Wright mills claimed that the sociological imagination transformed

Unit 1 Examination

38

GED 216 Sociology

Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)

Because there is more social isolation in rural areas of the United States than in urban areas, 1. we would expect suicide rates to be

higher in urban areas.a. higher in rural areas.b. high in both urban and rural areas.c. low in both urban and rural areas. d.

Sociologists use the term “social marginality” to refer to 2.

people who have little understanding of sociology.a. people who have special social skills.b. people who are defined by others as an “outsider.”c. people who are especially sensitive about their family background. d.

If social marginality encourages sociological thinking, we would expect people in which 3. category listed below to make the most use of the sociological perspective?

the wealthya. disabled persons or people who are a racial minorityb. politiciansc. the middle class d.

Following the thinking of C. Wright Mills, we would expect the sociological imagination to be 4. more widespread in a population

during times of peace and prosperity. a. among the very rich.b. among very religious people.c. during times of social crisis. d.

Wright Mills claimed that the “sociological imagination” transformed 5.

common sense into laws of society.a. people into supporters of the status quo.b. personal problems into public issues.c. scientific research into common sense. d.

Unit 1 Examination

39

GED 216 Sociology

The United States falls within which category of the world’s nations? 6.

low-income nationsa. middle-income nationsb. high-income nationsc. socially marginalized nations d.

Countries in which average people’s income is typical for the world as a whole and in which 7. people are as likely to live in a rural area as in an urban area are categorized as

low-income nations.a. middle-income nations.b. high-income nations.c. socially marginalized nations. d.

The nations of Western Europe, Israel, Japan, and Australia fall into which category of 8. countries?

low-income nationsa. middle-income nationsb. high-income nationsc. socially marginalized nations d.

It is difficult to establish all the cause-and-effect relationships in a social situation because 9.

most patterns of behavior have a single cause.a. most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all.b. most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors.c. sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect. d.

The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher must 10.

not personally care about the topic being studied.a. try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research.b. study issues that have no value to society as a whole.c. carry out research that will encourage desirable social change. d.

Unit 1 Examination

40

GED 216 Sociology

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be “value-free” in the conduct of their research 11. was

Karl Marx.a. Emile Durkheim.b. Herbert Spencer.c. Max Weber. d.

Imagine that you are repeating research done by someone else in order to assess the accuracy. 12. You are doing which of the following?

replicationa. objectificationb. reliabilityc. scientific control d.

Sociologists cannot precisely predict any person’s behavior because 13.

human behavior is highly complex and has many causes.a. the discipline of sociology is too new.b. there are too many competing sociological approaches.c. sociology is not scientific. d.

Positivist sociology 14.

focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.a. seeks to bring about desirable social change.b. favors qualitative data.c. favors quantitative data. d.

Interpretive sociology refers to sociology that 15.

focuses on action.a. sees an objective reality “out there.”b. focuses on the meaning people attach to their social world.c. seeks to bring about change. d.

Unit 1 Examination

41

GED 216 Sociology

Which German word meaning “understanding” was used by Max Weber to describe his 16. approach to sociological research?

Gemeinschafta. Gesellschaftb. Verstehenc. Verboten d.

Critical sociology 17.

focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.a. seeks to bring about desirable social change.b. endorses the principle of being value-free.c. is based on Weber’s principle of verstehen. d.

Critical sociology can best be described as a(n) ________ approach. 18.

activista. scientificb. qualitativec. value-free d.

The Sapir-Whorf thesis states that 19.

language involves attaching labels to the real world.a. people see the world through the cultural lens of their language.b. most words have the same meaning if spoken in different languages.c. every word exists in all known languages. d.

Standards by which people who share culture define what is desirable, good, and beautiful are 20. called

folkways.a. norms.b. mores.c. values. d.

The dominant values of U.S. culture include 21.

a deep respect for the traditions of the past.a. a belief in equality of condition for all.b. a belief in individuality.c. a belief in intuition over science.d.

Unit 1 Examination

42

GED 216 Sociology

While one dominant value of U.S. culture is the right to equal opportunity and freedom, 22. another is

equality of condition.a. material comfort.b. racism and group superiority.c. belief in tradition. d.

Key values of U.S. culture 23.

always fit together easily.a. change quickly, even from year to year.b. are shared by absolutely everyone in a society.c. are sometimes in conflict with one another. d.

An emerging value in our society is 24.

“What was good enough for my parents is good enough for me.”a. “The present is better than the past.”b. “Work is important, but I want more time for leisure and personal growth.”c. “It’s good to be free.” d.

Low-income countries have cultures that value 25.

economic survival.a. equal standing for women and men.b. self-expression.c. individualism.d.

Unit 1 Examination

43

GED 216 Sociology

Writing Assignment for Unit One

• Include your name, student number, course number, course title and unit number with your writing assignment.

• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question number you are answering followed by the actual question itself (in bold type).

• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions (i.e., an introduction, middle paragraphs and conclusion).

• Responses must be typed double-spaced, using a standard font (i.e. Times New Roman) and 12 point type size.

Word count is NOT one of the criteria that is used in assigning points to writing assignments. However, students who are successful in earning the maximum number of points tend to submit writing assignments that fall in the following ranges:

Undergraduate courses: 350 - 500 words or 1 - 2 pages. Graduate courses: 500 - 750 words or 2 - 3 pages. Doctoral courses: 750 - 1000 words or 4 - 5 pages.

Plagiarism

All work must be free of any form of plagiarism. Put written answers into your own words. Do not simply cut and paste your answers from the Internet and do not copy your answers from the textbook. Be sure to refer to the course syllabus for more details on plagiarism and proper citation styles.

Please answer ONE of the following:

What did Max Weber mean by “value-free” research? Do you think researchers can be 1. value-free? Should they try? Explain.

How does ideal culture differ from real culture? Write your essay using three examples of how 2. ideal and real culture differ in U.S. society.

Describe Gerhard Lenski’s model of sociocultural evolution, summarizing several key traits of 3. each stage. What major technological revolutions have reshaped human societies in the past?