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WGU C273: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT EXAM TEST BANK
2026 ALL QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
RATED A+ |HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY
EXPERTS |NEW AND REVISED |INSTANT
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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
,2|Page
D) Conduct unbiased sociological research
Rationale: Mills argued that the sociological imagination allows
individuals to see how personal problems (e.g., unemployment,
divorce) are often rooted in broader social forces (e.g., economic
recession, changing family laws).
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) was an English sociologist
who translated Comte's work and wrote extensively on social issues
including gender inequality, slavery, and education.
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.
,3|Page
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 class conflict between the bourgeoisie
(capitalists who own the means of production) and the proletariat
(workers) drives historical change.
6. Which sociological perspective focuses on how parts of society
work together to maintain stability and order?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Feminist theory
Rationale: Functionalism views society as a complex system whose
parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. It emphasizes
how social institutions contribute to the smooth functioning of society.
7. Which sociological perspective focuses on how groups compete for
scarce resources and power?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
, 4|Page
D) Structural functionalism
Rationale: Conflict theory, rooted in the work of Karl Marx, focuses
on how groups compete for social prestige, resources, and power. It
emphasizes inequality and social change driven by conflict.
8. Which sociological perspective examines how individuals create
meaning through social interaction and the use of symbols?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Structural functionalism
Rationale: Symbolic interactionism focuses on the micro-level analysis
of how people interpret and define social reality through interaction
and the use of symbols. It emphasizes the subjective meanings people
attach to their social world.
9. Émile Durkheim's study of suicide demonstrated that:
A) Suicide is purely an individual psychological act
B) Social integration and social solidarity influence suicide
rates
C) Suicide rates are highest in wealthy countries
D) Suicide is caused by economic factors alone
Rationale: Durkheim found that suicide rates are influenced by social
integration—the degree to which people are tied to their social groups.
People with weaker social ties are more likely to commit suicide.
WGU C273: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT EXAM TEST BANK
2026 ALL QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
RATED A+ |HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY
EXPERTS |NEW AND REVISED |INSTANT
DOWNLOAD
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
,2|Page
D) Conduct unbiased sociological research
Rationale: Mills argued that the sociological imagination allows
individuals to see how personal problems (e.g., unemployment,
divorce) are often rooted in broader social forces (e.g., economic
recession, changing family laws).
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) was an English sociologist
who translated Comte's work and wrote extensively on social issues
including gender inequality, slavery, and education.
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.
,3|Page
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 class conflict between the bourgeoisie
(capitalists who own the means of production) and the proletariat
(workers) drives historical change.
6. Which sociological perspective focuses on how parts of society
work together to maintain stability and order?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Feminist theory
Rationale: Functionalism views society as a complex system whose
parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. It emphasizes
how social institutions contribute to the smooth functioning of society.
7. Which sociological perspective focuses on how groups compete for
scarce resources and power?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
, 4|Page
D) Structural functionalism
Rationale: Conflict theory, rooted in the work of Karl Marx, focuses
on how groups compete for social prestige, resources, and power. It
emphasizes inequality and social change driven by conflict.
8. Which sociological perspective examines how individuals create
meaning through social interaction and the use of symbols?
A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Structural functionalism
Rationale: Symbolic interactionism focuses on the micro-level analysis
of how people interpret and define social reality through interaction
and the use of symbols. It emphasizes the subjective meanings people
attach to their social world.
9. Émile Durkheim's study of suicide demonstrated that:
A) Suicide is purely an individual psychological act
B) Social integration and social solidarity influence suicide
rates
C) Suicide rates are highest in wealthy countries
D) Suicide is caused by economic factors alone
Rationale: Durkheim found that suicide rates are influenced by social
integration—the degree to which people are tied to their social groups.
People with weaker social ties are more likely to commit suicide.
