Sociology Clep EXAM Questions And
CORRECT Answers
Absolute poverty - CORRECT ANSWER A standard of poverty based on a minimum level of
subsistence below which families should not be expected to exist.
Achieved status - CORRECT ANSWER A social position attained by a person largely through his
or her own efforts.
Activity theory - CORRECT ANSWER An interactionist theory of aging that argues that elderly
people who remain active will be best-adjusted.
Adoption - CORRECT ANSWER In a legal sense, a process that allows for the transfer of the
legal rights, responsibilities, and privileges of parenthood to a new legal parent or parents.
Affirmative action - CORRECT ANSWER Positive efforts to recruit minority group members or
women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities.
Ageism - CORRECT ANSWER A term coined by Robert N. Butler to refer to prejudice and
discrimination against the elderly.
Agrarian society - CORRECT ANSWER The most technologically advanced form of preindustrial
society. Members are primarily engaged in the production of food but increase their crop yield
through such innovations as the plow.
Alienation - CORRECT ANSWER The condition of being estranged or disassociated from the
surrounding society.
Amalgamation - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a majority group and a minority
group combine through intermarriage to form a new group.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWER Durkheim's term for the loss of direction felt in a society when
social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.
,Anomie theory of deviance - CORRECT ANSWER A theory developed by Robert Merton that
explains deviance as an adaptation either of socially prescribed goals or of the norms governing their
attainment, or both.
Anticipatory socialization - CORRECT ANSWER Processes of socialization in which a person
"rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships.
Anti-Semitism - CORRECT ANSWER Anti-Jewish prejudice.
Apartheid - CORRECT ANSWER The former policy of the South African government designed to
maintain the separation of Blacks and other non-Whites from the dominant Whites.
Argot - CORRECT ANSWER Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture.
Ascribed status - CORRECT ANSWER A social position "assigned" to a person by society without
regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.
Assimilation - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a person forsakes his or her own
cultural tradition to become part of a different culture.
Authority - CORRECT ANSWER Power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the
people over whom it is exercised.
Bilateral descent - CORRECT ANSWER A kinship system in which both sides of a person's family
are regarded as equally important.
Bilingualism - CORRECT ANSWER The use of two or more languages in particular settings, such
as workplaces or educational facilities, treating each language as equally legitimate.
Birthrate - CORRECT ANSWER The number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year.
Also known as the crude birthrate.
Black power - CORRECT ANSWER A political philosophy promoted by many younger Blacks in
the 1960s that supported the creation of Black-controlled political and economic institutions.
,Bourgeoisie - CORRECT ANSWER Karl Marx's term for the capitalist class, comprising the
owners of the means of production.
Bureaucracy - CORRECT ANSWER A component of formal organization in which rules and
hierarchical ranking are used to achieve efficiency.
Bureaucratization - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a group, organization, or social
movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.
Capitalism - CORRECT ANSWER An economic system in which the means of production are
largely in private hands and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.
Castes - CORRECT ANSWER Hereditary systems of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tend
to be fixed and immobile.
Causal logic - CORRECT ANSWER The relationship between a condition or variable and a
particular consequence, with one event leading to the other.
Census - CORRECT ANSWER An enumeration, or counting, of a population.
Charismatic authority - CORRECT ANSWER Max Weber's term for power made legitimate by a
leader's exceptional personal or emotional appeal to his or her followers.
Class - CORRECT ANSWER A term used by Max Weber to refer to a group of people who have a
similar level of wealth and income.
Class consciousness - CORRECT ANSWER In Karl Marx's view, a subjective awareness held by
members of a class regarding their common vested interests and need for collective political action
to bring about social change.
Classical theory - CORRECT ANSWER An approach to the study of formal organizations that
views workers as being motivated almost entirely by economic rewards.
, Class system - CORRECT ANSWER A social ranking based primarily on economic position in
which achieved characteristics can influence mobility.
Closed system - CORRECT ANSWER A social system in which there is little or no possibility of
individual mobility.
Coalition - CORRECT ANSWER A temporary or permanent alliance geared toward a common
goal.
Code of ethics - CORRECT ANSWER The standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for
members of a profession.
Cognitive theory of development - CORRECT ANSWER Jean Piaget's theory explaining how
children's thought progresses through four stages.
Cohabitation - CORRECT ANSWER The practice of living together as a male-female couple
without marrying.
Colonialism - CORRECT ANSWER The maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural
dominance over a people by a foreign power for an extended period of time.
Community - CORRECT ANSWER A spatial or political unit of social organization that gives
people a sense of belonging, based either on shared residence in a particular place or on a common
identity.
Concentric-zone theory - CORRECT ANSWER A theory of urban growth that sees growth in
terms of a series of rings radiating from the central business district.
Conflict perspective - CORRECT ANSWER A sociological approach that assumes that social
behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups.
Conformity - CORRECT ANSWER Going along with one's peers, individuals of a person's own
status, who have no special right to direct that person's behavior.
