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Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and Readings Third Edition Test Bank

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 1 of 11 1. Theory is vital to making sense of social life because *a. it holds assorted observations and facts together b. you can’t do science without it c. sociological law states you must d. social life is based solely on theory 2. The thing to remember about facts is that a. they are only applicable to hard sciences *b. they are based upon implicit assumptions c. facts are universally accepted d. facts are mathematically derived 3. Your authors do not provide which of the following when constructing a framework for the introductory chapter as a means for students to comprehend classical sociological theory? a. how b. why *c. when d. who 4. Which of the following is not true of scientific theories? a. Theory is a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena b. They explain and predict phenomena in question c. They produce testable and thus falsifiable hypotheses *d. Theories are known scientifically as dependent variables 5. Which of the following is true of sociological theories? *a. They tend to be more evaluative and critical. b. They tend to rely purely on statistics. c. They tend to rely on ethnographies only. a. They are centered upon participant observation. 6. When a student starts thinking and writing about material presented in a secondary reading, she is how many steps removed from the original text? a. one *b. two c. three d. four 7. Many of the seeds for what would become sociology were first planted with a. the American Revolution b. the French Revolution *c. the Enlightenment d. the Fall of Rome

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 2 of 11 8. One of the concepts developed during the time of the Enlightenment included a. verstehen *b. the civil society c. religious conservatism d. anomic society 9 . One of the most important aspects of the new attitude from the Enlightenment was an emphasis on a. education b. strategy *c. reason d. religion 10. Who coined the term “sociology”? a. Emile Durkheim b. Karl Marx c. Max Weber *d. Auguste Comte 11. Who was the most instrumental in laying the groundwork for the emerging discipline of sociology? *a. Emile Durkheim b. Karl Marx c. Max Weber d. Auguste Comte 12. What theorist is mentioned when critiques of capitalism are discussed: a. Auguste Comte b. Max Weber c. Emile Durkheim *d. Karl Marx 13. Which of the following individuals is not traditionally associated with the ideas of the Enlightenment? a. Copernicus b. Newton *c. Rousseau d. Galileo 14. Which founding father of sociology, in response to the Industrial Revolution, compared modern society to an “iron cage”? a. Karl Marx b. Emile Durkheim c. Auguste Comte

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 3 of 11 *d. Max Weber 15. The authors’ metatheoretical framework is built around the questions of a. solidarity and isolation *b. order and action c. power and submission d. cognition and emotion 16. Which concept asks what accounts for the patterns or predictability of behavior that lead us to experience social life as routine? a. rational *b. order c. nonrational d. action 17. The perspective that pictures society as an overarching system that works down on individuals and groups to determine the shape of the social order is called: a. individualist b. nonrational *c. collectivist d. rational 18. Social facts are true because: a. they can be proven so b. rational thinking is key *c. we interpret them using pre - existing categories and assumptions d. they are pre - determined 19 . Which word or phrase best matches for the term “nonrational” when used in the context of the authors’ metatheoretical framework? a. stupid *b. subjective ideals c. nonsensical d. irrational 20. When a person takes her bearings more from forces outside herself than from internalized forces, we would label this as: a. individualist *b. rational c. collectivist d. nonrational 21. According to the authors’ metatheoretical framework action guided by norms, values, morals, traditions is considered

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 4 of 11 a. Rational b. Collective. *c. Nonrational. d. Individual. 22. According to the authors’ metatheoretical actors seen as relatively free to reproduce the patterns and routines of social life is categorized as a. Rational b. Collective c. Nonrational *d. Individual 23. The four coordinates used in the authors’ table of theorists’ basic orientation should be considered by the student as: a. real statistical points b. pure points *c. ideal types d. fixed points 24. Which of the following is true of the metatheoretical framework? a. It is a handy mirror for reality. *b. It helps to compare and contrast theorists. c. Theorists are defined by one quadrant only. d. Theories are one - dimensional always. 25. In answer to the sample question posed in the chapter, “Why do people stop at red lights?” which quadrant would say it is both a habit and it is good and right to follow the law? a . collective nonrational b. individual rational c. collective rational *d. individual nonrational 26. In which quadrant would we find the reason of “fear of getting a ticket” to the red light question? a. collective nonrational b. individual rational c. collective rational *d. individual nonrational 27. So - called facts are based on implicit assumptions and unacknowledged presuppositions. *a. True b. False 28. Our everyday life is filled with theories as we seek to understand the world around us.

