Study Guide

Field 053: Social Studies—Sociology
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Objective 0001
Sociological Terms, Concepts and Perspectives (Standard 1)

1. Acculturation can best be described as the process by which:

  1. members of a culture group adopt the traits of a host society.
  2. cultures become more alike as they share technology and organizational structures.
  3. individuals or groups come to accept cultural innovation.
  4. cultural practices and perspectives spread from one culture to other areas.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of status, ethnocentrism, socialization, pluralism, diversity, colonization, and other basic sociological terms and concepts. Acculturation is the process by which members of one cultural group adopt the values and beliefs of another cultural group. Although the process can be reciprocal, acculturation most often involves adoption of a dominant group's traits by members of a minority group.
Objective 0001
Sociological Terms, Concepts and Perspectives (Standard 1)

2. Émile Durkheim's endeavor to establish sociology as a separate academic discipline centered on his efforts to:

  1. develop an all-encompassing synthesis of major sociological perspectives.
  2. demonstrate the influence of social forces on people's behavior.
  3. show how an understanding of sociological principles could be used to solve social problems.
  4. chart the evolution of major social institutions.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the historical development of major ideas and theoretical perspectives in sociology and the contributions of important sociologists. Durkheim's work focused on how modernizing societies maintained their coherence and integrity as traditional social bonds lost their integrative power. This research perspective called for an analysis of social change and a close examination of the influence of a variety of social forces on people's behavior.

Use the passage below to answer the two questions that follow.

Examinations of the causes of juvenile delinquency have long focused on the family. In past studies, researchers often linked delinquency to "broken homes," a term used to describe families in which one parent was absent due to death, divorce, or desertion. Because the family is a primary socializing agent for children, sociologists contended that children raised in nontraditional households were more likely to exhibit deviant behavior than age peers who grew up in traditional nuclear families. The reason, they claimed, was because such nontraditional families were unstable and lacked the resources to provide children with adequate moral training. These views formed the basis of the broken homes theory of juvenile delinquency.

It is increasingly believed, however, that acceptance of the theory owed more to the family-centered emphases of U.S. social life in the era in which it was conceived than to scientific evidence. To support this argument, critics of the broken homes theory compiled statistical information on the relationship between family structure and delinquency. Between 1970 and 2007, they found, the proportion of children living in single-parent homes increased from 12 percent to 29 percent. Between 1996 and 2007, however, the juvenile arrest rate declined by 30 percent. It was thus apparent that other factors, such as the influence of school, peer groups, and the media, must also be considered when examining the sociology of juvenile delinquency.
Objective 0002
Sociological Research Skills (Standard 2)

3. Which of the following responses best describes the writer's main purpose in the passage?

  1. to raise questions about the prevalence of juvenile delinquency in U.S. society
  2. to assess the validity of the broken homes theory of juvenile delinquency
  3. to demonstrate the importance of basing sociological theories on statistical evidence
  4. to examine the origins of the broken homes theory of juvenile delinquency
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to identify purpose, point of view, and central questions in sociological studies. The primary focus of the passage is the broken homes theory of juvenile delinquency. After describing the main elements of the theory, the writer presents recent research showing why it can no longer be considered valid.
Objective 0002
Sociological Research Skills (Standard 2)

4. Information presented in the passage best supports which of the following generalizations?

  1. There is no legitimate place in sociological research for the consideration of moral values.
  2. Families no longer play as significant a role in the socialization of children.
  3. Current opinion can have an influence on the conduct of social science inquiries.
  4. Social science theories that are unsupported by statistical data seldom have any validity.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to analyze generalizations and conclusions presented in sociological arguments and interpretations. According to the writer, acceptance of the broken homes theory of juvenile delinquency "owed more to the family-centered emphases of U.S. social life in the era in which it was conceived than to scientific evidence." It can thus be inferred that the writer believes contemporary social attitudes can have an influence on the conduct of social science inquiries.
Objective 0003
Culture, Society, and Socialization (Standard 3)

5. Which of the following responses best describes the main cultural function of origin myths?

  1. to reinforce the distinctive identity of members of a culture
  2. to justify the distribution of resources among members of a culture
  3. to define the social roles of members of a culture
  4. to facilitate resolution of conflicts among members of a culture
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of processes involved in the development, transmission, and perpetuation of culture. Origin myths are tales of creation that purport to describe how a culture came into being. One of their main social functions is to reinforce the distinctive identity of members of that culture by fostering a shared unity based on a unique explanation of that culture's existence and traditions.
Objective 0003
Culture, Society, and Socialization (Standard 3)

6. Interconnection, bi-directionality, and synchronization tend to be strongest in which of the following forms of socialization?

