IGCSE Sociology Practice Exam

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• Which factors at school affect children's educational achievement?
• Which term refers to information collected earlier by others and used later by a sociologist?
• A set of values leading people to lose the ability to look after themselves so they become dependent, for example, on welfare benefits.
• Which term refers to the idea that social situations and events are constructed by societies?
• An interview conducted by reading questions over the telephone and recording replies.
• Which concept refers to attitudes and behaviours taught through how a school is run and how teachers act, rather than through lesson content?
• The phrase 'the different ways samples can be created' best maps to which term?
• Which term describes a set of cultural values among poor people that can keep them in poverty?
• Which term describes the general patterns of behavior that are accepted by most members of a society over time?
• Which type of school is funded by the government and free to attend?
• Which term refers to a society in which many different cultures exist alongside each other?
• A society in which many different cultures or sub-cultures exist alongside each other is called what?
• Which statement accurately describes the link between ethnicity and class, particularly that ethnic minorities are more likely to be working class and suffer material disadvantages?
• Which term describes the position a person holds in society?
• What term describes age as a form of stratification?
• Which concept describes the socially expected behavior for females?
• The process of how parents and others encourage some behaviour and discourage other behaviour is called?
• Which term refers to a person working in a profession such as law or architecture?
• Channelling children towards activities that are considered appropriate for them (for example, because of their gender) is called?
• What term means the process of defining a person or group in a particular way so that certain behaviour is expected of them?
• Which property means that a study would yield similar results if repeated?
• What describes racist outcomes in an organization that occur even when individuals do not intend them?
• Which term describes the social group between working class and upper class, typically comprising professionals and white-collar workers?
• Who are all those to whom the findings of the study will apply and from whom a sample is drawn?
• A status that individuals acquire through their own effort is called?
• Which pairing describes the interaction of material conditions with ethnicity in educational outcomes?
• Basic agreement on a set of shared values.
• Which concept best captures the socially constructed expectations for behavior typically associated with being female?
• Which term denotes the position a person holds in society, which can be ascribed or achieved?
• A society in which children are highly valued and a lot of time and effort are devoted to their well-being is described as what?
• Which data collection method tends to produce qualitative data through open-ended responses?
• In sociology, which concept captures the set of chances people have to improve their social and economic position?
• According to Archer, which ethnic background is associated with placing a higher value on education and higher academic performance?
• Prejudice or discrimination against someone based on their age is called?
• Which concept explains the shared identity that emerges from social roles across society?
• Which term describes a life stage commonly linked with puberty and self-discovery?
• Vocational education prepares people for work or trains them for a particular jobs or careers.
• Which period is characterized by changes as individuals move toward adulthood?
• Which term describes a society where people are categorized by birth-based hierarchies and roles?
• An interview with some standardised questions but allowing flexibility on what is asked in what order.
• Which term refers to observing a group without participating in its activities?
• Which concept proposes that individuals should have the same opportunities in life regardless of background?
• The term for opportunities individuals have to improve their lives.
• Ways of rewarding or punishing acceptable or unacceptable behaviour, usually used in the sense of punishment (negative sanctions).
• Which term refers to the code with broader vocabulary and explicit explanations in Bernstein's theory?
• A society in which mobility between different levels of stratification is not possible.
• Which term refers to the idea of a single culture shared by people worldwide as a result of globalization?
• A group of people having the same social and economic status
• Which term describes the entire group about which conclusions are drawn from a study?
• Canalisation describes the learning of gender roles in socialisation, such as girls directed toward marriage and boys toward breadwinning.
• Which term refers to the study method that involves looking at similarities and differences across groups or events?
• When individuals cannot escape poverty, this situation is called a ____.
• Which term denotes education focused on work preparation?
• Which term describes data that capture people's feelings and opinions but are not easily counted?
• Which term describes education that occurs outside classrooms, at home or work?
• A survey design that collects data from the same people at multiple points in time is called a longitudinal survey.
• Approaches that start at the level of the individual, focusing on small-scale phenomena and usually favouring qualitative methods.
• Which term refers to the expected behaviour associated with being female?
• What term means a proposed explanation that can be tested through research?
• Which term describes dividing students by ability for a subject?
• The sum of earnings from work and other sources.
• Which term best describes learning by copying others' actions?
• What are the unintended effects of the researcher's presence on participants' behaviour?
• The first and most important period of socialisation in which the individual learns the basic norms of behaviour is called?
• Which term refers to studying society at a broad level and often emphasizing institutions and structures?
• Which dimension links material conditions with gender?
• The opportunities individuals have to improve their lives.
• Which term best describes a group of people who have professional occupations and higher social status than the average worker?
