question

What formula would a sociologist use to determine one's wealth?

answer

wealth = total property - total debts

question

Using the concept of a child's block equal to $500 of income, what does the author use to illustrated the ehight of US families with the highest income?

answer

Mount Everest

question

What term did C Wright Mills coin to refer to the collection of people who make the big decisions in US society?

answer

power elite

question

What qualiites do most US presidents share?

answer

they are millionaire white men from old money families

question

What did sociologist Daniel Hellinger and Dennis Judd call the false impression American voters have that they influence national and foreign policy because they vote?

answer

the democratic facade

question

Why do some people in Los Angeles list their address as Beverly Hills but then use the correct zip code for Los Angeles?

answer

it is a means by which people display prestige

question

How do winners of large lottery jackpots avoid the pitfall of status inconsistency that can lead to anomie?

answer

they maintain the lifestyle and behavior they had prior to the financial windfall

question

How did Karl Marx define social class?

answer

social class is solely based on one's relationship to the means of production

question

Tony has established a lawn and ladnscape business that grosses nearly $1 million per year, and Tony has set his own annual salary at $250,000. Based on Erik Wright's modification of Marx's model of social class, what is Tony's social class?

answer

capitalist

question

What are the two subdivisions of the capitalist class?

answer

old money and new money

question

Which class of Americans pride themselves for having read jobs and feel that workers in suits are no more than paper pushers with no practical experience?

answer

the working class

question

How does being a memeber of hte capitalist class affect one's ability to find an eligible class?

answer

the field of potential spouses for capitalists is much narrower than for other classes

question

What two social classes are liekely to be best represented in St John's Episcopal Church?

answer

the capitalist class and upper middle class

question

What phrase best describes how working class peopel think about economic and social issues?

answer

the working class is more liberal on economic issues and more conservative on social issues

question

What is it called when the same numbers of people move up and down the social class ladder, such that, on balance, the social class system shows little change?

answer

exchange mobility

question

The official measure of poverty is based on the assumption that poor people spend about one-third of their income on food. In reality, what percentage of their income do poor people actually spend on food today?

answer

20 percent

question

What did Higginbotham and Weber discover about wormen from working-class backgrounds who now occupied professional, managerial, and administrative positions?

answer

they were all encouraged by their parents to get an education

question

Which set of characteristics is most applicable in describing the poor in the US?

answer

white, high school drop-out, mother head of household

question

Which explanation of poverty do sociologists generally support?

answer

Sociologists support the social structure over characteristics of the individual as an explanation of poverty

question

In the US, what occupation holds the greatest prestige?

answer

physician

question

What was the free health clinic nearly 400 african american men joined at Tuskegee University in the 1930's?

answer

Miss Rivers Lodge

question

What is the slaughtering of a group of people because of their presumed race or ethnicity?

answer

genocide

question

What are the two major myths of race?

answer

certain races are superior to others and pure races exist

question

Race is to biology as ___ is to cultural heritage.

answer

ethnicity

question

Which nation is the least race-conscious and permits a wide range of latitude in classifying a person white or black with seven terms to describe race?

answer

Brazil

question

Prejudice describes ___ while discrimination describes ____

answer

attitudes, actions

question

What conclusion did sociologist Kathleen Blee reach after she studied women who joined hate groups?

answer

women who join hate groups learn to be racist after they join a hate group

question

At one time African Americans made efforts to straighten their hair to look more white and many believed lighter blacks were more intelligent than dark skinned blacks. What is this phenomenon called?

answer

the internalization of the norms of the dominant group

question

People who are african american and hispanic are often turned down for loans even though their credit histories are similar to white applicants. What do sociologists call this form of treatment?

answer

institutional discrimination

question

Police officers and other people who must enforce rules, regulartions, and laws are often accused of exhibiting prejudice because they view the world as being \"white and black\", or \"guilty and not guilty\" without shades of gray. Based on this assessment, which statement is most applicable?

answer

the behavior of police officers can be attributed to the authoritarian personality

question

What conclusion did the Sherifs reach following their experiment in which boys at a summer camp were assigned different cabins which competed against each other in sports and for status?

answer

Prejudice is functional as it creates in group solidarity

question

What do sociologists call a tendency for people to interpret labels in a particular way while the same labels lead them to be blind to the messages they actually convey?

answer

selective perception

question

What term describes a form of internal colonialism procticed in south africa when dominant white afrikaners exploited black africans?

