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Multiple Choice Questions for Chapter 1:
1.1. C. Wright Mills, an important American sociologist, called individuals' lives __________, and used the
term, ________, for the "lives" of societies.
a. biographies ... social biographies
b. biographies ... history
c. individual history ... social history
d. social history ... collective history
Reference: Page 3
1.2. C. Wright Mills, an important American sociologist cited by Aulette, taught that the focus of sociology
should be
a. individual lives.
b. the "lives" of societies.
c. the relationship between biography and history.
d. the relationship between demographics and societies.
Reference: Page 3
1.3. C. Wright Mills, an important American sociologist cited by Aulette, named the ability to bridge the gap
between society and the individual social experience
a. "The Sociological Biography."
b. "The Sociological Imagination."
c. "The Sociological History."
d. "The Sociological Theory."
Reference: Page3
1.4. Sociologists take the position that although it is true that individuals make choices, they make them
a. within the limits of the society in which they live.
b. totally independent of the society in which they live.
c. based on rational purposeful motives.
d. based on emotional, unrecognized motives.
Reference: Page 3
1.5. Social structure includes
a. laws that allow some people to marry but not others.
b. media messages we are sent about acceptable ways for husbands and wives to treat each
other.
c. technology available for housework.
d. all of the above.
Reference: Page 3
1.6. The micro level of family sociology focuses on
a. the family life of individual families.
b. individual family members in face-to-face relationships.
c. social structure including social institutions.
d. Both A and B.
Reference: Pages 3
1.7. The macro level of family sociology focuses on
a. the family life of individual families.
b. individual family members in face-to-face relationships.
c. social structure including social institutions such as government and the economy.
d. Both A and B.
Reference: Page 4
1.8. Which of the following is true?
a. The macro level affects the micro level but not vice versa.
b. The micro level affects the macro level but not vice versa.
c. The micro level and macro level do not affect each other.
d. The micro level and macro level both affect each other.
Reference: Page 4
1.9. According to C. Wright Mills, an important American sociologist cited by Aulette,
a. the micro and macro levels of society are nearly independent of one another.
b. the macro level affects the micro level, but the micro level has little effect on the macro level.
c. the micro level affects the macro level, but the macro level has little effect on the micro level.
d. the micro level and the macro level shape and determine each other.
Reference: Page 4
1.10. Which of the following is an example of the macro level of social experience?
a. A husband telling his wife that we wants a divorce
b. A teacher telling her students about her childhood
c. Laws that prohibit marriage between people of the same sex
d. A sister and a brother arguing about who should do the dishes.
Reference: Pages 4-5
1.11. Which of the following is an example of the micro level of social experience?
a. An unmarried couple discussing whether to have sex.
b. A labor market in which many jobs are occupied predominantly by men.
c. Laws that designate a minimum wage.
d. Church doctrine about the accepted text for marriage ceremonies.
Reference: Pages 4-5
1.12. Which of the following is an example of the macro level affecting the micro level of family experience?
a. Parents concerned about the lack of childcare in the community go to City Council to ask that
city to open up a daycare center.
b. A women's organization raises funds to open a shelter for battered women.
c. Teacher's agree to hold conference after 5:00 PM so that parents who work can become more
involved in their children's education.
d. A fall in the stock market results in bankruptcy of several banks in Ohio, causing families of
unemployed workers to move to another state.
Reference: Pages 4-5
1.13. Which of the following is an example of the micro level affecting the macro level?
a. Corporations layoff workers to move operations to other countries to take advantage of tax
policies and/or avoid environmental and worker protection laws. The unemployed workers
postpone marriage or having children until they get another good job.
b. The state changes marriage laws to allow gay people to marry.
c. Parents unable to get affordable health insurance send letters with pictures of their ill children
to representatives in Washington DC to ask for a public option for health coverage.
d. The U.S. declare war and sends thousands of troops overseas, causing many soldiers to speed
up marriage plans before they are shipped out.
Reference: Pages 4-5
1.14. Which of the following is an example of one of the questions sociologists ask when looking at how the
macro level affects the micro level?
a. How do family members treat each other?
b. How does our society shape our family lives?
c. How do people seeking solutions to problems their families face create change in their
society?
d. What ideas about families are being promoted by individuals and organizations for the
purpose of changing social policy?
Reference: Page 5
1.15. Which of the following is an example of the type of question sociologists ask when they are looking at
how the micro- level affects the macro level?
a. How does society shape our family lives?
b. How do factors like race, class and gender impact family life?
c. How does the social institution of the economy impact the social institution of the family?
d. How do people seeking solutions to problems their families face create change in their
society?
Reference: Page 5
1.16. According to Aulette, politics is the expression and organization of
a. government.
b. justice.
c. power.
d. laws.
Reference: Page 6
1.17. Aulette asserts that families are political institutions in two ways, including which of the following?
a. At the macro-level, families have a political relationship to the rest of society and the at the
micro- level families include internal political relationships.
b. The husband's perspective most often connects their family and the economy while the wife's
perspective most often connects their family with other families.
c. The politics of society determine family policy while the politics of the family determine a
given family's contribution to society.
d. The politics of social structure and the politics of social dynamics.
