SOCIOLOGY 102 MIDTERM EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH 100% CORRECT
ANSWERS
A megachurch is located in a suburban neighborhood. Because roughly 7,000 people
attend services each week, traffic in the neighborhood is a nuisance to those living
there. The church is seeking city permission to expand its parking lot and city financial
investment to increase the number of lanes on the road leading to the church—
decisions that members of the local neighborhood association fear will lead to even
more traffic. The city has hired a sociologist to study the situation and offer a
recommendation. What level of analysis is the sociologist conducting? - Answer-
Intermediate sociological
Sociologists argue that the divorce rate is a "public issue" because - Answer- it is
shaped by factors beyond individual partners' choices, such as the state of the economy
J.K. Rowling, when submitting her first drafts of the Harry Potter books to publishers,
chose to disguise her gender by using initials rather than her first name—Joanne—
because she was concerned that publishers might reject a story about a boy wizard if
they knew it was written by a woman. Rowling's fears illustrate what sociological
principle? - Answer- Everyday social interactions can recreate patterns of inequality.
The feeling of belonging and connection we feel with others who we think of as "like us"
is called - Answer- Solidarity
In what way can solidarity act as a force for social good? - Answer- By promoting
cooperation among people of the same group
In what way can solidarity damage social relationships? - Answer- By fostering conflict
with those who are outside your group
Which of the following is an example of solidarity? - Answer- When members of an anti-
gay church show up at a local high school football game to protest the inclusion of a gay
athlete on the team, every student in the school showed up to counter-protest, arguing
that an attack on one of them was an attack on all of them.
Every person's perceptions are limited because - Answer- every person occupies a
specific social position that makes it more likely that they will see some things and
ignore others
, Reflexivity is the - Answer- ability to see yourself from outside of your own perspective
in order to understand yourself as part of a wider social scene
In contrast to the past, today sociology seeks to develop theories that - Answer- focus
on specific situations in a given place and at a given time
Why did French sociologist Auguste Comte argue that sociology was the most important
of the sciences? - Answer- Social phenomena are the most complex phenomena, and
thus sociology must integrate the most complex information.
The social sciences are those disciplines that - Answer- use systematic scientific and
cultural methods to study the social world, as distinct from the natural and physical
world
According to French sociologist Émile Durkheim, sociology is different from other fields
of study because - Answer- it relies on social facts, which are external to people, unlike
biological or psychological ones
Social facts - Answer- reveal the collective nature of social life
How did the belief in European superiority contribute to colonialism in the 18th and 19th
centuries? - Answer- Many Europeans came to believe that people of other cultures
were unfit to govern themselves.
The sociological canon is - Answer- the ideas that have become seen as "required
reading" to have a firm understanding of the foundations of sociology
Who are the two authors of The Communist Manifesto? - Answer- Marx and Engels
What is the thesis of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism? -
Answer- When behaviors that support capitalism are viewed as morally and religiously
good, they are more likely to take hold in communities that support those religious and
moral views.
What is the central question of the consensus theory? - Answer- What factors contribute
to stable social systems?
Which of the following is not a criticism of consensus theory? - Answer- It helps explain
continuity
Conflict theory focuses on - Answer- power and resource inequality
Conflict theorists argue that - Answer- social structures and social systems emerge out
of conflicts between different groups
QUESTIONS WITH 100% CORRECT
ANSWERS
A megachurch is located in a suburban neighborhood. Because roughly 7,000 people
attend services each week, traffic in the neighborhood is a nuisance to those living
there. The church is seeking city permission to expand its parking lot and city financial
investment to increase the number of lanes on the road leading to the church—
decisions that members of the local neighborhood association fear will lead to even
more traffic. The city has hired a sociologist to study the situation and offer a
recommendation. What level of analysis is the sociologist conducting? - Answer-
Intermediate sociological
Sociologists argue that the divorce rate is a "public issue" because - Answer- it is
shaped by factors beyond individual partners' choices, such as the state of the economy
J.K. Rowling, when submitting her first drafts of the Harry Potter books to publishers,
chose to disguise her gender by using initials rather than her first name—Joanne—
because she was concerned that publishers might reject a story about a boy wizard if
they knew it was written by a woman. Rowling's fears illustrate what sociological
principle? - Answer- Everyday social interactions can recreate patterns of inequality.
The feeling of belonging and connection we feel with others who we think of as "like us"
is called - Answer- Solidarity
In what way can solidarity act as a force for social good? - Answer- By promoting
cooperation among people of the same group
In what way can solidarity damage social relationships? - Answer- By fostering conflict
with those who are outside your group
Which of the following is an example of solidarity? - Answer- When members of an anti-
gay church show up at a local high school football game to protest the inclusion of a gay
athlete on the team, every student in the school showed up to counter-protest, arguing
that an attack on one of them was an attack on all of them.
Every person's perceptions are limited because - Answer- every person occupies a
specific social position that makes it more likely that they will see some things and
ignore others
, Reflexivity is the - Answer- ability to see yourself from outside of your own perspective
in order to understand yourself as part of a wider social scene
In contrast to the past, today sociology seeks to develop theories that - Answer- focus
on specific situations in a given place and at a given time
Why did French sociologist Auguste Comte argue that sociology was the most important
of the sciences? - Answer- Social phenomena are the most complex phenomena, and
thus sociology must integrate the most complex information.
The social sciences are those disciplines that - Answer- use systematic scientific and
cultural methods to study the social world, as distinct from the natural and physical
world
According to French sociologist Émile Durkheim, sociology is different from other fields
of study because - Answer- it relies on social facts, which are external to people, unlike
biological or psychological ones
Social facts - Answer- reveal the collective nature of social life
How did the belief in European superiority contribute to colonialism in the 18th and 19th
centuries? - Answer- Many Europeans came to believe that people of other cultures
were unfit to govern themselves.
The sociological canon is - Answer- the ideas that have become seen as "required
reading" to have a firm understanding of the foundations of sociology
Who are the two authors of The Communist Manifesto? - Answer- Marx and Engels
What is the thesis of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism? -
Answer- When behaviors that support capitalism are viewed as morally and religiously
good, they are more likely to take hold in communities that support those religious and
moral views.
What is the central question of the consensus theory? - Answer- What factors contribute
to stable social systems?
Which of the following is not a criticism of consensus theory? - Answer- It helps explain
continuity
Conflict theory focuses on - Answer- power and resource inequality
Conflict theorists argue that - Answer- social structures and social systems emerge out
of conflicts between different groups
