CHAPTER 1 -THINKING LIKE A SOCIOLOGIST
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. According to the textbook, which of the following is the best definition of “sociology?”
a. Sociology is the enigmatic study of social interaction.
b. Sociology is the enigmatic study of social interaction at a variety of levels.
c. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at a variety of levels.
d. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at the micro level.
e. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at the macro level.
ANS: C REF: 1 OBJ: FACTUAL
2. In the definition of sociology, “systematic” means
a. behavior that is erratic.
b. behavior that is original.
c. behavior that is disciplined.
d. social behavior that is regular and patterned.
e. social behavior that is premeditated.
ANS: D REF: 1 OBJ: FACTUAL
3. A sociological perspective encourages individuals to
a. accept conventional ideas.
b. challenge common sense myths and misconceptions.
c. see society as unpredictable.
d. have a closed mind.
e. make uninformed decisions.
ANS: B REF: 3 OBJ: CONCEPTUAL
4. According to _____, individual behavior is influenced by social factors.
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Karl Marx
d. Charles Wright Mills
e. Max Weber
ANS: D REF: 2 OBJ: FACTUAL
5. C. Wright Mills introduced the concept of the “sociological imagination.” He used this term
to describe the connection between
a. man and the physical environment.
b. historical issues and biography.
c. biography and the physical environment.
d. history and the physical environment.
e. man and biography.
ANS: B REF: 2 OBJ: FACTUAL
6. Bill is a sociologist who studies poverty. He understands that an individual’s poverty status
is the result of larger economic situations and unemployment rates in the local community
rather than the individual’s personal problem. Bill is utilizing his
a. macrosociology.
, b. microsociology.
c. research methodology.
d. common sense.
e. sociological imagination.
ANS: E REF: 3 OBJ: APPLIED
7. _____ concentrates on the relationship between individual characteristics; _____ examines the
relationships between institutional characteristics.
a. Microsociology; macrosociology
b. Macrosociology; microsociology
c. Metasociology; macrosociology
d. Metasociology; microsociology
e. Microsociology; mezosociology
ANS: A REF: 3-4 OBJ: FACTUAL
8. Thomas studies eating patterns within families. Thomas is a _____-sociologist.
a. meta
b. mezo
c. mini
d. macro
e. micro
ANS: E REF: 3 OBJ: APPLIED
9. Jennifer studies how welfare policies affect working families. Jennifer is a _____-sociologist.
a. meta
b. mezo
c. mini
d. macro
e. micro
ANS: D REF: 3-4 OBJ: APPLIED
10. _____ is a set of statements that explain why a phenomenon occurs.
a. Sociology
b. Social work
c. A theory
d. A hypothesis
e. A culture
ANS: C REF: 6 OBJ: FACTUAL
11. _____, who coined the term “sociology,” is also known as the “father of sociology.”
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Karl Marx
d. Charles Wright Mills
e. Max Weber
ANS: A REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
12. Comte believed that sociology must be based on
a. personal issues and public troubles.
, b. religion and spirituality.
c. empirical evidence, such as experiments and observations.
d. historical evidence.
e. intuition.
ANS: C REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
13. _____ saw sociology as the scientific study of two aspects of society: social statics and social
dynamics.
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Harriet Martineau
d. Karl Marx
e. Max Weber
ANS: A REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
14. _____, who was critical of the system of slavery, was a pioneering feminist.
a. Dorothy Smith
b. Marianne Weber
c. Harriet Martineau
d. Emily Durkheim
e. Patricia Wright Mills
ANS: C REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
15. According to Durkheim, _____ are measurable aspects of social life, external to the individual.
a. social facts
b. integrants
c. questions
d. peripherals
e. public issues
ANS: A REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
16. By examining characteristics such as gender and race, sociologists can gauge _____; by
examining social interaction, sociologists can gauge _____.
a. material facts; nonmaterial facts
b. nonmaterial facts; material facts
c. divisions of labor; social solidarity
d. social solidarity; divisions of labor
e. none of the above
ANS: A REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
17. According to Durkheim, as division of labor becomes more specialized
a. individuals become more autonomous.
b. individuals become more dependent upon others.
c. groups form.
d. suicide rates increase.
e. social unity decreases.
ANS: B REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
, 18. Durkheim’s book, _____, used extensive data collection to draw conclusions about social
integration.
a. Social Issues
b. Social Assimilation
c. Cohesion
d. Suicide
e. Integration
ANS: D REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
19. Emile Durkheim, in his studies of suicide, found that _____, and concluded that _____
accounted for the variation in suicide rates.
a. males are more likely than females to commit suicide; social structure
b. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; social structure
c. males are more likely than females to commit suicide; social integration
d. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; social integration
e. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; industrialization
ANS: C REF: 8 OBJ: CONCEPTUAL
20. _____ is often described as the “most influential social scientist who ever lived.”
a. Emile Durkheim
b. Karl Marx
c. Jane Addams
d. Max Weber
e. Charles Wright Mills
ANS: B REF: 9 OBJ: FACTUAL
21. Which of the following major historical events strongly influenced Karl Marx?
a. The Enlightenment
b. Discovery of the New World
c. The French Revolution
d. The Industrial Revolution
e. World War I
ANS: D REF: 9 OBJ: FACTUAL
22. Which of the following best describes what happened in Europe during the Industrial
Revolution?
a. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly.
b. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city.
c. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city. With this movement into the city and the expansion of factories,
urbanism and capitalism grew rapidly.
d. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city. With this movement into the city and the expansion of factories,
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. According to the textbook, which of the following is the best definition of “sociology?”
a. Sociology is the enigmatic study of social interaction.
b. Sociology is the enigmatic study of social interaction at a variety of levels.
c. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at a variety of levels.
d. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at the micro level.
e. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction at the macro level.
