Sociology Clep Exam 2026 Questions and
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.
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,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.
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,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.
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, 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.
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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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVE 1
,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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVE 2
,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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVE 3
, 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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVE 4