• Standards shared by members of a culture and used to judge whether behaviour is right or wrong are called what?
• Which term best describes the statements that people hold to be true about the world?
• The expected behaviour associated with being male?
• Which term refers to the social class that owns the means of production?
• Which concept involves defining a person or group in a way that leads to certain behaviours being expected of them?
• People of the same status (for example the same age) are known as?
• An interview without set questions that usually involves probing into emotions and attitudes.
• Norms and values involving masculine characteristics, for example preferring sports to reading.
• Which term is the period before adulthood, when individuals are not granted full adult rights?
• Which term refers to a system of social stratification with fixed hereditary groups and limited mobility?
• Which term refers to the ways in which societies and their institutions remain stable over time?
• Which term describes a privileged group at the top of a stratification system?
• Which term refers to the organized plan of knowledge and lessons in schools?
• Which concept refers to the idea of natural 'cleverness' that is almost impossible to measure?
• Exclusion from a group as a form of social pressure is known as?
• Societies that use technology for mass production are called?
• In which type of society is social mobility between levels completely restricted?
• Which term refers to the shared standards that guide judgments of what is right or wrong in a society?
• A status that is given to individuals by their society or group, over which they have little or no control.
• Which term is the process of learning culture?
• What are questions where the researcher has predetermined the possible responses called?
• Which term describes the situation where different groups are treated differently or have different levels of educational achievement?
• What term describes factors such as wealth, religion and occupation that affect lifestyle and life chances?
• Rules that are given force by being formalised by governments are known as what?
• Which approach focuses on the large-scale social structures in which people play defined roles?
• Which term means giving disadvantaged groups better treatment than others in an attempt to make up for their disadvantage?
• What term describes the knowledge, language, attitudes and values that give those who have them an advantage in the education system?
• Which term describes the set of expectations about how women should behave?
• What term is used for a standard list of questions used in social surveys?
• Which type of society relies on agriculture and has not industrialized?
• The subject and lessons and their content.
• Which concept describes people who are unable to participate in society in the same way as others, leading to exclusion from social goods?
• When the findings about a sample can be said to apply to a larger group of people sharing their characteristics?
• What term refers to a group being treated unfairly based on their individual characteristics?
• A hierarchy in which groups have different statuses and different levels of privilege
• The idea that society and culture shape behavior refers to which concept?
• Which term describes the opportunities individuals have to improve their lives?
• Which form of socialisation occurs after the basic norms and values learned during primary socialisation?
• Which term describes the broad study of how people interact within a system of social relationships?
• Societies that are still predominantly agricultural and have not yet become industrial.
• Choosing instant satisfaction rather than waiting for a greater reward in the future is known as?
• Which term describes the inequality between groups in a society?
• The complex process by which different cultures around the world are increasingly aware of, interact with and influence each other?
• A school that is not run by government and charges fees is called?
• What term is used for the act of judging other cultures from the perspective of one’s own culture, often devaluing the other culture?
• Which term refers to barriers to educational achievement linked to home living standards?
• What is the term for the proportion of responses obtained from a sample?
• Which term describes judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often devaluing them?
• Which term describes the clash between demands of two or more social roles?
• Which term is defined as information gathered directly by the researcher from the field?
• Which term concerns the advantages or opportunities people are likely to have for achieving better life outcomes?
• The concept referring to moral concerns in research is called what?
• Which term describes a situation where a family cannot escape poverty due to ongoing lack of resources and opportunities across generations?
• A survey taking place at intervals over a long period is called a:
• Which form of language is used in careful explanation and detail, in formal contexts such as examinations?
• Which term describes limitations in resources that hinder educational progress?
• Poverty tends to be inherited by the next generation; this is known as what?
• A standard instrument consisting of a fixed set of questions used in social surveys is known as what?
• Which term denotes the socially prescribed feminine role?
• Which term describes the unequal treatment of different groups in education?
• Which term means the use or threat of force or violence?
• Which term means the absence of bias, where the researchers' values or feelings do not influence the research?
• Ways in which members of society are made to conform to norms and values.
• In quota sampling, researchers decide the number of participants with certain characteristics before collecting data. Which term describes this approach?
• Which term refers to an unexamined opinion that a group is inferior or different?
• A system in which groups have different statuses and levels of privilege in society.
• Which term refers to belonging to the age group of those advanced in years?
• A group of people having the same social and economic status.
• Which term refers to seeing social life from different points of view overall?
• Which concept refers to a situation where everyone has the same chance of succeeding?
• Which trait is identified as part of working-class culture that may hinder school success?
• Which term represents a broader concept that includes political rights beyond civil liberties?