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 5 of 11 *a. True b. False 29. Theory is a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. *a. True b. False 30. Sociologists tend to be interested not only in understanding the workings of society, but also in realizing a more just or equitable social order. *a. True b. False 31. In general, it is relatively easy to fashion universal laws to explain societal dynamics. a. True *b. False 32. It is true that original texts are usually too hard for students to decipher. a. True *b. False 33. Secondary texts do not merely translate what the theorist wrote into simpler terms; rather, in order to simplify, they must revise what an author has said. *a. True b. False 34. The Enlightenment was not so much a fixed set of ideas, but a new attitude, a new method of thought. *a. True b. False 35. The rise of science and empiricism in the mid - seventeenth century would give birth to sociology. a. True *b. False 36. The primary domain of sociology according to Durkheim is social facts. *a. True b. False 37. Sociology reflects a complex mix of Enlightenment and counter - Enlightenment ideas *a. True b. False

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 6 of 11 38. Rousseau believed both in the social contract and that rationality by itself left an individual lifeless, cold, and uncertain. *a. True b. False 39. Sociology’s founding fathers’ work emphasized rational thought and objective methodology; leaving little room for subjective and humanistic concerns. a. True *b. False 40. Your textbook argues Abdel Rahman Ibn - Khaldun, Confucius, and Aristotle can best be understood as pre - modern sociologists. a. True *b. False 41. Your authors argue that most scholars, researchers, and students view these theorists in exactly the same light, thus validating the fixed points of the theorists’ basic orientation table. a. True *b. False Type: E 42. Define theory and its use in science. *a. Varies. Theory is a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. However, there are two additional features that, together, distinguish scientific theories from other idea systems, such as those found in religion or philosophy. “Scientific” theories 1) explain and predict the phenomena in question; 2) produce testable and thus falsifiable hypotheses. Type: E 43. Explain the social nature of facts. *a. Varies. Durkheim emphasized that the primary domain of sociology is social facts; that is, conditions and circumstances external to the individual that, nevertheless, determine one’s course of action. Facts make sense only because we interpret them using preexisting categories and assumptions; that is, “theories.” The point is that even so - called facts are based on implicit assumptions and unacknowledged presuppositions. Type: E 44. Explain the distinction between sociological theories and those from the other branches of science. *a. First, sociological theories tend to be more evaluative and critical than theories in the natural sciences. A second difference between sociological theories and those found in other scientific disciplines stems from the nature of their respective subjects. Type: E 45. Why is it important to read primary works?

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 7 of 11 *a. Some scholars agree that original works are just too hard to decipher for students. This thinking is due to the nature of secondary textbooks, with these works interpreting and simplifying the ideas of core theorists. The use of primary works is to provide students not only with core classical sociological theories and readings but also a framework for comprehending them as the writers intended. Type: E 46. Discuss the Enlightenment and its impact on sociology. *a. The Enlightenment emphasis on reason was part and parcel of the rise of science: advocating the triumph of reasoned investigation and systematic observation of phenomena over religious faith and common - sense ways of understanding, Enlightenment intellectuals rebuked existing knowledge as fraught with prejudice and mindless tradition. This era facilitated the development of the discipline of sociology an it’s acceptance in the academic community as a scientific mode of studying society. Type: E 47. Explain the connection between reason and science. *a. The rise of science and empiricism would give birth to sociology in the mid - nineteenth century. The central idea behind the emerging discipline was that society could be the subject of scientific examination in the same manner as biological organisms or the physical properties of material objects. Society for the first time, could be studied as matter and organisms are studied in the natural sciences. Society and groups could be studied with as much meticulous scientific rigour by sociologists as natural scientists apply, beyond the confines of religion. Type: E 48. Discuss the role Durkheim played in the formation of sociology. *a. It was the French theorist Émile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) who arguably was most instrumental in laying the groundwork for the emerging discipline of sociology. Durkheim emphasized that the primary domain of sociology is social facts; that is, conditions and circumstances external to the individual that, nevertheless, determine one’s course of action. He was the first to publish work done via a scientific/quantitative method. Type: E 49. Explain the Industrial Revolution’s impact on sociology. *a. The new discipline of sociology sought to scientifically explain both the causes and the effects of extraordinary social change. One of the most important of these changes was the Industrial Revolution, which began in England in the eighteenth century. This was one of the key and first areas of study due to the mechanized production of goods and demands on labour it created. Type: E 50. Define and explain the question of order. *a. Varies. An individual’s analytical frame or map revolves around two central questions that social theorists and philosophers have grappled with since well before the establishment of

