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Created by the EIU History Department to assist students of Eastern Illinois University in meeting the Illinois state standards for specialization in the social sciences.
Sociology and Anthropology- Practice Quiz
The following is a short quiz that will test your knowledge of this discipline. These questions have been devised based on similar questions that have been asked on certification tests in the past. The key for the correct answer to each question is at the bottom of this page. To keep track of your answers for each question, simply have a piece of paper and a writing utensil handy.
1. A sociological researcher would most likely use content analysis for which of the following purposes?
  A. to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative educational program
  B. to examine changing popular perceptions of social insurance programs
  C. to assess the effect of peer pressure on a group of adolescents
  D. to analyze changes in the social stratification of a major metropolitan area
2. Which of the following best describes the relationship between society and culture?
  A. Society is defined by abstract concepts such as values and beliefs; culture is the physical embodiment of these concepts.
  B. The development of a shared set of cultural artifacts and norms fosters a group identity that becomes a society.
  C. Through their interactions, people define the boundaries of their society and create shared products and meanings that constitute their culture.
  D. Unlike culture, which is an unchanging set of customs and traditions, society is in a state of constant flux.
3.. Which of the following statements about children in the United States is most accurate?
  A. They have been inadequately acculturated to the broader cultural system in which they live.
  B. Their sense of self is a product of exposure to conflicting values, which has made it difficult to establish a clear personal identity.
  C. They lack sufficient social experience to create a predominant social identity.
  D. The formation of their sense of self has been influenced by family and community values as well as broader cultural values.
4. Compared with religious denominations, religious sects are likely to:
  A. recruit members from a broader range of social groups.
  B. place greater emphasis on lay participation in religious activities.
  C. be more tolerant of other religious organizations.
  D. place less emphasis on the interpretation of sacred texts.
5. Which of the following best explains why social stratification tends to become less rigid as a society industrializes?
  A. Opportunities for advancement expand as a society places greater value on individual abilities.
  B. Birth is no longer an important determinant of social status.
  C. Related advances in transportation and communication encourage movement from rural to urban areas.
  D. Increases in a society's total wealth promote greater social mobility.
6. A major benefit of participant observation as a method of anthropological research is that it enables anthropologists to:
  A. overcome the biases associated with most other methods of anthropological inquiry.
  B. establish an objective basis for evaluating various features of a culture by developing a bank of quantifiable data.
  C. construct controlled situations in which hypotheses can be rigorously tested.
  D. obtain detailed data while developing a deep understanding of relations among a society's cultural practices.
7. Which of the following consequences of the development of agricultural production contributed most directly to a growing specialization of labor?
  A. the rise of permanent settlements
  B. an increase in the amount of work necessary to secure subsistence
  C. the creation of food surpluses
  D. an increase in the size of the population
8. In which of the following circumstances do societies tend to be most receptive to adopting cultural practices or beliefs from another society?
  A. when the two societies are relatively equal in terms of wealth and power
  B. when the practices and beliefs are reasonably consistent with the society's needs and values
  C. when the society has been conquered by the other society
  D. when the practices and beliefs are unrelated to important cultural elements of the society
9. Nearly all cultures have provisions for the socially sanctioned divorce of married couples. Accepted rationales for divorce across societies are most frequently a reflection of:
  A. cultural expectations for the life span of a marriage in the society.
  B. social norms condemning infidelity by marriage partners.
  C. cultural goals associated with the reasons for marriage in the society.
  D. economic issues related to the family and the society.
10. A major difference between redistribution and reciprocity as forms of exchange is that redistribution:
  A. provides a means for individuals and groups to create and strengthen social and political relationships.
  B. is less likely to involve conflict over who receives what share of goods and resources.
  C. is more likely to rely on central authority to determine how goods will be shared among recipients.
  D. permits individuals and groups to pass resources back and forth among themselves.

 

Answer Key
1:B, 2:C, 3:D, 4:B, 5:A, 6:D, 7:C, 8:B, 9:C, 10:C

 

 

 

 

 

 

This practice quiz is a product of the Illinois Certification Testing System