Deck 4: Social Structure

Question 1

Which of the following would be an example of a social status?

A) the economy of a given country
B) one school within a larger school system
C) parents' need to care for their children
D) a freshman student

Answer 1

D

Question 2

How does a social institution relate to the concept of social structure?

A) A hospital is a social institution, whereas the interaction between two people is a social structure.
B) Social institutions are established patterns of behavior, whereas social structures are about random behaviors.
C) Social institutions are a type of social structure that governs major areas of social life.
D) Social structures are overarching social institutions.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Why would workers fighting a plant closing be an example of action?

A) The workers would be picketing and that is an activity.
B) Workers are acting outside of their structural positions as employees by fighting their superiors.
C) Workers' desire for jobs is evidence that they are active in the economy.
D) Action simply means that the workers want to be productive.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which best describes a social structure?

A) a recurring patterns of behavior
B) the scaffolding that supports a building
C) a strict hierarchy of power
D) a system of social stratification

Question 5

How do social statuses and roles compare to one another?

A) Social statuses are the positions individuals hold in society; social roles are the expectations that go along with those positions.
B) Social roles are the positions individuals hold in society; social statuses are the expectations that go along with those positions.
C) They are basically the same thing; both refer to the expectations we hold of people within society.
D) They are basically the same thing; both refer to the positions individuals hold within society.

Question 6

What are social roles?

A) the parts that actors play
B) the positions that individuals occupy in the social structure
C) the social expectations that go along with a given social status
D) all the dos and don'ts of social life

Question 7

How have gender expectations evolved over the last few decades?

A) Women are more likely to work outside the home today.
B) Men play a less active role in children's lives today.
C) Men are more likely to be the sole breadwinner of a family.
D) Women are less likely than men to be involved in their children's lives.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT true about social structures?

A) Social structures are persistent routines within society, but they do evolve.
B) Friendship groups as well as the economy are both examples of social structures.
C) Social structures are static across cultures.
D) Social structures and their routines aid in social stability.

Question 9

How would a sociologist define "action"?

A) going along with social norms despite desires
B) choosing to become a member of an institution
C) operating outside of social constraints
D) acting in accordance with expected social routines

Question 10

Social structures change through

A) an individual's action.
B) the cumulative actions of many individuals.
C) referendums and political activity only.
D) slow evolution only.

Question 11

Why did some describe the social structure of New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina as "collapsing"?

A) Many buildings and homes were destroyed by the storm.
B) Daily routines and patterns of behavior broke down in the days following Katrina.
C) Many longtime residents refused to return.
D) Social gathering places like cafes were destroyed by the storm.

Question 12

An increase in the number of which of the following would indicate that the role of women in our society has evolved?

A) grocery stores
B) beauty salons
C) childcare centers
D) public parks

Question 13

How are action and social structure related?

A) Action is when individuals live within the mandates of social structure.
B) Action is when individuals act in ways that are not expected or even conflict with their structural position.
C) Action is when someone does what is expected of them given their structural position.
D) Action only occurs when an individual in a powerful position exhibits his or her power.

Question 14

What does it mean to say that social structures are enduring?

A) People like social structures.
B) Social structures are persistent patterns of behavior.
C) It is difficult to knock down a social structure; they are quite sturdy.
D) Social structures tend to disappear as quickly as they are invented.

Question 15

Maria decides she will become a firefighter despite the fact that no woman in her town has ever been a firefighter. She encounters resistance from family, friends, and even the local fire chief when she tells them of her career plans. However, she takes the admissions test and is accepted into the firefighter training program. By going against what is expected, Maria's behavior illustrates which sociological concept?

A) convention
B) action
C) compliance
D) status

Question 16

Positions in social systems that individuals can occupy are social

A) roles.
B) structures.
C) expectations.
D) statuses.

Question 17

Which of the following would be an example of a role?

A) a member of the royal family
B) an airline pilot
C) the expectation that parents should take care of their children
D) the economy

Question 18

How are a police officer and a soldier similar?

A) Both are social statuses.
B) Both are roles, jobs, and social statuses.
C) Both are roles.
D) Both are only jobs, not social statuses.

Question 19

Which of following is an example of a student exhibiting action?

A) A student follows the teacher's instructions.
B) A student helps a teacher pass out papers.
C) A student fails a test because he did not understand the material.
D) A student calls a teacher by her first name and refuses to use the title of "Ms."

