|OA | Objective Assessment | Actual
Questions and Answers| Updated
(Graded A+)
Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?
Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx's studies of class conflict are the basis for the conflict
perspective in sociology.
What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead's theory of social
interactions?
No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another, and people have
to learn what symbols mean and how to use them.
Explanation: Mead's theory about social interactions and symbols created the
basis for symbolic interactionism.
,How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of football in
American society?
Football is almost a religious institution that uses rituals to reinforce common
American values, such as competition, and it serves as an outlet for aggression in
order to help maintain social cohesion.
Explanation: A functionalist would say that football serves a specific purpose in
society in order to help it better function.
Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?
Variables need established operational definitions so that they can be measured
and the data can be analyzed.
Explanation: Operational definitions of variables are necessary in research so that
the variables can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
A researcher tests a sample of elementary school children in the United States
on their reading abilities and also counts the number of books in their homes.
He finds that those children who have books in their home have better reading
skills. What is this an example of?
correlation
Explanation: Although the researcher found that owning more books is related to
better reading ability, this does not mean that one causes the other; they are
simply correlated. Perhaps wealthier families can both afford to buy more books
and give their children other advantages that improve reading.
, Which of the following is an advantage of field research?
It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
Explanation: Field research can lack breadth, it can be very time-consuming, and
different researchers might draw different conclusions about what they observed,
but unlike other research methods, it offers detail about the situation.
If you wanted to compare the attitudes of Virginia residents towards gun control
with the attitudes of Oregon residents, which research method would you
choose?
survey
Explanation: Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large groups of
people and drawing specific comparisons between respondents.
The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual behavior and
attitude is known as __________.
sociological imagination
Explanation: Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her perspective
to understand the social forces that shape behavior and attitudes.