• In Marxist class theory, which group is the ruling or upper class?
• Cultural differences such as language and religion as well as place of origin are captured by which term?
• Which data collection method would most likely yield in-depth, descriptive accounts of participants' experiences?
• Which term describes lacking basic necessities of life entirely?
• Which method involves combining two or more research methods in one study?
• What term refers to general agreement across a society on a set of values?
• Which research term describes a study where the group being studied is aware of the research and of who the researcher is?
• Which term describes a pattern where poverty persists due to the values within a poor community?
• Which term describes information that is collected firsthand by the researcher?
• Which term encompasses the overall role of education in maintaining or developing society?
• Which language pattern is informal and used in everyday speech within family circles?
• Which term describes the broader influence of schooling on social norms and values through attitudes, not taught content?
• The concept that classifications used by society are created by social processes rather than existing in nature is known as what?
• Which term describes the patterns of behaviour expected of someone because of their status in society?
• Which term describes any interview involving a group interviewed together?
• Fitting in with social expectations for behaviour.
• Norms in a particular society that are widely accepted and carry on over time are called what?
• Ways of controlling behaviour imposed by people without a formal role to do so (such as peers) are known as?
• What is the term for the way of life of an individual, group, or culture?
• Which term describes education that takes place outside formal settings, such as at home or work?
• A positive sanction so that someone is praised or is better off.
• Which method studies communication and the media by classifying content and counting frequencies?
• Acting as an example so that this behaviour is copied by others is called?
• Which type of experiments take place in a laboratory, with external variables excluded as far as possible?
• Which term describes a system where social positions are earned based on merit?
• The stage of socialisation that occurs during family and school to instill core norms is called?
• Where there are many differences; cultural diversity refers to the wide differences between human cultures?
• Which term describes government programs aimed at reducing poverty and inequality?
• The attributes that people think (often wrongly) characterise a group.
• Which term describes a group below the working class effectively cut off from the rest of society?
• The influence of society and culture on human behaviour is called?
• Statements that people hold to be true are known as what?
• Schools controlled by a religious organisation are called?
• Which term covers the use of positive reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviour?
• A society in which individuals achieve the level that their talents and abilities deserve.
• Which term describes short-term aims and rewards immediately?
• Which concept means the ability to influence people's behaviour?
• How a person sees themselves, and how others see them, for example as a girl and a student.
• What term describes a change over time in a particular direction?
• What describes the systematic collection of information from a sample, typically using a questionnaire or structured interview?
• Which term refers to being poor relative to others within the same society?
• Which term is used for when an individual is accepted by their culture as a full member?
• Which term describes the influence a peer group has to force or persuade its members to conform?
• The ways in which education contributes towards society.
• Later socialisation, usually involving learning more specific norms for particular statuses and roles, is known as what?
• What describes the influence on responses arising from how the interviewer asks questions or interprets answers?
• Which sampling method involves deciding in advance how many participants with certain characteristics to include and then identifying them?
• Acting in accordance with norms and social expectations is called?
• Which term refers to a system where social positions are allocated by merit rather than background?
• The grouping of people based on shared language, religion, and place of origin is called what?
• Which statistics are produced by other organisations, such as charities and think tanks?
• A research design that tracks the same individuals at multiple points in time is called a:
• The concept that refers to the socially expected mannerisms and behaviors associated with being female is
• What term describes how well individuals do in the school system, usually measured by exam results?
• In sociology, which concept arises when the demands of two roles clash?
• Experiments that take place in the natural setting of the real world rather than in a laboratory are known as:
• Which term describes the practice of grouping students by ability for all subjects?
• Which concept refers to the idea of natural 'cleverness' that is almost impossible to measure?
• Which research approach involves a detailed in-depth examination of a single group or event?
• Which term describes the division of society into layers such as the upper, middle, and working class based on wealth, power and status?
• Bernstein's restricted code is characterized by what features?
• Which concept explains guiding children toward gender-expected activities?
• Which term refers to the belief that individuals cannot control what happens to them?
• Which term describes education that takes place in classrooms with a formal syllabus?
• The unintended effects of the researcher's presence on participants' behaviour are known as the Hawthorne effect.
• Rights that protect the freedom of individuals are known as?
• Which term describes the view that social life should be understood from multiple viewpoints?
• Which concept refers to issues that have a moral dimension, such as potential harm to participants?
• What is the term for the period of growing up between childhood and adulthood?
• Which form of language is informal and used with close friends and families?
• Which concept explains how expectations can shape actual performance?
• Which data collection method uses questions asked by the researcher with responses coded for numerical analysis?
• 'Wild' children who have not been socialised are known as?
