Q&A Hero

Q: Is culture learned or innate?Discuss how culture emerges within and in relation to the individual.

Q: Conflict theorists view the mass acceptance of values as a form of a. social equality. b. cultural progressivism. c. peaceful progress. d. cultural tyranny.

Q: According to _____, shared values are symbolic representations of the existing society that promote unity and consensus and must, therefore, be preserved. a. sociologists b. anthropologists c. order theorists d. conflict theorists

Q: In her book about escaping from the FLDS religious sect, Carolyn Jessop reflected on her daughter's return to the group by noting that people who have never been taught or allowed to think for themselves do not suddenly change, because a. religion is too polarizing. b. change is too frightening. c. socialization is more important than freedom. d. self-determination is too unexpected.

Q: Milton Yinger proposed that a group that sets its belief systems in conflict with the dominant group, and can therefore only be understood in relation to that dominant group, should be called a(n) a. counterculture. Class consciousness b. subculture. False consciousness c. unassimilated culture. Functional integration d. culture of rebellion. Social integration

Q: Milton Yinger proposed using the term _____ to identify a group that differs from the larger culture because of physical or social isolation. a. counterculture b. subculture c. unassimilated culture d. outsiders

Q: A(n) _____ is typically defined as a relatively cohesive cultural system that varies in form and substance from the dominant culture. a. subculture b. age cohort c. generation d. latent culture

Q: Which age cohort is also called the "post-baby boomers"? a. The Greatest Generation b. Millennial Generation c. Documentation Generation d. Generation X

Q: a. Stage mates b. Siblings c. Age cohort d. Classmates

Q: The term _____ refers to a society composed of people who differ in important social dimensions, such as age, sex, race, religion, social class, or ethnicity. a. conflict based b. cultural diversity c. cultural relativity d. socially normative

Q: While North American society claims to favor individualism, the "go along to get along" team player favored by large bureaucracies is actually demonstrating a. conformity. b. personal liberty. c. diversity. d. latent functions.

Q: The fundamental belief in freedom that the Founding Fathers codified in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights is the belief in a. nonconformity. b. conformity. c. rule by government. d. civil liberties.

Q: It can be difficult to reconcile the North American value of equality with the actual fact of a. civil liberties. b. entitlement programs. c. injustice. d. formal and informal practices.

Q: a. Unfair competition b. "To each his own" philosophy c. "Let the buyer beware" philosophy d. Ecological crisis

Q: North Americans value _____ because of the implied benefit of freedom from government interference and the ability to make one's own choices. a. individual freedom b. collective action c. redistribution of wealth d. aggressive behavior

Q: A latent function of using chemical fertilizers would be a. increased food production. b. prevention of famine. c. greater prosperity for farmers. d. pollution of food and water.

Q: Technology solves some problems but can have unintendent negative consequences called a. accidental incidents. b. chance events. c. latent functions. d. hidden effects.

Q: While North American society tends to value progress, the idea that progress means _____ leads to problems of increasing population and declining resources. a. upward mobility b. growth c. change d. hard work

Q: People in North American society tend to believe in _____, the idea that things will keep getting better. a. progress b. upward mobility c. industriousness d. entitlement

Q: North Americans tend to blame poor people for their poverty because they place such a high value on a. conspicuous consumption. b. hopefulness. c. family values. d. industriousness.

Q: Competition pervades all aspects of American society, and our emphasis on winning can create problems. Which of the following would be considered a healthy form of competition? a. Professional athletes using steroids b. Corporations ignoring long-term damage to the environment in favor of short-term financial gains c. High school band students competing for "first chair" d. Coaches paying athletes for nonexistent jobs

Q: a. There is only one winner. b. Ability is more important than personality. c. Success, fame, and winning are possible without an education. d. Fame is its own reward.

Q: What is the type of success that is most commonly used to measure success in American culture? a. Community b. Familial c. Artistic d. Economic

Q: Mr. Smith sees a homeless man begging on a street corner and angrily tells him to "get a job." Mr. Smith believes that his own hard work and continual striving prove that he is favored by God. Mr. Smith is exhibiting a. countercultural beliefs. b. cultural relativity. c. the Protestant ethic. d. internalization.

Q: Which of the following is defined as the criteria used in evaluating objects, acts, feelings, or events as to their relative desirability, merit, or correctness? a. Standards b. Values c. Mores d. Status

Q: When a sociologist uses a questionnaire to ask people what they believe is good, bad, moral, immoral, desirable, or undesirable, it is possible to have big discrepencies between what the people say and what they actually do. However, the results will still be a valid indicator of their a. values. b. policies. c. choices. d. consensus.

Q: A person occupying a status in a group is expected to behave according to his or her a. master status. owners / workers b. ascribed status. laborers / bureaucrats c. achieved status. bureaucrats / politicians d. role. politicians / owners

Q: Status that is obtained through accomplishment or occupation is called a. master status. Auguste Comte b. ascribed status. Max Weber c. achieved status. Emile Durkheim d. role. Karl Marx

Q: Kaitlyn is a 65-year-old white woman and, as such, certain attitudes and behaviors are expected of her in her small New England town. Those statuses over which she has no control and yet lead others to have certain expectations of her would be considered her a. master status. b. ascribed status. c. achieved status. d. role.

