BackSociology Quiz 2
Study Guide - Smart Notes
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Q1. Which of the following is NOT an example of a formal norm within the United States?
Background
Topic: Norms in Sociology
This question tests your understanding of the difference between formal and informal norms in society.
Key Terms:
Formal Norms: Established, written rules (e.g., laws, official regulations).
Informal Norms: Unwritten, commonly understood rules (e.g., customs, etiquette).
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review the definition of formal norms and think about which behaviors are enforced by official rules or laws.
Go through each answer choice and ask: Is this behavior required or regulated by law or official policy?
Identify which option is more about social expectations or customs rather than formal rules.
Eliminate the choices that are clearly formal norms, leaving the one that is not.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q2. Which of the following describes a subculture?
Background
Topic: Subcultures in Society
This question examines your ability to identify what constitutes a subculture within a larger society.
Key Terms:
Subculture: A group within society that differentiates itself from the larger culture but remains a part of it.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the definition of a subculture and consider its characteristics (distinct values, norms, or interests).
Analyze each answer choice to see if it represents a group with unique traits within the broader culture.
Consider whether the group is entirely separate from society or still part of the larger culture.
Look for the answer that best fits the definition of a subculture.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q3. Patterns or traits that are found in virtually all societies are called:
Background
Topic: Cultural Universals
This question tests your knowledge of concepts that are present in every society, regardless of differences.
Key Terms:
Cultural Universals: Elements, patterns, traits, or institutions that are common to all human cultures worldwide.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review the definitions of each answer choice, especially focusing on 'cultural universals.'
Think about examples of traits or patterns that exist in every society (e.g., family, language, religion).
Match the correct term to the description in the question.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q4. Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture is known as:
Background
Topic: Cultural Perspectives
This question is about how people evaluate other cultures, either by their own standards or by trying to understand them on their own terms.
Key Terms:
Ethnocentrism: Evaluating other cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.
Cultural Relativism: Understanding a culture on its own terms without judgment.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the definitions of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.
Consider which term describes the act of using one's own culture as a measuring stick for others.
Eliminate options that do not fit this description.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q5. Technology is key in the spread of both material and nonmaterial culture that contributes to globalization. True or False?
Background
Topic: Technology and Globalization
This question tests your understanding of how technology influences the spread of culture and the process of globalization.
Key Terms:
Material Culture: Physical objects, resources, and spaces.
Nonmaterial Culture: Ideas, beliefs, values, and norms.
Globalization: The process by which cultures influence each other and become more alike through increased communication and exchange.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Think about how technology (like the internet, transportation) helps spread both tangible and intangible aspects of culture.
Consider whether this process is central to globalization.
Decide if the statement accurately reflects the role of technology in cultural exchange.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q6. The term values can be defined as:
Background
Topic: Values in Culture
This question asks you to identify the correct definition of 'values' as used in sociology.
Key Terms:
Values: Deeply held principles or standards that guide behavior and judgments about what is important in society.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review each answer choice and see which one best matches the sociological definition of values.
Eliminate options that refer to laws, religious texts, or specific rules rather than general principles.
Focus on the answer that describes beliefs about what is good, just, or desirable.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q7. Social control has both _______ and ______ mechanisms to ensure conformity. These range from ostracizing a person from a group to imprisonment.
Background
Topic: Social Control
This question is about the mechanisms societies use to encourage conformity and regulate behavior.
Key Terms:
Social Control: The ways in which society tries to ensure its members conform to norms and rules.
Formal Mechanisms: Official, codified methods (laws, police, courts).
Informal Mechanisms: Unofficial, social methods (peer pressure, ostracism).
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the difference between formal and informal social control.
Match the examples given (ostracism, imprisonment) to the correct type of mechanism.
Choose the answer that correctly fills in the blanks with the two types of mechanisms.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q8. Which of the following is not an element of culture?
Background
Topic: Elements of Culture
This question tests your knowledge of the basic components that make up a culture.
Key Terms:
Elements of Culture: Commonly include symbols, language, values, norms, and beliefs.
Sanctions: Reactions to behavior, not an element but a response to norms.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review the standard elements of culture in sociology.
Analyze each answer choice to see if it is a core element or a response to cultural behavior.
Identify the option that does not fit as a basic element of culture.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q9. Which of the following is an example of cultural relativism?
Background
Topic: Cultural Relativism
This question asks you to identify a scenario where someone is understanding or adapting to another culture's practices without judgment.
Key Terms:
Cultural Relativism: The practice of assessing a culture by its own standards, not by comparing it to one's own culture.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review each scenario and consider whether the person is being open-minded and nonjudgmental about another culture.
Eliminate options where the person is imposing their own values or being critical.
Choose the example that best demonstrates cultural relativism.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q10. Functionalists believe that cultural values and norms are necessary to support the fluid working of society and meet its members’ needs. True or False?
Background
Topic: Functionalism in Sociology
This question tests your understanding of the functionalist perspective on culture.
Key Terms:
Functionalism: A theoretical perspective that sees society as a system of interrelated parts working together to maintain stability.
Norms and Values: Seen as essential for social order and cohesion in this view.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the main ideas of functionalism regarding the role of culture in society.
Consider whether functionalists see norms and values as positive or negative for society's functioning.
