Page 1
Sociology in Our Times 11th Edition Kendall Test Bank
True / False
- Sociology is a systematic study because sociologists apply both theoretical perspectives and
research methods to examinations of social behavior.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 6
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.1 – Define sociology and explain how it can contribute to our
understanding of social life.
OTHER: Pickup - The sociological imagination helps us place personal troubles, such as losing one’s job or
overspending on credit cards, into a larger social context, where we can distinguish whether and
how personal troubles may be related to public issues.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 7
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.2 – Identify what is meant by the sociological imagination.
OTHER: Pickup - A society is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to
the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 6
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.2 – Identify what is meant by the sociological imagination.
OTHER: Pickup - The awareness that helps us understand that there is a connection between losing our job and the
high unemployment rate in the region in which we live is an example of the sociological
imagination.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 7
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.2 – Identify what is meant by the sociological imagination.
OTHER: Pickup
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- Social thought began to change rapidly in the seventeenth century with the scientific revolution.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 10
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.4 – Describe the historical context in which sociological thinking
developed.
OTHER: Pickup - Urbanization is the process by which societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture
and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 10
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.4 – Describe the historical context in which sociological thinking
developed.
OTHER: Pickup - French philosopher Auguste Comte coined the term sociology to describe a new science that
would engage in the study of society.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 12
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.5 – Discuss why early social thinkers were concerned with social
order and stability.
OTHER: Pickup - Max Weber believed that societies developed through a process of “struggle” (for existence) and “fitness”
(for survival), which he referred to as the “survival of the fittest.”
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 15
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.5 – Discuss why early social thinkers were concerned with social
order and stability.
OTHER: Pickup
Page 3
- Sociologist Emile Durkheim observed that rapid social change and a more specialized division of
labor produce strains in society. These strains lead to a breakdown in traditional organization,
values, and authority and to a dramatic increase in anomie.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 13
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.5 – Discuss why early social thinkers were concerned with social
order and stability.
OTHER: Pickup - In the Marxian framework, the working class, or bourgeoisie, is composed of those who must sell
their labor because they have no other means to earn a livelihood.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 13
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.6 – Identify reasons why many later social thinkers were
concerned with social change.
OTHER: Pickup - Max Weber emphasized that sociology should be value free—research should be conducted in a
scientific manner and should exclude the researcher’s personal values and economic interests.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 15
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.7 – Discuss how industrialization and urbanization influenced the
theories of Max Weber and Georg Simmel.
OTHER: Pickup - One of Max Weber’s most useful concepts is decentralization—the process by which the modern world
has come to be increasingly dominated by structures devoted to efficiency, calculability, predictability,
and technological control.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 15
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.7 – Discuss how industrialization and urbanization influenced the
theories of Max Weber and Georg Simmel.
OTHER: Pickup
Page 4
- According to the conflict perspective, society is a stable, orderly system. This system is
characterized by societal consensus.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 18
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.8 – Compare and contrast contemporary functionalist and conflict
perspectives on social life.
OTHER: Pickup - Anomie defines a condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of
shared values and a sense of purpose in society.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 13
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.6 – Identify reasons why many later social thinkers were
concerned with social change.
OTHER: Pickup - According to the functionalist perspective, societies develop social structures (institutions) that
persist because they play a part in helping society survive. These institutions include the family,
education, government, religion, and the economy.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
REFERENCES: page 17
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.8 – Compare and contrast contemporary functionalist and conflict
perspectives on social life.
OTHER: Pickup - According to Veblen, random consumption is the continuous public display of one’s wealth and status
through purchases such as expensive houses, clothing, motor vehicles, and other consumer goods.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
REFERENCES: page 20
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SIOT.KEND.17.1.8 – Compare and contrast contemporary functionalist and conflict
perspectives on social life.
OTHER: Pickup