Reference: Page 6
1.18. Which of the following political views takes the position that the family is the most important social
institution, “the fundamental building block and basic unit of our society?”
a. Conservative
b. Liberal
c. Feminist
d. Socialist
Reference: Page 7
1.19. Which of the following political views takes the position that parents should be most responsible for
their own children, with little interference from other institutions like schools and the government, and
women should focus on the role of mother?
a. Conservative.
b. Liberal
c. Feminist
d. Socialist
Reference: Page 7
1.20. Which of the following political perspectives takes the position that the practical and economic context
in which families exist is more important than "family values"?
a. Conservative
b. Liberal
c. Feminist
d. Independent
Reference: Page 7
1.21. Which of the following positions reflects the conservative position?
a. Opposed to policies that inhibit divorce.
b. Promotes community responsibility for children.
c. Promotes a family structure in which the husband is the primary provider and the wife is the
primary nurturer.
d. In favor of laws giving protection to gays and lesbians from discrimination.
Reference: Page 7
1.22. Which of the following positions reflects the liberal position?
a. Focuses on the practical and economic needs of families.
b. Parents should be most responsible for their own children with little interference from other
institutions like schools and the government.
c. Promotes a family structure in which the husband is the primary provider and the wife is the
primary nurturer.
d. B and C above.
Reference: Page 7
1.23. Aulette cites Stephanie Coontz who criticizes both the conservative and liberal positions. Which of the
following is/are her criticisms of the conservative position?
a. The conservative model of what ought to be is too narrow and does not encompass the
varieties of ways in which people successfully organize families.
b. The conservative model subjugates wo men and children to men.
c. The conservative model ignores the economic context.
d. All of the above.
Reference: Page 7
1.24. Aulette cites Stephanie Coontz who criticizes both the conservative and liberal positions. Which of the
following is/are her criticisms of the liberal position?
a. The liberal model does not acknowledge the kinds of changes in our values that will be
necessary to alter the economic context so that it supports families drowning in debt and
declining wages.
b. The liberal model promotes too many diverse family structures.
c. The liberal model supports community responsibility for children.
d. A and B above.
Reference: Pages 7-8
1.25. The French missionaries in 16th and 17th century American were critical of the family values practiced
by the Montagnais-Naskapi Native Americans because they felt that
a. the Native American males were too harsh in their treatment of women and children.
b. polygamy was a sin.
c. premarital sex was a sin.
d. the Native American women were too independent.
Reference: Page 8
1.26. Religious people and organizations have been active in their involvement in the political arena over
family issues. Their positions are similar to that of
a. conservatives.
b. liberals.
c. both conservatives and liberals.
d. neither conservative and liberals since religion transcends politics.
Reference: Page 8
1.27. About two-thirds of Americans say that they …
a. were married in a religious ceremony
b. expect to be buried with a religious ceremony.
c. Both A and B above.
d. None of the above
Reference: Page 9
1.28. The sociological theory of structural functionalism
a. examines society as a whole system.
b. believes that society is essentially stable and beneficial for nearly all members.
c. emphasizes social order and stability
d. All of the above.
Reference: Page 10
1.29. Structural functionalists believe that families are functional when
a. men make decisions and earn money while women provide for the nurturing needs of a
family.
b. women make decisions and earn money while men provide for the nurturing needs of a
family.
c. men and women share decision making, breadwinning, and nurturing tasks.
d. each family member does what he or she is best at, regardless of gender or family type.
Reference: Page 10
1.30. Structural functionalists believe that a system works best when the elements functionally serve the
system. They think that a family works best when …
a. a husband focuses on instrumental functions and a wife focuses on expressive functions.
b. a husband focuses on expressive functions and a wife focuses on instrumental functions.
c. the husband and wife both work outside the home for wages.
d. the husband and wife share home care and child care functions.
Reference: Page 10
1.31. Which of the following social movements was/were critical of the structural functionalist positions on
family?
a. The civil rights movement.
b. The gay rights movement.
c. The women's movement.
d. All of the above.
Reference: Page 11
1.32. Aulette refers to the 19th century struggle for women's right to vote as the
a. First Wave Women's Movement.
b. Second Wave Women's Movement.
c. Third Wave Women's Movement.
d. Fourth Wave Women's Movement.
Reference: Page 12
1.33. In her famous book about white, middle-class housewives titled The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan
asserted that
a. traditional gender roles supported a “benign, natural, functional family.”
b. such families were “comfortable concentration camps.”
c. such families were best for husbands, wives and society.
d. structural functionalism is the best theory for organizing families.
Reference: Page 12
1.34. The Second Wave Women's Movement
a. brought family issues such as sexuality, battering, and housework to the forefront.
b. focused on family economic issues such as property ownership, inheritance, and jobs.
c. won the right to vote for women.
d. passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the U. S. Constitution.
Reference: Page 12
1.35. In her classic book, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan described the white, middle-class families as
a. "natural, functioning families."
b. "functional prostitution."
c. "a pedestal for women."
d. "comfortable concentration camps."
