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CLEP Sociology

Subjects : clep, humanities
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Rituals marking the symbolic transition from one social position to another.






2. The combination of existing cultural items into a form that did not previously exist.






3. The variable in a causal relationship that is subject to the influence of another variable.






4. An approach to the study of formal organizations that emphasizes the role of people - communication - and participation within a bureaucracy and tends to focus on the informal structure of the organization.






5. According to George Herbert Mead - the sum total of people's conscious perceptions of their own identity as distinct from others.






6. A term coined by Robert N. Butler to refer to prejudice and discrimination against the elderly.






7. Max Weber's term for the disciplined work ethic - this-worldly concerns - and rational orientation to life emphasized by John Calvin and his followers.






8. The actual or threatened use of coercion to impose one's will on others.






9. The process of denying opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice or other arbitrary reasons.






10. A social position 'assigned' to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.






11. A set of people related by blood - marriage (or some other agreed-upon relationship) - or adoption who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society.






12. General practices found in every culture.






13. The number of new cases of a specific disorder occurring within a given population during a stated period of time.






14. A sense of virility - personal worth - and pride in one's maleness.






15. The respect and admiration that an occupation holds in a society.






16. A kinship system in which both sides of a person's family are regarded as equally important.






17. The movement of an individual from one social position to another of the same rank.






18. Social control carried out by authorized agents - such as police officers - judges - school administrators - and employers.






19. The exercise of power through a process of persuasion.






20. A relationship between two variables whereby a change in one coincides with a change in the other.






21. A social system in which there is little or no possibility of individual mobility.






22. A component of formal organization in which rules and hierarchical ranking are used to achieve efficiency.






23. Norms that generally have been written down and that specify strict rules for punishment of violators.






24. A special type of bar chart that shows the distribution of the population by gender and age.






25. The process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant have come to dominate certain sectors of society - both in the United States and throughout the world.






26. The unintended influence that observers or experiments can have on their subjects.






27. The systematic - widespread withdrawal of investment in basic aspects of productivity such as factories and plants.






28. A term used by Erving Goffman to refer to the efforts of people to maintain the proper image and avoid embarrassment in public.






29. A formal - impersonal group in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding.






30. Hereditary systems of rank - usually religiously dictated - that tend to be fixed and immobile.






31. The most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society. Members are primarily engaged in the production of food but increase their crop yield through such innovations as the plow.






32. The ordinary and commonplace elements of life - as distinguished from the sacred.






33. The German word for 'understanding' or 'insight'; used by Max Weber to stress the need for sociologists to take into account people's emotions - thoughts - beliefs - and attitudes.






34. A city characterized by relatively large size - open competition - an open class system - and elaborate specialization in the manufacturing of goods.






35. A view of social interaction - popularized by Erving Goffman - under which people are examined as if they were theatrical performers.






36. An area of study concerned with the interrelationships between people and their spatial setting and physical environment.






37. A view of society as ruled by a small group of individuals who share a common set of political and economic interests.






38. Cultural adjustments to material conditions - such as customs - beliefs - patterns of communication - and ways of using material objects.






39. The systematic study of social behavior and human groups.






40. Use of a church - primarily Roman Catholicism - in a political effort to eliminate poverty - discrimination - and other forms of injustice evident in a secular society.






41. Sociological investigation that stresses study of small groups and often uses laboratory experimental studies.






42. A term coined by Erving Goffman to refer to institutions that regulate all aspects of a person's life under a single authority - such as prisons - the military - mental hospitals - and convents.






43. An aspect of the socialization process within total institutions - in which people are subjected to humiliating rituals.






44. Societal expectations about the attitudes and behavior of a person viewed as being ill.






45. The act of physically separating two groups; often imposed on a minority group by a dominant group.






46. A term used by Max Weber to refer to people who have the same prestige or lifestyle - independent of their class positions.






47. A selection from a larger population that is statistically representative of that population.






48. Control of a market by a single business firm.






49. A term used by George Herbert Mead to refer to the child's awareness of the attitudes - viewpoints - and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior.






50. A sociological approach that generalizes about fundamental or everyday forms of social interaction.