ISS 210 Fall 2017 (Rautman) Exam 1

By handing in this test, I (the student) am declaring that I did not give or receive any help from any other student on this
test. I also acknowledge that IF I (the student) make an error on my name or PID, such that the scoring office cannot email
me my scores, I will be docked 2 points.

In the next few questions, you (the student) will read a piece of text and use this text to answer several questions below. Some of the questions
ask you to apply APPS for critical reading. Others ask you to relate the text to topics in the class. This text is from “How to Engage the NRA in
discussions to change gun regulations.” The sentences are numbered for ISS students. Choose the BEST answer---it does not have to be perfect.

1) The recent announcements by the leadership of the National Rifle Association (NRA) have left gun control
advocates chagrined, angry and challenged about successfully being able to pass any form of gun regulation
legislation. (((The NRA is an association of gun-owners)))

2) In formulating a strategic response to the NRA, it would be helpful to consider the psychological research literature
on mindsets and motivational interviewing.

3) One of the major findings is that in order to change anyone’s deep-seated beliefs there is a need to avoid
argumentation.

4) Argumentation results in “hardening of the categories” and leads to what is called “reactance,” or the firming up of
one’s beliefs.

5) Individuals who hold strong beliefs like the leadership of the NRA are very skillful at discounting, dismissing,
avoiding and reframing any counter data that challenges their beliefs.

6) They hold what is called a “confirmatory bias,” whereby they only accept data that fits their prior beliefs.

7) ….Keep in mind that NRA mindsets are emotionally charged deeply held beliefs, and logically based arguments
will not alter such positions.

Which social science theorist would be most interested in this discussion of “motivational interviewing”?
A. Karl Marx B. Adam Smith C. Sigmund Freud D. Margaret Mead

The “emotionally charged beliefs” in sentence 7 above represent the opposite of what a person educated in the
liberal arts would call…
A. the process of integration B. vocational training C. rational thinking D. education

The liberal arts major in the last question would receive this instruction at MSU (or at least begin learning this
information) in the courses that MSU calls
A. “education in breadth” B. “education in depth” C. Tier 1 writing D. an academic major

In sentence 3 above, the author is reporting on some research. Therefore this sentence represents
A. a primary source B. a secondary source C. common knowledge D. an assumption

An anthropologist might join the NRA and go to NRA meetings, talk with NRA members, join them in
hunting and target shooting, and in their family and social activities. This kind of research relies on the use of:
A. participant-observation B. Venn diagrams C. economic indexes D. non-empirical data

From the information given in the text, you can tell that the author is speaking as…
A. a member of the NRA B. an outsider to the NRA C. a gun owner D. a lawyer

The audience for this text appears to be:

A. a member of the NRA B. an outsider to the NRA C. leaders of the NRA

If a sociologist were to study the causes of gun violence in the USA using statistical data, that research would be
called
A. analytical B. liberal C. positivist D. interpretivist E. none of these

A group like the NRA has some shared ideas, beliefs, values, traditions, customs, and assumptions. A social
scientists calls these shared ideas the group’s
A)  institutions B. social organization C. culture D. functions E. none of these

 
A student reading the text above says, “Everyone I know uses guns for hunting and none of them would use guns for
killing anyone.” According to Piaget, this student is showing concrete thinking by
A)  appealing to group-level statistics
B)  considering how other people might view a situation.
C)  thinking about hypothetical cases. 
D)  thinking about an issue terms of personal experience

The author of this text wanted this piece to be published. The editor sends the text to other specialists in the same
topic. These other specialists read the text carefully to see if it makes sense, has errors of logic, and also is good
enough to publish for others to read. This process is called..
A)  studying B) citation/citing C) crowd-sourcing D) peer-review

Ultimately, because the USA is a democracy, its citizens have to be able to read, write, think, and evaluate alternative
options for action. What social science field would be most interested in the operation of decision-making institutions
in a democracy?
A. psychology B. physiology C. anthropology D. political science.

