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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291 questions · page 22 of 30
211. According to Max Weber the ideal type refers to______________?
- A. the best possible outcome available
- B. a perspective emphasizing the primacy of ideas
- C. a model based on certain features of a phenomenon
- D. the social agenda of political idealists
Explanation: Weber’s ideal type is an analytical model that selects and emphasises certain features of a social phenomenon to aid comparison. It is not a morally ideal or best possible outcome.
Correct answer: a model based on certain features of a phenomenon212. The term hegemony refers to_____________?
- A. the tendency for the working class not to realize their own interests
- B. a dominant ideology that legitimates economic political
- C. a form of dual consciousness based on ideology and everyday experiences
- D. a mode of payment given for outstanding topiary
Explanation: Hegemony is domination maintained partly through ideas and cultural beliefs that make an existing economic and political order appear legitimate or natural. It is associated especially with Gramsci’s analysis of ruling-class power.
Correct answer: a dominant ideology that legitimates economic political213. In Society in America which early sociologist gave special attention to status distinctions and to such factors as gender and race ?
- A. Emile Durkheim
- B. Max Weber
- C. Auguste Comte
- D. Harriet Martineau
Explanation: Harriet Martineau examined social status alongside gender, race and other inequalities in Society in America. Her work made her an important early contributor to sociological analysis, especially the study of women’s social position.
Correct answer: Harriet Martineau214. The intellectual tradition at the heart of conflict theory begins principally with the work of_____________?
- A. Max Weber
- B. Emile Durkheim
- C. Erving Goffman
- D. Karl Marx
Explanation: Conflict theory begins chiefly with Karl Marx’s analysis of class conflict, exploitation and unequal control of economic resources. Weber later expanded conflict analysis beyond class, but Marx is the principal starting point.
Correct answer: Karl Marx215. In Karl Marx,s view the destruction of the capitalist system will occur only if the working class first develops______________?
- A. bourgeois consciousness
- B. false consciousness
- C. class consciousness
- D. caste consciousness
Explanation: Class consciousness means that workers recognise their shared exploitation and collective interests, enabling them to organise against capitalism. Bourgeois and false consciousness either reflect the ruling class's outlook or conceal the workers' real class position.
Correct answer: class consciousness216. A social class is a group of people who stand in a common relationship to the means of production Whose perspective does this definition describe ?
- A. Max Weber
- B. Erik Olin-Wright
- C. John Goldthorpe
- D. Karl Marx
Explanation: Karl Marx defined class through people's relationship to the means of production: owners form the bourgeoisie, while those selling their labour form the proletariat. Weber also studied class, but used a broader multidimensional approach involving market position and life chances.
Correct answer: Karl Marx217. Arlie Hochschild,s The Managed Heart is an influential application of_____________?
- A. emotional labor
- B. symbolic interactionism
- C. social action
- D. symbiosis
Explanation: The Managed Heart applies symbolic interactionist ideas to how people manage feelings and present emotions during social encounters, especially at work. Emotional labor is the central concept examined in the book, not the broader theoretical approach named by the question.
Correct answer: symbolic interactionism218. Which of the following is NOT associated with functionalism ?
- A. Talcott Parsons
- B. Ralf Dahrendorf
- C. Emile Durkheim
- D. Robert Merton
Explanation: Parsons, Durkheim and Merton are major functionalist thinkers. Ralf Dahrendorf is associated with conflict theory, which stresses power, coercion and class conflict rather than social equilibrium.
Correct answer: Ralf Dahrendorf219. Which of the following was not identified as a major theoretical perspective on social change ?
- A. Functional theory
- B. interactionist theory
- C. Conflict theory
- D. Cyclical theory
- E. Evolutionary theory
Explanation: Standard classifications of social-change theories include evolutionary, cyclical, functionalist, and conflict approaches. Interactionism is mainly a micro-sociological perspective and is not usually included in this textbook list of major theories of social change.
Correct answer: interactionist theory220. Emergent norm theory argues that collective behavior arises when expectations regarding how to act are_____________?
- A. clear
- B. explicit
- C. encouraged
- D. vague
- E. repeated
Explanation: Emergent norm theory applies to situations in which established expectations are unclear or vague, allowing participants to develop new norms for action. Clear or explicit expectations would guide behavior through existing norms instead.
Correct answer: vague