Reference: Page 12
1.36. Scholar activists and feminists have been revisioning the family for over 30 years. A major theme of
this revisioning has been to
a. challenge the myth of the monolithic family and to appreciate the diversity of families.
b. replace legal, permanent marriage with cohabitation and renewable contracts.
c. integrate family into society and society into family.
d. align families more closely with traditional, Christian values.
Reference: Page 12
1.37. The myth that families are monolithic refers to the belief that
a. all families are basically the same.
b. only one way of organizing families is the most prevalent, natural and beneficial for humans.
c. the best family is one in which the father is a breadwinner and the mother is a housewife.
d. All of the above.
Reference: Page 13
1.38. What percent of households in the U.S. are composed of a father who is in the labor force, a mother who
is a housewife, and their children?
a. 1%
b. 7%
c. 28%
d. 43%
Reference: Page 13
1.39 The U.S. Bureau of the Census identifies households as "family" or "nonfamily" households. Of the
households in the United States in 2008 approximately _______ were considered families and
_________ were considered nonfamilies.
a. 33% …. 67%
b. 67% … 33%
c. 50% … 50%
d. 88% … 12%
Reference: Page 13
1.40. The United States Department of the Census defines a family household as one in which inhabitants
a. consider themselves families.
b. are related to each other through marriage, blood, or adoption.
c. function as an economic unit.
d. none of the above -- the U.S. Department of the Census does not distinguish between family
and nonfamily households since it is not relevant to the count.
Reference: Page 14
1.41. The U.S. Bureau of the Census identifies households as "family" or "nonfamily" households. Aulette
suggests that this distinction may hide familial relationships because "non-family" households include
a. women or men who live alone.
b. gay or lesbian couples who are not allowed to marry.
c. unmarried heterosexual couples who are cohabiting.
d. B and C above.
Reference: Page 14
1.42. Aulette asserts that it is important to see families as
a. moving through history and constantly changing so we can better understand the changes in
our own time.
b. an unchanging social institution that give us stability through tradition.
c. swinging between conservative and liberal positions but not going too far in either direction.
d. independent of society and social policy to give individuals more freedom.
Reference: Page 16
1.43. The myth of the monolithic family sometimes includes the belief that families have not changed
historically. Viviana Zelizer (cited by Aulette) provides an example of the value of children in the late
1800's and today. In cases of wrongful death of young children, she found that courts awarded
a. more money in earlier times because of the greater emotional value of children then.
b. more money in the present day because of the greater value of the labor of children today.
c. more money in the present day because of the greater emotional value of children today.
d. little money in either case because children have never been highly valued in the U.S.
Reference: Page 16
1.44. Juliet Mitchell, cited by Aulette, wrote that four essential social structures are interwoven throughout
society and take place in families. Which of the following is NOT one of these activities?
a. production
b. reproduction
c. violence
d. socialization
Reference: Page 16
1.45. In 1850 two percent of the population lived past their sixty- fifth birthday. What percentage does so
today?
a. 10%
b. 25%
c. 50%
d. 75%
Reference: Page 19
1.46. According to Aulette, how does the "Greying of America" impact families?
a. Grandparents moving to Arizona, Florida or other retirement states means that grandchildren
are less likely to interact with grandparents than in earlier times in history.
b. Family resources needed for elder medical care become less available for the needs of
children.
c. The number of family attachments increase, especially intergenerational links.
d. The research is mixed with some indicating more stress and strain on families and some
indicating less.
Reference: Page 19
1.47. Aulette says that we need to identify goals for reconstructing families and societies in ways that provide
for loving, egalitarian communities. She also asserts, however, that we need to be careful not to
maintain or create relationships that place some people at a disadvantage. She cites Michele Hoffnung
on the dilemma between advocating for individual freedom and equa lity and for societies that are
nurturant and collectively run. Which of the following is the position asserted by Hoffnung?
a. Having children is an individual choice. Consequently child care is the individual
responsibility of the parents and is not the concern of others.
b. It is not enough for women to be able to do men's work as well as women's; it is necessary to
reconsider the value of mothering and to reorder public priorities so that caring for children
counts in and adds to the lives of women and men.
c. The socialization of children is so important that mothers should be paid to stay home during
the first three years of a child's life.
d. The socialization of children is so important that society should provide high quality child
care and preschool education with low or no costs to parents.
Reference: Page 20
1.48. Feminist scholar activists involved with revisioning families are committed to implementing three
principles into their research. These include all of the following EXCEPT
a. Replace the "view from above" with the "view from below."
b. Minimize harm to those being studied and maximize leveling hierarchies in the research
process.
c. Use multiple measurements with larger samples to increase generalizability of findings.
d. Integrate research and social action with the intention of changing the status quo.
Reference: Page 21
1.49. Feminist theories ...
a. Seek to understand the gendered nature of virtually all social relations, institutions and
processes.
b. Seek to understand how gender is related to social inequities, strains and contradictions.
c. See gender relations as the product of sociocultural and historical forces created by humans
and can be changed.
a. All of the above.
Reference: Page 22
If you have any test reviews, homeworks, guides, anything school related that you think can be posted on this website, reach out to me at makingschooleasier@gmail.com