Free Sociological Theory MCQs with Answers
291 Sociological Theory MCQs from Sociology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
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91. The term vested interests was coined by social economist______________?
- A. William F. Oghurn
- B. Talcott Parsons
- C. Auguste Comte
- D. Thorstein Veblen
Explanation: Thorstein Veblen used the idea of vested interests to describe groups that protect established economic advantages and resist changes threatening them. The first option appears misspelled as Oghurn and does not identify the relevant theorist.
Correct answer: Thorstein Veblen92. Which sociological perspective minimizes change ?
- A. functionalist perspective
- B. conflict perspective
- C. interactionist perspective
- D. each of the above
Explanation: The functionalist perspective emphasizes social stability, equilibrium, and the contribution of institutions to maintaining order, so it gives least attention to social change. Conflict theory, by contrast, places change and struggle at the centre of analysis.
Correct answer: functionalist perspective93. The writings of Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim are examples of______________?
- A. cyclical theory
- B. unilinear theory
- C. multilinear theory
- D. conflict theory
Explanation: Comte and Durkheim presented social development as a progression through successive stages, which is characteristic of unilinear evolutionary theory. Cyclical theory instead explains societies as repeatedly passing through rise and decline.
Correct answer: unilinear theory94. Which of the following is not a characteristic of ideology according to the critical conception of ideology ?
- A. neutral
- B. misleading
- C. illusory
- D. distorting
Explanation: In the critical conception, ideology is treated as misleading, illusory, and distorting because it can conceal unequal power relations. Neutrality belongs to non-critical or neutral views of ideology, not this conception.
Correct answer: neutral95. According to Manual Castells which is the defining organizational structure of our age ?
- A. bureaucracy
- B. networks
- C. hierarchy
- D. conglomerates
Explanation: Manuel Castells argues that networks are the defining organisational structure of the information age, linking people, institutions, and technologies across distance. Bureaucracy and hierarchy are older organisational forms rather than his central description of the present age.
Correct answer: networks96. Which term was introduced by Charles Per row to refer to failures that are inevitable given the manner in which human and technological systems are organized ________________?
- A. the Per row principle
- B. the Peter principle
- C. the school principal
- D. normal accidents
Explanation: Charles Perrow called failures that are unavoidable in tightly coupled and complex technological systems “normal accidents.” The Peter principle is an unrelated idea about promotion within hierarchies.
Correct answer: normal accidents97. Which of the following theorists argued that conflict is a normal and desirable aspect of social change ?
- A. Karl Marx
- B. Talcott Parsons
- C. Emile Durkheim
- D. each of the above
Explanation: Karl Marx viewed conflict between social classes as a normal force that drives historical and social change. Parsons generally stressed stability, while Durkheim focused more on solidarity and integration than desirable conflict.
Correct answer: Karl Marx98. The acceptance of preventive medicine is an example of the process that Parsons called______________?
- A. differentiation
- B. value generalization
- C. inclusion
- D. adaptive upgrading
Explanation: Value generalization occurs when specific values are broadened into more universal principles; preventive medicine extends the value of health from treating illness to preventing it across the population. The other terms describe different forms of social-system change.
Correct answer: value generalization99. Which term was used by Talcott Parsons in asserting that society tends toward a state of stability or balance ?
- A. charisma
- B. magnetism
- C. equilibrium
- D. status quo
Explanation: Parsons used equilibrium to describe the tendency of a social system to maintain stability and restore balance when disturbed. Status quo means the existing condition, but equilibrium is the specific systems-theory term.
Correct answer: equilibrium100. Feminism is often criticized on the grounds that_____________?
- A. it doesn't pay attention to male victims
- B. it lacks objectivity
- C. it is too extreme
- D. it is not testable
- E. it is not really a theory
Explanation: Feminist theory is often criticized for possible bias because it focuses primarily on gender inequality and women's experiences, raising questions about objectivity. The claim that it ignores male victims is a related criticism, but lack of objectivity is the broader standard objection.
Correct answer: it lacks objectivity