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 26 of 30
251. Which of these is Steven Lukes,s third dimension of power _____________?
- A. the ability to influence decisions in a conflict situation
- B. the ability to manipulate others desires
- C. the ability to control the issues discussed
- D. the ability to appeal to legal-rational authority
Explanation: Lukes's third dimension of power concerns shaping people's preferences so that conflict may be prevented or made unnecessary, including manipulating their desires. The first dimension concerns observable decisions, while the second concerns controlling the agenda.
Correct answer: the ability to manipulate others desires252. The theory pictures social movements as operating within a competitive field of movements __ a "social movement industry" ____ within which they compete not least for members and activists Which theory of social movements is this ___________?
- A. new social movement theory
- B. collective behavior theory
- C. social strain theory
- D. resource mobilization theory
Explanation: Resource mobilization theory views movements as organizations competing for members, leaders, money, and other resources within a social movement industry. It therefore fits the description of competition for activists better than collective behavior or strain theories.
Correct answer: resource mobilization theory253. Which theorist sees power as the chance that you will get your way even against opponents ?
- A. Steven Lukes
- B. Max Weber
- C. Michel Foucault
- D. Jean Baudrillard
Explanation: Weber defined power as the probability or chance of carrying out one's will in a social relationship, even against resistance. Lukes also analysed power, but his framework focuses on its visible, agenda-setting, and preference-shaping dimensions.
Correct answer: Max Weber254. In _______ authority rules are obeyed because their commands are within the impersonal formally defined scope of their office ?
- A. charismatic
- B. legal-rational
- C. state
- D. traditional
Explanation: Legal-rational authority is obeyed because commands fall within formally defined offices, rules and procedures. Traditional authority rests on custom, while charismatic authority rests on devotion to a leader’s personal qualities.
Correct answer: legal-rational255. Why is force not he most effective means for political rule ?
- A. Force is very efficient but also very costly
- B. Honor is denied to those who rule by force alone
- C. The elite's ideals are fulfilled but tainted by use of force
- D. Force is the most effective means for political rule
Explanation: Rule based only on force lacks legitimacy and therefore cannot secure willing, stable obedience; those exercising it are denied the honour associated with legitimate authority. Force may compel compliance temporarily, but it does not create accepted political rule.
Correct answer: Honor is denied to those who rule by force alone256. Power legitimated by the sanctity of age-old customs is called ________ authority ?
- A. characteristic
- B. charismatic
- C. legal-rational
- D. traditional
Explanation: Weber called authority based on the sanctity of long-established customs traditional authority. Charismatic authority rests on devotion to a leader, whereas legal-rational authority rests on formal rules and offices.
Correct answer: traditional257. Which type of theorists would argue that relentless class conflict between capitalists and workers boom and bust economic cycles and intercorporate conflict place limits on the ability of the capitalist class to manipulate political institutions at will?
- A. instrumental conflict theorists
- B. reactionary conflict theorists
- C. structural conflict theorists
- D. dysfunctional conflict theorists
Explanation: Structural conflict theorists argue that broader contradictions within capitalism, including class conflict, economic crises and competition among corporations, constrain the capitalist class. Instrumental conflict theorists instead emphasize the direct, deliberate control of political institutions by the ruling class.
Correct answer: structural conflict theorists258. Power whose basis is the threat or application of punishment is called______________?
- A. charismatic authority
- B. traditional authority
- C. authority
- D. force
Explanation: Force is power backed by the threat or use of punishment, while authority is power regarded as legitimate. Charismatic and traditional authority are specific forms of legitimate authority, not coercive power itself.
Correct answer: force259. World systems analysis is closely aligned with_________________?
- A. the concentric zone theory
- B. the multiple -nuclei theory
- C. new urban sociology
- D. zone sector theory
Explanation: World-systems analysis examines how global capitalism shapes cities and links them through unequal economic relationships, a concern central to new urban sociology. The other options are classic models of the spatial growth of individual cities.
Correct answer: new urban sociology260. The multiple-nuclei theory of urban growth was presented by______________?
- A. Ernest Burgess
- B. Homer Hoyt
- C. Ferdinand Tonnies
- D. C.D Harris and Edward L. UlmanTry Prep Courses
Explanation: C. D. Harris and Edward L. Ullman proposed the multiple-nuclei theory, which argues that cities develop around several specialized centres rather than one single core. Burgess proposed the concentric-zone model, while Hoyt proposed the sector model.
Correct answer: C.D Harris and Edward L. UlmanTry Prep Courses