answer

apartheid

question

In the US we are free to join the sons of italy, NAACP, and other groups in which we can proudly display our ethnic and racial heritage. During times of crises however such as the 9/11 tragedy \"we are all americans\". What is such a policy of intergroup relations that permits, and even encourages racial-ethnic variation but maintains a shared identity?

answer

pluralism

question

Which European nation provides the best example of mutliculturalism?

answer

Switzerland

question

Fron which country do Americans of European descent most often trace their ancestry?

answer

Germany

question

What is the most common nation of origin for Asian Americans?

answer

China

question

Rosa is a young, femal Puerto Rican; Leon is a young, male African American; Yoko is a young, female Japanese American; Joseph is a young, male Native American. Which individual is most likely to enter into a mixed marriage?

answer

Yoko

question

Who are the \"invisible minority\"?

answer

native americans

question

In the 19th century, what were the two patterns of intergroup relations Native Americans were subjected to by the dominant white Americans?

answer

genocide and direct population transfer

question

During WWII, Japanese Americans were placed in internment campts as a matter of national security. But chinese, korean, and otehr asians were also discriminated against because they \"looked\" japanese. What is the tendecy such as this for people to stereotype ethnic or racial groups that are distinctly different from each other, but have similar characteristics?

answer

spillover bigotry

question

Of all ethnic groups, in which is it most likely that children will grop up with two parents adn the least likely to be born to a single mother?

answer

Asian American

question

What pattern of intergroup relations does the caste system illustrate?

answer

segregation

question

Slavery in teh pre-civil war south was an example of which pattern of intergroup relations?

answer

internal colonialism

question

What is the major difference between how sociologists and psychologists attempt to understand prejudice?

answer

psychologists examine conditions inside the individual, and sociologists examine conditions outside the individual

question

What do gender, age, race, and ethnicity share in respect to their sociological significance?

answer

they are all master staususes the cut across all aspects of social life

question

What do sociologists emphasize in their response to biologists that genetics are not the prinicipal factor in determining human behavior?

answer

behavior amond men and women would be more universal around the world

question

What is the dominant sociological position to explain gender-based behavior?

answer

social factors are the reason for human behavior

question

In addition to testosterone levels, waht other variable did the Vietnam veterans study examine as the possible casue of aggressive male behavior?

answer

social class

question

Why are women classified as a minority group?

answer

women are discriminated against based on physical or cultural characteristics

question

In todays age what is the primary reason kidnapped vietnamese women are brought to china?

answer

they are sold as bridges due to a shortage of women created by the \"one couple, one child\" policy

question

In some societies, such as packistan, jordan, and kurdistan, a woman who is believed to have brought disgrace to the family may be killed by a male relative. What is this practive called?

answer

honor killing

question

In India, what is the practice of suttee?

answer

The burning of the living widow during cremation with her dead husband

question

What did sociologist Christine Williams discover when she studied the workd records of men employed in positions traditionally considered women's occupations?

answer

the men climbed a \"glass escalator\" and were promoted quickly

question

For any solution to be effective in reducing violence against women in the US, waht is the first hurdle that must be accomplished?

answer

any conncetions between violence and masculinity must be broken

question

The life expectancy of men born in the year 2010 is approximately __ and the life expectancy of women born that year is approximately __ ?

answer

76 .. 81

question

In which sociological perspective do theorists focus on how the meaning of \"old age\" shifts based on the changing conditions of society?

answer

symbolic interactionism

question

What is the theory deceloped by swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam that postulates as people grow older they develop more subtle ways of viewing right and wrong and can tolerate more ambiguity?

answer

gerotranscendence theory

question

As the \"baby boom\" generateion reaches retirement age, how will it affect the job market?

answer

many jobs will open up at roughly the same time

question

What term describes the tendency for TV stations to reatin older male newscasters but replace aging female newcasters in favor of younger, more attractive women?

answer

a reinforcement of gender aging

question

Which American president had the greatest influence in developing the Social Security program?

answer

Franklin D Roosevelt

question

Which of the following is the best example of gender stratification?

answer

women are not allowed to vote, own property, or testify in court in some societies

question

In what countries mentioned in the text has mas media helped create an incipient womens movement by showing women that other gender relationships are possible?

answer

Iran and Afghanistan

question

In order to gain national attention to their cause, what course of action did members of the National Women's Party take in 1917?

answer

they set up a picket line around the White House for six months until they were arrested

question

Research of hospital records revealed that women were more likely than men to die from coronary byass surgery. When researchers looked for an answer, what did they discover was the most likely cause of these differing rates in death from this surgery?

answer

unintentional sexual discimination

question

What is another term for legitimate power?