A student (James) grew up in a very social conservative family has parents who disapprove of gay marriage,
engaging in sex before marriage, affirmative action, and research into gun violence and into global climate change.
This student’s parents forbid him to study the liberal arts. They are falsely assuming that the “liberal” in liberal arts
refers to …
A. political views that are liberal B. the idea of being generous C. critical thinking skills to avoid tyranny (((it
is correct that the “liberal” in liberal arts refers to being liberated from tyranny)))

James’ parents think that people who use a product should pay for it. That is, they support lower taxes in general, so
that bridges, roads, health care, and education will be paid for with user-fees. These parents view bridges, roads,
healthcare, and education as-
A. public goods B. private goods C. economic goods D. real goods

These same parents are enthusiastic supporters of capitalism and the free market. They are dismayed to find out that
their favorite free-market economist, _________, argued that rich people SHOULD pay more of a share of their
income in taxes to help pay for “public expenses.” (That is, he argued against a flat tax).
A. Adam Smith B. Karl Marx C. Thorstein Veblen D. Max Weber

These same parents do not want alt-right (radical political right-wing) speakers to come to MSU to present their
political views. The student disagrees, arguing that the speakers have a right to free speech. On campus, the right to
study, discuss, and learn about controversial topics is called-
A. democracy B. social engineering C. academic freedom D. tyranny

This student’s sister Sonja wants to become a vet (animal doctor). So she takes math, physics, chemistry, and also
some biology. These classes are all non-applied “liberal arts” fields of study in the natural sciences, and are…
A. one system fields B. multi-system fields C. formal disciplines D. all of these are correct

James is stuck with an 8am class in ISS 210. He is learning that the scientific method is best suited for investigating-
A. the empirical world B. the natural world C. Answer “A” only D. both “A” and “B”

James and Sonja are both learning about well-established general principles and regularities that have been observed
about the natural world. These observed regularities are called scientific ___
A. laws B. theories C. assumptions D. hypotheses E. none of these
 
Scientists assume that there IS in fact a real world, and that we can use our senses to investigate the natural world.
This assumption is called..
A. Methodological naturalism B. the scientific method C. hypothesis testing D. a law

Sonja’s parents also worry that because a small number of alt-right anti-government protestors killed a person
Charlottesville, VA, their children who are attending MSU are therefore in serious danger from any alt-right person.
These parents’ error in logic concerns a confusion of scale called the-
A. empirical error B. integrative error C. concrete fallacy D. ecological fallacy
OK we are done talking about our imaginary family. Moving right along! These questions are all true/false. For
each question A or 1 is TRUE, and B or 2 is FALSE

T The mode on a graph often provides a better idea of "the typical situation" than the mean does. A=True, B=false

T At MSU, you might distinguish four groups or sets:  Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. If you were to
create a Venn diagram to identify JUST those freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who were enrolled in ISS
210, you'd be referring to the INTERSECTION of the four sets.

T If you have a ratio that "normalizes" some data to a standard, that is an index measure.

F The male-to-female ratio in ISS 210 class represents a proxy value. (((it’s a number; doesn’t need a proxy)))

T Your air conditioner thermostat keeps your apartment at a constant 70%. The air conditioning system here is a
system in homeostasis.

T A functional model tends to emphasize the stability of the system; it’s harder to develop a functional description of
(for example) the human circulation system that incorporates the concept of change over time.

T Another way of thinking about "emergent properties" is to think about "the whole is more than the sum of its parts."

F On a standard normal curve (bell curve) the “mode” is the sum of every number that lies under the curve. 

T Geography is the study of space and place, and how the “cultural system” interacts with the “ecological system.”
(((Space here refers to physical space on earth, not “outer space”)

T In Marxist terms, “alienation” (as in “the alienation of the worker from his labor”) has to do the lack of control that the
worker has over the products of his labor, and what price they are sold for.

T Anomie refers to a hopeless feeling of mis-match between the goals that society sets for individuals, and the
individual’s ability to achieve those goals. This idea comes from Emile Durkheim

F Anthropology is the study of ants.

(((LOL. FYI, The study of insects is entomology; the study of word origins is etymology)))

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Match the scholar listed here with the following ideas. The matches are not necessarily one-to-one. That is,
you can use an option more than once, or not at all.
A= Adam Smith
A This scholar argued that there is no such thing as "a fair price.” In fact, prices B= Herodotus
are set by whatever the buyer is willing to pay.
  C=Max Weber
A This person articulated WHY we have government. What is government D=Karl Marx
supposed to DO? What is the function of government? E=Emile Durkheim
 
B This scholar emphasizes the importance of figuring out the context of historical events.