Q: For many people, the fact that President Obama is African American is his _____, the characteristic that has the greatest significance for social identity. a. defining quality b. master status c. ascribed status d. achieved status

Q: Within a group, certain people have high status and corresponding advantages and others have low status and few advantages, while many are somewhere in between. This arrangement of people in order of importance is called a(n) a. hierarchy. b. social ladder. c. chain of command. d. affront to democracy.

Q: A person's _____ could be defined as the position that person occupies within any of the many organizations or institutions to which he or she belongs. a. value b. mores c. couvade d. status

Q: Which of the following can be defined as societal norms that are viewed so important that to violate them is to violate the morals of a society? a. Norms b. Values c. Mores d. Laws

Q: Which of the following is the subdiscipline of sociology that seeks to discover and understand the shared meanings that implicitly guide social behavior? a. Ethnosociology b. Multisociology c. Ethnomethodology d. Cultural scriptology

Q: Judy always wears a ballgown to class or football games. Her friends laugh at her because she is violating a(n) a. college dress code. b. societal norm. c. minor law. d. outmoded dress requirement.

Q: Which of the following is the correct definition of the term ideologies? a. Shared beliefs about the physical, social, and metaphysical worlds b. The knowledge, beliefs, and customs that the members of a social organization share c. Norms that are viewed as less important and are not severely punished if violated d. The arrangement of people in order of importance

Q: A citizen who knows how to fill in the correct forms to register to vote and how to vote in an election is using a. voter education materials. b. social knowledge. c. material technology. d. social technology.

Q: When a carpenter builds a table based on the knowledge and skills that she learned from her teachers and through her own experience, she is drawing on a. objective culture. b. cultural ideology. c. material technology. d. social technology.

Q: _____ refers to the information, techniques, and tools used by people to satisfy their varied needs and desires. a. Symbology b. Technology c. Culture d. Socialization

Q: In their comparison of Hopi and Anglo use of language, Sapir and Whorf demonstrated _____, the idea that language shapes thought. a. linguistic relativity b. cultural relativity c. language relativism d. cultural relativism

Q: What must knowledge be in order for it to affect culture? a. Accurate b. Symbolic c. Normative d. Shared

Q: Some anthropologists and sociologists believe in the importance of _____, the idea that the customs of a society should not be evaluated by our standards, but evaluated in light of the culture and the functions of those customs for that society. a. evolutionary destiny b. integrative understanding c. cultural relativism d. sociological relativity

Q: _____ was the 19th century belief or doctrine that it was the destiny of the United States to expand its territory over all of North America. a. Jim Crow b. Oriental Exclusion Act c. Roe v. Wade d. Manifest destiny

Q: When school systems were required to teach that the dominant culture was better than other cultures, they were being told to teach a(n) _____ version of history. a. evolutionary b. ethnographic c. ethnonormative d. socialized

Q: Ethnocentrism is defined as a(n) a. prejudice found among some Christians who consider non-Christians to be evil. b. universal tendency for people to think of their own culture's ways as "right" and all others as "wrong." c. belief that human beings are divided into fixed races or ethnicities. d. idea that other cultures have secret wisdom not found in highly developed societies.

Q: Traits such as age, sex, race, religion, and social class affect not only the way others perceive individuals but also the way they a. perceive others in return. b. perceive themselves. c. internalize references. d. transpose society.

Q: One way culture is internalized is by psychological identification with _____ to which the individual belongs or wants to belong. a. reference groups b. social groups c. belief systems d. integration systems

Q: Which of the following is the process by which society's demands become part of the individual, acting to control her or his behavior? a. Integration b. Socialization c. Segmentation d. Internalization

Q: Culture is essential to maintain social systems because it provides two crucial functions: stability and a. socialization. b. acculturation. c. predictability of action. d. operant conditioning.

Q: Karen is a newborn baby. She does not know anything about her culture yet, but she will learn it quickly through a process called a. socialization. b. internalization. c. osmosis. d. appropriation.

Q: Defined as cultural patterns that are widespread, _____ constantly shifts as technology advances and as the media promotes new or different ideas and behaviors. a. Emergent culture b. Popular culture c. Socialization d. Culturecentrism

Q: Describe some of the ways that society is fragmented in the United States. Discuss types of fragmentation, as well as causes and effects that are discussed in the chapter. Feedback: The chapter addresses four indicators of reduced societal cohesion: increasing polarization, declining trust in societal institutions, the widening inequality gap, and the deepening divides over diversity. Group polarization is caused in part by the increased number of media outlets available, which allow people to limit their exposure to only their own point of view. Events such as fraud and deceptive advertising on the part of businesses, inadequate government oversight and protection, and scandals in religious institutions have left people cynical and mistrustful of institutions. There is a widening gap between the rich and poor, which now encompasses the middle class. The nation is growing, and growing more diverse, but assimilation is unlikely, which makes conflict more likely.