Question 20

Why are gender expectations an example of social structure?

A) Gender expectations guide how men and women behave.
B) Gender expectations are rigid rules that mandate behavior.
C) Structures are about informal patterns, and gender only influences us in our social lives.
D) There is a strict power differential between men and women.

Question 21

The goal of a breaching experiment is to

A) change social norms by breaking well-known social rules.
B) adhere to social rules in order to better understand social change.
C) adhere to formal rules in order to test informal boundaries.
D) break social rules in order to better understand social routines.

Question 22

Which of the following would NOT be a convention regarding how students are expected to behave during a high school class?

A) raising their hand before speaking during class
B) using "Ms." or "Mr." to address their teachers
C) texting friends during class about weekend plans
D) waiting for the bell to ring before leaving class

Question 23

Originally, Juan went to medical school to become a surgeon. After doing rotations in various departments during his residency, Juan decided that he would rather specialize in pediatrics because he really enjoyed working with children. Which of the following is an example of ascribed status in Juan's life?

A) physician
B) male
C) surgeon
D) pediatrician

Question 24

A student enters his English class and greets his teacher by saying, "Good morning, Mrs. Smith" and the teacher returns the greeting by saying, "Good morning to you, Erik." This type of exchange happens over and over again as students file into the classroom. This exchange represents which type of practice?

A) macro-level interaction
B) convention
C) norm violation
D) breaching experiment

Question 25

Ethnomethodology examines how people

A) approach racist stereotypes.
B) seek out professional guidance.
C) engage in collective action.
D) make sense of their social worlds.

Question 26

How can both an organization and a conversation be social structures?

A) Both rely on routines and recurring patterns of behavior to function smoothly.
B) Each has hard and fast rules that govern how they unfold.
C) Each is very informal and relies on the creativity of the participants to function smoothly.
D) Both always rely on formalized written rules.

Question 27

Edgar is an accountant who works from home so that he can care for his infant daughter. His employer expects him to call the office every morning for the department briefing, and then Edgar spends the rest of his day doing accounting, contacting clients via e-mail, and filing paperwork electronically. Which of the following is a role for Edgar?

A) being a dad
B) calling in for the morning briefing
C) being an employee
D) being an accountant

Question 28

In a conversational analysis, what would a sociologist NOT be interested in studying?

A) how two people go back and forth in their conversation
B) the level of intimacy used between the two participants
C) how people switch interactive styles depending on whom they are speaking to
D) who is ultimately right in the opinions argued over

Question 29

A young boy is born into an Indian-American family in an urban area, and his parents save so that he can attend a top college. At the end of college, the young man decides to pursue his master's in business administration and also takes a job as a marketing consultant. Which of the following would be the best an example of an achieved status?

A) marketing consultant
B) Indian-American
C) son
D) male

Question 30

In order to apply conversational analysis to the study of instant messaging, a sociologist would

A) look at instant messaging as a form of cultural change.
B) look at the patterns in how instant messaging conversations unfold.
C) look for ways in which technological change has impacted our attention spans.
D) use it as an opportunity to write an editorial on how youth today are distracted.

Question 31

A sociologist decides to study how students go about their daily routines and how they learn what they are supposed to do. For example, how do students know to go to class when the bell rings and why do students call teachers by their last names? A sociologist from which of the following backgrounds would be interested in this study?

A) a functionalist
B) an ethnomethodologist
C) a conversational analyst
D) a gender scholar

Question 32

Which of the following accurately describes how social interactions occur within a society?

A) Over time, patterns form in the ways in which people interact with one another.
B) Social interaction rarely follows set patterns, because individuals are so different.
C) Routine social interactions only occur when they are highly formalized through written rules and laws.
D) Individuals must be constantly reminded how to interact with others; interactions never become routine.

Question 33

Ethnomethodologists are interested in how individuals collectively create

A) common values.
B) social structure.
C) competition.
D) power struggles.

Question 34

Conversational analysis examines what level of our social world?

A) micro
B) meso
C) macro
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 35

Sociologists may conduct conversational analysis to understand

A) the evolution of accents and word usage.
B) the diction of both speakers.
C) how politicians construct campaign speeches.
D) the underlying structure of conversations.

Question 36

In which of the following scenarios would a sociologist conducting a breaching experiment be most likely to participate?