• When two variables are related to each other but causation cannot be proved; for example, ill-health is related to poverty.
• Which concept covers attitudes and behaviours learned through school administration and teacher conduct rather than curriculum content?
• Social control imposed by a person or organisation (such as a teacher or a police officer) who has the authority to implement rules or laws is called?
• Which term describes the lack of objectivity; the researcher's view influences the approach taken?
• What term describes unfair treatment of someone based on characteristics such as age, race, or gender?
• Which term describes viewing cultures on their own terms rather than from a Western perspective?
• The way of life of a society is called what?
• Which concept refers to a group that lacks power due to social and demographic factors?
• Students are selected usually on the basis of academic achievement.
• Which factor is described as influencing schooling outcomes through the home environment?
• Which term describes language-related disadvantage for minority ethnic groups?
• Which term describes the practice of grouping students by ability for all subjects?
• What term refers to information and facts that take a numerical form?
• A strict link between variables with a time sequence; heating water to 100°C causes it to boil.
• Which term describes a social position assigned at birth that is not chosen?
• Which term means there are many differences; cultural diversity refers to wide differences between human cultures?
• Any way in which people are persuaded or expected to behave in certain ways.
• Which term refers to information collected by the sociologist at first hand?
• Which concept describes prejudice that distorts truth when research is influenced by the researcher's values or decisions such as sampling?
• What term means prejudice or discrimination against someone because of their ethnicity or race?
• Which term denotes a small ethnic group in a majority society?
• Which type of questionnaire is mailed to respondents and then returned by post?
• What pupils learn in schools apart from the content of lessons, such as the importance of following the rules and the consequences of not doing so?
• Which term refers to schools that admit only one gender?
• A system in which individuals reach the social positions they deserve, based on educational achievement, talent and skills is called?
• Non-selective secondary schools accepting all the children of that age in an area.
• The ways in which people are expected to behave in a particular situation.
• When socialisation is incomplete or ineffective is called?
• Which term describes aspects of the values and attitudes from the home and family background that prevent achievement?
• The idea that social situations and events are constructed by societies rather than existing in nature is known as what?
• Which term is advocated by Marxists to achieve greater equality by transferring wealth from the better off to the less well-off?
• A wider category than civil rights, including political rights, is called?
• Which term focuses on the idea that unequal wealth distribution is a feature of society?
• Which code is associated with formal schooling and explicit instruction?
• Which concept describes the use of punishments to enforce norms?
• Which term refers to data produced by the government and official bodies?
• A situation where fulfilling one role makes it hard to fulfill another is described as
• The way governments try to provide for the less well off and reduce social inequality.
• Which dimension explicitly deals with language differences interacting with ethnicity?
• Which term describes the exclusion of individuals from social goods and opportunities due to marginalization?
• Which phrase describes groups enjoying higher status or material advantages?
• Which dimension asserts that culture and class interact to influence educational outcomes?
• Which interview type involves a mix of standard questions and flexibility in delivery?
• Any way in which children are reprimanded or receive something negative for something they have done.
• Which concept refers to the degree to which findings about one group can be applied to a larger group?
• Any situation in which two or more people have social contact with each other is called what?
• The norms and values of a group of students who reject the school's values.
• What term describes the movement of individuals or groups up and down the social hierarchy through the class system?
• Which concept involves starting from the individual's viewpoint and studying meanings in everyday life?
• What are questions that allow respondents to respond freely in their own words called?
• Which term means using two or more methods in the same research project?
• What is the term for a theory or explanation formed at the start of research that the study is designed to test?
• Which of the following is an example of formal social control?
• Institutions in which people are socialised are called?
• The opportunities that people have to improve their lives are known as?
• Which term refers to the first stage of socialisation when basic norms are learned?
• Which term describes a general framework of diverse viewpoints about social life?
• Which term describes the ways in which an interviewer may influence participant responses by their characteristics or verbal cues?
• What term refers to people being placed at different levels in society's hierarchy?
• Which term describes a pattern where poverty is perpetuated by the values of poor communities?
• Manual or blue-collar workers are typically part of which group?
• What is the term for the income threshold below which people are considered to be in poverty?
• A category of people defined by shared physical characteristics and ancestry is known as what?
• Which term describes young children learning by copying the behaviour of others?
• Which term describes the self-fulfilling prophecy effect?
• Which economic system is based on private ownership of the means of production?
• A closed stratification system traditionally found in India.
• When each person has an equal chance of being selected?
• Experiments conducted in real-world settings outside the lab are known as:
• The behaviour that societies expect of their members in particular situations is called what?
• Manual or blue-collar workers are typically part of which social group?