Q: Discuss the phenomenon of functional integration, its purpose, and how it emerges.

Q: The effort to unionize football players at Northwestern University is an example of the conflict model in action. Discuss the ways that sport inhibits the potential for protest and revolution by society's have-nots.

Q: Discuss the fundamental differences between social theories of order and conflict. Is there a middle ground to be found between the two?

Q: Discuss the ways in which consensus toward values functions to unify a society.

Q: Sociologists study societies rather than individuals, therefore they tend to believe thata. social problems come from social systems.b. individuals have a negative effect on social systems.c. societies would be improved by individuals taking more personal responsibility for what happens to them.d. social problems are too deeply entrenched to ever be solved.

Q: To conflict theorists, _____ is the primary source of social problems, not _____, and therefore should be reformed. a. the individual; the system b. the system; the individual c. the political system; religion d. religion; the political system

Q: Conflict theorists disagree with order theorists' focus on deviants, saying it a. is blaming the victim. b. prevents criminals from making restitution. c. unfairly targets society's institutions. d. does not address the problems caused by noncomforists.

Q: When considering social problems, the order perspective focuses on _____, those who somehow do not conform to the standards of the dominant group. a. conformists b. groups c. systems d. deviants

Q: Conflicts that arise between people based on race and gender inequality, poverty and homelessness, and discrimination can all be considered _____ problems. a. deviance b. partisan c. social d. caste

Q: The _____ model for understanding society contains an implicit acceptance of the status quo. a. order b. conflict c. synthesis d. synthetic

Q: _____ are societally induced conditions that harm any segment of the population, or acts or conditions that violate the norms and values of society. a. Manifest consequences b. Latent consequences c. Structural functionalisms d. Social problems

Q: While the order perspective assumes that the social structure is basically right and proper because it serves the fundamental function of maintaining society, the conflict perspective raises the question of a. whether social class outweighs social integrity. b. personal responsibility. c. who benefits under these arrangements and who does not. d. how to maintain the current rules and customs.

Q: In 2010, 47.3% of hate crimes reported to the FBI involved a. religion. b. race. c. sexual orientation. d. linguistic bias.

Q: Which of the following is an example of societal fragmentation along racial lines taking place in the United States? a. Dominance of the National Congress party b. State borders redrawn along linguistic lines c. High costs of in-state college tuition d. "White flight" from high-immigration areas

Q: The violence and terrorism that have affected three states in India (Punjab, Kashmire, and Gujarat) over the years are all examples of _____ violence, one of the many types of violence that affect this region. a. political b. linguistic c. religious d. caste

Q: Contrary to the idea of the United States as a "melting pot," the different groups in the United States continue to remain separate, which may make _____ inevitable. a. conflict b. assimilation c. social cohesion d. co-optation

Q: What did former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich say posed "the largest single threat to our strength as a society"? a. Global terrorism b. Widening split between the have-mores and have-lessers c. Loss of faith in religious institutions d. Loss of faith in government to solve problems

Q: The earnings gap between the top 5% of earners and the bottom 20%, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau, is now a. the greatest since 1947. b. equal to the gap during the Great Depression. c. the smallest in the history of the nation. d. greater than in the 1950s but smaller than the 1990s.

Q: As of 2013, the richest 1% of U.S. households owned _____ the combined wealth of the bottom 90%. a. less than half as much as b. almost as much as c. an amount equal to d. more than

Q: In 2013, the top 20% of U.S. households owned _____ of the national income. a. 3.4% b. 20% c. 50% d. 99%

Q: According to critics such as Michael Parenti, the child molestation scandal in the Catholic Church threatens trust of societal institutions because a. it reveals not only the acts of flawed individuals but the self-serving corruption of a religious organization. b. religious freedom protects churches from being investigated by the government. c. it exposes financial fraud that left homeowners in bankruptcy. d. it exposes the limits of individual freedom to support social institutions.

Q: What is threatened when events such as fraudulent business practices or scandals in religious groups come to light? a. Personal freedom b. Trust in social institutions c. Second Amendment d. First Amendment

Q: The tendency for people to take extreme positions in the direction they were already inclined due to group membership is known as a. social identification. b. false consciousness. c. group polarization. d. social unity.

Q: In the past, discourse between Republicans and Democrats was _____, although they held opposing beliefs. Today this has become increasingly rare. a. hostile b. secretive c. demonizing d. civil

Q: a. Increasing polarization b. Declining trust in societal institutions c. Diminishing inequality gap d. Deepening divides over diversity

Q: Items such as the national flag and the Constitution are held in high esteem because they are a. products of dissidence. b. symbols of privilege. c. unifying symbols. d. civic pride objects.

Q: Who developed the theory of false consciousness, the idea that oppressed people hold beliefs damaging to their interests? a. George Will b. Karl Marx c. Carl Jung d. Joel Rogers

Q: Many people in the United States who have few material blessings still see themselves as "could-be haves" rather than "have nots," which Marx would have identified as a. false consciousness. b. class consciousness. c. bootstrapping. d. wishful thinking.