Sociology Clep Exam Questions And Answers

Sociology Clep Exam Questions And Answers Absolute poverty - ANSWER- A standard of poverty based on a minimum level of subsistence below which families should not be expected to exist. Achieved status - ANSWER- A social position attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts. Activity theory - ANSWER- An interactionist theory of aging that argues that elderly people who remain active will be best-adjusted. Adoption - 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 - ANSWER- Positive efforts to recruit minority group members or women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities. Ageism - ANSWER- A term coined by Robert N. Butler to refer to prejudice and discrimination against the elderly. Agrarian society - 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 - ANSWER- The condition of being estranged or disassociated from the surrounding society. Amalgamation - ANSWER- The process by which a majority group and a minority group combine through intermarriage to form a new group. Anomie - 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 - 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 - ANSWER- Processes of socialization in which a person "rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships. Anti-Semitism - ANSWER- Anti-Jewish prejudice. Apartheid - 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 - ANSWER- Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture. Ascribed status - ANSWER- A social position "assigned" to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics. Assimilation - ANSWER- The process by which a person forsakes his or her own cultural tradition to become part of a different culture. Authority - ANSWER- Power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the people over whom it is exercised. Bilateral descent - ANSWER- A kinship system in which both sides of a person's family are regarded as equally important. Bilingualism - ANSWER- The use of two or more languages in particular settings, such as workplaces or educational facilities, treating each language as equally legitimate. Birthrate - ANSWER- The number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year. Also known as the crude birthrate. Black power - ANSWER- A political philosophy promoted by many younger Blacks in the 1960s that supported the creation of Black-controlled political and economic institutions. Bourgeoisie - ANSWER- Karl Marx's term for the capitalist class, comprising the owners of the means of production. Bureaucracy - ANSWER- A component of formal organization in which rules and hierarchical ranking are used to achieve efficiency. Bureaucratization - ANSWER- The process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic. Capitalism - 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 - ANSWER- Hereditary systems of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tend to be fixed and immobile. Causal logic - ANSWER- The relationship between a condition or variable and a particular consequence, with one event leading to the other.