D "The labor theory of value" is associated with the ideas of...

E “Organic solidarity” and “mechanical solidarity” refer to ______’s ideas of relationships among people

A This individual argued for progressive taxation---that the wealthy individuals should contribute a higher portion of
their money to support the federal government. People should be taxed according to their ability to pay.

C This person’s idea of a bureaucracy describes how people organize labor with a separation of tasks (jobs
specialization), a hierarchy of decision-making, and according to rational (legal, written) rules.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ideas of the id, ego, and superego, of the Oedipus complex, and concepts of repression are found in the study of
A. economics B. anthropology C. physiology D.psychology

Freud's idea of psychoanalysis held that people's mental illness could be helped by means of...
A. taking a rest cure in the high altitude of the Swiss Alps ((( that was a common treatment for tuberculosis )))
B. having a brain operation
C. talking with a trained therapist ("Talk therapy")
D. taking cocaine
(((LOL in fact Freud did experiment with cocaine as a medical cure for some sorts of mental disorders.
People at the time did not realize that cocaine was very addictive. Coca-cola originally had some cocaine in
it long ago, in 1891 See http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp)))

Environmental determinism is a discredited idea that states that people in hot climates would be “hotter” (more
passionate, more volatile, more out-going) in temperament, and that people in cold climates would be more “cold,”
(meaning shy, quiet, reserved, and distant in personality). The scholar who argued AGAINST assumptions of
"environmental determinism" was
A. Max Weber B. Carl Sauer C. Thorstein Veblen D. Karl Marx

A Gender role is the set of behaviors, actions, and jobs (and sometimes way of speaking and dressing and walking)
that a society’s culture (beliefs) decides are appropriate for people of a given sex. So males are usually assigned to
the gender role of “man.” One of the readings on D2L refers to a change in the gender expectations of male behavior.
According to this article, in the _______in the USA, “normal” and regular male behavior might include sleeping
together in the same bed, similar to the situation at the first (male only) dorm at MSU (!)
A. mid-1600s B. mid-1700s C. mid-1800s D. mid-1900s E. none of these are correct

Two spirit individuals in Native American society represent a unique gender category: “not man and not woman.” This
kind of complex gender system with more than two categories (man, woman) is -
A. very rare, almost never encountered among other societies
B. found in a variety of geographic areas and societies around the world (((check the map on D2L)))
C. only a very recent development, dating probably to the 20 th century at most
D. everywhere considered to be something deviant, shameful, and disgusting.

The current debate in the USA about “minimum wage laws” and the amount of the minimum wage recalls a similar
discussion price and value that _________ discussed, but was greatly elaborated by ___________ in the Labor
Theory of Value.
A. Emile Durkheim;  Max Weber
B. Sigmund Freud;  Margaret Mead
C. Carl Sauer;  Margaret Mead
D. Adam Smith;  Karl Marx

News quiz: The Rohingya are members of an ethnic group from _______who are fleeing into Bangladesh. They are
facing persecution in their home area because they are Muslim. Several news agencies have called this persecution
“ethnic cleansing” (and you can see the aerial photos of burned villages on the web).
A) Myanmar (Burma) B) India C) Turkey D) Iran

News quiz: North Korea is continuing to fire ballistic missiles over territory owned by ________, despite many protests
by the USA, by China, and also the United Nations.
A) Canada B) Japan C) South Korea D) Cuba

News quiz: September 2017 hurricanes have caused massive destruction in coastal Texas, Florida, and also
A) the Aleutian island B) Japan C) the Caribbean islands D) California

(((We talked about the fact that citizens of Puerto Rico ARE IN FACT USA citizens! They do not have the
right to vote for USA president, but they do have non-voting representatives in the USA Congress. )))

News quiz: The current debates about _________ in the USA has created some unexpected alliances between
Democratic leaders of the House and the Senate, the Republican President, Donald Trump.
A. immigration and DACA B. North Korea C. Russian influence on the election