A) teaching a class by following the same routines and course schedule
B) observing children playing dodge ball during recess and noting how they learn the rules
C) going to a fast-food restaurant and asking the counter person what he would like to eat
D) spending time in a different culture and examining what cultural differences exist

Question 37

Which of the following illustrates how gender is structured in our society?

A) Men and women have different reproductive functions.
B) Men and women have different life expectancies.
C) Men and women are encouraged to assume different statuses and roles within the family.
D) Because of biological differences, men and women have different cancer risks.

Question 38

How do structures enable behavior?

A) Structures give us guidelines about how to act.
B) Structures punish us when we act improperly.
C) Structures actually have nothing to do with behavior.
D) Structures are the exact opposite of how we should behave.

Question 39

How do daily routines relate to the idea of social structure?

A) Daily routines are how we escape the monotony of social structure.
B) Daily routines illustrate how patterned and predictable our social world can be.
C) Daily routines are the way that individuals display their creativity and ingenuity.
D) Social structures deal more with important interactions among individuals than daily routines.

Question 40

A sociologist observes two students discussing their lessons and homework. The sociologist notes how the students interact and the conventions they draw on to have a smooth, back-and-forth exchange in their conversation. What type of analysis is the sociologist conducting?

A) meso
B) structural
C) conversational
D) ethnomethodological

Question 41

Which of the following is an example of a meso-level structure?

A) an organization such as a business
B) two people talking to one another
C) the economy of a given country
D) the American political system

Question 42

What level of society is a sociologist studying if he is examining the structure and routines of an organization like a school or business?

A) micro
B) macro
C) meso
D) societal

Question 43

The Carson & Co. trading firm is a very busy place. At 9 a.m. every day, trading begins when the national stock market opens. There are also strict rules, both governmental laws and firm rules, about how and when trading of stock can take place. On Fridays, the routine is a bit different and all employees eat lunch together in the break room along with the managers, a tradition started by the founder of the company years ago. Which of the following is an example of the informal structure of the firm?

A) governmental laws regarding trading
B) 9 a.m. start time
C) the employee handbook
D) everyone eating lunch together on Fridays

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of the functionalist perspective?

A) Structures within society meet the needs of society.
B) Change in one part of society necessitates change in another part.
C) Society is composed of interdependent social institutions.
D) Society is held together by the domination of the poor by the rich.

Question 45

Why would functionalists care about the functions the education system fulfills in society?

A) A society's school system represents its religious morals.
B) The functions of schools aid in social stability.
C) Schools are where students learn about sociology and functionalism.
D) Schools are unique because their function within societies never changes.

Question 46

In her look at space shuttle tragedies, sociologist Diane Vaughan found that

A) information loss at NASA may have contributed to the space shuttle disasters.
B) everyone at NASA had open lines of communication with all others at NASA.
C) no one was aware of the potential risks of the space shuttle missions she studied.
D) all NASA employees and departments were aware of the potential risks.

Question 47

How does social structure exist at the meso level?

A) Organizations are made up of individuals who have their own daily routines.
B) Organizations have organizational structure charts so everyone knows who is in power.
C) Organizations have daily routines and patterns that shape their daily activities.
D) Organizations are housed in buildings, which have physical structures to them.

Question 48

An employee has some important information about a company's web security. The employee has identified some security breaches that would allow a hacker to access customers' personal information. However, the employee's manager decided the issue was not important and the employee has no way of contacting the president of the company. Two weeks later, the website is hacked. The lack of communication between employee and president illustrates which concept?

A) social integration
B) information loss
C) structure
D) conversational analysis

Question 49

The idea that if part of society changes, other parts will adjust accordingly illustrates what theory?

A) social integration
B) social structure
C) equilibrium
D) social conflict

Question 50

A young man walks into a grocery store and puts some food in his shopping cart. He then puts a blanket on the floor near the cashiers and proceeds to eat the food from his cart rather than pay for it. Customers and employees are shocked and are not sure what to do. The young man seems to be gauging all of their responses and then runs out of the store before the manager approaches him. What type of experiment could the young man be conducting?

A) conversational
B) breaching
C) functional
D) conventional

Question 51

The idea that society is held together through individuals participating in daily routines and social structures represents which sociological concept?

A) power
B) social organization
C) equilibrium
D) social integration

Question 52

Which of the following would be an example of information loss at a restaurant?

