HSB4U EXAM PRACTICE

1) Herman is interested in studying hermits people who choose to live apart from
society. Specifically, as a sociologist, he is interested in studying:
a) The stories told about hermits.
b) Whether hermits make different decisions than ordinary people.
c) What factors hermits have in common with each other.
d) Which cultures have hermits.
Mr. Harper has decided to give his 28 HSB4U students some multiple choice questions to
practice for his HSB4U exam. He quietly writes down the names of students who are
answering them instead of using their cell phones, then compares this list to the marks
students get on the exam. He believes that the ones who actually do the questions in
class will do better on the exam.
2) Mr. Harpers belief in the story above would qualify as a(n):
a) Hypothesis
b) Observation
c) Research Question
d) Sample
3) The independent variable in this story would be:
a) The multiple choice questions.
b) The 28 students in Mr. Harpers HSB4U class
c) The marks received by students on the HSB4U exam
d) Whether a student did the questions or not
4) Being as organized as usual, Mr. Harper loses this list of names. To compensate, he
adds a new question to the exam: How many practice questions did you do in class?
All (20), Some (10-20) or Few (0-10)? This is an example of:
a) A double-barrelled question
b) A non-exhaustive question
c) An overlapping question
d) A perfectly valid question
5) Someone who feels like society is unfair and has no interest in following its rules would
be said to be:
a) Alienated
b) A conformist
c) Paradigm Shifted
d) Suffering from cognitive dissonance

6) In the last decade, Presidential candidate Donald Trump recorded several speeches to
encourage people to sign up for a multi-level marketing company called ACN. ANC was
investigated in 2015 and turned out to be a predatory business which made most of its
money on the $499 sign-up fee they charged desperate poor people to join, after
promising them they could earn up to $8000 a month with the program. This story
would support which theory of inequality?
a) Conflict
b) Functionalist
c) Symbolic Interactionist
d) Upwards Comparison
7) In January 2016, 35% of Republicans supported Donald Trump for President, more than
any other candidate. When the ACN scandal was brought up, his supporters claimed
that Trump did not know about the company, even though he had given them the
rights to use his image. This shows:
a) Cognitive Dissonance
b) Conflict Theory
c) Conformity
d) Dependency Theory
8) Despite the internet revolution, many companies prefer job seekers fill out applications
on paper. This is a real-life example of:
a) Cultural Lag
b) Paradigm Shift
c) Proximity
d) Technological Determinism
9) At the beginning of the 20th century, few women were in the workforce. By the end of
it, most women had careers. This required society to adapt, for example by introducing
day cares when previously women had taken care of children in the home. However,
as a result of this, average family incomes increased and the middle class expanded.
This example is explained best by:
a) Challenge and Response
b) Conflict Theory of change
c) Cyclical Theory
d) Evolutionary Theory
10)
One explanation for how this phenomenon (see last question) improved living
standards in Canada is that there were more people working for each person who was
being taken care of. In effect, this shows the power of:
a) The Dependency Load
b) The Difference Principle
c) Readiness for Change
d) Socialization
11)
Despite Mr. Harpers hopes that his daughter would enjoy playing with Legos or
board games, she has instead become obsessed with Disneys Fairies. Mr. Harper isnt
sure whether to blame Netflix or the other children at his daughters kindergarten, but

clearly something is having an influence over her. This could be considered an

example of:
a) Counterculture
b) Individualism
c) Material Culture
d) Socialization
12)
Mr. and Mrs. Jones have a child, but although they have been trying for a second
child for six years, nothing has happened and the doctor now says they should give up
hope. Mrs. Jones would count as:
a) Fecund and fertile
b) Fecund but not fertile
c) Fertile but not fecund
d) Neither fecund nor fertile
13)
John has a habit of using his phone instead of doing work in his HSB4U class. The
last time he was in class, his teacher glared at him. Now its time for exams, and John
isnt sure he wants to bother studying after all, hes not a good student, so why
bother trying? This is an example of:
a) Cultural Transmission
b) Formal Sanctions
c) Labelling Theory
d) Looking-Glass Theory
14)
Hamisa recently immigrated to Canada from Syria. She is thrilled to be here and
eager to go to university, vote in an election, and get a boyfriend. However, she finds
herself puzzled by many things ordinary Canadians dont such as what to do with a
TTC transfer, how to roll up the rim on a Tim Hortons coffee cup, or where to put the
cup after drinking it (recycling or garbage?). In other words, Hamisa:
a) Shares both the material and non-material culture of Canadians
b) Shares neither the non-material or material culture of Canadians
c) Shares the material culture but not non-material culture of Canadians
d) Shares the non-material culture but not material culture of Canadians
15)
Luckily for Hamisa, she is able to learn a lot of the things she is missing on Youtube.
This is an example of:
a) Counterculture
b) Cultural Tranmission
c) Transculturation
d) All of the above are true

