Midterm 1 Quiz Questions Flashcards
(20 cards)
A female manager is attempting to climb her way to the top of the corporate ladder. She works as hard as, if not harder than, her male colleagues, but nothing she does seems to help her advance. She begins to notice a pattern: Men are often promoted, but women are often overlooked for advancement. The realization that many women in her circumstance are experiencing the same discrimination is an example of
sociological imagination
If a social theorist is asked to explain why people in different occupations have different income levels, he might argue that the people who serve the most important occupational roles should be the best or most qualified for those roles, and that higher incomes will attract those most qualified who will then compete for the high income occupations. A theorist who takes this position focuses on
the functional role of social and economic inequality.
Consider a research study of conversations. The study’s goal is to see whether or not conversations show signs that men are more valued than women. This study might be combining two different theoretical approaches. The two theories most likely to be combined are
feminist theory and symbolic interactionism
Which of the following focuses its analyses on larger social dynamics at the societal and structural levels?
macrosociology
Which of the following is the study of social meanings, emphasizing subjectivity in understanding human behavior?
interpretive sociology
Karl Marx argued that social institutions in a society were the result of the economic makeup of that society. Max Weber argued that
ideas influence society, not just economics
“Social physics” or “positivism” is best defined as the
idea that we can scientifically and logically study social institutions and the individuals within them
According to Durkheim’s Suicide, rapid social change causes people to experience normlessness, an uncomfortable state that sometimes leads to suicide. This state of normlessness is called
anomie
According to social theorist Randall Collins, getting a “piece of paper” is more important to many than actually having the knowledge to do a job. He calls the undue priority placed on formal education
credentialism
As defined by C. Wright Mills, which of the following “enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society”?
sociological imagination
Asha Rangappa, dean of admissions at Yale Law School, explained that most students who apply to Yale Law School have already benefited from opportunities that make them appear to be stronger candidates than those from less advantaged backgrounds. In the sociological perspective, this implies that
as a social institution, education tends to reinforce existing inequalities
Lek decides to study social relationships in a midwestern gang, and she begins deciding which specific research questions to pursue. One line of inquiry she considers is whether the group’s age and gender characteristics affect the longevity of friendships in the gang. The second line of inquiry would involve an exploration of the most important components of the gang’s social relationships, as reported in detail by the respondents’ own stories. The first of these lines of inquiry comes from the
Positivist Approach
A certain high school student is wearing “cool” clothing and is considered “cool.” Identify the statement about this situation that aligns with symbolic interactionism.
The coolness of the student and the clothing are connected in a causal cycle
If a person engages in self-harm, a psychologist might focus on the individual factors that help explain the behavior. By contrast, a sociologist would be more likely to focus on the supra-individual. Accordingly, the sociologist would be more likely than the psychologist to
study whether self-harm is more prevalent in some communities than in others
A panel of community leaders holds a discussion about poverty and environmental hazards, noting that poorer people are more likely to live near such hazards. One audience member argues that people can simply choose to move and that this is not a community-level problem. The panelists note that poverty creates a context in which choices about residence are made. The panelists’ point illustrates the concept of
The Sociological Imagination
Which modern sociological theory states that the best way to analyze society is to identify the purpose that different aspects or phenomena serve in society?
Functionalism
Which of the following is a primary focus for symbolic interactionists?
Shared meaning
Robert Merton’s modern sociological theory focused on predicting how certain social institutions function. This is known as
Midrange Theory
According to Émile Durkheim, the division of labor in a society helps to determine
the way social cohesion among individuals is maintained
Some feminist theorists argue that there is remarkable similarity of natural capacities between men and women, while others argue that even though men and women are very different, they should be valued equally. Despite the difference in these two viewpoints, both would be feminist theorists because
they both describe and critique women’s social disadvantages