A) The chef realizes that the restaurant is out of the night's special but has no way to let the wait staff know before they take customers' orders.
B) A waiter is fired for refusing to abide by the dress code.
C) The manager and the hostess argue about what the décor should look like.
D) A waitress leaves to work at another restaurant because she heard the management is nicer.

Question 53

According to functionalists, what do the functions of institutions accomplish?

A) The functions help to maintain social stability.
B) The functions are one way institutions compete with one another.
C) The functions are the hidden agendas that institutions have.
D) The functions are the public goals that institutions have.

Question 54

Which of the following would NOT illustrate social integration?

A) A social group falls apart because of disagreement over goals.
B) Community members feel a bond with others because of shared values.
C) The daily routines of a group facilitate group members getting along.
D) By sharing the same set of values and routines, a group becomes cohesive.

Question 55

Social integration is the idea that

A) only new members of a society need to learn societal rules.
B) society is held together through shared values and social structures.
C) groups within society are always in conflict.
D) individuals engage in collective action to counter prevailing norms.

Question 56

At a summer barbecue, Peg approaches Ravi to discuss what they have been doing this summer. While they are talking, Mike interrupts their discussion, does not say hello to either one, and begins to talk about hot-button political issues. Afterward, Peg and Ravi discuss how rude Mike was. Which of the following did Mike fail to observe?

A) conversational analysis
B) social conventions
C) action
D) status

Question 57

If you were interested in solidifying the social structure of a small business, which of the following would you be most likely to do?

A) Toss out the employee manuals and allow employees to do what was best for them.
B) Create many rules, procedures, and routines that mandate how employees can interact with one another.
C) Develop an employee of the month award to recognize the best innovative idea an employee creates.
D) Fire all the employees and only rehire those who would be interested in working in a laid-back work environment.

Question 58

The routines that shape the daily activity of an organization constitute its

A) structure.
B) by-laws.
C) goals.
D) power.

Question 59

Which of the following would be an example of an informal element of an organizational structure like a business?

A) rules outlining employee conduct in the company handbook
B) federal laws that impact how the business can function
C) traditions that influence how those within the organization address one another
D) All of these are formalized elements of a business organization.

Question 60

Which of the following does NOT represent how globalization has impacted the world of work?

A) Manufacturing in the United States is declining.
B) High-paying jobs have been exported to countries where labor costs are lower.
C) Jobs in the United States now require most workers to travel globally and know multiple languages.
D) Workers in the United States are less likely to find stable, long-term, well-paying employment.

Question 61

The economy increasingly requires workers to have computer skills and know multiple languages because of increased technology in the workplace and the globalization of the economy. The education system, however, does not adapt but instead continues to prioritize the classics, does not integrate foreign language into its curriculum, and does not offer computer literacy courses. The education system is challenging what functional concept?

A) social structure
B) equilibrium
C) social integration
D) achieved status

Question 62

Which of the following best illustrates the idea of a social contract?

A) An employer makes employees sign very detailed legal agreements regarding the length of their employment.
B) An employee takes an employer to court because the employer terminated his employment without notice, which was a clear violation of their contract.
C) There is an understanding between employers and employees that if an employee does his or her job well, the employee will continue to have a job at the company.
D) An employer hires all employees through a temporary work agency so there are no direct, formal contracts with the people working for her.

Question 63

How does McDonaldization illustrate structural change?

A) McDonald's is a business organization that has changed its menus to suit the times.
B) People are constantly moving in and out of the top positions within the corporation.
C) McDonaldization has altered how individuals interact with one another.
D) McDonald's has led change in the types of food and nutrition Americans consume.

Question 64

According to research by sociologist Eric Klinenberg, "singletons," including young urbanites and older women,

A) are likely to be socially isolated.
B) tend to lack supportive friendship networks.
C) have strong social connections with family and neighbors.
D) face threats to their health due to a lack of social solidarity.

Question 65

What would Max Weber think about McDonaldization?

A) He would be surprised, since he thought society would become increasingly more emotional and spiritual.
B) He would think that increased efficiency in all aspects of life would lead to moral downfall.
C) It would probably not surprise him, since he thought the complexities of modern life would increasingly lead to an increase in rationality and efficiency.
D) He would feel that McDonaldization would impede modern life because McDonald's restaurants are not efficiently managed.

Question 66

What do functionalists assume about societal institutions?

