SOC 201 Midterm Exam Sociology Questions And Answers 2026/2027
Jersey College
Q1. Sociology is best defined as the scientific study of:
A) Social behavior and social institutions
B) Individual personality disorders
C) Human anatomy and physiology
D) Economic markets only
Correct Answer: A) Social behavior and social institutions
Rationale: Sociology systematically examines social relationships,
institutions, groups, and the ways society influences human behavior.
Q2. The sociological perspective emphasizes that individual
behavior is influenced by:
A) Biological inheritance alone
B) Social backgrounds and broader social conditions
C) Personal choice without outside influence
D) Random events only
Correct Answer: B) Social backgrounds and broader social conditions
Rationale: The sociological perspective connects individual experiences
with the social environments, institutions, and structures surrounding people.
Q3. C. Wright Mills used the term sociological imagination to
describe the ability to connect:
A) Personality with intelligence
B) Biology with genetics
C) Personal experiences with larger social forces
D) Religion with economics only
Correct Answer: C) Personal experiences with larger social forces
Rationale: Sociological imagination helps people recognize how private
troubles can be related to broader public issues and social structures.
Q4. A large number of people lose their jobs because an industry
relocates production overseas. Viewing their unemployment
primarily as a result of economic restructuring illustrates:
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Impression management
,C) Blaming the victim
D) Blaming the system
Correct Answer: D) Blaming the system
Rationale: Blaming the system focuses on social structures and institutional
conditions that contribute to individual difficulties.
Q5. Which sociologist is commonly regarded as the father of
sociology?
A) Auguste Comte
B) Karl Marx
C) Erving Goffman
D) George Herbert Mead
Correct Answer: A) Auguste Comte
Rationale: Auguste Comte helped establish sociology as a distinct discipline
devoted to the scientific study of society.
Q6. Karl Marx emphasized conflict between groups primarily
because of unequal control over:
A) Family roles
B) Economic resources and the means of production
C) Language development
D) Religious rituals
Correct Answer: B) Economic resources and the means of production
Rationale: Marx viewed class conflict as arising from unequal ownership and
control of productive resources.
Q7. Which theoretical perspective views society as a system of
interrelated parts that generally work together to maintain
stability?
A) Conflict theory
B) Symbolic interactionism
C) Functionalism
D) Exchange theory
Correct Answer: C) Functionalism
Rationale: Functionalism examines how social institutions and practices
contribute to the stability and functioning of society.
, Q8. Which perspective focuses most directly on how people create
meaning through everyday social interaction?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Structuralism
D) Symbolic interactionism
Correct Answer: D) Symbolic interactionism
Rationale: Symbolic interactionism studies how people interpret symbols,
behaviors, and interactions and construct social reality.
CHAPTER 2 — SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Q9. Which feature most clearly distinguishes scientific research
from common sense?
A) Systematic collection and evaluation of evidence
B) Reliance on personal opinion
C) Dependence on tradition
D) Acceptance of claims without testing
Correct Answer: A) Systematic collection and evaluation of evidence
Rationale: Scientific research uses organized methods to gather and
analyze evidence rather than relying solely on intuition or tradition.
Q10. In a study examining whether hours of sleep affect
examination scores, hours of sleep is the:
A) Dependent variable
B) Independent variable
C) Control group
D) Sampling error
Correct Answer: B) Independent variable
Rationale: The independent variable is the factor expected to influence or
predict changes in another variable.
Q11. In the same study, examination score is the:
A) Hypothesis
B) Independent variable
C) Dependent variable
D) Random sample
Jersey College
Q1. Sociology is best defined as the scientific study of:
A) Social behavior and social institutions
B) Individual personality disorders
C) Human anatomy and physiology
D) Economic markets only
Correct Answer: A) Social behavior and social institutions
Rationale: Sociology systematically examines social relationships,
institutions, groups, and the ways society influences human behavior.
Q2. The sociological perspective emphasizes that individual
behavior is influenced by:
A) Biological inheritance alone
B) Social backgrounds and broader social conditions
C) Personal choice without outside influence
D) Random events only
Correct Answer: B) Social backgrounds and broader social conditions
Rationale: The sociological perspective connects individual experiences
with the social environments, institutions, and structures surrounding people.
Q3. C. Wright Mills used the term sociological imagination to
describe the ability to connect:
A) Personality with intelligence
B) Biology with genetics
C) Personal experiences with larger social forces
D) Religion with economics only
Correct Answer: C) Personal experiences with larger social forces
Rationale: Sociological imagination helps people recognize how private
troubles can be related to broader public issues and social structures.
Q4. A large number of people lose their jobs because an industry
relocates production overseas. Viewing their unemployment
primarily as a result of economic restructuring illustrates:
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Impression management
,C) Blaming the victim
D) Blaming the system
Correct Answer: D) Blaming the system
Rationale: Blaming the system focuses on social structures and institutional
conditions that contribute to individual difficulties.
Q5. Which sociologist is commonly regarded as the father of
sociology?
A) Auguste Comte
B) Karl Marx
C) Erving Goffman
D) George Herbert Mead
Correct Answer: A) Auguste Comte
Rationale: Auguste Comte helped establish sociology as a distinct discipline
devoted to the scientific study of society.
Q6. Karl Marx emphasized conflict between groups primarily
because of unequal control over:
A) Family roles
B) Economic resources and the means of production
C) Language development
D) Religious rituals
Correct Answer: B) Economic resources and the means of production
Rationale: Marx viewed class conflict as arising from unequal ownership and
control of productive resources.
Q7. Which theoretical perspective views society as a system of
interrelated parts that generally work together to maintain
stability?
A) Conflict theory
B) Symbolic interactionism
C) Functionalism
D) Exchange theory
Correct Answer: C) Functionalism
Rationale: Functionalism examines how social institutions and practices
contribute to the stability and functioning of society.
, Q8. Which perspective focuses most directly on how people create
meaning through everyday social interaction?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Structuralism
D) Symbolic interactionism
Correct Answer: D) Symbolic interactionism
Rationale: Symbolic interactionism studies how people interpret symbols,
behaviors, and interactions and construct social reality.
CHAPTER 2 — SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Q9. Which feature most clearly distinguishes scientific research
from common sense?
A) Systematic collection and evaluation of evidence
B) Reliance on personal opinion
C) Dependence on tradition
D) Acceptance of claims without testing
Correct Answer: A) Systematic collection and evaluation of evidence
Rationale: Scientific research uses organized methods to gather and
analyze evidence rather than relying solely on intuition or tradition.
Q10. In a study examining whether hours of sleep affect
examination scores, hours of sleep is the:
A) Dependent variable
B) Independent variable
C) Control group
D) Sampling error
Correct Answer: B) Independent variable
Rationale: The independent variable is the factor expected to influence or
predict changes in another variable.
Q11. In the same study, examination score is the:
A) Hypothesis
B) Independent variable
C) Dependent variable
D) Random sample
