WGU C 273 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT NEWEST EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
NEWLY UPDATED VERSION LATEST 2026-2027
(100% CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+
1. Who coined the term "sociology" and advocated for the scientific study of society?
a) Karl Marx
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Auguste Comte
d) Max Weber
Rationale: Auguste Comte (1798–1857) is credited with coining the term "sociology" and
believed that the scientific method should be applied to the study of society, a concept he
called positivism.
2. The sociological imagination, as defined by C. Wright Mills, is the ability to:
a) Predict future social trends accurately
b) Understand the relationship between personal troubles and public issues
c) Manipulate social situations for personal gain
d) Conduct unbiased sociological research
Rationale: Mills argued that the sociological imagination allows individuals to see how personal
problems are often rooted in broader social forces. Unemployment, for example, may reflect
economic recession rather than personal failure.
,3. Which early sociologist translated Auguste Comte's works into English and was a pioneering
feminist sociologist?
a) Jane Addams
b) Harriet Martineau
c) Charlotte Perkins Gilman
d) Dorothy Smith
Rationale: Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) translated Comte's work and wrote extensively on
social issues including gender inequality, slavery, and education. She viewed sociology as a path
to reform and improve society.
4. Herbert Spencer compared society to a living organism and believed that social inequality
was natural and beneficial. This perspective is known as:
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Social Darwinism
d) Symbolic interactionism
Rationale: Spencer applied Darwin's "survival of the fittest" concept to society, arguing that the
rich and powerful were naturally superior and that social reform should not interfere with
natural selection. He believed sociologists should not guide social reform.
5. Karl Marx believed that the engine of human history is:
a) The spread of religion
b) Technological innovation
c) Class conflict
d) Cultural diffusion
Rationale: Marx believed that the roots of human misery lay in class conflict—the exploitation
of workers by those who own the means of production. Social change through workers
overthrowing capitalists was inevitable from his perspective.
6. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie are the:
a) Working class
b) Capitalists who own the means of production
, c) Religious leaders
d) Intellectual elite
Rationale: Marx's term "bourgeoisie" refers to capitalists who own the means of production—
money, land, factories, and machines. The proletariat are the workers who do not own these
resources.
7. Émile Durkheim's research on suicide revealed that:
a) Suicide is purely an individual psychological act
b) People with weaker social ties are more likely to commit suicide
c) Economic factors are the sole cause of suicide
d) Suicide rates are random across all populations
Rationale: Durkheim's comparison of suicide rates across countries revealed an underlying
social factor: people are more likely to commit suicide if their ties to others in their communities
are weak—a concept he called social integration.
8. The concept of "social integration" refers to:
a) The economic system of a society
b) The degree to which members of a group are united by shared values and social bonds
c) The political structure of a nation
d) The technological advancement of a civilization
Rationale: Social integration, also known as social cohesion, is the degree to which people are
tied to their social groups. Durkheim demonstrated that weaker social ties correlate with higher
suicide rates.
9. Max Weber's research on the Protestant ethic suggested that:
a) Catholics were more likely to embrace capitalism
b) Protestant values about hard work and frugality helped bring about capitalism
c) Religion has no impact on economic systems
d) All religions equally support economic growth
Rationale: Weber disagreed with Marx and used cross-cultural historical materials to trace
social change. He found that Protestants embraced change and looked for signs they were in
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT NEWEST EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
NEWLY UPDATED VERSION LATEST 2026-2027
(100% CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+
1. Who coined the term "sociology" and advocated for the scientific study of society?
a) Karl Marx
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Auguste Comte
d) Max Weber
Rationale: Auguste Comte (1798–1857) is credited with coining the term "sociology" and
believed that the scientific method should be applied to the study of society, a concept he
called positivism.
2. The sociological imagination, as defined by C. Wright Mills, is the ability to:
a) Predict future social trends accurately
b) Understand the relationship between personal troubles and public issues
c) Manipulate social situations for personal gain
d) Conduct unbiased sociological research
Rationale: Mills argued that the sociological imagination allows individuals to see how personal
problems are often rooted in broader social forces. Unemployment, for example, may reflect
economic recession rather than personal failure.
,3. Which early sociologist translated Auguste Comte's works into English and was a pioneering
feminist sociologist?
a) Jane Addams
b) Harriet Martineau
c) Charlotte Perkins Gilman
d) Dorothy Smith
Rationale: Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) translated Comte's work and wrote extensively on
social issues including gender inequality, slavery, and education. She viewed sociology as a path
to reform and improve society.
4. Herbert Spencer compared society to a living organism and believed that social inequality
was natural and beneficial. This perspective is known as:
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Social Darwinism
d) Symbolic interactionism
Rationale: Spencer applied Darwin's "survival of the fittest" concept to society, arguing that the
rich and powerful were naturally superior and that social reform should not interfere with
natural selection. He believed sociologists should not guide social reform.
5. Karl Marx believed that the engine of human history is:
a) The spread of religion
b) Technological innovation
c) Class conflict
d) Cultural diffusion
Rationale: Marx believed that the roots of human misery lay in class conflict—the exploitation
of workers by those who own the means of production. Social change through workers
overthrowing capitalists was inevitable from his perspective.
6. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie are the:
a) Working class
b) Capitalists who own the means of production
, c) Religious leaders
d) Intellectual elite
Rationale: Marx's term "bourgeoisie" refers to capitalists who own the means of production—
money, land, factories, and machines. The proletariat are the workers who do not own these
resources.
7. Émile Durkheim's research on suicide revealed that:
a) Suicide is purely an individual psychological act
b) People with weaker social ties are more likely to commit suicide
c) Economic factors are the sole cause of suicide
d) Suicide rates are random across all populations
Rationale: Durkheim's comparison of suicide rates across countries revealed an underlying
social factor: people are more likely to commit suicide if their ties to others in their communities
are weak—a concept he called social integration.
8. The concept of "social integration" refers to:
a) The economic system of a society
b) The degree to which members of a group are united by shared values and social bonds
c) The political structure of a nation
d) The technological advancement of a civilization
Rationale: Social integration, also known as social cohesion, is the degree to which people are
tied to their social groups. Durkheim demonstrated that weaker social ties correlate with higher
suicide rates.
9. Max Weber's research on the Protestant ethic suggested that:
a) Catholics were more likely to embrace capitalism
b) Protestant values about hard work and frugality helped bring about capitalism
c) Religion has no impact on economic systems
d) All religions equally support economic growth
Rationale: Weber disagreed with Marx and used cross-cultural historical materials to trace
social change. He found that Protestants embraced change and looked for signs they were in
