups is referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 37. The process by which some characteristics of a profession are eliminated is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) a lockout mediation binding arbitration agency shop tactics collective bargaining autonomy specialized training occupational recognition deprofessionalization retraining 5 redlining discrimination prejudice racism hate crime   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 46. In the United States, males traditionally are expected to demonstrate aggressiveness, whereas females are expected to be passive and nurturing, which illustrates the concept of 42. A football coach is happy to work with AfricanAmerican players, but feels that white fans will accept only a certain percentage of people of color on the team, thus affecting his hiring practices. According to sociologist Robert Merton, this coach is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) an unprejudiced nondiscriminator an unprejudiced discriminator a prejudiced nondiscriminator a prejudiced discriminator an inclusive nondiscriminator 47. What is the name used for bar graphs divided into five-year age cohorts, with the left side depicting the number or percentage of males in each age bracket and the right side providing the same information for females? 43. At birth, male and female infants are distinguished by the genitalia used in the reproductive process, which are referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) gonads and fallopian tubes primary sex characteristics secondary sex characteristics biological tendencies tertiary sex characteristics (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) feelings behavior identification gender orientation life span cohort projection life prospects life projection life expectancy 49. All of the following statements regarding the relationship between age and poverty in the United States are true, EXCEPT 45. The culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males found in the meanings, beliefs, and practices associated with “femininity” and “masculinity” are known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Demographic diagrams Population pyramids Ecological portraits Actuarial graphs Age predictions 48. An estimate of the average lifetime in years of people born in a specific year is 44. Preference for emotional sexual relationships with members of the opposite sex (heterosexuality), the same sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality) is one’s (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) sexual identity gender identity gender role biological role correct behavior (A) older persons are at a much greater risk of living in poverty than are children (B) older women are twice as likely to be poor as older men (C) older Latinos/as and African-Americans are much more likely to live below the poverty line than are non-Latino/a whites (D) about 46 percent of all African-American children under age 6 lived in poverty in 1993 (E) children as a group are poorer now than they were at the beginning of the 1980s gender sex primary sexual identifiers secondary sexual identifiers behaviorism 6   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 50. Illnesses that are long-term or lifelong and that develop gradually or are present from birth are known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 53. What is Emile Durkheim’s term for the social cohesion found in industrial societies, in which people perform very specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual dependence? acute illnesses chronic illnesses medical illnesses temporary illnesses sick roles (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 51. According to Ferdinand Tönnies, Gemeinschaft refers to Mechanical solidarity Status-oriented bonding High-technology bonding Organic solidarity Bodily solidarity 54. The “old boy network” is an example of (A) a traditional society in which social relationships are based on personal bonds of friendship and kinship and on intergenerational stability (B) a large, urban society in which social bonds are based on impersonal and specialized relationships, with little long-term commitment to the group or consensus on values (C) a traditional society in which social relationships have come to be based on corporate procedures (D) a post-industrial social order in which traditionalism has been restored (E) postmodern societies of the future (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) laws regulating corporations social deviance a social network a fast food chain a commodity chain 55. The subfield of sociology that examines population size, composition, and distribution is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) social ecology gerontology social psychology social dynamics demography 56. A group of people who live in a specified geographic area are referred to as 52. The United States has a larger homeless population today than in earlier times because of (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) higher rates of mental illness and deinstitutionalization (B) a significant increase in alcoholism and drug addiction (C) changes in structural factors in society (D) more people who are unwilling to work (E) problems in the U.S. educational system nomads clients protesters a population a sample 57. The actual level of childbearing of an individual or a population is referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 7 reproduction fecundity fertility fruitfulness preparation   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 58. The number of people living in a specific geographic area (for example, people per square mile) is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 63. What is the term that sociologists use for the situation where the number of low-income neighborhood residents increases and they begin to spill over into adjacent middle-class neighborhoods, which causes the middle class to move out, thus expanding the base or sector of lowincome housing? a distribution migration emigration a neighbor Index density (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 59. According to urban sociologists, a city is (A) a metropolitan region (B) a relatively dense and permanent settlement of people (C) a census category (D) a suburban or rural area (E) better organized than a rural region 64. A continuous concentration of two or more cities and their suburbs that have grown until they form an interconnected urban area is a (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 60. The subfield of sociology that examines social relationships and political and economic structures in the city is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) urban planning zoning urban sociology urban psychology urbanology (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) demography urban sociology human ecology physical sociology geology Capital investment Space allocation Concentric zone development Redlining Zoning 66. A group to which a person does NOT belong and toward which the person may feel a sense of competitiveness or hostility is 62. In Herbert Gans’ typology of urban dwellers, those who live in tightly knit neighborhoods that resemble small towns are (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) megalopolis central metropolitan area census district suburban complex coastal area 65. What is the term used to describe the situation where banks have policies of refusing to make loans for housing and businesses to persons residing in low-income or blighted communities? 61. The study of the relationship between people and their physical environment is known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Capital investment Concentric zone development An enterprise zone The invasion-succession cycle Forced integration (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) cosmopolites ethnic villagers yuppies buppies natives 8 an in-group an out-group a secondary group a reference group a family of orientation   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 67. A reference group is a group 71. The statement “The greater the degree of social harm, the more the offender should be punished” reflects the principle of (A) that strongly influences members’ behavior and social attitudes (B) to which a person belongs and with which the person feels a sense of identity (C) that strongly influences a person’ s behavior and social attitudes, regardless of whether that individual is an actual member (D) that consists of two or more people who interact frequently and share a common identity (E) that actively recruits new members (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 72. An organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 68. Which of the following concepts is illustrated by the fact that a successful college president need not be effective in designing the college’s promotional brochures and a successful corporate executive need not be able to program the department’s computer system? