Question 1

Robert Putnam's research can be exemplified by his description of a decline in bowling leagues.Which of the following might serve as evidence that Putnam's concerns about anomie are overblown?
A) The increasing number of hours people spend engaged with electronic media.
B) The decline of movie theaters and the subsequent rise of services like Netflix.
C) The sharp spike in the suicide rate in Eastern Europe over the past two decades.
D) The growth of online support groups to help people who have rare diseases share information and emotional support.

Accepted Answer

The growth of online support groups to help people who have rare diseases share information and emotional support demonstrates that people still have a need for social connections and community, even if they are not participating in traditional forms of community activities like bowling leagues. It suggests that the decline of these activities may not be indicative of a larger societal trend towards anomie, but rather a shift in the way people are connecting with each other. The other options do not directly address the issue of social connections and anomie.

Question 2

How have social networking websites affected social groups?
A) They diminish the importance of primary groups but not secondary groups.
B) They make primary groups expand to include many more members than before.
C) They minimize the importance of secondary groups, especially those that are associated with shared interests or education.
D) They help people make the most of both their primary and secondary groups.

Accepted Answer

Social networking websites allow people to connect with both their primary and secondary groups in new and convenient ways. They can maintain close relationships with their primary groups while also connecting with a wider range of people who share their interests or affiliations in secondary groups. This can lead to a more diverse and expansive social network overall.

Question 3

Why would sociologists who study social networks and employment pay attention to the frequency with which a person has been in contact with each member of his social network?
A) To measure the homogeneity of the network
B) To determine if groupthink is an issue in a particular social network
C) To see if a particular tie is strong or weak
D) To see just how extensive the network is

Accepted Answer

The frequency of contact with each member of a person's social network is an indication of the strength of their ties. Strong ties are highly influential in job search and employment opportunities, whereas weak ties are often more effective in providing access to new information and alternative job opportunities. Therefore, sociologists studying social networks and employment pay attention to the frequency of contact to determine whether an individual's network is predominantly composed of strong or weak ties.

Question 4

According to Robert Putnam,what does the decline in bowling leagues indicate?
A) Increasing anomie and a decline in collective bonds
B) A shift from secondary groups to primary groups
C) The increasing irrelevance of reference groups
D) A decline in physical exercise and an increase in inactive lifestyles as a result of electronic media

Accepted Answer

Robert Putnam argues that the decline in bowling leagues, a traditional form of social participation, is indicative of the larger trend of decreasing collective bonds and social connectedness in American society. This decline in social bonds leads to feelings of anomie and disconnection from others, which can have negative societal effects.

Question 5

When people attend high school class reunions,they often compare their own personal and professional successes and failures with those of their former classmates.This means that classmates are a(n):
A) reference group.
B) secondary group.
C) professional group.
D) identity group.

Accepted Answer

A reference group refers to a group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their behavior. In the scenario described, former classmates are being used as a reference group for comparing personal and professional success.

Question 6

In terms of job leads and social networks,how are men's networks different from women's?
A) Women are more likely to tell other women in their network about job opportunities.
B) If a woman's network has more women than men in it, she is less likely to hear about job openings.
C) If a man's network has more women than men in it, he is less likely to hear about job openings.
D) If a woman's network has more men than women in it, she is less likely to hear about job openings.

Accepted Answer

Women's networks often have fewer connections to high-status job leads, and if their network is predominantly female, they may have less access to job openings compared to networks with more men.

Question 7

How have social networking websites affected people's relationships with one another?
A) They have diminished the importance of our primary groups.
B) They have increased our loneliness and detachment from each other.
C) We now value technologies more than relationships.
D) They have made us no more or less detached from one another than we were before social media existed.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that social media has not necessarily made us more or less detached from one another than we were before its existence. However, it has changed the way we communicate and interact with one another. It has made it easier to connect with people across distances and has allowed us to maintain relationships that would have otherwise been difficult to maintain. However, it has also led to a rise in the frequency of surface-level interactions and has made it easier for us to curate online personas that may not reflect our true selves, potentially damaging the authenticity of our relationships.

Question 8

If group members share information and advice,provide support to one another,and have common interests but never meet in person,what kind of group are they a part of?
A) A reference group
B) A social network
C) A secondary group
D) A virtual community

Accepted Answer

Virtual communities are a type of online group where individuals come together to share information, advice, and support despite not meeting in person. These groups typically have a common interest, hobby, or goal in mind and utilize online communication tools to connect and interact with one another. Therefore, option D is the most appropriate choice for this question.