A) Institutions within society are disconnected from one another.
B) Institutions do not do anything for the greater good of society.
C) The competition among institutions is what holds society together.
D) As part of society, institutions all contribute to the greater functioning of society.

Question 67

The idea that a man calculates whether or not getting married would be beneficial in terms of his finances illustrates which dimension of McDonaldization?

A) efficiency
B) calculability
C) predictability
D) control

Question 68

Ileana, a young sociologist, decides to conduct a study of the American educational system and how it relates to the economy and the political system. She spends a lot of time thinking about how these institutions fit together and complement one another, including how each contributes to society. From which sociological tradition does Ileana come?

A) symbolic interaction
B) functionalist
C) conflict
D) feminist

Question 69

Why would sociologists be interested in McDonaldization?

A) It illustrates the "downfall" of the nuclear family.
B) It illustrates the return to old-fashioned ideals and values.
C) It shows how individual workers can fight against corporate powers.
D) It shows how individual behavior is shaped by changes in broader structural patterns.

Question 70

According to functionalists, how are institutions related to the larger society?

A) Institutions stand outside conventional society.
B) Institutions contribute to society by meeting certain societal functions.
C) Institutions battle against society for dominance.
D) Institutions wither away as society becomes stronger.

Question 71

Julianne dislikes going to Sunday dinner at her aunt's house because her aunt lives an hour away, her little cousins like to run around during dinner time, her aunt cooks food that she does not care for, and she has to leave work early on Sundays, so she loses an hour of pay. Julianne's family has been going to these family dinners since she was a little girl and she continues to go. Which type of action, according to Weber, is Julianne demonstrating?

A) affective
B) rational
C) competitive
D) traditional

Question 72

How do affective and traditional forms of action compare to one another?

A) Affective action is motivated by efficiency, whereas traditional action is motivated by emotion.
B) Affective action is motivated by emotion, whereas traditional action is motivated by custom.
C) Affective action is motivated by custom, whereas traditional action is motivated by emotion.
D) Affective action is motivated by emotion, whereas traditional action is motivated by rationality.

Question 73

How does mobile phone usage in the United States compare to usage in Africa?

A) There are more landlines in Africa because of limited resources.
B) There are more mobile phones in the United States because of higher incomes.
C) In Africa there are few landlines; most people use mobile phones.
D) Mobile phone usage is growing faster in the United States.

Question 74

Which of the following would illustrate mobile phone users displaying action?

A) They strictly adhere to the norms of phone etiquette.
B) They use their mobile phones in a way that the phone company suggests.
C) They follow their employer's policies, such as no mobile phone calls while at work.
D) They develop new uses for mobile phones, like tracking crops or conveying health-related information.

Question 75

Which of the following is an example of a macro-level structure?

A) an informal group of peers
B) a principal talking to one of her students
C) the American educational system
D) a large university

Question 76

Which of the following would illustrate rational action?

A) a young woman jumping up and down on the soccer field after scoring the winning goal
B) a family going to church every holiday season as part of their family tradition
C) a student deciding whether or not to attend college by analyzing the related costs and benefits
D) a student starting to cry after finding out he flunked an exam

Question 77

In which of the followings aspects of group life would Talcott Parsons be most interested?

A) the group's dietary habits
B) how a group is held together through social integration
C) the buying habits of a particular group
D) the history of a group

Question 78

Iana just bought her parents' restaurant because they wanted to retire. She wants to make some big changes to the restaurant, including making all the employees feel like part of a big family. In other words, she wants to increase the social integration of the group. What would NOT be a good way for her to accomplish this, according to a sociologist interested in social integration?

A) Create clear work routines so new workers can become quickly integrated.
B) Stress common values and goals so people will feel a common sense of purpose.
C) Raise the job criteria tremendously and fire anyone who cannot perform at the new level.
D) Have weekly meetings so workers feel that they are contributing to the new direction of the restaurant.

Question 79

Which of the following best reflects the changing structure of work in the United States?

A) an increase in low-paying industrial jobs
B) a strengthening of unions
C) a decline in the availability of industrial jobs
D) higher paying and more skilled manufacturing jobs

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a social function of work?

A) Jobs allow individuals to earn money.
B) Jobs reinforce societal values like self-discipline.
C) Jobs encourage people to get along with others.
D) Jobs give people a sense of responsibility.