answer

authority

question

What is the relationship between the level of industrialization and the level of traditional authority?

answer

as the level of industrialization increases, the level of traditional authority decreases.

question

What were the three sources of authority identified by Max Weber?

answer

traditional, rational-legal, charismatic

question

What term describes the idea that everyone has the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen?

answer

universal citizenship

question

Hitler's nazi germany and saddam husseins regime in Iraq best illustrate which type of government?

answer

totalitarianism

question

Which of the following platforms would a dedicated Democrat most likely embrace?

answer

legislation that transfers income from the rich to the poor and controls wages, working conditions, and competition

question

Maximilian is discouraged with teh American political system. He feels the \"one man one vote\" means virtually nothing nad will just bring \"more of the same\". Based on this information, diagnose Maximilians condition.

answer

maximillian is suffering from voter apathy

question

In the 2000 and the 2004 presidential elections, more men voted for republicans while more women voted for democrats. What is the term used to describe this trend?

answer

the political gender gap

question

What term describes people who think alike on a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action?

answer

special-interest group

question

Which sociologist coined the term \"power elite\" to describe the top leaders of the largest corporations, most powerful generals and admirals, and certain elite politicians who make the major decisions in the US?

answer

C.Wright Mills

question

What were the three conditions identified by Nicholas Timasheff as essential to war?

answer

an antagonistic situation, a cultural tradition of war, and a fuel to heat the antagonism

question

When did the first noticeable conditions of social inequality occur in human societies?

answer

when surplus was generated through a division of labor

question

The plow is to the agricultural society as the ___ is to the industrial society.

answer

steam engine

question

What term best describes the linking of the world's nations by fast communications, transportation, and trade?

answer

global village

question

What event ushered in the biotech society?

answer

the deciphering of the human genome system

question

Although there is a market for a variety of products, including explosives, strong pesticides, and poisons, they cannot be sold to the general public. Restrictions on what can be manfactured and sold are a feature of which form of capitalism?

answer

state capitalism

question

In a capitalist economy, who or what determines the price of goods?

answer

market forces

question

What system is designed to eliminate competition by selling goods at predetermined prices regardless of the demand for the product or the cost to make it?

answer

socialism

question

What is an economic system where both the state and individuals produce and distribute goods and services?

answer

democratic socialism

question

What is the primary criticism made against socialism?

answer

the system does not respect individual's rights

question

What is the primary criticism leveled against capitalism?

answer

it leads to severe social inequalities

question

According to the text, what may be the most significant economic change in the past 100 years?

answer

globalization of capitalism

question

What three countries formed the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA)?

answer

United States, Canada, Mexico

question

The leaders of the globe's top multinational companies have overlapped to such a degree that they have formed what is known as the?

answer

global superclass

question

What is an organization that solicits contributions from many donors and then uses the money to influence legislation?

answer

political action committee

question

Frank, Jim, Martha, and Louise occupy the same apartment, share routine chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry, and each contributes a share of their earnings to pay utilities and food costs. Which term most applies to the relationship between Frank, Jim, Martha, and Louise?

answer

household

question

Sociologically, which of the following is the most accurate definition of marriage?

answer

it is a groups approved mating arrangements

question

Regina lives in a society in which children are related to their fathers relatives but not their mothers relatives. What type of descent system does this illustrate?

answer

patrilineal

question

Anthony and Cathy Smith have been married for thirty one years. They have always had a joint bank account, discuss big expenditures before making them, and share household duties. Which term best describes the Smith family based on this information?

answer

egalitarian

question

Which perspective is most aligned with the belief that family provides to society economic production, socialization of children, care of the sick and aged, and reproduction?

answer

the functionalist perspective

question

Which sociological perspective emphasizes housework as \"womens work\" and mowing the lawn and \"mens work\" in a traditional orientation toward household chores?

answer

symbolic interactionist

question

Of the following, which set of variables is most significant in the process of socially channeling marriage?

answer

education, social class, race-ethnicity, age

question

Approximately what percentage of marriages in the US are between spouses of different racial-ethnic backgrounds, and what is the total number of these marriages?

answer

7 percent, or over 4 million couples

question

The number of children that Americans consider ideal has ____ over the years.

answer

decreased

question

In which of hte follong ethnic groups is least likely to be headed by a married couple?

answer

African-Americans

question

What did sociologist Bob Suzuki identify as the basis for the distinct framework of Asian American family life incorporating humanism, collectivity, self-discipline, and respect for elders?

answer

Confucian values

question

Which of the following variables has the strongest influence on the variations found in American family life?

