SOC 201 EXAM ACTUAL EXAM 2026 | ALL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS |
VERIFIED ANSWERS | BRAND NEW VERSION!
Question 1
Sally examines the grades she receives for class participation. Recalling her prior semester, she
writes down that she received a 10/10 from Ms. Smith, 9/10 from Ms. Baxter, 4/10 from Mr.
Cagney, 3/10 from Mr. Wiley, and 10/10 from Ms. Dona. She notices she tends to speak in
classes where the instructor is female and rarely speaks when the instructor is male. She realizes
that homophily explains this tendency. Sally is using:
A) Reductionism
B) Qualitative analysis
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Nomothetic explanation
Correct Answer: D) Inductive reasoning
Rationale: Inductive reasoning begins with specific observations (Sally's specific grades and
behaviors in specific classes) and moves toward the discovery of a pattern that represents a
general principle (the theory of homophily). Sally observed her specific data points first
and then derived the general conclusion.
Question 2
What can explain the spurious positive relationship between the number of fire trucks dispatched
and the amount of fire damage?
A) Fires are more likely during heat waves in the summer when firefighters are on vacation.
B) The more fire trucks are dispatched, the more damage can be prevented.
C) Large cities have more fire trucks than small towns and are therefore more able to cope.
D) Large fires, which cause more damage, need more fire trucks.
E) Firefighters accidentally cause damage when they arrive in large numbers.
Correct Answer: D) Large fires, which cause more damage, need more fire trucks.
Rationale: In a spurious relationship, a third variable (the size of the fire) causes both the
independent variable (number of trucks) and the dependent variable (amount of damage).
Because the fire size influences both, it creates a "false" or spurious correlation between
the trucks and the damage themselves.
Question 3
Consider the following statements: (1) You did poorly on your first biology exam because you
were sick, didn't sleep, were late, and your neighbor was noisy. (2) After 8 semesters, you
discovered you generally do better on exams when you study with a group. What types of
explanation are these?
A) (1) nomothetic; (2) idiographic
B) (1) idiographic; (2) nomothetic
C) both nomothetic
D) both idiographic
, 2
E) both deductive
Correct Answer: B) (1) idiographic; (2) nomothetic
Rationale: Statement 1 is idiographic because it lists a unique set of specific, idiosyncratic
causes for a single event. Statement 2 is nomothetic because it seeks to identify a
generalized, partial cause (group study) that applies to a broad class of situations (all exams
over 8 semesters).
Question 4
Which one of the following is the best example of a hypothesis?
A) Older people are more likely to vote than younger people.
B) Love is measured by how often people call each other.
C) Gender negatively impacts voting.
D) Domestic violence affects gender inequality.
E) Sociology is the study of human interaction.
Correct Answer: A) Older people are more likely to vote than younger people.
Rationale: A hypothesis is a formal statement of an expected relationship between two
variables. Option A identifies a specific direction of relationship between the independent
variable (Age) and the dependent variable (Voting behavior).
Question 5
Based on theories of gender socialization, John thinks male students get better science grades
than female students. He surveyed 200 students and found that female students actually have
higher grades. John is using:
A) Inductive reasoning
B) Qualitative analysis
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Reductionism
E) Idiographic explanation
Correct Answer: C) Deductive reasoning
Rationale: Deductive reasoning starts with a general theory or expectation (gender
socialization theory) and moves toward specific observations (the survey of 200 students) to
test if the theory holds true.
Question 6
Which one of the following is the BEST example of a hypothesis?
A) Religion affects substance use.
B) The wage gap is affected by gender inequality.
C) Dogs are better than cats.
D) As gender inequality increases, the wage gap increases.
E) Poverty is a social problem.
Correct Answer: D) As gender inequality increases, the wage gap increases.
, 3
Rationale: A strong hypothesis specifies the relationship between variables in a measurable
way. Unlike option A or B, which are vague, option D specifies a positive directional
relationship between gender inequality and the wage gap.
Question 7
A study entitled "Race Differences in Sexual Activity Among Adolescent Women" was
published. The independent variable was likely:
A) Women
B) Race
C) Sexual activity
D) Adolescence
E) Marital status
Correct Answer: B) Race
Rationale: The independent variable is the "cause" or the variable that is expected to
influence the outcome. In this title, "Race" is the variable being used to categorize and
explain differences in the outcome, which is "Sexual activity."
Question 8
Which of the following is most clearly a list of variables (as opposed to attributes)?
A) 55, violent, social class
B) occupation, religion, educational level
C) male, Buddhist, educational level
D) social worker, professor, garbage man
E) female, 21 years old, Republican
Correct Answer: B) occupation, religion, educational level
Rationale: Variables are logical groupings of attributes. "Occupation," "Religion," and
"Educational Level" are categories that can take on different values. The other options mix
variables with attributes (specific values like "male" or "55").
Question 9
Jenny participated in a study and was asked to name her three best friends. She could not think of
anyone and felt awful realizing she had no friends. This demonstrates the ethical problem of:
A) Informed consent
B) Lack of deception
C) Protect privacy
D) Avoid harm
E) Voluntary participation
Correct Answer: D) Avoid harm
Rationale: Social research must not injure the people being studied, whether that injury is
physical or psychological. In this case, the research process caused Jenny psychological
distress and a damaging self-realization.