CORRECT Answers
Absolute poverty - CORRECT ANSWER A standard of poverty based on a minimum level of
subsistence below which families should not be expected to exist.
Achieved status - CORRECT ANSWER A social position attained by a person largely through his
or her own efforts.
Activity theory - CORRECT ANSWER An interactionist theory of aging that argues that elderly
people who remain active will be best-adjusted.
Adoption - CORRECT ANSWER In a legal sense, a process that allows for the transfer of the
legal rights, responsibilities, and privileges of parenthood to a new legal parent or parents.
Affirmative action - CORRECT ANSWER Positive efforts to recruit minority group members or
women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities.
Ageism - CORRECT ANSWER A term coined by Robert N. Butler to refer to prejudice and
discrimination against the elderly.
Agrarian society - CORRECT ANSWER The most technologically advanced form of preindustrial
society. Members are primarily engaged in the production of food but increase their crop yield
through such innovations as the plow.
Alienation - CORRECT ANSWER The condition of being estranged or disassociated from the
surrounding society.
Amalgamation - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a majority group and a minority
group combine through intermarriage to form a new group.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWER Durkheim's term for the loss of direction felt in a society when
social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.
,Anomie theory of deviance - CORRECT ANSWER A theory developed by Robert Merton that
explains deviance as an adaptation either of socially prescribed goals or of the norms governing their
attainment, or both.
Anticipatory socialization - CORRECT ANSWER Processes of socialization in which a person
"rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships.
Anti-Semitism - CORRECT ANSWER Anti-Jewish prejudice.
Apartheid - CORRECT ANSWER The former policy of the South African government designed to
maintain the separation of Blacks and other non-Whites from the dominant Whites.
Argot - CORRECT ANSWER Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture.
Ascribed status - CORRECT ANSWER A social position "assigned" to a person by society without
regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.
Assimilation - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a person forsakes his or her own
cultural tradition to become part of a different culture.
Authority - CORRECT ANSWER Power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the
people over whom it is exercised.
Bilateral descent - CORRECT ANSWER A kinship system in which both sides of a person's family
are regarded as equally important.
Bilingualism - CORRECT ANSWER The use of two or more languages in particular settings, such
as workplaces or educational facilities, treating each language as equally legitimate.
Birthrate - CORRECT ANSWER The number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year.
Also known as the crude birthrate.
Black power - CORRECT ANSWER A political philosophy promoted by many younger Blacks in
the 1960s that supported the creation of Black-controlled political and economic institutions.
,Bourgeoisie - CORRECT ANSWER Karl Marx's term for the capitalist class, comprising the
owners of the means of production.
Bureaucracy - CORRECT ANSWER A component of formal organization in which rules and
hierarchical ranking are used to achieve efficiency.
Bureaucratization - CORRECT ANSWER The process by which a group, organization, or social
movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.
Capitalism - CORRECT ANSWER An economic system in which the means of production are
largely in private hands and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.
Castes - CORRECT ANSWER Hereditary systems of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tend
to be fixed and immobile.
Causal logic - CORRECT ANSWER The relationship between a condition or variable and a
particular consequence, with one event leading to the other.
Census - CORRECT ANSWER An enumeration, or counting, of a population.
Charismatic authority - CORRECT ANSWER Max Weber's term for power made legitimate by a
leader's exceptional personal or emotional appeal to his or her followers.
Class - CORRECT ANSWER A term used by Max Weber to refer to a group of people who have a
similar level of wealth and income.
Class consciousness - CORRECT ANSWER In Karl Marx's view, a subjective awareness held by
members of a class regarding their common vested interests and need for collective political action
to bring about social change.
Classical theory - CORRECT ANSWER An approach to the study of formal organizations that
views workers as being motivated almost entirely by economic rewards.
, Class system - CORRECT ANSWER A social ranking based primarily on economic position in
which achieved characteristics can influence mobility.
Closed system - CORRECT ANSWER A social system in which there is little or no possibility of
individual mobility.
Coalition - CORRECT ANSWER A temporary or permanent alliance geared toward a common
goal.
Code of ethics - CORRECT ANSWER The standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for
members of a profession.
Cognitive theory of development - CORRECT ANSWER Jean Piaget's theory explaining how
children's thought progresses through four stages.
Cohabitation - CORRECT ANSWER The practice of living together as a male-female couple
without marrying.
Colonialism - CORRECT ANSWER The maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural
dominance over a people by a foreign power for an extended period of time.
Community - CORRECT ANSWER A spatial or political unit of social organization that gives
people a sense of belonging, based either on shared residence in a particular place or on a common
identity.
Concentric-zone theory - CORRECT ANSWER A theory of urban growth that sees growth in
terms of a series of rings radiating from the central business district.
Conflict perspective - CORRECT ANSWER A sociological approach that assumes that social
behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups.
Conformity - CORRECT ANSWER Going along with one's peers, individuals of a person's own
status, who have no special right to direct that person's behavior.
