INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY MIDTERM EXAM 1 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
What is the definition of sociology? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Sociology is the systematic or
scientific study of human society and social interaction
- called the "science of society"
What is a society? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- People who interact in a defined territory and share a
culture
What is the sociological imagination/perspective? (Remember these words are interchangeable). -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Everything we do is impacted by society instead of just the self.
- Social forces are maintained by the individual, while they (the social forces) also impact the individual.
Define social facts. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Elements (social factors) that influence life beyond
the individual level
- Examples of social factors: social roles, norms, laws, values, beliefs, rituals, and customs.
What changes were taking place in Europe when sociology began? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- A rise
in democracy
- Enlightenment (more scienced based/less dependent on religion)
- Industrial Revolution which also led to...
- Urbanization (more jobs from industrialization brought people from rural communities to cities)
Before the modern world began, how did most people make a living? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅-
They worked within the family (ex: family farms)
- Not much trade/people worked for what they had.
Define anomie. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- When society changes, people do not understand the
norms and rules.
- Normlessness
, - Idea created by Durkheim
What are the key ideas Durkheim developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Sociology is an acedemic
field
- Society is a "thing" with it's own nature
- The idea of social facts
- He studied the trends between age and suicide
- The idea of anomie, and social solidarity
- Definded mechanical versus organic solidarity
What are the key ideas Comte developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Stated that we needed a
science of society
- Considered the "founder" since he brought awarness to the sociology field
What are the key ideas Marx developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- His theories critiqued
capitalism
- Stated that capitalism exploited workers and that culture sits on top of a base of economic relations
What are the key ideas Weber developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Rationalization
- Figured out the roots of capitalism
- Religion (particularly calvanism) leads to capitalism
Define structural functionalism. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- A framework for building theory that
sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
- Everything exists in society for a reason and has a function
Define conflict theory. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Views society as an unequal system that brings
about conflict and change
- Focuses on macro issues and supports the idea that the struggle for scarce resources holds a society
together
AND ANSWERS
What is the definition of sociology? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Sociology is the systematic or
scientific study of human society and social interaction
- called the "science of society"
What is a society? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- People who interact in a defined territory and share a
culture
What is the sociological imagination/perspective? (Remember these words are interchangeable). -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Everything we do is impacted by society instead of just the self.
- Social forces are maintained by the individual, while they (the social forces) also impact the individual.
Define social facts. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Elements (social factors) that influence life beyond
the individual level
- Examples of social factors: social roles, norms, laws, values, beliefs, rituals, and customs.
What changes were taking place in Europe when sociology began? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- A rise
in democracy
- Enlightenment (more scienced based/less dependent on religion)
- Industrial Revolution which also led to...
- Urbanization (more jobs from industrialization brought people from rural communities to cities)
Before the modern world began, how did most people make a living? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅-
They worked within the family (ex: family farms)
- Not much trade/people worked for what they had.
Define anomie. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- When society changes, people do not understand the
norms and rules.
- Normlessness
, - Idea created by Durkheim
What are the key ideas Durkheim developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Sociology is an acedemic
field
- Society is a "thing" with it's own nature
- The idea of social facts
- He studied the trends between age and suicide
- The idea of anomie, and social solidarity
- Definded mechanical versus organic solidarity
What are the key ideas Comte developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Stated that we needed a
science of society
- Considered the "founder" since he brought awarness to the sociology field
What are the key ideas Marx developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- His theories critiqued
capitalism
- Stated that capitalism exploited workers and that culture sits on top of a base of economic relations
What are the key ideas Weber developed? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Rationalization
- Figured out the roots of capitalism
- Religion (particularly calvanism) leads to capitalism
Define structural functionalism. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- A framework for building theory that
sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
- Everything exists in society for a reason and has a function
Define conflict theory. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- Views society as an unequal system that brings
about conflict and change
- Focuses on macro issues and supports the idea that the struggle for scarce resources holds a society
together