• Which theoretical perspective emphasizes class conflict as the central dynamic of society?
• Which term refers to workers who are employed when the economy is booming and laid off when not in demand?
• Which term describes statistics produced by charities and think tanks?
• Which concept describes the stratification of society into levels such as the upper, middle, and working class based on wealth, power and status?
• Which term describes factors in the home background that affect how well students do in school?
• Which term describes an approach that focuses on the large scale of whole societies?
• Any way in which children are praised or receive something positive for what they have done.
• Which sampling method occurs when one participant helps the researcher contact others?
• A wide range of documents from the past used as sources of information by sociologists is best described as what?
• What term describes the various ways samples can be created?
• Which property means findings accurately reflect the reality intended to capture?
• The idea that as a result of globalization there is or will be a single culture shared by people all around the world?
• Which concept is defined as a lack of the values and attitudes needed to do well in school?
• Which process ensures every member of the population has an equal probability of selection?
• Which type of school charges fees and is not run by the government?
• Individuals' perception of themselves, based partly on ideas about how others see them.
• In sociology, what describes comparing two or more groups or events to identify similarities and differences?
• Who provides information to researchers, typically used for surveys and interviews?
• Which term describes a sub-culture of adolescents distinguished by style and musical preference?
• Biological differences between different groups of people are referred to as what?
• Ways of viewing social life from different points of view.
• Which term means the group is unaware of the research and deceived into thinking the researcher is a real member?
• What term describes ways in which people of the same or similar age share a status and associated roles?
• Which sampling method is used when the sampling frame is divided by gender or age?
• Which concept uses a fixed income threshold to determine poverty status regardless of the society's overall wealth?
• A stratification system in which one group is treated as the legal property of another group.
• Which term describes policies that aim to reduce income inequality by transferring wealth from the rich to the poor?
• The influence of biological factors on human behaviour is called?
• A category of people lacking power; can be based on religion, disability and age.
• Which of the following describes Bernstein's codes?
• A group within a larger culture that has its own distinctive norms and values.
• Which sampling method relies on existing participants to recruit further participants through their networks?
• Which term refers to data that is numerical in form?
• The roles and expectations associated with being male or female.
• Which term describes an approach to sociology that studies society in a scientific manner?
• Which statistics are produced by government and official agencies?
• Which form of socialisation follows primary socialisation?
• Which term describes simplified beliefs about a group that may be inaccurate?
• What term refers to a group brought together to be interviewed on a particular topic?
• Parts of society that have their own sets of norms and values, such as the family and the school system.
• Which concept refers to being poor in relation to others in the same society?
• The typical way of life of an individual, group or culture is called what?
• Which term describes a preliminary study conducted before the main research?
• Which term means a group with a distinct national or cultural tradition living within a larger society?
• An interview with standardized questions and fixed order, producing quantitative data.
• Excluding someone from the community or group is called?
• A detailed in-depth study of one group or event is called a:
• Schools that are run by the government and therefore are free to students are called?
• Which term refers to the socially prescribed feminine role?
• Which term describes the process by which cultures interact and influence each other on a global scale?
• What is the term for money and assets that can be used to generate income?
• Which term best describes a group of individuals of the same status who influence each other's behaviour?
• The term for being male or female based on biological indicators is?
• An approach that focuses on small-scale social interaction.
• What term describes teaching in classes of similar ability for a subject?
• An ethnic group that is relatively small in number compared with the majority in a society and is seen as different?
• What is a small-scale test of a piece of a research project before the main research called?
• Which term describes education where students are selected usually on the basis of academic achievement?
• What term describes the difference between groups in wealth or income?
• In sociology, when an individual struggles to meet conflicting obligations from multiple social identities, this is known as
• Which term refers to information that cannot be presented in numerical form?
• Which term describes the group of workers who can be mobilized during boom times and shed during downturns?
• A form of social stratification with the upper, middle, and working classes is called?
• The way in which wealth is distributed.
• Education after school-leaving age, where individuals choose to stay in education is known as?
• Which term describes the behavior expected of men?
• The idea that biology shapes behavior refers to which concept?
• The term for the stage of life between childhood and adulthood is
• Which term describes long-term aims and postponing rewards?
• What is a list of members of the population from which the sample is chosen?
• What term covers a broad range of impairments in functioning of the body affecting activities?
• Disagreement between groups with different interests.
• Being able to set long-term goals and plan for the future is called?
• Which term represents the view that class interests shape social life and institutions?
• A questionnaire completed by the respondent without the researcher present is known as what?
• Intelligence quotient tests involve answering questions that are then used to work out the score which supposedly indicates how intelligent the person is.