SOC 400 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS (VERIFIED AND UPDATED)
Sociology - ANS study of society and human social interactions
and human behavior as they are affected by social interactions within groups, organizations,
societies, and the planet
Social Interaction - ANS everyday events
people involved...
1. take one another into account
2. consciously/unconsciously attach meaning to event
3. interpret others actions/responses then respond
Social Forces - ANS human-created ways of doing things
influence pressure/force people to behave/interact in specific ways
examples: globalization, racial/ethnic classification/technology/institutions
Benefits of Sociological Perspective - ANS assess the truth of "common sense"
understand ways our personal lives are shaped
assess opportunities and constraints in our lives
encourages us to see individuality in social context
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Social Facts - ANS Emile Durkheim
ideas, feelings, and ways of behaving imposed by other people
exist outside the consciousness of the individual
Institutions - ANS stable and predictable arrangement among people
purpose to coordinate human interactions/behaviors to meet some social need
C.W. Mills
The Sociological Imagination - ANS ability to connect impersonal/remote historical forces to
events of an individual's life
enables people to distinguish between personal troubles and public issues
Troubles - ANS personal needs, problems, and difficulties
explained in terms of individual short comings related to motivation, attitude, ability, character,
or judgement
Issues - ANS matter only explained by factors outside an individual's control and immediate
environment
Industrial Revolution and Nature of Work - ANS growth of factories and machine production
emergence of sociology
Industrial Revolution and Nature of Interaction - ANS new modes of transportation
connected people in more reliable, time-efficient, less-time consuming ways
increased opportunity for personal mobility
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Karl Marx's THREE Theories - ANS conflict is major force that drives social change
class conflict- based on opposing interests of exploited and exploiting classes
bourgeoisie- owners of means of production
proletariat- individuals who must sell their labor
Emile Durkheim's theories - ANS solidarity (bonds between individuals) and social
interactions
suicide- severing relationships
Max Weber's Theories - ANS "social actions"-actions that people take in response to others
traditional- actions pursued because they were pursued in the past
modern- pursued by most efficient means at any cost/irrespective of consequences
global perspective - ANS scale of interdependence changed by Industrial Revolution (1850)
intertwines lives of people around the world
sociological theory - ANS set of core assumptions and core concepts that examine how
societies operate/how people relate them to one another/responses to environment
theoretical perspectives - ANS offer focus, vision of society, key terms/vocabulary, central
question to guide analysis
functionalist theory - ANS focus- order and stability (disruptions to order and stability)
vision of society- system of interrelated parts
key terms- function, dysfunction, manifest, and latent
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
ANSWERS (VERIFIED AND UPDATED)
Sociology - ANS study of society and human social interactions
and human behavior as they are affected by social interactions within groups, organizations,
societies, and the planet
Social Interaction - ANS everyday events
people involved...
1. take one another into account
2. consciously/unconsciously attach meaning to event
3. interpret others actions/responses then respond
Social Forces - ANS human-created ways of doing things
influence pressure/force people to behave/interact in specific ways
examples: globalization, racial/ethnic classification/technology/institutions
Benefits of Sociological Perspective - ANS assess the truth of "common sense"
understand ways our personal lives are shaped
assess opportunities and constraints in our lives
encourages us to see individuality in social context
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Social Facts - ANS Emile Durkheim
ideas, feelings, and ways of behaving imposed by other people
exist outside the consciousness of the individual
Institutions - ANS stable and predictable arrangement among people
purpose to coordinate human interactions/behaviors to meet some social need
C.W. Mills
The Sociological Imagination - ANS ability to connect impersonal/remote historical forces to
events of an individual's life
enables people to distinguish between personal troubles and public issues
Troubles - ANS personal needs, problems, and difficulties
explained in terms of individual short comings related to motivation, attitude, ability, character,
or judgement
Issues - ANS matter only explained by factors outside an individual's control and immediate
environment
Industrial Revolution and Nature of Work - ANS growth of factories and machine production
emergence of sociology
Industrial Revolution and Nature of Interaction - ANS new modes of transportation
connected people in more reliable, time-efficient, less-time consuming ways
increased opportunity for personal mobility
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Karl Marx's THREE Theories - ANS conflict is major force that drives social change
class conflict- based on opposing interests of exploited and exploiting classes
bourgeoisie- owners of means of production
proletariat- individuals who must sell their labor
Emile Durkheim's theories - ANS solidarity (bonds between individuals) and social
interactions
suicide- severing relationships
Max Weber's Theories - ANS "social actions"-actions that people take in response to others
traditional- actions pursued because they were pursued in the past
modern- pursued by most efficient means at any cost/irrespective of consequences
global perspective - ANS scale of interdependence changed by Industrial Revolution (1850)
intertwines lives of people around the world
sociological theory - ANS set of core assumptions and core concepts that examine how
societies operate/how people relate them to one another/responses to environment
theoretical perspectives - ANS offer focus, vision of society, key terms/vocabulary, central
question to guide analysis
functionalist theory - ANS focus- order and stability (disruptions to order and stability)
vision of society- system of interrelated parts
key terms- function, dysfunction, manifest, and latent
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