answer

social class and culture

question

John and Diane proudly consider themselves to be DINKS. WHat is the distinguishing feature of DINKS?

answer

they are a married couple, both are working, and they have no kids by choice

question

What is the primary source of strain in the typical one-parent family?

answer

poverty

question

Adults living together in a sexual relationship without being married is known as?

answer

cohabitation

question

Todays average first time bride and groom are ___ than at any other time in US history.

answer

older

question

Jane is getting married in the spring and is worried that her chances of getting divorced are extremely likely given the high divorce rate in the US. On the other hand, what reason can Jane use to discount the statistics related to divorce?

answer

overall statistics on divorce have nothing to do with any one individual marriage

question

Zacharys parents were divorced three years ago. During the first year after the divorce, Zacharys father visited him every week. Then Zacharys father remarried and fathered another child. Now he rarely visits Zachary. What is this scenario called?

answer

serial fatherhood

question

Which of the following women is most likely to remarry?

answer

a young mother with a high-school education

question

Which sociological perspective takes the position that we create our own worlds, which implies that to have a good marriage, it is essential for people to perceive that a good marriage is possible and worth working toward achieving?

answer

symbolic interactionist

question

What is the primary reason many employers rely on diplomas and degrees as sorting devices to choose employees?

answer

employers do not know potential employees, and they depend on schools to week out the incapable.

question

What were the two major goals for instituting public education in America during the 1800's?

answer

it was to produce more educated workers and \"Americanize\" immigrants

question

Yoko attends grade school in Japan. Which values of Japanese culture would she learn in her classes?

answer

solidarity with the group and team effort

question

In the Least Industrialized Nations, who is most likely to participate in a formal education program beyond the first couple of grades?

answer

primarily the wealthy becuase of the relative high cost of education in these nations

question

What is the process of passing a nations core values from one generation to the next, such as respect for private property, individuality, and competition through the school system?

answer

cultural transmission of values

question

Which function performed by American schools stresses making students similar in their speech, appearance, and ways of thinking?

answer

social integration

question

According to functionalists, why is social placement, or gatekeeping, beneficial to society?

answer

it ensures that the most capable people fill the most important positions

question

What functions of US schools have expanded and now rival some family functions?

answer

child care and sex education

question

What is the major criticism a conflict theorist would make of the hidden curriculum?

answer

it perpetuates social inequalities

question

In the US what single factor determines who attends college more than any other?

answer

family background

question

In the research conducted by George Farkas, what did Farkas determine to be the deciding factor on which students received the highest grades?

answer

the students with the highest grades \"signaled\" to teachers they are better students

question

In his research, George Farkas discovered that, even though they had identical test scores, some students were prone to receive better grades than others. Which students received the best grades?

answer

girls and Asian Americans

question

Between 1996 and 1997, editions of Statistical Abstracts reported the number of students scoring 600 or better on the verbal section of the SAT increased nearly threefold. What was most likely the reason for this dramatic increase in scores?

answer

a rescoring of the exam designed to make the SAT easier

question

In the US today, one-third of all entering college freshemen have an overall high school grade point average of A- or higher, twice what it was in 1970. What is the reason for this increase in students with high grades?

answer

teachers have inflated grades

question

Renee has difficulty in reading writing. However, despite her problem with reading and writing, she has passed into the next grade every year. This is an example of?

answer

social promotion

question

Tommie has a high shool diploma but is having exceptional difficulty finding a job because he has difficulty reading the classified ads and completing employement applications. Tommie is a good example of a problem in education referred to as?

answer

functional illiteracy

question

What did Coleman and Hoffer attribute to the higher test scores of students enrolled in Catholic schools compared to those registered by students in public schools?

answer

catholic schools maintain high academic standards compared to public schools

question

What is the primary purpose sociologists study religion?

answer

to study the role religion plays in peoples lives

question

While a shaman dances around a fire and the community stands silent and transfixed, which of the following statements best describes what has transpired?

answer

the ritual has taken on the status of being sacred

question

What term did Emile Durkheim use to describe a moral community resulting from a groups shared beliefs and practices about the sacred?

answer

a church

question

What term did Durkheim use to describe any group of people united by their religious practices, whether they be Hindus dipping in the Ganges River, Buddhists bowing before a shrine, or Aztecs sacrificing a virgin to the gods?

answer

moral community

question

Which sociological perspective stresses that the teachings of religion help people adjust to life's problems and provide guidelines for daily life?

answer

the functionalist perspective

question

What was the Inquisition?