VERIFIED ANSWERS | BRAND NEW VERSION!
Question 1
Sally examines the grades she receives for class participation. Recalling her prior semester, she
writes down that she received a 10/10 from Ms. Smith, 9/10 from Ms. Baxter, 4/10 from Mr.
Cagney, 3/10 from Mr. Wiley, and 10/10 from Ms. Dona. She notices she tends to speak in
classes where the instructor is female and rarely speaks when the instructor is male. She realizes
that homophily explains this tendency. Sally is using:
A) Reductionism
B) Qualitative analysis
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Nomothetic explanation
Correct Answer: D) Inductive reasoning
Rationale: Inductive reasoning begins with specific observations (Sally's specific grades and
behaviors in specific classes) and moves toward the discovery of a pattern that represents a
general principle (the theory of homophily). Sally observed her specific data points first
and then derived the general conclusion.
Question 2
What can explain the spurious positive relationship between the number of fire trucks dispatched
and the amount of fire damage?
A) Fires are more likely during heat waves in the summer when firefighters are on vacation.
B) The more fire trucks are dispatched, the more damage can be prevented.
C) Large cities have more fire trucks than small towns and are therefore more able to cope.
D) Large fires, which cause more damage, need more fire trucks.
E) Firefighters accidentally cause damage when they arrive in large numbers.
Correct Answer: D) Large fires, which cause more damage, need more fire trucks.
Rationale: In a spurious relationship, a third variable (the size of the fire) causes both the
independent variable (number of trucks) and the dependent variable (amount of damage).
Because the fire size influences both, it creates a "false" or spurious correlation between
the trucks and the damage themselves.
Question 3
Consider the following statements: (1) You did poorly on your first biology exam because you
were sick, didn't sleep, were late, and your neighbor was noisy. (2) After 8 semesters, you
discovered you generally do better on exams when you study with a group. What types of
explanation are these?
A) (1) nomothetic; (2) idiographic
B) (1) idiographic; (2) nomothetic
C) both nomothetic
D) both idiographic
, 2
E) both deductive
Correct Answer: B) (1) idiographic; (2) nomothetic
Rationale: Statement 1 is idiographic because it lists a unique set of specific, idiosyncratic
causes for a single event. Statement 2 is nomothetic because it seeks to identify a
generalized, partial cause (group study) that applies to a broad class of situations (all exams
over 8 semesters).
Question 4
Which one of the following is the best example of a hypothesis?
A) Older people are more likely to vote than younger people.
B) Love is measured by how often people call each other.
C) Gender negatively impacts voting.
D) Domestic violence affects gender inequality.
E) Sociology is the study of human interaction.
Correct Answer: A) Older people are more likely to vote than younger people.
Rationale: A hypothesis is a formal statement of an expected relationship between two
variables. Option A identifies a specific direction of relationship between the independent
variable (Age) and the dependent variable (Voting behavior).
Question 5
Based on theories of gender socialization, John thinks male students get better science grades
than female students. He surveyed 200 students and found that female students actually have
higher grades. John is using:
A) Inductive reasoning
B) Qualitative analysis
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Reductionism
E) Idiographic explanation
Correct Answer: C) Deductive reasoning
Rationale: Deductive reasoning starts with a general theory or expectation (gender
socialization theory) and moves toward specific observations (the survey of 200 students) to
test if the theory holds true.
Question 6
Which one of the following is the BEST example of a hypothesis?
A) Religion affects substance use.
B) The wage gap is affected by gender inequality.
C) Dogs are better than cats.
D) As gender inequality increases, the wage gap increases.
E) Poverty is a social problem.
Correct Answer: D) As gender inequality increases, the wage gap increases.
, 3
Rationale: A strong hypothesis specifies the relationship between variables in a measurable
way. Unlike option A or B, which are vague, option D specifies a positive directional
relationship between gender inequality and the wage gap.
Question 7
A study entitled "Race Differences in Sexual Activity Among Adolescent Women" was
published. The independent variable was likely:
A) Women
B) Race
C) Sexual activity
D) Adolescence
E) Marital status
Correct Answer: B) Race
Rationale: The independent variable is the "cause" or the variable that is expected to
influence the outcome. In this title, "Race" is the variable being used to categorize and
explain differences in the outcome, which is "Sexual activity."
Question 8
Which of the following is most clearly a list of variables (as opposed to attributes)?
A) 55, violent, social class
B) occupation, religion, educational level
C) male, Buddhist, educational level
D) social worker, professor, garbage man
E) female, 21 years old, Republican
Correct Answer: B) occupation, religion, educational level
Rationale: Variables are logical groupings of attributes. "Occupation," "Religion," and
"Educational Level" are categories that can take on different values. The other options mix
variables with attributes (specific values like "male" or "55").
Question 9
Jenny participated in a study and was asked to name her three best friends. She could not think of
anyone and felt awful realizing she had no friends. This demonstrates the ethical problem of:
A) Informed consent
B) Lack of deception
C) Protect privacy
D) Avoid harm
E) Voluntary participation
Correct Answer: D) Avoid harm
Rationale: Social research must not injure the people being studied, whether that injury is
physical or psychological. In this case, the research process caused Jenny psychological
distress and a damaging self-realization.
