SCC Social Institutions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sociological perspective views social institutions as mechanisms that maintain social order and stability?
- Conflict theory
- Functionalism (Correct answer)
- Symbolic interactionism
- Feminist theory
Correct answer: Functionalism
Functionalism, associated with Durkheim and Parsons, sees institutions as interdependent parts that contribute to the stability and smooth functioning of society.
Question 2: The concept of 'hidden curriculum' in education refers to:
- Standardized testing content
- Unofficial lessons about norms, values, and social roles students learn alongside academics (Correct answer)
- Advanced placement courses
- Online learning platforms
Correct answer: Unofficial lessons about norms, values, and social roles students learn alongside academics
The hidden curriculum encompasses the implicit social lessons schools teach, such as obedience, punctuality, and conformity to authority.
Question 3: Which type of family structure consists of parents and their unmarried children living in one household?
- Extended family
- Blended family
- Nuclear family (Correct answer)
- Polygamous family
Correct answer: Nuclear family
The nuclear family is the most basic unit, consisting of two parents and their dependent children sharing a household.
Question 4: In sociology, 'secularization' refers to:
- The rise of new religious movements
- The process by which religion loses its social and cultural significance (Correct answer)
- Government funding of religious institutions
- The spread of fundamentalist ideologies
Correct answer: The process by which religion loses its social and cultural significance
Secularization describes the declining influence of religion in public life, institutions, and individual belief as societies modernize.
Question 5: The primary function of economic institutions in society is to:
- Socialize children into cultural norms
- Regulate the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services (Correct answer)
- Maintain law and social order
- Transmit cultural heritage across generations
Correct answer: Regulate the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
Economic institutions organize how a society produces and distributes resources, goods, and services to meet its members' needs.
Question 6: Which term describes a marriage system in which one man is married to multiple women simultaneously?
- Polyandry
- Monogamy
- Polygyny (Correct answer)
- Endogamy
Correct answer: Polygyny
Polygyny is the practice of one man having multiple wives at the same time, the most common form of polygamy cross-culturally.
Question 7: Emile Durkheim argued that religion's most important social function is to:
- Explain natural phenomena scientifically
- Promote economic productivity
- Create social cohesion and reinforce collective identity (Correct answer)
- Justify political authority
Correct answer: Create social cohesion and reinforce collective identity
Durkheim believed religion bonds communities together by creating shared beliefs, rituals, and a sense of collective identity that transcends the individual.
SCC Social Institutions 2
Which sociological perspective views social institutions as mechanisms that maintain social order and stability?