Sociology Ch10& Ch11 – Flashcards
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In the nineteenth century, New Jersey's legislature adopted a number of so-called "sunset laws" that closed the polls early on election day, usually before the working day at factories was over. What would the effect that this had on the working class be called?
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disenfranchisement
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When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?
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Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would have made him look better on camera.
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How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?
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Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
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What does Jean Baudrillard call an image in the media that people can no longer distinguish from the reality that it is supposed to represent?
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simulacrum
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What does a sociological perspective tell us about education in the United States?
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Educational success often has as much to do with social stratification as it does with individual ability.
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Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father, Hussein bin Talal, as ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999. This makes his government a:
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monarchy
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What is it called when a government seeks to control every aspect of life?
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totalitarianism
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On January 30, 2005, Iraq held what many claim were the first free and fair elections in its history, after many decades of military dictatorship. This was seen as the first step in transforming Iraq into a:
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democracy
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The word "politics" comes from the Greek word politikos, meaning power or authority. (T/F)
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False
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These days, many customer service representatives we talk to over the phone are based in India. Which of the following terms applies to this phenomenon?
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the death of distance
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Why does Karl Marx argue that work is no longer a satisfying and enjoyable activity?
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Work is not the satisfaction of a need, but only the means to satisfying needs.
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Which of the following groups of workers would be LEAST likely to strike successfully?
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workers who make microchips at a Silicon Valley plant
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Chrysler was one of America's original automobile makers, established in Detroit in 1925. But from 1998 to 2007 it was part of the German-based company DaimlerChrysler, and in 2014 it merged with Fiat, an Italian automotive manufacturer, after going bankrupt in 2009. This example reminds us that most big companies today are:
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transnational
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According to Karl Marx, where does surplus value come from?
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paying workers less than the value of what they create
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If the United States practiced a pure form of capitalism, institutions that provide services like heath care and education would be privately owned.
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True
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When manufacturing firms move to other countries to take advantage of cheap labor and lax environmental laws, it is called:
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opening runaway shops.
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Why did Karl Marx believe that workers in a capitalist economy experience alienation?
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They are paid for their labor but do not own the things they produce.
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What new technology was integral to the Industrial Revolution?
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the steam engine
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In 2009 the British government announced that it was cutting costs by transferring more than 100 jobs involving finance and information technology to India. What is this an example of?
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outsourcing
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A sociologist tells you that she believes that "the owners and top-level managers in large income-producing properties are far and away the dominant power figures in the United States" because "their corporations, banks, and agribusinesses come together as a corporate community that dominates the federal government." What concept is being described here?
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the power elite
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In Who Governs, Robert Dahl examined the way power was distributed in New Haven, Connecticut, and concluded that a wide variety of actors played a role in the political decision-making process. What theory of power does Dahl believe in?
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pluralism
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Why do politics, education, and religion all appear in the same chapter of your text?
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Political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.
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What is religiosity?
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the extent of a person's commitment to a religion
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Schools that blend high school and college are called:
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early college high schools.
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Conflict theory argues that, while religion is sometimes an oppressive force, it can also sometimes act as a liberatory force.
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True
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Sociology can usefully evaluate the truth of a particular religious belief system.
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False
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In their Pygmalion in the Classroom, how did Jacobson and Rosenthal select the students they identified as ready to academically "bloom" in the coming school year?
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randomly
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When liquor stores in the United States import wine made entirely from French grapes and bottled in France or beer brewed from grain and hops grown in Holland, it is an example of:
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shallow integration
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What is it called when nations compete to attract transnational corporations by undercutting their citizens' wages or offering tax incentives?
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the race to the bottom
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When office workers hang pictures in their cubicles or waste time daydreaming while on the clock, it is an example of:
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individual resistance.
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In 2003 Evan Williams, the owner of the Internet firm Blogger, sold his company to Google; in the process, he became a Google employee. Why might Karl Marx suspect that this move would leave Williams feeling more alienated than before?
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He no longer had control over what he produced.
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Which of the following is a category of contingent work?
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independent contractors
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Essentially, all mp3 players, including the iPod, are made overseas. One estimate found that it would cost 23 percent more to buy an iPod manufactured under working conditions that would be legal in the United States. What might a store call an iPod that was made under U.S. working conditions?
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a sweatshop-free iPod
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What technological development is most associated with the Information Revolution?
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the microchip
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Much of the money you pay for name-brand products finances advertising campaigns; a much smaller sum pays the workers who make the products.
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True
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How are strictly controlled workers within bureaucracies different from robots?
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Human workers can resist and undermine the bureaucratic restraints that limit their autonomy.