16)
Hamisa is currently living in a rental apartment that she shares with two other
roommates. She also eats ramen noodles three times a week in order to save money,
since she only has a welfare cheque to get by. She is happy and healthy, but envious
of the people she sees who always seem to be able to buy a coffee at Starbucks or go
drinking on Friday nights. In Canada, Hamisa would be considered:
a) Absolutely and relatively impoverished

b) Absolutely but not relatively impoverished

c) Neither relatively nor absolutely impoverished
d) Relatively but not absolutely impoverished
17)
Marsha sympathizes with the Occupy Wall Street movement. She is deeply upset
that CEOs and bankers earn millions of dollars while ordinary Canadians suffer under
heavy debt load. Marsha is probably:
a) A conflict theorist
b) A functionalist
c) A rationalist
d) A symbolic interactionist
18)
Vladimir Putin (Vladdy to his friends) is sad. The other world leaders havent been
returning his calls or inviting him to any of their parties ever since he surreptitiously
sent Russian troops to invade Ukraine. In fact, the other world leaders have called him
a bully, a dictator, and even compared him to Hitler which is just hurtful. It makes
Vladdy mad. So mad that he wants to go and teach them a lesson, by maybe invading
their countries and torturing them. This would be a weird example of:
a) Conflict Theory
b) Labelling Theory
c) Looking-Glass Theory
d) World-Systems Theory
19)
Mr. Harper is a man of influence and authority at Lakeshore Collegiate (why are you
laughing? Stop that). Recently, he has become concerned that too many students are
using cell phones in class. He has decided to make a presentation to the other
teachers, telling them that cell phones cause cancer and so should be banned from the
school. Mr. Harper could be considered:
a) A Charismatic Leader
b) A Moral Entrepreneur
c) A Primary Deviant
d) A Secondary Deviant
20)
Yesterday, Jennifer was picking her nose in class. Now her friends have stopped
talking to her. This shows:
a) External Sanctions
b) Internal Sanctions
c) Labelling Theory
d) Secondary Deviance
21)
Tom was a doctor in Ukraine before it was invaded by Russia. He and his family
immigrated to Canada, only to discover that his credentials no longer applied here.
Reluctantly, Tom got a job as a taxi driver. This shows:
a) A closed system
b) Intergenerational mobility
c) Horizontal mobility
d) Vertical mobility

22)
Katie has a drinking problem. Her concerned friends have introduced her to
Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization devoted to helping people break their addiction
to alcohol. AA would qualify as a(n):
a) Alternative Social Movement
b) Redemptive Social Movement
c) Reformative Social Movement
d) Revolutionary Social Movement
23)
Having been raised on a steady diet of the Kardashians, Matthew firmly believes in
becoming rich and famous. The only problem is, he doesnt really want to work at it.
Instead, his plan is to rob a bank. Matthew shows the signs of being a(n):
a) Conformist
b) Innovator
c) Retreater
d) Ritualist
24)
Mary is a stoner who loves nothing more than to light up a joint and play video
games. Recently, however, her mother discovered her stash and is now threatening to
call the police on her. Marys habit would be considered:
a) A Conflict Crime
b) A Consensus Crime
c) Social Deviance
d) Social Diversion
25)
John (white) and his best friend Tyrone (black) decide to spray paint the side of the
school one night. Sadly, they get caught. The principal calls Johns parents to let them
know how disappointed he is in their son, and how he hopes John will stop hanging out
with bad influences like Tyrone in the future. This story tells us that John is
experiencing __________________ deviancy while Tyrone is experiencing
___________________ deviancy.
a) Primary ; Primary
b) Primary ; Secondary
c) Secondary ; Primary
d) Secondary ; Secondary

Remember the Alamo Theories!

Can you connect the quotes on the left with the theories from the course that best fit
them?
Conflict Theory
Functionalism

Symbolic
Interactionism
Rational Theory

Systems Theory
Symbolic
Interactionism

___________________________ At their heart, people are selfish.

___________________________ The rich exploit the poor thats how they stay rich.
___________________________ I always hated going to church, but I guess it made me a
better person to go.
___________________________ I dont want my child watching the Kardashians. I dont want
them growing up believing that kind of thing is normal.
___________________________ My mom got fired last night, so she and Dad got into a big
fight. I couldnt sleep because of it and THATs why I failed my HSB4U exam. Life
sucks.
___________________________ I was fighting with my mother, too she always wants me to
call her if Im out after 9 pm. Can you believe it? I cant believe shes treating me like a
child when Im already sixteen!
___________________________ Mr. Harper always makes those awkward jokes on practice
tests. I guess he thinks hes funny or something, but hes really just lame.
___________________________ I failed myHSB4U exam, and now I have to come back to
Lakeshore for another year. Wow, I really need to turn my life around.
___________________________ Really? I passed with a 99%. I guess its because I grew up
learning the value of education.
___________________________ What? Education is there to teach you to be a good little
worker and not stand up to the Man. You have to think outside the box, man.
___________________________ Personally, Id just drop out if it wasnt for all this pressure to
go to university. I meanI saw how everybody treated my older brother when HE wanted
to drop out. It wasnt pretty.