C273 Unit Assessments (Prep for OA) Questions and elaborated Answers
1. Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?: Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx's studies of class conflict are the basis for the conflict perspective in
sociology.
2. What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead's theory of social in- teractions?:
No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another, and people have to learn
what symbols mean and how to use them.
Explanation: Mead's theory about social interactions and symbols created the basis for
symbolic interactionism.
3. How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of football in American
society?: Football is almost a religious institution that uses rituals to reinforce common
American values, such as competition, and it serves as an outlet for aggression in order to
help maintain social cohesion.
Explanation: A functionalist would say that football serves a specific purpose in society in
order to help it better function.
4. Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?: Vari- ables need
established operational definitions so that they can be measured and the data can be
analyzed.
Explanation: Operational definitions of variables are necessary in research so that the
variables can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
5. A researcher tests a sample of elementary school children in the United States on
,their reading abilities and also counts the number of books in their homes. He finds that
those children who have books in their home have better reading skills. What is this an
example of?: correlation
Explanation: Although the researcher found that owning more books is related to better
reading ability, this does not mean that one causes the other; they are simply correlated.
Perhaps wealthier families can both afford to buy more books and give their children other
advantages that improve reading.
6. Which of the following is an advantage of field research?: It can offer a lot of detail about
a topic.
Explanation: Field research can lack breadth, it can be very time-consuming, and different
researchers might draw different conclusions about what they observed, but unlike other
research methods, it offers detail about the situation.
, 7. If you wanted to compare the attitudes of Virginia residents towards gun control with
the attitudes of Oregon residents, which research method would you choose?: survey
Explanation: Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large groups of people and
drawing specific comparisons between respondents.
8. The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual behavior and attitude
is known as .: sociological imagination
Explanation: Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her perspective to
understand the social forces that shape behavior and attitudes.
9. The requirement that all participants in a study be aware of potential risks is known as
.: informed consent
Explanation: Informed consent requires that participants in a study are aware of all of the
potential risks that could result from their participation in a study.
10. A sociologist analyzing the language of job ads from the early twentieth century
looking for gender bias would be an example of which type of re- search?: content
analysis
Explanation: Analyzing the language of job ads would be a type of content analysis.
11. Luciana is a sociologist who studies the experience of first-generation Latinx families
in St. Louis. She is asked by a non-profit to consult on how to decrease the stigmatization
faced by prisoners upon their release from prison. What ethical issue does Luciana
potentially face?: expertise
Explanation: Luciana does not have experience studying the prison population. If she does
1. Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?: Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx's studies of class conflict are the basis for the conflict perspective in
sociology.
2. What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead's theory of social in- teractions?:
No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another, and people have to learn
what symbols mean and how to use them.
Explanation: Mead's theory about social interactions and symbols created the basis for
symbolic interactionism.
3. How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of football in American
society?: Football is almost a religious institution that uses rituals to reinforce common
American values, such as competition, and it serves as an outlet for aggression in order to
help maintain social cohesion.
Explanation: A functionalist would say that football serves a specific purpose in society in
order to help it better function.
4. Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?: Vari- ables need
established operational definitions so that they can be measured and the data can be
analyzed.
Explanation: Operational definitions of variables are necessary in research so that the
variables can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
5. A researcher tests a sample of elementary school children in the United States on
,their reading abilities and also counts the number of books in their homes. He finds that
those children who have books in their home have better reading skills. What is this an
example of?: correlation
Explanation: Although the researcher found that owning more books is related to better
reading ability, this does not mean that one causes the other; they are simply correlated.
Perhaps wealthier families can both afford to buy more books and give their children other
advantages that improve reading.
6. Which of the following is an advantage of field research?: It can offer a lot of detail about
a topic.
Explanation: Field research can lack breadth, it can be very time-consuming, and different
researchers might draw different conclusions about what they observed, but unlike other
research methods, it offers detail about the situation.
, 7. If you wanted to compare the attitudes of Virginia residents towards gun control with
the attitudes of Oregon residents, which research method would you choose?: survey
Explanation: Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large groups of people and
drawing specific comparisons between respondents.
8. The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual behavior and attitude
is known as .: sociological imagination
Explanation: Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her perspective to
understand the social forces that shape behavior and attitudes.
9. The requirement that all participants in a study be aware of potential risks is known as
.: informed consent
Explanation: Informed consent requires that participants in a study are aware of all of the
potential risks that could result from their participation in a study.
10. A sociologist analyzing the language of job ads from the early twentieth century
looking for gender bias would be an example of which type of re- search?: content
analysis
Explanation: Analyzing the language of job ads would be a type of content analysis.
11. Luciana is a sociologist who studies the experience of first-generation Latinx families
in St. Louis. She is asked by a non-profit to consult on how to decrease the stigmatization
faced by prisoners upon their release from prison. What ethical issue does Luciana
potentially face?: expertise
Explanation: Luciana does not have experience studying the prison population. If she does
