1. Developing a sociological imagination
a. turns a sociologist into a revolutionary
b. enhances our understanding of advanced statistics
c. reveals that history often repeats itself
d. offers a broader picture of the economic and political forces of society past and present that impinge on each person’s life
2. According to Stiglitz and other social scientists, reducing inequality can be accomplished by
a. increasing the strongly enforced income tax on corporations and rich persons who pay little or no taxes by evasions and loopholes
b. providing a strong social safety net for the disadvantaged population
c. expanding educational and employment opportunity for youth
d. all of the above
3. According to Dr. Franke, a just society
a. guarantees total equality
b. assures male dominance according to evolutionary theory
c. protects at the very least the civil liberties of all citizens
d. eliminates capitalism
4. The distinction between a micro-level of analysis and a macro-level of analysis
a. is a matter of opinion
b. is based on whether we employ conflict theory or functionalism
c. is based on whether we are studying small-group interaction or studying larger structures such as society itself
d. none of the above
5. The modern welfare state among Western democracies can be identified as one which
a. puts most of its domestic budgetary resources into the benefit of the poor
b. possesses an activist government to regulate the economy
c. is dedicated to invest in the well-being of all its citizens in building social capital for the country
d. b and c
6. What is special in America’s recent economic history of the period 1945-1973?
a. the rise of the youth movement—make love not war
b. the great expansion of manufacturing and the improvement of living standards for the working class
c. the shift from manufacturing to services
d. the high cost of imported oil
7. Neoliberalism is a current favorite belief system of an economic elite. It is based upon the assumption
a. it is up to government to help the poor
b. private enterprise is always more efficient and effective in providing services than government run ones
c. government has no business interfering with the free market
d. b and c
8. Symbolic Interaction theory emphasizes
a. micro-level analysis
b. individual perceptions and definitions of situations
c. a degree of unpredictability and spontaneous actions
d. all of the above
9. Conflict theory has a general meaning and a specific Marxian meaning.
a. clashes or struggles between groups possessing unequal power(general meaning)
b. each individual pursuing the American Dream
c. struggles over class conflict in terms of economic groups with antagonistic interests
d. a and c
10. Which answer below best describes Senator Bernie Sander’s view of socialism
a. the future belongs to socialism not capitalism
b. socialism in his speeches really represents a more generous form of government programs and a better social safety net
c. Progress is inevitable
d. converting profitable private property over to the workers for the common benefit of their communities
11. The so called free market
a. increases freedom for all Americans
b. is a myth in the face of corporate monopolies determining prices
c. reduces inequality
d. none of the above
12. Functionalism and conflict theory
a. reject evolutionary theories of society
b. are macro-level theories
c. are completely different having nothing in common
d. evolved from the works of Durkheim
13. The social order of any society has certain characteristics, one of which is
a. a determination of a system of inequality
b. the provision of equality regardless of race, class or ethnicity
c. the preference for male dominance according to evolutionary theory
d. none of the above
14. Maintaining the social order and warding off extreme change like the overthrow of a government is dependent on
a. compliance of the population to laws and customs due to willingness to conform as well as the fear of punishment of non-conformity
b. the effectiveness of propaganda by those in power
c. the success of government to suppress social movements advocating change
d. all the above
15. The instructor explained that the relationship between the individual and society is complex. He meant that:
a. complexity can only be understood under laboratory conditions
b. sociology must employ complex statistical methods to obtain reliable and valid data
c. there are many intervening variables and conflicting forces between the two.
d. each person is unique and has his or her own opinions and beliefs
16. The pluralist model of political power is characterized by
a. the ultimate battle between the Democrats and the Republicans
b. a broad representation of different interest groups competing for elected government office
c. the party that gets the most votes wins an election
d. third party candidates who compete for office
17. C. Wright Mills and William Domhoff
a. offer different examples of elite models of political power
b. both men are members of the Communist party and followers of Marx
c. take into account the effects of religion on politics and the economy
d. reject the existence of a military-industrial complex
18. The de-industrialization of the American economy
a. resulted in the loss of millions of factory jobs
b. created a condition of surplus labor doomed to join the ranks of low-wage service labor
c. meant that blue-collar workers could no longer count on secure and well-paying jobs
d. all the above
19. Absolute scarcity of resources like food and clean water can result in mass hunger and starvation, or in the case of insufficient clean water serious epidemics. Artificial scarcity occurs
a. in places like North Korea where a dictator rules
b. in capitalist America where there is an abundance of everything but sufficient wages for many workers to be able to buy what they need
c. countries with high inflation
d. in economically undeveloped countries
20. The instructor’s position on the introduction of new technology highlights
a. technological change being increasingly rapid and inevitable in its impact on society
b. automation and artificial intelligence will replace most human workers
c. the impact of technological change actually depends on the presence or absence of government to intervene in behalf of public interest