  1. the organizational socialization of new employees in a firm
  2. the secondary socialization of the student-teacher relationship
  3. the resocialization of individuals entering total institutions
  4. the reciprocal socialization of the mother-infant relationship
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of processes of socialization and their influence on the emergence of personal identify and a sense of self. Socialization in the mother-infant relationship can be seen as a reciprocal, bi-directional process in which mother and infant socialize each other. The two are so interconnected that the relationship often assumes the form of mutual synchrony as mother and infant imitate or match each other's actions.
Objective 0004
Social Groups and Social Interactions (Standard 4)

7. A primary group can best be defined as a group:

  1. that is characterized by shared interests and interchangeability of roles.
  2. in which two or more people interact in predictable ways.
  3. that is characterized by face-to-face interaction and close emotional ties.
  4. in which two or more people work together to achieve a goal.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures, and functions of different types of groups and factors affecting group dynamics. Primary groups are small social groups whose members provide each other with companionship, security, and emotional support. Because members usually spend considerable time together, primary groups feature a great deal of face-to-face interaction.
Objective 0004
Social Groups and Social Interactions (Standard 4)

8. Which of the following is the best example of a normative organization?

  1. Ford Motor Company
  2. Indiana Department of Natural Resources
  3. League of Women Voters
  4. Indiana University
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of types of formal organizations, factors influencing their evolution, and the characteristics of bureaucratic organizations. People join normative organizations so that they can work together to achieve some objective that they consider worthwhile. The League of Women Voters, which is committed to helping people effectively exercise their civic responsibilities, is a good example of a normative organization.
Objective 0004
Social Groups and Social Interactions (Standard 4)

9. A sociologist would most likely use the concept of goal displacement to explain how bureaucracies:

  1. revise procedures that threaten to undermine the purpose of the organization.
  2. seek to continue their existence after the achievement of their stated objectives.
  3. assign tasks to facilitate the accomplishment of organizational aims.
  4. seek to overcome rigidity and inertia through the solicitation of feedback.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of interactions between individuals and groups within various types of social institutions and organizations. Goal displacement is the adoption of new objectives by an organization. Adopting new goals often functions as a rationale to justify actions that preserve an organization's existence following achievement of its original objectives.
Objective 0005
Social Stratification, Deviance, and Social Control (Standard 5)

10. Functionalists would most likely argue that social stratification is universal because of the need to:

  1. prevent low-status groups from disrupting the social status quo.
  2. motivate qualified people to fill important positions in society.
  3. preserve distinctions between low-status and high-status social groups.
  4. regulate the pace and scope of social mobility in a society.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the causes, functions, and effects of social stratification. Functionalists argue that societies generally attach the greatest rewards to those positions that have the greatest functional importance. According to this theory, social stratification contributes to the effective operation of a society by motivating qualified people to fill those important positions. Were everyone rewarded equally, they claim, highly qualified individuals would have much less incentive to exert themselves to the fullest.
Objective 0005
Social Stratification, Deviance, and Social Control (Standard 5)

11. Sociologists influenced by conflict theory would most likely endorse which of the following explanations of social control?

  1. Establishment of a clearly understood system of penalties and rewards is necessary to maintain social order.
  2. Social norms must be carefully monitored if society is to function smoothly.
  3. Institutional maintenance of social order provides people the assurance they need to establish meaning in their lives.
  4. Sanctions benefit those in power by contributing to the maintenance of existing forms of social stratification.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of sources of social order and agents and methods of social control in different types of societies. Conflict theory focuses in part on the causes and consequences of social inequality. As a result, one would expect conflict theorists to view the sanctions employed to maintain social order as a means of reinforcing existing patterns of social stratification.
Objective 0005
Social Stratification, Deviance, and Social Control (Standard 5)

12. Which of the following statements best describes how deviance helps strengthen conformity in society?

  1. Without deviance, there would be no need for agents of social control.
  2. Deviant behavior obstructs movements promoting social change.
  3. Responding to deviance clarifies boundaries between right and wrong.
  4. Punishment of deviance affirms the legitimacy of political authority.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how groups and institutions promote social obedience and impose conformity. By defining certain behavior as deviant and taking steps to suppress it, societies establish boundaries between right and wrong that are readily apparent to all members of a society.
Objective 0006
Demographics, Collective Behavior, and Social Change (Standard 6)

13. Which of the following statements describes a central assumption of the demographic transition theory?

  1. Population growth creates pressures that promote innovation and increased productivity.
  2. Human population increases geometrically while food supplies increase arithmetically.
  3. Rates of population growth are proportional to existing levels of population and resources.
  4. Population patterns reflect a society's level of technological and economic development.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of factors influencing births, deaths, migrations, and other demographic changes, and reasons for population growth and decline. According to demographic transition theory, the main determinant of population growth is a society's level of technological and economic development. The pattern of low birth and death rates found in postindustrial societies that have completed the transition is the reverse of the high birth and death rates characteristic of preindustrial societies that are still in the first stages of the process.
Objective 0006
Demographics, Collective Behavior, and Social Change (Standard 6)

14. Beginning in the mid-eighteenth century, social changes took place that are associated today with the concept of modernity. Which of the following responses best describes a major consequence of those changes?

  1. the expansion of personal choice
  2. the creation of cohesive communities
  3. the enrichment of spiritual life
  4. the decline of social stratification
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of modernization and globalization, and their impact on diverse contemporary societies. The social patterns resulting from industrialization that scholars refer to as modernity eroded many of the traditional social and institutional controls on human conduct. A major consequence of this development was a marked expansion of personal choice.
Objective 0007
Sociology Instruction and Assessment (Standard 7)

15. A sociology teacher who is seeking to deepen student understanding of the sociological concepts of norms, values, and mores could best do so by having students:

  1. assess the influence of leaders on various social movements.
  2. examine how social status affects social order.
  3. discuss ways in which role expectations can lead to role conflict.
  4. analyze factors that lead to conformity and nonconformity.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of instructional strategies and resources for promoting student understanding of concepts and skills related to sociology. Having students analyze factors that lead to conformity and nonconformity would be a particularly appropriate way of deepening their understanding of the rules and expectations, the standards for assessing what is appropriate and desirable, and the moral prescriptions that comprise a society's norms, values, and mores.