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Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador practiced a unique form of Catholicism that combined Christianity and Marxism.
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True
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In the Sermon on the Mount, in the Christian New Testament, believers are told, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." Which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you of?
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Religion provides morals, values, rules, and norms for participants.
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Ecclesiastes, in the Hebrew Bible, often strikes people as very depressing because it implies that life is pointless, but others take something of value from this book and feel that it shows that life and suffering are beyond human comprehension but must be appreciated anyway. Which function or dysfunction of religion does Ecclesiastes fulfill for those who value it?
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giving meaning to our lives
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According to Randall Collins, why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?
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They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thus minimizing competition and ensuring that there is a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
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What is the goal of early college high schools?
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to make it easier for students from underserved backgrounds to enter college
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When students are tested and the test results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial, advanced, college prep, etc.), this process is called:
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tracking.
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In 2008 Joe McCain, brother of the presidential hopeful John McCain, called 911 to complain about a traffic jam. When the 911 operator scolded him, he used a vulgarity and hung up. This incident was reported on the news almost immediately, illustrating that:
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the power and potential of new media in the political process cuts both ways.
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Religious groups that emphasize literal interpretation of sacred texts are called:
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fundamentalist.
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If the United States practiced a pure form of capitalism, institutions that provide services like heath care and education would be privately owned
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True
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Individual acts of resistance often provide autonomy for workers and fundamentally change working conditions.
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False
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Tactics that let workers take back some degree of control over the conditions in which they work are called:
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resistance strategies
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The Information Revolution has changed many things about the economy, but most other aspects of life have remained unchanged
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False
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According to Barbara Ehrenreich, what do workers with minimum-wage service jobs need to do to get ahead and move up in the world?
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nothing; there's no way for them to move up in the world
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Someone who works giving acupuncture to dogs in order to relieve their stress is:
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a service worker.
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How are workers' situations different in socialist, as opposed to capitalist, economies?
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In a socialist economy, workers do not enjoy the same consumption patterns.
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During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in England, the curriculum at schools like Trinity College at Cambridge (The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity) leaned very heavily on theology. Today, the vast majority of university students will never take any theology classes. Why did this change?
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The knowledge, values, and expectations required to succeed in contemporary society are different from those required then.
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Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega's government?
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authoritarian
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When schools fail to make any mention of gays or lesbians in the curriculum, what message is being sent?
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Gays and lesbians aren't full members of society.
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Why are political action committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?
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Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give them.
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What are religions called that worship one divine figure?
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monotheistic religions
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Systems and structures that persist over time and help organize group life are called:
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social institutions.
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The Industrial Revolution is the most recent of the historical and technological changes that have led to new working conditions (T/F)
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False
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Which area of the economy has seen increases in union membership since the early 1970s?
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the public sector
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In 2008 and 2009, the United States government initiated a large-scale economic bailout of the banking and auto industries, in which the government invested enormous amounts of money, becoming the majority shareholder in some corporations. According to the text this means that:
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the United States is a capitalist nation with a degree of socialism in government subsidies to businesses.
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Someone who works primarily with information and develops or uses knowledge in the workplace is called:
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a knowledge worker.
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Some types of service work pay very well. (T/F)
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True
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When someone first takes a job as an aesthetician, they have to learn how to use wax to remove unwanted body hair from customers. In addition to having to master certain skills to do this well, new employees also have to learn from their co-workers how to talk to customers about parts of the body that are usually very private, an example of:
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professional socialization.
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Cuba's communist government has recently introduced reforms that make it easier to attract tourists, and many skilled professionals have started working in the tourism industry to earn more money, regardless of their degree. What is this a sign of?
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The increasingly important role capitalism plays in Cuba
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Why is it not surprising that Evangelical Protestantism is the most common religious affiliation in the United States?
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Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts
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How are "gold farms" different from traditional sweatshops?
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They exploit workers to produce virtual goods instead of material goods
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Corporations whose decision-making, production, and distribution operations are spread all over the world are characteristic of:
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Deep integration
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Mike McCurry was the White House Press Secretary from 1995 to 1998. It was his job to field questions from the press and explain the president's policies and attitudes in language that was compelling and persuasive. According to this job description, he could be called a(n):
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Spin doctor
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High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:
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Opinion leaders
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In "The Promise and Limits of Secular Spirituality in Cascadia," Mark Shibley wrote about people who feel more connected to their spirituality when they are in a forest. What are these people known as?
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Unchurched
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How did the Industrial Revolution create "work" in the modern sense?
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In a traditional economy, most work happened in the home
