Sociology - Theory and Method Answer Key

Sociology: Theory and Method MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Sociologists recognize that “personal” troubles, if occurring in patterned ways, to large numbers of individuals, reflect important __________ or consequences of social structures. a. public issues c. interest groups b. individualized problems d. family values ANS: A 2. In the midst of an economic crisis, when foreclosures have become a common feature in the country in response, Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage. Sociologists would likely see this as: a. a personal trouble b. the fault of Jenna’s father for not providing for the family c. a socialist economy d. a public issue ANS: D 3. Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the: a. accumulation of capital c. emergence theory b. sociological imagination d. recognition of self ANS: B 4. In the midst of an economic crisis, when foreclosures have become a common feature in the country in response, Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage. Jenna would be using a sociological imagination to think about this if she were to: a. blame her mother for not working hard enough b. wonder why her father does not just find a new job c. consider how it might be strange that we live in a world that allows people to be thrown out of their homes d. think about ways she can contribute financially to buying their house back ANS: C 5. __________ refers to how human societies are reconstructed at every moment by the very “building blocks” that compose them—human beings. a. Evolutionary biology c. Metatheory b. Structuration d. Dramaturgy ANS: B 6. When women began entering the workforce in larger numbers in the United States, until eventually it became normal, women’s structural place in society was (somewhat) altered. This is an example of: a. structuration c. wages for housework b. social stasis d. the glass ceiling ANS: A 7. When Juan drinks his morning coffee, he thinks about its production in Colombia, its transportation through many countries, the taxes and tariffs applied for international commerce, and the diverse array of social relations behind his drink. According to the textbook, one might say that Juan is using: a. an internalized view of things b. an individual framework of commodity production c. a global perspective d. a domestic view of labor ANS: C 8. According to the textbook, __________ involve constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of situations. a. empirical answers c. theories b. ideologies d. beliefs ANS: C 9. __________ invented the word sociology. a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber ANS: B 10. According to __________, to become a science, sociology must study social facts—aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals. a. Karl Marx c. Émile Durkheim b. Auguste Comte d. Max Weber ANS: C 11. Émile Durkheim believed that for a society to function and persist over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with each other and function as an integrated whole. He referred to this as: a. democratic centralism b. consensus c. class consciousness d. organic solidarity ANS: D 12. Kevon believes that society should be looked at like a body, with constituent parts necessary to the functioning of the whole. His ideas probably most closely mirror those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx c. Harriet Martineau b. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber ANS: B 13. __________ argued that class struggles were what led to historical progress and development. a. Karl Marx c. Émile Durkheim b. Auguste Comte d. Max Weber ANS: A 14. The ideas of Karl Marx might be criticized for what reason? a. He had no analysis of power imbalances. b. His focus on class conflict risked minimizing or ignoring other social divisions, such as those around race and gender. c. His materialist conception of history relied too much on the ideas people had instead of actual social events. d. He paid no attention to how society produced and distributed goods. ANS: B 15. Anita puts forward the idea that under capitalism, working people and the owners of the means of production will struggle, and from this struggle, a new kind of society will emerge. Her thoughts most closely mirror those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx c. Harriet Martineau b. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber ANS: A 16. Karl Marx studied the development of capitalism in western Europe and the United States. One possible criticism of his research might be that: a. his perspective was not sufficiently global in outlook b. he ignored working-class experience c. Marx never bothered to really understand the production of goods d. his research was never used with the goal of improving society; instead, he simply tried to describe the world ANS: A 17. Karl Marx thought that society: a. was a fully functioning grouping of social equals b. was primarily divided by social class c. had reached its historical apex d. was a reflection of the mind of God ANS: B 18. __________ was perhaps most influential in sociology for his studies of bureaucracy. a. Karl Marx c. Émile Durkheim b. Auguste Comte d. Max Weber ANS: D 19. Maria believes that contemporary societies are primarily defined by the rise and maintenance of hierarchical bureaucratic forms of organizing large parts of social life. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx c. Harriet Martineau b. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber ANS: D 20. The German sociologist Max Weber was highly influential in sociology for his studies of: a. the French Constituent Assembly c. bureaucracy b. hunter–gatherer societies d. urban planning ANS: C 21. Max Weber’s theoretical contributions might be criticized for: a. focusing narrowly on the individual b. not taking into account the role of bureaucracy in modern societies c. ignoring large social institutions d. ignoring collective and democratic forms of organization that are common in modern societies ANS: D 22. According to the textbook, __________ was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations. a. Voltarine de Cleyre c. Harriet Martineau b. Gloria Steinem d. Lucy Parsons ANS: C 23. Chris insists than any decent analysis of our social world must include investigations into the lived experiences of women. Chris’s ideas match most closely with those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx c. Harriet Martineau b. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber ANS: C 24. __________ coined the term double consciousness to refer to the African American experience. a. W. E. B. Du Bois c. Harriet Martineau b. Gloria Steinem d. Lucy Parsons ANS: A 25. Sangeeta argues that African Americans often see themselves through the eyes of white society. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx c. Harriet Martineau b. Émile Durkheim d. W. E. B. Du Bois ANS: D 26. According to the textbook, George Herbert Mead reasoned that language allows us to become selfconscious beings—aware of our own individuality. This idea forms the basis of the theoretical perspective known as: a. symbolic interactionism c. feminist theory b. postmodern theory d. Marxism ANS: A 27. Mohammed believes that studies of human behavior should focus primarily on how we construct meaning together through abstract representations. His position is closest to which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. Marxism and class conflict d. feminist theory ANS: C 28. Paco has begun using symbolic interaction as a theoretical perspective to think about the role of food in religious ceremonies. What is one possible critique of this approach? a. One cannot use symbols to study religious phenomena. b. Individual behaviors do not matter in religious ceremonies. c. Paco runs the risk of missing larger social context by focusing on symbolic communication. d. Religion involves inner meaning rather than communication between different sets of people. ANS: C 29. Theorists of __________, such as Auguste Comte and Émile Durkheim, compared societies to the workings of a human body. a. functionalism c. feminist theory b. postmodern theory d. symbolic interactionism ANS: A 30. Pierre prefers to think of institutions and human activities by analyzing the relationship of each individual part as it relates to the whole. His way of thinking most closely resembles which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. Marxism and class conflict d. feminist theory ANS: A 31. Latisha believes that sociologists need to look at not only how our institutions were intended to work but also the unintentional effects of those institutions. According to the textbook, this is a major part of which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. Marxism and class conflict d. feminist theory ANS: A 32. One possible criticism of functionalism might be: a. that it is impossible to research large social bodies b. that it does not take into account society’s major institutions c. that it has an anti-Western bias d. that societies are in conflict just as often as they are stable ANS: D 33. We might identify one of the latent functions of public schools as: a. providing low-cost educational training to the public at large b. teaching our children the values of our society c. training kids to obey authority and grow up to become obedient workers d. teaching the citizenry of the country the basics of subjects such as math and science ANS: C 34. As a sociological theory, __________ is unique in that it is also supposed to generate a program for radical political change. a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. postmodern theory d. Marxism ANS: D 35. Janice thinks that sociology should be a science used to bring about radical social change, with particular emphasis on power and ideology. Her position most closely aligns with which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. Marxism and class conflict d. postmodernism ANS: B 36. Sociologists who use __________ as a theoretical perspective argue that women’s lives and experiences are central to the study of society. a. functionalism c. feminist theory b. postmodern theory d. Marxism ANS: C 37. Maynard believes that women’s experiences are central to the study of society. According to the textbook, his beliefs most closely align with which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. Marxism and class conflict d. feminist theory ANS: D 38. Adherents of __________ contend that there are no longer any “grand narratives,” or metanarratives— overall conceptions of history or society—that make any sense. a. functionalism c. feminist theory b. postmodern theory d. symbolic interactionism ANS: B 39. Marissa rejects the idea that we can make historical claims about society progressively developing. Her idea most mirrors which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism c. symbolic interactionism b. postmodernism d. feminist theory ANS: B 40. The study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called: a. institutional ethnography c. historical/comparative sociology b. microsociology d. macrosociology ANS: B 41. Abbey studies how people negotiate personal space when they speak to each other in person by closely observing their behaviors. Her studies would best be referred to as: a. conflict studies c. macrosociology b. microsociology d. survey research ANS: B 42. Jerome looks at how the global economy functions in continental free-trade zones. His studies might be described as: a. sexuality studies c. macrosociology b. microsociology d. survey research ANS: C 43. Pedro wonders whether people tend to obey those in positions of authority in intense, high-pressure situations. What kind of research question will he most likely formulate? a. factual question c. developmental question b. comparative question d. theoretical question ANS: A 44. Camilo wants to see whether people in France react the same way to authority as people in the United States do. He will likely develop what kind of research question? a. factual question c. developmental question b. comparative question d. theoretical question ANS: B 45. Florence is interested in researching how men’s lives have changed as women have increasingly entered the workforce. What kind of research question will she be formulating? a. factual question c. developmental question b. comparative question d. theoretical question ANS: C 46. What is the first step of the sociological research process? a. defining the research problem c. reviewing the evidence b. making the problem precise d. carrying out the research ANS: A 47. Farhang begins his research knowing he wants to compare and contrast the lives of gay and straight teenagers. After some consideration, he decides that he will focus on the differences in self-esteem between gay and straight teenagers. What part of the research process is Farhang in? a. defining the research problem b. reviewing the evidence c. working out a design d. interpreting the results ANS: A 48. Sally has come up with an interesting research question about the behaviors of people who have just achieved what they see as major success in their lives. She finds and investigates as much existing literature on the question as she can find. What part of the research process is Sally in? a. defining the research problem c. working out a design b. reviewing the evidence d. interpreting the results ANS: B 49. Hunches about the nature of the problem can sometimes be turned into definite __________, or educated guesses about what is going on. a. data c. hypotheses b. truth claims d. analyses ANS: C 50. Harpreet wants to research differences in attitudes toward globalization between people from the United States and people from Colombia. She is creating a survey instrument to give to people from both regions. What part of the research process is she in? a. defining the research problem c. working out a design b. reviewing the evidence d. interpreting the results ANS: C 51. Sarah has been collecting intensive interviews with women who organize in grassroots movements for wages for housework. Now she is looking over the interviews and trying to find common themes within them. What part of the research process is she in? a. defining the research problem c. working out a design b. reviewing the evidence d. interpreting the results ANS: D 52. Allen participated in religious rituals with members of the Mormon Church for two years. He kept field notes of his experiences, identified major themes within the notes, wrote a paper about his process and results, and submitted the paper to a major research journal. What part of the research process is he in? a. defining the research problem c. reporting the findings b. reviewing the evidence d. interpreting the results ANS: C 53. In a(n) __________, the sociologist socializes—works or lives with members of a group, organization, or community and perhaps participates directly in its activities as part of the research process. a. ethnographic study c. quantitative study b. historical/comparative study d. experiment ANS: A 54. Michelle has spent the past year among a subculture of twentysomethings who all listen to the same kind of music. She spends time with them, participates in their events, and observes their interactions and behaviors. All the while, she records what she witnesses in her field notebook. What kind of sociological research best describes what Michelle is doing? a. survey research c. ethnography b. experimental research d. comparative research ANS: C 55. Jennifer wants to collect rich and varied data about the lives of Native Americans who live on reservations. She wants to be able to not only document their lived reality but also to describe it as closely as possible as they experience their lives. The best method of research for this kind of study would be: a. survey research c. ethnography b. experimental research d. comparative research ANS: C 56. Elise collects data on homeless people in New York City by widely distributing structured questionnaires. What kind of sociological research best describes what she is doing? a. survey research c. ethnography b. experimental research d. comparative research ANS: A 57. Why is a larger random sample more desirable in survey research? a. People take big numbers more seriously. b. Larger samples are more likely to be representative of the population. c. Larger samples, by their nature, include more women and minorities. d. Small samples cannot be used for any kind of sociological research. ANS: B 58. A(n) __________ enables a researcher to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the investigator. a. ethnographic study c. quantitative study b. experiment d. psychological method ANS: B 59. Wesley conducts research that involves meeting with subjects in a controlled setting. He treats some subjects kindly but behaves rudely to others. He notes how the different groups react to his behavior to make inferences about how people react to kindness and rudeness in certain situations. His research would best be described as: a. survey research c. ethnography b. experimental research d. comparative research ANS: B 60. Doug notices in his sample studies that marijuana users are much more likely to report using heroin than people who do not use marijuana. He concludes that marijuana must be a gateway drug—a drug that leads to the use of harder substances. What’s wrong with Doug’s conclusion? a. His sample data do not demonstrate causality; an experimental approach would be better for investigating such a claim. b. Marijuana users cannot be trusted to report their behavior honestly and accurately. c. Doug could never really know without trying marijuana himself and seeing whether it leads to heroin use. d. Marijuana users would likely be afraid of needles because they are used to smoking their drug of choice. ANS: A 61. Max studies marriage rituals in four countries to note similarities and differences in the ceremonies. His research would best be described as: a. survey research c. ethnography b. experimental research d. comparative research ANS: D 62. Alejandra studied the lives of women in the 1968 rebellion in Paris, France, by looking over a wide range of documents available from that period. Her research would best be described as: a. survey research c. ethnography b. historical analysis d. comparative research ANS: B 63. Laud Humphreys’s studies on tearooms show that sociologists: a. b. c. d. are always completely honest with their research subjects are universally studying society to make it better sometimes use deception in their research are like a new priestly class in contemporary societies ANS: C 64. __________ is when the research study ends, and the investigator discusses with the subjects their concerns and acknowledges whether strategies such as deception were used. a. Informed consent c. Sampling b. Debriefing d. Intensive interviewing ANS: B