WGU C273 Introduction to Sociology All
Quizzes from Material Questions and
Answers
1.Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective? (a) Auguste Comte
b) Jane Addams
c) Herbert Spencer
d) Karl Marx
Answer D. 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 inter-
actions? a) No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another,
and people have to learn what symbols mean and how to use them.
b) People interact based on conflict between their statuses in life.
c) Each person occupies a specific place in society that contributes to
the operation of their social group.
d) The unintended consequences of interactions create the basis of
society's problems.
Answer A. 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?
a) Football exacerbates the worst divisions of society, such as between rich
athletes and blue collar workers, and maintains the subordinate role of
minori- ties in society.
b) 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.
c) Football encourages gender differences, especially since it is a sport
,almost exclusive to male athletes.
d) Football increases friendship networks, both between players and specta-
tors, and reflects the social structure of our society.
Answer B. 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?
a) Operational definitions are not usually used in sociological research.
b) Each variable needs to be identified as dependent or independent so
that the researcher can know which variable is affecting the other.
c) Operational definitions are only necessary in experiments.
d) Variables need established operational definitions so that they can be
measured and the data can be analyzed.
Answer D. 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 bette
reading skills. What is this an example of?
a) Hawthorne effect
b) correlation
c) causation
d) variables
Answer B. 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?
, a) It has breadth.
b) Information can be gathered relatively quickly and easily.
c) It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
d) It provides objective information about people and society.
Answer C. 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?
a) experiment
b) ethnography
c) participant observation
d) survey
Answer D. 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 .
a) materialist conception
b) organic solidarity
c) sociological imagination
d) applied sociology
Answer C. 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 .
a) informed consent
b) exploitation of participants
Quizzes from Material Questions and
Answers
1.Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective? (a) Auguste Comte
b) Jane Addams
c) Herbert Spencer
d) Karl Marx
Answer D. 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 inter-
actions? a) No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another,
and people have to learn what symbols mean and how to use them.
b) People interact based on conflict between their statuses in life.
c) Each person occupies a specific place in society that contributes to
the operation of their social group.
d) The unintended consequences of interactions create the basis of
society's problems.
Answer A. 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?
a) Football exacerbates the worst divisions of society, such as between rich
athletes and blue collar workers, and maintains the subordinate role of
minori- ties in society.
b) 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.
c) Football encourages gender differences, especially since it is a sport
,almost exclusive to male athletes.
d) Football increases friendship networks, both between players and specta-
tors, and reflects the social structure of our society.
Answer B. 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?
a) Operational definitions are not usually used in sociological research.
b) Each variable needs to be identified as dependent or independent so
that the researcher can know which variable is affecting the other.
c) Operational definitions are only necessary in experiments.
d) Variables need established operational definitions so that they can be
measured and the data can be analyzed.
Answer D. 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 bette
reading skills. What is this an example of?
a) Hawthorne effect
b) correlation
c) causation
d) variables
Answer B. 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?
, a) It has breadth.
b) Information can be gathered relatively quickly and easily.
c) It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
d) It provides objective information about people and society.
Answer C. 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?
a) experiment
b) ethnography
c) participant observation
d) survey
Answer D. 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 .
a) materialist conception
b) organic solidarity
c) sociological imagination
d) applied sociology
Answer C. 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 .
a) informed consent
b) exploitation of participants