Question 9

What do sociologists call patterns of interaction between groups and individuals?
A) Rationalization
B) Group dynamics
C) In-group solidarity
D) Anomie

Accepted Answer

Sociologists call patterns of interaction between groups and individuals group dynamics. Rationalization refers to the process of applying logical and efficient principles to social organization or decision making, in-group solidarity refers to the bonds that tie members of a group together, and anomie refers to a state of normlessness or confusion due to a lack of clear social norms.

Question 10

Members of a table tennis club in upstate New York seem to have come together as much for connections with others as for the love of the game.This club can be viewed as a counterpoint to the message of Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone because it is an example of:
A) the way we continue to be socialized by the media in adulthood.
B) a type of civic engagement that brings people together.
C) the strength of weak ties.
D) the importance of primary groups in our social lives.

Accepted Answer

The table tennis club is an example of civic engagement that brings people together, which is the opposite of the trend described in Bowling Alone, where people become increasingly isolated from one another. The club members are building social connections through the shared activity of playing table tennis. The other options are not relevant to the description of the club.

Question 11

The definition of what constitutes a group is being transformed as a result of new technology and the Digital Revolution.Which of the following is evidence of this?
A) Websites
B) Chat rooms
C) Self-help groups
D) Civic groups

Accepted Answer

Chat rooms are a direct result of new technology and the Digital Revolution, allowing people to form groups and communicate in ways that were not possible before.

Question 12

Groups that we use as standards to evaluate ourselves-either positively,in terms of the qualities we aspire to achieve,or negatively,in terms of the qualities we wish to avoid-are called:
A) reference groups.
B) out-groups.
C) in-groups.
D) networks.

Accepted Answer

Reference groups are the groups with which an individual identifies and uses as a standard for evaluating themselves. They can be positive reference groups, which individuals aspire to be a part of and emulate, or negative reference groups, which individuals seek to avoid. Out-groups and in-groups refer to the social groups to which individuals belong or do not belong, and networks refer to the connections between individuals or groups. Therefore, A) reference groups is the best choice to describe the concept of using groups as standards for self-evaluation.

Question 13

Social networks can influence people through contagion.What does that mean?
A) When connection leads to disease or infection, sociologists call it contagion.
B) The influence of various social networks is contagious. Networks tend to mimic each other over the long run.
C) This borrows from a biological model: if people are weak, they are likely to "catch" the influence of their social network.
D) When people are connected to a social network, what happens in that network is more likely to affect them.

Accepted Answer

Contagion in this context means that when people are connected to a social network, what happens in that network (such as trending opinions or behaviors) is more likely to affect them. It is not referring to disease or infection, nor does it suggest that networks mimic each other in the long run or that weak individuals are more susceptible to influence.

Question 14

In a Peruvian campaign to improve public health in rural areas,one key challenge was to convince isolated villagers to boil their drinking water in order to kill parasites.In a pilot study,this effort largely failed.Government caseworkers lectured the villagers about germ theory,but villagers associated hot foods with illness and didn't like the taste of boiled water.The only families who adopted the practice were not well integrated into the village and had few connections to their neighbors.What does this example demonstrate?
A) That the need for more virtual communities is declining
B) That social ties don't just connect us to others but also influence our behavior
C) That modernization attempts largely fail without modern technology
D) The McDonaldization of society

Accepted Answer

This example demonstrates that social ties don't just connect us to others, but also influence our behavior. The fact that the only families who adopted the practice were not well integrated into the village and had few connections to their neighbors suggests that the villagers' social network played a crucial role in determining their behavior. Therefore, any public health campaign must take into account the social dynamics of the target community in order to be successful.

Question 15

Robert Merton pointed out that we remember Abraham Lincoln,one of America's great heroes,as being frugal,thrifty,and sparing,yet some people might describe these same traits differently when a member of some other racial or ethnic group possesses them.for example,Merton suggested that some white Americans who would describe Lincoln this way might describe an Asian American who has these same qualities as being stingy,miserly,and penny pinching.What explains this double standard?
A) Because of historical change, standards of behavior that were considered appropriate in Lincoln's time are now looked down upon.
B) Lincoln was miserly, but he is remembered differently because American textbooks are not permitted to say negative things about presidents.
C) Lincoln was a truly remarkable individual who acted in these ways for selfless reasons, something everyday people can't hope to do.
D) for these white Americans, Lincoln was a member of their racial in-group, whereas an Asian American would be a member of the out-group.

Accepted Answer

The double standard can be explained by social identity theory, which suggests that people tend to view members of their own racial or ethnic group favorably (in-group bias) and those who are different from them (out-group members) as inferior or negative. In this case, Lincoln is a member of the white Americans' in-group, so his frugality and thriftiness are viewed positively, while an Asian American possessing the same traits is viewed negatively because they are part of the out-group.

