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WGU C273 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY EXAM,
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
|| QUESTIONS WITH ACCURATE ANSWERS | GET IT
RIGHT |2026! C273 WGU - INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY
Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?
......ANSWER......Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx's studies of class conflict are the basis for the
conflict perspective in sociology.
What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead's theory of social
interactions? ......ANSWER......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.
How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of
football in American society? ......ANSWER......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.
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Explanation: A functionalist would say that football serves a specific
purpose in society in order to help it better function.
Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?
......ANSWER......Variables 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.
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?
......ANSWER......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.
Which of the following is an advantage of field research?
......ANSWER......It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
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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.
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? ......ANSWER......survey
Explanation: Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large
groups of people and drawing specific comparisons between
respondents.
The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual
behavior and attitude is known as __________.
......ANSWER......sociological imagination
Explanation: Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her
perspective to understand the social forces that shape behavior and
attitudes.
The requirement that all participants in a study be aware of potential
risks is known as __________. ......ANSWER......informed consent
, 4|Page
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.
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
research? ......ANSWER......content analysis
Explanation: Analyzing the language of job ads would be a type of
content analysis.
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?
......ANSWER......expertise
Explanation: Luciana does not have experience studying the prison
population. If she does not explain what her area of expertise is to the
non-profit, she might illegitimately benefit from her status as a
sociologist without the necessary experience.
Auguste Comte employed which of the following philosophical systems
which studied society through a scientific lens?
......ANSWER......positivism
WGU C273 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY EXAM,
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
|| QUESTIONS WITH ACCURATE ANSWERS | GET IT
RIGHT |2026! C273 WGU - INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY
Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?
......ANSWER......Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx's studies of class conflict are the basis for the
conflict perspective in sociology.
What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead's theory of social
interactions? ......ANSWER......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.
How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of
football in American society? ......ANSWER......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.
,2|Page
Explanation: A functionalist would say that football serves a specific
purpose in society in order to help it better function.
Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?
......ANSWER......Variables 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.
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?
......ANSWER......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.
Which of the following is an advantage of field research?
......ANSWER......It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
,3|Page
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.
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? ......ANSWER......survey
Explanation: Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large
groups of people and drawing specific comparisons between
respondents.
The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual
behavior and attitude is known as __________.
......ANSWER......sociological imagination
Explanation: Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her
perspective to understand the social forces that shape behavior and
attitudes.
The requirement that all participants in a study be aware of potential
risks is known as __________. ......ANSWER......informed consent
, 4|Page
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.
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
research? ......ANSWER......content analysis
Explanation: Analyzing the language of job ads would be a type of
content analysis.
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?
......ANSWER......expertise
Explanation: Luciana does not have experience studying the prison
population. If she does not explain what her area of expertise is to the
non-profit, she might illegitimately benefit from her status as a
sociologist without the necessary experience.
Auguste Comte employed which of the following philosophical systems
which studied society through a scientific lens?
......ANSWER......positivism
