Sociology Mid-term Q & As (Flashcard)

A person reads in the paper that a Black youth has been shot by a White police officer. If no other information is available, attribution theory suggests that, in general,

	a.	both Black and White people will assume that youth gang activity was a problem.
	b.	neither a Black nor a White person will make any assumptions about the situation until they have learned more information.
	c.	a White person will view the shooting as an unnecessary act of violence.
	d.	a Black person will likely believe the shooting was unnecessary, while a White person will assume the officer acted appropriately.

1 points

Download: Test Bank For Sociology, Ninth Canadian Edition 9th Edition By John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber

QUESTION 2

A study by Taylor and associates looked at networks among Black leaders in the United States. The researchers found that Black leaders

	a.	do not depend on networks as much as Whites.
	b.	do not attach any importance to networks, preferring to work only through friends.
	c.	feel isolated and do not know others who share their situation and background.
	d.	form networks that are both closer and denser than those of Whites.

1 points

QUESTION 3

According to Goffman, total institutions are _____ organizations that are cut off from the rest of society and in which members lead strictly controlled lives.

	a.	. normative
	b.	monolithic
	c.	coercive
	d.	utilitarian

1 points

QUESTION 4

According to Weber, the _____ bureaucracy is characterized by a high degree of division of labor and a hierarchy of authority.

	a.	model
	b.	ideal type
	c.	principle
	d.	primary

1 points

QUESTION 5

According to attribution theory, when an out-group member’s behavior is unclear,

	a.	it will be interpreted as positive by in-group members.
	b.	in-group members will not pay attention to it.
	c.	it will be interpreted in a neutral way by in-group members.
	d.	it will be interpreted in a negative manner by in-group members.

1 points

QUESTION 6

According to research, which of the following is most likely to lead to getting a job?

	a.	Using a placement agency
	b.	Using a personal network
	c.	Applying through a job listing online
	d.	Answering a help-wanted ad

1 points

QUESTION 7

According to social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, how do most people respond to hearing about the disappointingly conforming behavior of others in groups?

	a.	They understand that for most people, conformity is the norm.
	b.	They believe that they, themselves, would not succumb to group pressure.
	c.	They empathize because they know they would behave the same way.
	d.	They think that the conformity is the result of group members being tricked in some way.

1 points

QUESTION 8

Alienation refers to the _____ and is associated with increased turnover, tardiness, absenteeism, and overall dissatisfaction with an organization.

	a.	psychological separation of a person from an organization
	b.	shift away from intimate relationships with others
	c.	physical movement away from a negative interaction
	d.	rigid adherence to rules and regulations by organizations

1 points

QUESTION 9

An out-group is all of these except

	a.	the opposite of an in-group.
	b.	always a secondary group.
	c.	an attribute of society.
	d.	created by the existence of an in-group.

1 points

QUESTION 10

Applied to a situation like the torture of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib, Milgram’s and Asch’s findings would indicate that

	a.	the cause of the American soldiers’ inhumane treatment of prisoners is partly a result of the structure of the situation and group pressure.
	b.	American soldiers would commit torture only if following a direct order with fear of punishment for not carrying it out.
	c.	there was a serious breakdown in respect for authority that caused soldiers to violate the international standards for treatment of prisoners.
	d.	soldiers are more sadistic than the average college student or American citizen.

QUESTION 111 points

Charles had never been especially close to his nightshift coworkers until a massive ice storm followed by a blizzard shut down the city for days, blacking out power and making travel, even by foot, extremely hazardous. Suddenly, they pulled together, sharing resources and otherwise acting as a mutually supportive group while they remained stranded. This shows that

	a.	secondary groups can take on the characteristics or primary groups in times of high stress.
	b.	in today’s complex society, the distinction between primary and secondary groups is no longer useful.
	c.	primary groups are very fluid and can change in response to circumstances.
	d.	Charles had underestimated the group’s cohesiveness and had simply been an isolate.