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 8 of 11 sociology as an institutionalized discipline: the questions of order and action (Alexander 1987). Order accounts for the patterns and/or predictability of behavior that lead us to experience social life as routine. What we don’t see and take for granted as a society and social beings. It asks what accounts for the patterns or predictability of behavior that lead us to experience social life as routine. Type: E 51. Define and explain the question of action. *a. An individual’s analytical frame or map revolves around two central questions that social theorists and philosophers have grappled with since well before the establishment of sociology as an institutionalized discipline: the questions of order and action (Alexander 1987). Action, considers the factors that motivate individuals or groups to act within society as social beings. The forces held to be responsible for steering individual or group behavior in a particular direction. Type: E 52. Define theories and explain how they differ from ideas found in religion and philosophy. Next, use these definitions as a foundation for the contemporary debate about evolution, “intelligent design” and the separation between church and state in U.S. schools. *a. Varies. Theories are a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. Two features distinguish them from religion and philosophy: Ability to explain and predict the phenomena in qu estion ; Ability to produce testable and thus falsifiable hypotheses. Whereas religion can be defined as: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. Whereas philosophy can be defined as: a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means. Evolution can be defined as: the historical development of a biological group (as a race or species) and is most popularly associated with Charles Darwin’s work from the 1850s. “Intelligent Design” came into use after a late 1980s Supreme Court case. “ID” can be defined as: a belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Separation of church and state is a long tradition in the U.S. in order to ensure the secularity of government and at the same time insure individual religious freedom for its citizens. Type: E 53. Define and briefly explain both the Enlightenment and counter - Enlightenment. In addition, explain how each of sociology’s founding fathers’ work embodies both movements. *a. The Enlightenment was a period of remarkable intellectual development that occurred in Europe during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The development of civil society (open spaces of debate relatively free from government control) enabled a critical mass of literate citizens to think about the economic, political, and cultural conditions that shaped society. One of the most important aspects of this new attitude was an emphasis on reason. Central to this new attitude was questioning and reexamining received ideas and values. The Enlightenment emphasis on reason was part and parcel of the rise of science. Counter - Enlightenment - in the late eighteenth century, a conservative reaction to the Enlightenment took

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 9 of 11 place. Under the influence of Jean - Jacques Rousseau the unabashed embrace of rationality, technology, and progress was challenged. Against the emphasis on reason, counter - Enlighteners highlighted the significance of nonrational factors, such as tradition, emotions, ritual, and ceremony. Most importantly, counter - Enlighteners were concerned that the accelerating pace of industrialization and urbanization and the growing pervasiveness of bureaucratization were producing profoundly disorganizing effects. Durkheim was interested in both objective or external social facts and the more subjective elements of society, such as feelings of solidarity or commitment to a moral code. Karl Marx fashioned an economic philosophy that was at once rooted in science and humanist prophecy. Max Weber combined a methodical, scientific approach with a concern about both the material conditions and idea systems of modern societies. Type: E 54. Define the term “social facts” and using examples, like your own life as a framework, briefly describe the “social facts” present in your own life, and how they operate. You may use another subject matter if you do not feel comfortable using your own life. *a. Durkheim emphasized that, while the primary domain of psychology is to understand processes internal to the individual (e.g., personality or instincts), the primary domain of sociology is “social facts”: that is, conditions and circumstances external to the individual that, nevertheless, determine that individual’s course of action. As a scientist, Durkheim advocated a systematic and methodical examination of social facts and their impact on individuals. Individual students’ answers will vary but each should identify some power, force, or institution within his or her own life which plays a part in how he or she acts, feels, or thinks. Type: E 55. First, briefly explain the Industrial Revolution’s impact on the birth of sociology. Discuss the role that this era played in the development of sociology while applying sociological concepts to your discussion. *a. A period of enormous change that began in England in the eighteenth century. The term “Industrial Revolution” refers to the application of power - driven machinery to agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. Although industrialization began in remote times and continues today, this process completely transformed Europe in the eighteenth century. It turned Europe from a predominantly agricultural to a predominantly industrial society. It not only radically altered how goods were produced and distributed, but galvanized the system of capitalism as well. Specifically, large numbers of people left farms and agricultural work to become wage earners in factories in the rapidly growing cities. At the same time, factories were transformed by a long series of technological changes. Ever - more efficient machines were adopted, and tasks were routinized. However, this rise in efficiency came at a tremendous human cost. Mechanized production reduced both the number of jobs available and the technical skills needed for work in the factory. A few profited enormously, but most worked long hours for low wages. Accidents were frequent and often quite serious. Workers were harshly punished and their wages were docked for the slightest mistakes. Women and children worked alongside men in noisy, unsafe conditions. Most factories were dirty, poorly ventilated and lit, and dangerous.