answer

a special commission of the Roman Catholic Church to make women confess they were witches from 1200 to 1800

question

What do the Crusades to control the Holy Land, the buring of witches at the stake, and sacrifice of virgins by the Aztecs illustrate about religion?

answer

they are all examples of how religion can by dysfunctional

question

What is a religious belief that presents a unifying picture of the universe?

answer

cosmology

question

Which social scientist is credited with saying, \"Religion is the sigh of the oppresses...the opium of the people\"?

answer

Karl Marx

question

Religion has often been used to justify denying homosexuals certain rights in the US. What would conflict theorists argue this illustrates about religion?

answer

religion is used to legitimate social inequality

question

What did Weber call the self-denying approach to life practiced by members of various religions?

answer

the Protestant ethic

question

What is the largest Christian-based religion in the US, with 115 million members?

answer

protestant

question

What began as a ministry to individuals who were shut-ins and those who do not belong to a church?

answer

the electronic church

question

What is a sudden awareness of the supernatural or a feeling of coming in contact with God?

answer

a religious experience

question

Which sociological perspective focuses on the meanings people attach to religious symbols, rituals, and beliefs to see how they help forge a community of like-minded people?

answer

the symbolic interactionist perspective

question

The crescent moon and stars are to Muslims as ___ is to the Jews.

answer

the Star of David

question

What is the study of the size, composition, growth, and distribution of human population?

answer

demography

question

What is the basic formula of the Maltheus theorem?

answer

population grows geometrically while food supply grows arithmetically

question

It took 130 years for world population to increase from 1 billion to 2 billion. What span of time did it take for world poplation to grow from 5 billion to 6 billion?

answer

12 years

question

What was the key factor in the development of cities, beginning in approximately 3500 BC?

answer

more efficient agricultural practices

question

Generally, around the globe there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. However, recently in some countries, this ratio has been altered with a much larger proportion of boys being born. What is the primary reason for this shift to a higher proportion of male births?

answer

the practice of female infanticide

question

Which region of the world has the highest fertility rate?

answer

Middle Africa

question

According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, why do women in poor nations bear a large number of children?

answer

large families are rewarded socially and economically

question

The worlds overall fertility rate is approximately ___, while the fecundity of a woman today may be as high as ___?

answer

2.7 ... 30

question

At the present rate of growth, it will take the average Least Industrialized Nation 48 years to double its population. How long will it take the average Most Industrialized Nation to double its population at the current rate?

answer

500 years

question

What is the minimum population for a city to be classified as a megacity?

answer

10 million

question

What term did sociologist Robert Park use to describe how people adapt to their environment?

answer

human ecology

question

What is the model of urban growth that views the city as a series of somewhat circular zones growing outward from its center?

answer

the concentric-zone model

question

What is the process where one group of people displaces a group whose racial, ethnic, or social class characteristics differ from their own, and then this new group is later displaced by another group?

answer

the invasion-succession cycle

question

Around what city would you likely find a mandatory \"green belt\" intended to prevent urban sprawl?

answer

London, England

question

According to sociologist William Julius Wilson, what is the single most influential event that has transformed the inner city of the ghettos?

answer

suburbanization

question

The Gerald company has decided to build their new factory in a part of the city that is considered a problem area. When they applied for a loan at the bank, they were refused. The refusal of this loan is an example of?

answer

redlining

question

Some American manufacturers are creating ghost towns by moving their operations to Mexico where costs are lower. What term describes this phenomenon?

answer

deindustrialization

question

In recent years, young African-American professionals have been moving to the inner city neighborhoods. What is one of the reasons they are moving back to places like Harlem?

answer

they seek cultural identification

question

What social even prompted the number of cities with a population of at least 1 million to grow from 1 to 16 between 1800 and 1900?

answer

the Industrial Revolution

question

What term describes the sudden acceleration of population growth due to population doubling during approximately equal intervals?

answer

exponential growth curve

question

What term was used when whites moved from cities to suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s?

answer

white flight

question

What impact did the introduction of the potato have on the demography of Europe?

answer

it caused Europe's population to soar as fertility increased and the death rate dropped

question

Some anti-Malthusians predict that the worlds population will peak at about 8 or 9 billion and then begin to grow smaller. What term do the anti-Malthusians use to refer to this process?

answer

demographic free fall

question

In what part of the world did cities first appear?

answer

Mesopotamia

question

Theo and Carmella live in a Least Industrialized Nation and are expecting their 13th child. They are very happy about this new addition. According to conflict theorists, what is the reason that Carmella is happy about this addition to her large family?

answer

Carmella has internalized values that support male dominance

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