1 points

QUESTION 12

Cooley’s concept of primary groups

	a.	no longer has relevance within sociology.
	b.	has been replaced with the concept of secondary groups.
	c.	has been elaborated to include a variety of intimate relations.
	d.	refers only to the intimate groups of one’s formative years.

QUESTION 131 points

Damian is devoted to heavy metal music to the extent that he dresses like, often behaves like, and wants to be like the members of his favorite bands. Those bands are best described as Damian’s

	a.	primary group.
	b.	secondary group.
	c.	attribution group.
	d.	reference group.

QUESTION 141 points

In his classic study of perception and group pressure, Asch asked participants to indicate which of two lines was closer in length to a third. Despite the fact that the answer was obvious, Asch found that

	a.	the majority of people make up their minds for themselves and stick to those opinions.
	b.	most people would not bend to the opinions of others without a great deal of anger and argument.
	c.	even rather gentle pressure was sufficient to cause an astonishing rise in the number of wrong answers.
	d.	there is no real pressure to conform in most situations.

QUESTION 151 points

In a study of the role of small voluntary groups in society, Robert Wuthnow and his associates found that

	a.	people seek small voluntary groups for a sense of community and a spiritual connection.
	b.	voluntary interest groups have lost their importance within U.S. society.
	c.	voluntary group membership has been declining in the United States.
	d.	voluntary groups are not able to fill the void left by the breakdown of community and family.

QUESTION 161 points

Deindividuation refers to

	a.	the inability of a person to think for themselves.
	b.	the willingness of a person to take the blame for the entire group.
	c.	the sense of merging with a group so that blame for bad outcomes will be shared.
	d.	a sense of normlessness.

1 points

QUESTION 17

Despite being warned of danger, NASA scientists proceeded with the 1986 launch of the space shuttle Challenger, which subsequently exploded, killing all onboard. Sociological analysis of this situation finds it was caused by

	a.	a lack of communication.
	b.	organizational alienation.
	c.	a combination of risky shift and organizational ritualism.
	d.	delayed communication and lengthy decision-making processes.

1 points

QUESTION 18

Dimitri enjoys being with the others on his intramural basketball team. They play well together, have an outstanding record, and sometimes go out as a group to celebrate their wins. Sitting in his sociology class, Dimitri muses over whether the team is a primary or a secondary group. What should Dimitri keep in mind when making the distinction?

	a.	Secondary groups are less intimate than primary groups.
	b.	Primary groups are less long lasting than secondary groups.
	c.	Secondary groups include only family members.
	d.	Primary groups are larger in membership than secondary groups.

QUESTION 191 points

Groups that are organized to pursue goals the members find worthwhile, such as Kiwanis clubs, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), B’nai B’rith, and the National LGBTQ Task Force, are called _____organizations.

	a.	coercive
	b.	normative
	c.	utilitarian
	d.	affiliative

QUESTION 201 points

If a sociologist is studying the functioning of formal organizations and bureaucracies, the _____ level analysis is most likely being used.

	a.	micro
	b.	individual
	c.	macro
	d.	universal

QUESTION 211 points

In a triad, when two of the people are interacting and form a dyad, the sociological term for the third person is

	a.	a third party.
	b.	a co-participant.
	c.	an isolate.
	d.	an outcast.

QUESTION 221 points

In his study of the effect of size on group dynamics, Simmel found that

	a.	a dyad is basically an unstable social grouping.
	b.	a triad is an unstable social grouping, whereas dyads are relatively stable.
	c.	the size of the group has no effect on interaction.
	d.	adding a third person to a dyad has no effect on the stability of the group.

QUESTION 231 points

In the famous Milgram obedience studies, researchers found

	a.	people will not conform when they believe their behavior will harm another person.
	b.	there is a significant difference between what people believe they will do and how they actually behave.
	c.	people conform only up to a certain point but will not violate moral or ethical standards.
	d.	women are less likely to engage in behavior that is potentially harmful for others than men are.