ANS: C REF: 1 OBJ: FACTUAL
2. In the definition of sociology, “systematic” means
a. behavior that is erratic.
b. behavior that is original.
c. behavior that is disciplined.
d. social behavior that is regular and patterned.
e. social behavior that is premeditated.
ANS: D REF: 1 OBJ: FACTUAL
3. A sociological perspective encourages individuals to
a. accept conventional ideas.
b. challenge common sense myths and misconceptions.
c. see society as unpredictable.
d. have a closed mind.
e. make uninformed decisions.
ANS: B REF: 3 OBJ: CONCEPTUAL
4. According to _____, individual behavior is influenced by social factors.
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Karl Marx
d. Charles Wright Mills
e. Max Weber
ANS: D REF: 2 OBJ: FACTUAL
5. C. Wright Mills introduced the concept of the “sociological imagination.” He used this term
to describe the connection between
a. man and the physical environment.
b. historical issues and biography.
c. biography and the physical environment.
d. history and the physical environment.
e. man and biography.
ANS: B REF: 2 OBJ: FACTUAL
6. Bill is a sociologist who studies poverty. He understands that an individual’s poverty status
is the result of larger economic situations and unemployment rates in the local community
rather than the individual’s personal problem. Bill is utilizing his
a. macrosociology.
, b. microsociology.
c. research methodology.
d. common sense.
e. sociological imagination.
ANS: E REF: 3 OBJ: APPLIED
7. _____ concentrates on the relationship between individual characteristics; _____ examines the
relationships between institutional characteristics.
a. Microsociology; macrosociology
b. Macrosociology; microsociology
c. Metasociology; macrosociology
d. Metasociology; microsociology
e. Microsociology; mezosociology
ANS: A REF: 3-4 OBJ: FACTUAL
8. Thomas studies eating patterns within families. Thomas is a _____-sociologist.
a. meta
b. mezo
c. mini
d. macro
e. micro
ANS: E REF: 3 OBJ: APPLIED
9. Jennifer studies how welfare policies affect working families. Jennifer is a _____-sociologist.
a. meta
b. mezo
c. mini
d. macro
e. micro
ANS: D REF: 3-4 OBJ: APPLIED
10. _____ is a set of statements that explain why a phenomenon occurs.
a. Sociology
b. Social work
c. A theory
d. A hypothesis
e. A culture
ANS: C REF: 6 OBJ: FACTUAL
11. _____, who coined the term “sociology,” is also known as the “father of sociology.”
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Karl Marx
d. Charles Wright Mills
e. Max Weber
ANS: A REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
12. Comte believed that sociology must be based on
a. personal issues and public troubles.
, b. religion and spirituality.
c. empirical evidence, such as experiments and observations.
d. historical evidence.
e. intuition.
ANS: C REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
13. _____ saw sociology as the scientific study of two aspects of society: social statics and social
dynamics.
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Harriet Martineau
d. Karl Marx
e. Max Weber
ANS: A REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
14. _____, who was critical of the system of slavery, was a pioneering feminist.
a. Dorothy Smith
b. Marianne Weber
c. Harriet Martineau
d. Emily Durkheim
e. Patricia Wright Mills
ANS: C REF: 7 OBJ: FACTUAL
15. According to Durkheim, _____ are measurable aspects of social life, external to the individual.
a. social facts
b. integrants
c. questions
d. peripherals
e. public issues
ANS: A REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
16. By examining characteristics such as gender and race, sociologists can gauge _____; by
examining social interaction, sociologists can gauge _____.
a. material facts; nonmaterial facts
b. nonmaterial facts; material facts
c. divisions of labor; social solidarity
d. social solidarity; divisions of labor
e. none of the above
ANS: A REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
17. According to Durkheim, as division of labor becomes more specialized
a. individuals become more autonomous.
b. individuals become more dependent upon others.
c. groups form.
d. suicide rates increase.
e. social unity decreases.
ANS: B REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
, 18. Durkheim’s book, _____, used extensive data collection to draw conclusions about social
integration.
a. Social Issues
b. Social Assimilation
c. Cohesion
d. Suicide
e. Integration
ANS: D REF: 8 OBJ: FACTUAL
19. Emile Durkheim, in his studies of suicide, found that _____, and concluded that _____
accounted for the variation in suicide rates.
a. males are more likely than females to commit suicide; social structure
b. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; social structure
c. males are more likely than females to commit suicide; social integration
d. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; social integration
e. females are more likely than males to commit suicide; industrialization
ANS: C REF: 8 OBJ: CONCEPTUAL
20. _____ is often described as the “most influential social scientist who ever lived.”
a. Emile Durkheim
b. Karl Marx
c. Jane Addams
d. Max Weber
e. Charles Wright Mills
ANS: B REF: 9 OBJ: FACTUAL
21. Which of the following major historical events strongly influenced Karl Marx?
a. The Enlightenment
b. Discovery of the New World
c. The French Revolution
d. The Industrial Revolution
e. World War I
ANS: D REF: 9 OBJ: FACTUAL
22. Which of the following best describes what happened in Europe during the Industrial
Revolution?
a. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly.
b. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city.
c. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city. With this movement into the city and the expansion of factories,
urbanism and capitalism grew rapidly.
d. With the large number of technological advances, large-scale manufacturing
developed quickly. The expansion of manufacturing jobs moved families from the
farm into the city. With this movement into the city and the expansion of factories,
