All Free Economics MCQs with Answers

• A. symbols have universal meaning
• B. symbols are intrinsically meaningful
• C. symbols are biologically determined
• D. none of the above

Explanation: Symbols receive meaning through social agreement and interpretation, whereas signals generally convey information more directly or…

• A. are interrelated and interdependent
• B. are in continual conflict
• C. are separate phenomena
• D. all of the above

Explanation: Society consists of organized relationships among people, while culture provides the shared beliefs, values, and practices that guide…

• A. rules roles and norms
• B. society culture and the individual
• C. income safety and deference
• D. class status and power

Explanation: Human conduct develops through the interaction of the individual with society and culture.

• A. arise from fundamental human needs
• B. include government the economy education the family and religion
• C. differ in traits and culture complexes from society to society
• D. all of the above

Explanation: Pivotal institutions develop to meet basic human needs and include major institutions such as government, the economy, education, family…

• A. an attitude with which members of one society judge another society according to their own standards
• B. the attitude that cultures be analyzed on their own terms
• C. the attitude that certain values and practices are common to all cultures
• D. all of the above

Explanation: Ethnocentrism means judging another society by the standards of one's own society.

• A. ethnocentrism
• B. cultural relativity
• C. ethnic uniformity
• D. cultural pride

Explanation: Calling head hunting wrong without considering the practice within the other culture's own standards reflects ethnocentrism.

• A. norm
• B. guideline
• C. folkway
• D. value

Explanation: A value is a judgment about what is good, desirable, moral, beautiful, or right.

• A. A football games
• B. The football itself
• C. The NFL rules
• D. "competition is good for you"

Explanation: Material culture consists of physical objects created or used by people, such as a football.

• A. when people commit too many sins
• B. when the court system declares that they are needed
• C. when the folkways and mores are not sufficient to control behavior
• D. when it is necessary to create folkways and mores

Explanation: Formal laws become necessary when informal controls such as folkways and mores do not adequately regulate behavior.

• A. animals larger and stronger
• B. people communicate with symbols while animals communicate with signals
• C. biology dictates human behavior while instincts direct animal behavior
• D. people live in families while animals live in tribes

Explanation: In the standard sociology distinction used here, humans communicate through symbols whose meanings are learned and socially shared, while…

• A. emphasizes math
• B. is based in stores
• C. opposes values of the mainstream culture
• D. none of the above

Explanation: A counterculture deliberately rejects or challenges important values and practices of the dominant culture.

• A. A rock bands
• B. The economy
• C. A jail
• D. A symphony orchestra

Explanation: The economy is a pivotal social institution because it organizes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

• A. one cultural trait
• B. a psychological condition
• C. a cluster of traits centered around a common activity
• D. a theater symphony hall and museum

Explanation: A culture complex combines several related cultural traits around one common activity, such as the beliefs, rules, tools, and practices…

• A. rebel against group norms
• B. accept group norms
• C. respond only to negative sanctions
• D. respond only to violence

Explanation: People generally accept and follow group norms because socialization and sanctions encourage conformity.

• A. values norms and beliefs are always in agreement
• B. values norms and beliefs are unimportant
• C. values norms and beliefs are often in conflict
• D. people value and believe what they please because its a free country

Explanation: Values, norms, and beliefs do not always fit together, so conflict can arise between what people consider desirable and how institutions…

• A. folkways
• B. mores
• C. table manners
• D. taboos

Explanation: Mores are strongly enforced moral norms whose violation attracts serious social condemnation, such as destroying another person's home.

• A. normative
• B. cognitive
• C. rule oriented
• D. value oriented

Explanation: Cognitive knowledge concerns factual understanding and how things work, so knowledge of a car engine is cognitive.

• A. vision in depth
• B. opposable thumb
• C. erect walking posture
• D. all of the above

Explanation: Depth vision, opposable thumbs, and an erect walking posture each support tool use, observation, and manipulation, helping humans develop…

• A. helps humans to cooperate
• B. passes on knowledge from generation to generation
• C. reflects changes in society
• D. all of the above

Explanation: Language supports cooperation, preserves knowledge across generations, and changes as society changes, so all three statements apply.

• A. human social life
• B. not only human but also ant society
• C. all animal groups
• D. none of the above

Explanation: Culture provides the shared values, norms, and practices that organize human relationships and make social life possible.