Question 16

Émile Durkheim worried that in an increasingly fragmented modern world,individuals would feel less and less connected to groups,which would lead to:
A) the rise of hate groups.
B) a need for new types of etiquette.
C) anomie, or normlessness.
D) unemployment.

Accepted Answer

Durkheim's concept of anomie refers to a state of normlessness or a lack of moral and social guidance. He believed that as society becomes more complex and less cohesive, individuals may feel disconnected from traditional norms and values, leading to feelings of confusion, isolation, and even despair. Therefore, the rise of hate groups or the need for new etiquette or unemployment might be plausible consequences of anomie, but they are not the direct result of it, as Durkheim argued.

Question 17

Mark Granovetter has argued that the people you know best are likely to possess only information you already have.This is why he believed that when it comes to finding employment,it is advantageous to have:
A) a commitment to hard work and a determination to succeed.
B) casual acquaintances who are connected to different social networks.
C) a prestigious education in order to gain access to lucrative occupations.
D) a high degree of cultural and social capital.

Accepted Answer

According to Granovetter's theory, having strong ties with people within your own social network will not necessarily help you find new job opportunities since they are likely to possess the same information as you. However, having weak ties with casual acquaintances who are connected to different social networks can expose you to new information and job leads that you may not have otherwise known about. Therefore, having a diverse range of connections can be advantageous when seeking employment.

Question 18

Simon Langlois studied government employment in Quebec.He found that even though the government had made efforts to formalize recruitment,more than 40 percent of the people he surveyed found their jobs through personal contacts.In the majority of those cases,the personal contacts were fairly casual acquaintances,not close friends.What principle is demonstrated here?
A) The strength of weak ties
B) The power of strong triads
C) The role of group cohesion
D) The power of groupthink

Accepted Answer

The principle demonstrated here is the strength of weak ties, which refers to the idea that individuals are more likely to find employment, information, and opportunities through their weaker social ties rather than their close friends or family members. This principle highlights the importance of maintaining a diverse network of acquaintances and social connections.

Question 19

Although individuals always feel loyalty toward their in-group,under what circumstances would this loyalty be particularly strong?
A) When the in-group is particularly large
B) When the individual has belonged to the in-group for a short time
C) When the out-group is from another city than the in-group
D) When the differences between the in-group and the out-group are sharply defined

Accepted Answer

Strong loyalty to the in-group is particularly likely when the differences between the in-group and the out-group are sharply defined. This could include differences in beliefs, values, or even physical characteristics. When the differences are more apparent, individuals are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and loyalty to their group in comparison to the out-group.

Question 20

All over Los Angeles,you can see cars sporting a bumper sticker that says,"My favorite teams are UCLA and whoever's playing USC." What is this an example of?
A) Group dynamics
B) Hostility toward an out-group
C) Bureaucratic rationalization
D) The use of a reference group

Accepted Answer

This is an example of hostility toward an out-group as the bumper sticker is displaying negative attitudes or feelings toward USC, which is considered an out-group.

Quiz 5: Separate and Together: Life in Groups

Robert Putnam's research can be exemplified by his description of a decline in bowling leagues.Which of the following might serve as evidence that Putnam's concerns about anomie are overblown?

How have social networking websites affected social groups?

Why would sociologists who study social networks and employment pay attention to the frequency with which a person has been in contact with each member of his social network?

According to Robert Putnam,what does the decline in bowling leagues indicate?

When people attend high school class reunions,they often compare their own personal and professional successes and failures with those of their former classmates.This means that classmates are a(n) :

In terms of job leads and social networks,how are men's networks different from women's?

How have social networking websites affected people's relationships with one another?

If group members share information and advice,provide support to one another,and have common interests but never meet in person,what kind of group are they a part of?

What do sociologists call patterns of interaction between groups and individuals?

Members of a table tennis club in upstate New York seem to have come together as much for connections with others as for the love of the game.This club can be viewed as a counterpoint to the message of Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone because it is an example of:

The definition of what constitutes a group is being transformed as a result of new technology and the Digital Revolution.Which of the following is evidence of this?

Groups that we use as standards to evaluate ourselves-either positively,in terms of the qualities we aspire to achieve,or negatively,in terms of the qualities we wish to avoid-are called:

Social networks can influence people through contagion.What does that mean?

Émile Durkheim worried that in an increasingly fragmented modern world,individuals would feel less and less connected to groups,which would lead to:

Mark Granovetter has argued that the people you know best are likely to possess only information you already have.This is why he believed that when it comes to finding employment,it is advantageous to have:

Although individuals always feel loyalty toward their in-group,under what circumstances would this loyalty be particularly strong?

All over Los Angeles,you can see cars sporting a bumper sticker that says,"My favorite teams are UCLA and whoever's playing USC." What is this an example of?