d. the desirability of cutting labor costs for American companies
21. The concept of McDonaldization emanates from Ritzer’s research on the fast food industry. What is his main message?
a. McDonaldization is a threat to Western civilization
b. McDonaldization as an economic process and philosophy permeates much of American society and has expanded in much of the world today
c. offers young entrepreneurs ways of competing with big corporations
d. relies on quality rather than quantity
22. It is pretty clear from the study of the sociology of emotions that
a. how one expresses one’s feelings to others is instinctive
b. emotions play an important part in the way we interact with others
c. women are more emotional than men
d. as Max Weber uttered: all the world is a stage and all of us are actors
23. Globalization studies cover many aspects of the nations of the world in their interaction and integration. One big idea stands out:
a. the processes of globalization are upon us whether we like it or not
b. the market forces of capitalism solves the problem of world poverty
c. globalization as of 2019 has little to no connection to the past
d. America can expect to be the sole global superpower for the next 1000 years
24.Instrumental rationality is associated with what process?
a. the organization of social movements
b. McDonaldization
c. maintaining the social order
d. the construction of ideal types
25. Which sociologist was concerned that the danger of the iron cage of rationality would destroy human spontaneous emotions
and increase disillusionment with the world?
a. Karl Marx
b. Emil Durkheim
c. Max Weber
d. C. Wright Mills
26. According to the instructor, the split labor force in America today
a. has been created solely by the effects of McDonaldization
b. reflects primarily a two-tier labor force, one relatively secure and well-paid and the other relegated to low-wage service work
c. represents a sharp break between those who have attended college and those who have not.
d. offers upward social mobility for entry level service jobs.
27. In the book “McDonaldization of Society”, Ritzer relates McDonaldization’s mass production of hamburgers to the Holocaust’s
mass extermination of the Jewish population under Nazi occupied Europe. How are the two related?
a. it is a gross mistake to make that connection
b. Both use systematic assembly line processes to effectively and efficiently achieve certain objectives
c. The means always justify the ends
d. Both activities prove to be profitable for McDonald’s corporation as well as the Nazis regime
28. What are we to learn from Hochschild’s work “Strangers in their Own Land”?
a. We may disagree with those whom we view as different from us, but we can try to be open in our feelings–to empathize with conservative people of Louisiana as fellow human beings
b. we can only conclude that those people who voted for Trump are idiots
c. the older population were more conservative than the younger folks
d. Hochschild’s observations were tainted by her friendships with her subjects
Required Essays: To get full credit number each essay and identify each part of the essay such as (a) or (b). These are to be written as answers to essay questions. For any quote, identify its source, and put it in your own words in explaining it.
1. Wallerstein’s World Systems theory is one model in describing the globalized world. How applicable is it in describing globalization now in 2019?
2. Various forms of inequality are found more or less in all societies with respect to wealth, power, and social status. What can be done in a democracy to foster greater political and economic equality? Must there be such gaps between the very rich and the very poor?
3. There are two important historical periods in the United States in the 20th century: 1945-1973 and post l973 through today. Describe those two periods to understand the American job market now. What are the key factors to differentiate those two periods?
4. Domhoff and others have demonstrated the superiority of the elite model over the pluralist model as to the concentration of political power in America. Present their argument. Do you see any flaws in their position?
5. (a) explain concisely what did you learn about the topic( low-wage service workers)[1] you didn’t know before (b) in conducting this research what did you learn about research methods that will improve your conducting future research studies in sociology or in other fields of interest?
6.As described by the instructor, science and technology represent a rational world view of our age. (a)With the serious problems of poverty, war and climate change occurring globally, why would you describe the growth of science and technology as a double-edged sword in terms of the precarious and yet hopeful future of humankind? (b) what are the arguments for and against the continuation of global capitalism for the future of mankind?
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