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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41. A rising suicide rate associated with normlessness and a lack of social regulation can be described as______________?
- A. egoistic suicide
- B. altruistic suicide
- C. fatalistic suicide
- D. anomic suicide
Explanation: Anomic suicide occurs when rapid social change or weak regulation produces normlessness and insufficient guidance for individuals. Egoistic suicide involves weak social integration, whereas altruistic suicide results from excessive integration.
Correct answer: anomic suicide42. What did Auguste Comte mean by positivism in sociology ?
- A. sociological research must contribute to a governments social policy
- B. sociology should be optimistic about human achievements
- C. sociology should make use of statistical evidence
- D. sociology should adopt the same methods as the natural sciencesPeople & Society
Explanation: Comte’s positivism required sociology to study society through observation, comparison and evidence-based methods modelled on the natural sciences. It was not simply an optimistic attitude or a requirement to formulate government policy.
Correct answer: sociology should adopt the same methods as the natural sciencesPeople & Society43. Those who cannot compete have on right for higher learning and must be refused accordingly who believed in the above thesis ?
- A. Auguste Comte
- B. Spencer
- C. Karl Max
- D. None of these
Explanation: The statement reflects Herbert Spencer’s social-Darwinist view that competition determines social advancement and that assistance to those considered less fit should be limited. This position is associated with Spencer rather than Comte or Marx.
Correct answer: Spencer44. Which of these is most closely associated with Marx,s thinking ?
- A. integration
- B. conflict
- C. social facts
- D. consensusSocial Sciences
Explanation: Marx explained society through conflict between classes with opposing economic interests, especially between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Integration, consensus and social facts are more strongly associated with functionalist or Durkheimian approaches.
Correct answer: conflict45. Karl Marx,s view of the struggle between social classes inspired the contemporary ?
- A. functionalist perspective
- B. conflict perspective
- C. interactionist perspective
- D. dramaturgical approach
Explanation: Marx’s analysis of class struggle became the foundation of the conflict perspective, which views inequality and competition over resources as central to social life. Functionalism instead emphasises order and consensus, while interactionism focuses on everyday meanings.
Correct answer: conflict perspective46. Weber said that the spirit of capitalism could be traced back to_______________?
- A. the movement towards religious pluralism
- B. inspirational Protestant groups who revived religious ideas
- C. new religious movements who rejected traditional forms of labor
- D. Calvinists who engaged in ascetic practices to gain signs of salvation
Explanation: Weber linked the spirit of capitalism to the Calvinist Protestant ethic, especially ascetic discipline and the search for signs of salvation. This religiously motivated work and saving helped encourage capitalist conduct.
Correct answer: Calvinists who engaged in ascetic practices to gain signs of salvation47. Which sociologist cofounded the famous Chicago settlement house Hull House ?
- A. Charles Horton Cooley
- B. Jane Addams
- C. George Herbert Mead
- D. Wright Mills
Explanation: Jane Addams co-founded Hull House in Chicago in 1889 with Ellen Gates Starr, combining social research with settlement-house reform work. The other figures were important sociologists but were not Hull House co-founders.
Correct answer: Jane Addams48. Which of the following was an early Black sociologist active in the struggle for a racially egalitarian society who was critical of theorists who seemed content with the status quo ?
- A. Harriet Martineau
- B. Herbert Spencer
- C. Booker T Washington
- D. W,E,B, Du Bois
Explanation: W. E. B. Du Bois was an early Black sociologist who challenged racial inequality and criticized explanations that accepted the existing social order. Booker T. Washington advocated a different, more accommodationist strategy, making Du Bois the stronger fit.
Correct answer: W,E,B, Du Bois49. Which one of the following concepts did Max Weber introduce to the field of sociology ?
- A. dramaturgy
- B. ideal types
- C. functionalism
- D. macro sociologyTry Prep Courses
Explanation: Weber introduced ideal types as analytical models used to compare and understand social action and institutions. Dramaturgy is associated especially with Erving Goffman, while functionalism is a broader theoretical tradition.
Correct answer: ideal types50. Which of the following is most closely associated with the concept of the sociological imagination ?
- A. Emile Durkheim
- B. Max Weber
- C. Karl Marx
- D. Wright Mills
Explanation: C. Wright Mills coined and developed the idea of the sociological imagination, which connects personal experiences with wider social structures and historical forces. It is therefore not primarily associated with Durkheim, Weber, or Marx.
Correct answer: Wright Mills