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 10 of 11 Type: E 56. Discuss how the digital revolution of the late 20 th century has affected both society and the ways we continue to study society. Do you feel the digital revolution has impacted society and sociology to the same extent as the Industrial Revolution? Why or why not? *a. The digital revolution occurred during the last twenty years (although some may debate the exact start) of the twentieth century. Building on and improving existing analog communication technology, digital micro - chip based technologies allowed for the rise in computers especially personal computing. An array of personal technology products have served to improve society’s bureaucratic infrastructure now built on a backbone of various software programs and server systems (especially banking, records, etc.). Students’ answers to which revolution is more profound on society will vary. Type: E 57. What role does social media play in society, today? Be specific. *a. Building on and improving existing analog communication technology, digital micro - chip based technologies allowed for the rise in computers especially personal computing. An array of personal technology products have changed the way people live their lives while society’s. This digital revolution has changed how we interact with one another, in some ways strengthening our bonds (i.e. cell phones, smart devices, applications) while in others masking our “real” selves and adding layers of abstraction to our interactions (from chat rooms and instant messaging to inboxing and twitter feeds, friending and unfriending, following and blocking etc.). Type: E 58. When we now study society we must study both the “real” and “virtual” worlds we inhabit. Is there a clear distinction between these worlds? – or are they becoming one and the same? Explain your answer. *a. Varies. This digital revolution has changed how we interact with one another, in some ways strengthening our bonds (i.e. cell phones, smart devices, applications) while in others masking our “real” selves and adding layers of abstraction to our interactions (from chat rooms and instant messaging to inboxing and twitter feeds, friending and unfriending, following and blocking etc.). Labels are given to the different type of relationship and these relationships and labels may have changed over time. Type: E 59. List and define each of the authors’ four coordinates of action and order for mapping theory, then create a question regarding an activity in our society, covered in class, and provide the possible answers or reasons for this activity by utilizing each of the four coordinates. *a. Order - It asks what accounts for the patterns or predictability of behavior that lead us to experience social life as routine. Collective - Society is thus pictured as an overarching system that works down on individuals and groups to determine the shape of the social order. Society is understood as a reality sui generis that operates according to its own logic distinct from the will of individuals: Individual - Here, it is individuals and groups creating, recreating, or altering the social order that works up to produce society. This position grants more autonomy to actors, because they are seen as relatively free to reproduce the patterns and routines of social life (i.e.,

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource Page 11 of 11 the social order) or transform them. Action - the factors that motivate individuals or groups to act. The forces held to be responsible for steering individual or group behavior in a particular direction. Nonrational - the individual takes his bearings from subjective ideals, symbolic codes, values, morals, norms, traditions, the quest for meaning, unconscious desires, or emotional states, or a combination of these. Rational - It contends that individual and group actions are motivated primarily by the attempt to maximize rewards while minimizing costs. Here, individuals and groups are viewed essentially as calculating and strategic as they seek to achieve the “selfish” goal of improving their position.