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) revolutionary reform religious alternative incremental 74. People who are satisfied with their present condition are LESS likely to seek social change, according to the theory of retaliation emphasis control deviance status (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 70. According to Robert Merton’s strain theory, what occurs when people accept society’s goals but adopt disapproved means for achieving them? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) a revolution a civil disobedience group a social movement an interest collectivity a plurality 73. Movements seeking to bring about a total change in society are referred to as Technological employment Hierarchy of needs Goal displacement Division of labor Human relations 69. Systematic practices developed by social groups to encourage conformity to social norms are referred to as mechanisms of social (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) retribution social protection rehabilitation deterrence restitution Conformity Innovation Rebellion Ritualism Retreatism 9 value-added resource mobilization functionalist relative deprivation symbolic interactionist   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 75. Voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and that typically violates dominant group norms and values is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 79. The process by which a person mentally assumes the role of another person in order to understand the world from that person’s point of view is referred to as social change organizational behavior institutional behavior collective behavior conformity (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 76. A relatively large number of people who are in one another’s immediate vicinity is termed a (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 80. According to sociologists, what account(s) for virtually all patterns of human behavior? mass critical mass category crowd reference group (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 77. The situation in which a teenage boy receives advice from his older sister about how to act on a first date is an example of (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) generalized others role-taking significant others self-concept switching Technology Medical advancements Culture Values Genes 81. Traditions, beliefs, language, and philosophies are all examples of (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) sociobiology acculturation socialization high self-esteem deskilling material culture cultural universals cultural values nonmaterial culture value judgments 82. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis 78. What is Charles Horton Cooley’s term for the way in which a person’s sense of self is derived from the perceptions of others? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) language is a given (B) language precedes thought (C) language is not related to categories of thought (D) all of the world’s languages view the world in a similar way (E) animals have complex language ability Development of personality The “looking-glass” self The “I” and the “me” The human psyche The “window of life” 10   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 83. The complex framework of societal institutions and the social practices that make up a society and organize and establish limits on individual behavior are referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) Columbia University and Spellman College (B) Harvard University and Yale University (C) University of Chicago and Atlanta University (D) Howard University and Brown University (E) Princeton University and the University of Texas social interaction structurally patterned behavior social structure group interaction social control 84. Any physical or social attribute or sign that so devalues a person’s social identity that it disqualifies that person from full social acceptance is a (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 88. The first U.S. departments of sociology were established at norm value status stigma meritocracy 89. George Herbert Mead is one of the founders of the (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 90. Which of the following was NOT an accomplishment of sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois? 85. Which of the following is an ascribed status? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) He utilized sociology as a method of social reform. (B) He helped to found the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). (C) He conducted a classical sociological study called The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study. (D) He founded the second department of sociology in the United States. (E) He founded the first college for white women in the United States. Astronomer Violinist Female College graduate Grandparent 86. The scholar Auguste Comte (A) is considered to be the founder of sociology (B) conducted the first scientific research in sociology (C) coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” (D) co-authored the text Social Injustice (E) is best known for his study of suicide 91. The extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 87. According to sociologist C. Wright Mills, the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society is referred to as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) conflict perspective symbolic interaction perspective functionalist perspective feminist perspective social control perspective the conflict perspective symbolic interaction reality perception the sociological imagination the scientific vision 11 reliability the hypothesis theory a hunch intuition   SOCIOLOGY PRACTICE TEST 92. The process of systematically collecting information for the purpose of testing an existing theory or generating a new idea is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 97. The role of a health club or golf club as a meeting ground for people seeking new business contacts is an example of research polling surveying data gathering spin (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 93. Any concept with measurable traits or characteristics that can change or vary from one person, time, situation, or society to another is a (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 98. Which of the following sociological perspectives views society as a system in which each part contributes to the survival of the entire system? hypothesis variable problem research design trait (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 94. If depression is assumed to be caused by loss of employment, then depression is treated here as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) the dependent variable an inductive variable the independent variable a quantitative research variable a negative variable (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Conflict perspective Functionalist perspective Symbolic interactionist perspective Feminist perspective Rational choice perspective 100. The symbolic interactionist approach views society as quantitative analysis qualitative analysis random variation secondary analysis the margin of error (A) the result of biological evolution (B) the result of class conflicts in society (C) being determined by social interaction and communication (D) complex systems, composed of specialized interdependent parts (E) having a limited lifespan in terms of time 96. In order for societies to produce social change and a better society, Karl Marx believed which of the following was necessary? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Functionalist perspective Conflict perspective Interactionist symbolic perspective Postmodern perspective Feminist perspective 99. Which sociological perspective would study how educational institutions help to maintain the privilege of some groups, while keeping others in a lower position? 95. The research method in which the goal is scientific objectivity and the focus is on numerical data is known as (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) a dialectical function a manifest function a latent function a dysfunction an opportunistic function Class conflict Economic conflict Social conflict Environmental conflict Functional imperatives 12