Decide if the statement aligns with the functionalist perspective.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q11. Alice and Harry are students studying abroad in Paris. When they are introduced to their host family, they are greeted with a kiss on both cheeks. When Harry’s host brother introduces himself and kisses Harry on both cheeks, Harry steps back in surprise. Where he grew up, unless they are romantically involved, men do not kiss one another. This is an example of:
Background
Topic: Culture Shock and Cultural Reactions
This question is about how people react to unfamiliar cultural practices.
Key Terms:
Culture Shock: Disorientation experienced when encountering a different culture.
Ethnocentrism: Judging another culture by one's own standards.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Analyze Harry's reaction and consider whether it is about surprise, judgment, or adaptation.
Match the scenario to the correct sociological term.
Eliminate options that do not fit the described reaction.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q12. After teenage activists Greta and Bruno Rodriquez led school walk outs in their respective home countries of Sweden and Argentina, students around the world began staging similar types of protests. This is an example of:
Background
Topic: Cultural Change and Diffusion
This question tests your understanding of how cultural practices spread from one society to another.
Key Terms:
Diffusion: The spread of cultural traits from one society to another.
Globalization: The process of increased interconnectedness among societies.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Consider the process described: a practice starting in one place and being adopted elsewhere.
Match this process to the correct sociological term.
Eliminate options that do not involve the spread of cultural practices.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q13. Society can be defined as shared beliefs, values, and practices. True or False?
Background
Topic: Definition of Society
This question asks you to recall the sociological definition of society.
Key Terms:
Society: A group of people who share a culture and a territory.
Culture: The beliefs, values, and practices shared by a group.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the standard sociological definition of society.
Consider whether the statement accurately reflects this definition.
Decide if the statement is true or false based on your knowledge.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q14. The text states that cultural change is set in motion in three general ways:
Background
Topic: Mechanisms of Cultural Change
This question tests your knowledge of the main processes that drive cultural change.
Key Terms:
Invention: Creating new cultural elements.
Discovery: Finding something previously unknown.
Diffusion: The spread of cultural traits between societies.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the three main ways cultural change occurs according to sociological theory.
Match the answer choices to these processes.
Eliminate options that do not fit the standard sociological explanation.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q15. From the mid 1900s to early 2000s, music fans usually had to purchase entire music albums even if they only wanted one or two songs. The iTunes store enabled individual song purchases to give the users more choice. What did this represent?
Background
Topic: Innovation and Cultural Change
This question is about identifying the type of cultural change represented by a new way of doing things.
Key Terms:
Innovation: Introducing something new to culture.
Diffusion: Spread of cultural elements.
Discovery: Recognizing something already existing.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Analyze the scenario: a new method for purchasing music is introduced.
Determine whether this is an example of innovation, diffusion, or discovery.
Eliminate options that do not fit the process described.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q16. The American flag is a material object that denotes the U.S. However, many associate ideas with the flag, like bravery and freedom. In this example, what are bravery and freedom?
Background
Topic: Material vs. Nonmaterial Culture
This question tests your understanding of the difference between physical objects and the ideas or meanings associated with them.
Key Terms:
Material Culture: Physical objects created by a society.
Nonmaterial Culture: The ideas, beliefs, and values associated with objects.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Identify which part of the example is the physical object and which part is the idea or value.
Recall the definitions of material and nonmaterial culture.
Match bravery and freedom to the correct category.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q17. Watching TV series like The Real Housewives and The Masked Singer are examples of _____, while attending the Cannes Film Festival or the Phantom of the Opera are examples of ______.
Background
Topic: High Culture vs. Popular Culture
This question is about distinguishing between types of culture based on their perceived status in society.
Key Terms:
Popular Culture: Cultural patterns that are widespread among a society's population.
High Culture: Cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the definitions of high culture and popular culture.
Match the examples to the correct type of culture based on their audience and social status.
Eliminate options that do not fit the examples given.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q18. __________ are rules about everyday casual living; __________ are rules with great moral significance.
Background
Topic: Types of Norms
This question tests your knowledge of the different types of norms in society.
Key Terms:
Folkways: Norms for routine or casual interaction.
Mores: Norms with great moral significance.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the definitions of folkways and mores.
Match each term to the correct description in the question.
Eliminate options that do not fit the definitions.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q19. Which of the following statements is a good example of cultural lag?
Background
Topic: Cultural Lag
This question is about the concept of cultural lag, where material culture changes faster than nonmaterial culture.
Key Terms:
Cultural Lag: The period of adjustment when nonmaterial culture is struggling to adapt to new material conditions.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Review the definition of cultural lag and think about examples where technology or innovation outpaces society's ability to adapt.
Analyze each answer choice to see which one best fits this concept.
Eliminate options that do not involve a gap between technological change and social adaptation.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
Q20. Both subcultures and countercultures live outside the cultural patterns of society. True or False?
Background
Topic: Subcultures vs. Countercultures
This question tests your understanding of the relationship between subcultures, countercultures, and mainstream society.
Key Terms:
Subculture: A group within society that has distinct values or norms but still participates in the larger culture.
Counterculture: A group that actively rejects and opposes significant elements of the dominant culture.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Recall the definitions and differences between subcultures and countercultures.
Consider whether both groups truly exist outside all cultural patterns of society.
Decide if the statement is accurate based on your understanding.
Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!