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource 1 1. Which of the following is a “class” in capitalism according to Marx? a. Protestants *b. wage laborers c. villagers d. Communism 2. Marx refers to the middle - class owners of capital as a. prolétariat. *b. bourgeoisie. c. verstehen. d. veblen. 3. Classes are groups of individuals who share a common position in relation to a. their religious affiliation b. how they interpret the world *c. the forces of production d. how they consume products 4 . For Marx, which of the following is a catalyst for social change and the prime mover of history? a. forces of production b. bourgeoisie c. alienation *d. class struggle 5 . Marx refers to propertyless wage earners as *a. proletariat b. bourgeoisie c. verstehen d. veblen 6 . Marx used the term class consciousness to refer to: *a. an awareness on the part of the working class of their common relationship to the means of production b. the alienation of the working class c. the false ideology of the working class d. the sense of entitlement of the middle class 7 . According to the authors, Karl Marx’s basic theoretical orientation would fall under the category of: a. nonrational, collective b. nonrational, individual c. rational, individual *d. rational, collective

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource 2 8 . According to Marx’s materialist conception of history, ideas or consciousness is determined by a. the fetishism of commodities b. forms of legitimate authority *c. the forces and relations of production; what individuals produce and how they produce it d. the conceptual categories through which we order experience 9 . Whose theory is Marx inverting when he states “Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life”? a. Antonio Gramsci b. Friedrich Engels *c. Georg W.F. Hegel d. Thorstein Veblen 10 . What term does Marx use to refer to when the process of production and the results of our labor confront us as a dominating power? a. class struggle b. forces of production *c. alienation d. proletariat 11. What is Marx referring to when he writes “The universality of its property is the omnipotence of its being”? a. power *b. money c. authority d. alienation 1 2 . Marx states the capitalist class will produce its own “grave - diggers”. For Marx, who are these “diggers”? a. the bourgeoisie b. new capitalists *c. class - conscious proletariat d. owners of capital 13 . What will become a fetter to the continued development of the means of production? a. class struggle b. ownership of production *c. social relations of production d. class consciousness 1 4 . According to Marx, the standard on which the value of commodities is based is a. the degree of usefulness of the commodity *b. the amount of labor time necessary to produce the commodity c. the level of exploitation experienced by the worker d. the exchange of private property necessary for actualizing an exchange

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource 3 15 . Marx defined surplus value as a. difference between the number of workers and the number of products produced *b. difference between what workers earn for their labor and the price or value of the goods they produce c. difference between the number of workers and the number of consumers in the same market d. the difference between what the workers earn across competing companies in the same market 1 6 . Marx argues that fetishizing commodities a. creates the conditions necessary for developing class consciousness and thus sparking the communist revolution *b. leads us to attribute magical, personally transforming properties to the goods we buy c. leads workers to endow machines with human qualities and assign the source of their exploitation to technology and the production of commodities d. increases the surplus value produced during the production process 1 7 . The cycle of exchange for the typical wage earner as outlined by Marx resembles which pattern? a. M - C - M b. M - C - M - C *c. C - M - C d. C - M - C - M 1 8 . Raw materials, machinery for production or even more generally money, in Marx’s economic framework, are all considered a. commodities b. goods *c. capital d. surplus 19 . Which classical sociological theorist wrote The Origin of Family, Private Property, and the State ? a. Karl Marx b. Emile Durkheim *c. Friedrich Engels d. Max Weber 20 . The Origin of Family, Private Property, and the State has which of the following as a foundation for its conception of history? a. Hegelianism *b. Materialism c. Interactionism d. Economism 21 . In The Origin of Family, Private Property, and the State, what term is used to refer to the period of communally organized hunting and gathering societies ?

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    Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, Third Edition Instructor Resource 4 a. stage of barbarism b. mechanical solidarity *c. state of savagery d. organic solidarity 2 2 . Which form of family resulted in a new division of labor wherein the man received exclusive ownership of the means of production? *a. pairing family b. polygyny c. group marriage d. polygamy 2 3 . According to Engels, which of the following ultimately became the decisive center of power in a civilized society? a. bourgeoisie *b. the state c. proletariat d. the family 2 4 . Marx believed that capitalism was morally a good system; but that economically, it was doomed to fail. a. True *b. False 25 . Marx believed that capitalism was a necessary stage in the transition toward socialism/communism. *a. True b. False 26 . As discussed by the authors, Marx’s basic theoretical orientation could be said to be individualist and nonrational. a. True *b. False 2 7 . The superstructure consists of everything non - economic such as legal, political, and educational systems. *a. True b. False 28 . Marx’s arguments stems from his agreement with Hegel on the real basis of the progression of human societies. a. True *b. False 29 . The dominant economic class controls only a society’s means of material production. a. True

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