Free Culture and Society MCQs with Answers

• A. an achieved occupational status
• B. a persons overall social status within their family
• C. socially defined expectations of people in a given social position
• D. a social position that becomes a master status for the person occupying it

Explanation: A social role consists of the behaviour and duties society expects from someone occupying a particular social position, such as a teacher…

• A. by studying whole body language
• B. by studying small tribal groups
• C. by studying sign language
• D. by studying the face

Explanation: Elias illustrated the evolutionary value of communication by examining the human face, particularly facial expressions that convey meaning…

• A. may engage in social loafing
• B. work harder than when they work alone
• C. feel they must work harder to prove their value to the group
• D. may engage in intergroup relativism

Explanation: Social loafing is the tendency to reduce individual effort when working in a group, especially when personal contributions are difficult…

• A. They are membership groups
• B. They provide comparative but not normative functions
• C. Those which do not match membership groups may create feelings of relative deprivation
• D. They are groups to which we refer in our conversations

Explanation: Reference groups provide standards for comparison and can shape aspirations even when a person is not a member of them.

• A. socialization
• B. meeting important personal needs
• C. social control
• D. accomplishing a specific practical purpose

Explanation: Primary groups such as families and close friendship groups provide socialization, emotional support, and informal control.

• A. expressive tie
• B. anticipatory bond
• C. family tie
• D. instrumental bond

Explanation: An expressive tie meets emotional and interpersonal needs such as love, acceptance, companionship, and security.

• A. reference group
• B. in-group
• C. secondary group
• D. relationship

Explanation: An in-group is one that provides a sense of belonging and shared identity, expressed as “we.” A reference group may influence attitudes or…

• A. the objective categories of ethnicity used in the census
• B. the fragmented and pluralistic nature of ethnicity
• C. the imposition of a racial label on a minority by a powerful majority
• D. a felt sense of group of group membership on basis of religion language or history

Explanation: Ethnic identity is a subjective sense of belonging based on shared features such as religion, language, ancestry, or history.

• A. all of the above
• B. more points of view to absorb
• C. a more elaborate structure within which to function
• D. less time to speak

Explanation: As groups become larger, members have less opportunity to speak, must process more viewpoints, and operate within a more complex structure…

• A. normative function by enforcing standards of conduct and belief
• B. both a and b
• C. elimination function by dissolving groups that no longer have a social purpose
• D. comparison function by serving as a standard against which people can measure themselves and others

Explanation: Reference groups guide behaviour through norms and values, which is their normative function, and also provide standards for evaluating…

• A. primary
• B. formal organizations
• C. out-groups
• D. secondary

Explanation: Secondary groups are larger, more impersonal, and usually organised around particular goals or activities, such as workplace occupations.

• A. Task-groups
• B. Tertiary groups
• C. Intermediate groups
• D. None of these

Explanation: Task groups occupy a middle position between primary and secondary groups: they are formed to accomplish a specific objective but may also…

• A. Performance
• B. Sociability
• C. Emotional satisfaction
• D. None of these

Explanation: Secondary groups are organised around goals and roles, so members are mainly evaluated by their effectiveness or performance.

• A. formal
• B. informal
• C. Social
• D. None of these

Explanation: Primary groups, such as families and close friendship circles, involve personal, face-to-face and usually informal contacts.

• A. None of these
• B. socialization
• C. both a & b
• D. behavior learning

Explanation: Overlapping in-group and out-group memberships expose people to varied expectations and responses, producing a broad spectrum of…

• A. can be thought of as "we-groups" and "they -groups " respectively
• B. highlight the importance of family ties
• C. are almost always based on territory (e.g. a neighborhood or nation-state)
• D. are easily bridged by those who wish to share the other groups identity

Explanation: An in-group is experienced as “we,” while an out-group is viewed as “they.” The distinction can arise from many bases, including…

• A. The social support and feedback of others hinders us as we try to confront difficulties
• B. Accidents alcoholism psychiatric disorders tuberculosis and even death rates are higher among people who live with more than seven others in a group living situation
• C. The most effective strategy for undergraduate success is to abstain from group interaction because it slows down one's individual learning process
• D. Support groups have been found to add an average of 18 months to the lives of women in advanced stages of cancer

Explanation: Support groups provide emotional support, practical help and positive feedback, which can improve coping and health.

• A. genetics
• B. evolution
• C. height
• D. brain size

Explanation: Nineteenth-century racial theories commonly invoked evolution, heredity or genetics, and brain size to give racial classifications a…

• A. William Graham Sumner
• B. Emile Durkheim
• C. William I. Thomas
• D. Charles Horton Cooley

Explanation: William Graham Sumner introduced the terms in-group and out-group in his 1906 work Folkways.

• A. all small groups are primary groups
• B. many small groups differ from primary groups in that they do not necessarily offer the intimate personal relationships characteristic of primary groups
• C. all small groups are secondary groups
• D. both b and c

Explanation: Small size alone does not make a group a primary group. Some small groups are organized around limited purposes and lack the intimate…