Study Guide

Field 248: Social Science: Psychology 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices. Read each question and its answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.

During the test you should try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will NOT be penalized for choosing an incorrect response.

Objective 0001 
Understand basic sources, tools, and methods of social science inquiry and interdisciplinary connections among the social sciences.

1. A social science researcher would be most likely to use sampling techniques in conducting which of the following research projects?

  1. a study of demographic changes on one city block over time
  2. an exploration of untreated depression in people statewide
  3. a report on ritual mask use in modern and ancient Maori culture
  4. a comparison of campaign finance laws in five contiguous states
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Sampling is the process of selecting a small number of representative units from a population of interest, so that results based on studying the sample can be generalized to the population from which they were chosen. Sampling is most appropriate when the population exists in the present and is too large to allow for a full census.

Objective 0002 
Understand the use of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation in social science inquiry and basic historical concepts.

2. A high school social science teacher has assigned students a semester-long research project. One instructional goal for the research project is for students to demonstrate their ability to evaluate sources throughout the inquiry process. The teacher could best accomplish this goal by:

  1. requiring students to utilize primary sources.
  2. steering students toward an academic database to conduct their research.
  3. having students submit an annotated bibliography.
  4. including a "source analysis" component on the grading rubric for the project.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on one topic that includes a brief note or annotation for each source, describing its content, relevance, and credibility. By having students submit annotated bibliographies, the teacher requires students to evaluate their sources and gains an opportunity to assess their progress toward this instructional goal.

Objective 0002 
Understand the use of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation in social science inquiry and basic historical concepts.

3. For which of the following tasks would historians rely most on chronological thinking?

  1. identifying central questions in narratives
  2. explaining historical causality
  3. proposing alternative choices for addressing a historical problem
  4. considering multiple perspectives
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Much of the work of historians involves the ambiguities of cause and effect. Because causes precede effects, sometimes by extended periods, historians can begin to consider questions of historical causality by tracing events chronologically.

Objective 0003 
Understand the process of reading, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' reading development in the social science classroom.

4. Use the sentence below to answer the question that follows.

By developing new products and/or starting new businesses and being willing to take on the associated risks of such endeavors,  start underline entrepreneurs end underline  play a key role in helping an economy grow.

A teacher could best promote students' understanding of the underlined vocabulary word in the sentence by providing explicit instruction in which of the following types of context clues?

  1. contrast
  2. explanation
  3. inference
  4. restatement
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Many educational texts are carefully written to include information that can serve as context clues to support students' reading comprehension. Generally, however, students need to be taught how to recognize and access the several types of context clues. In this text, the term entrepreneur is introduced with the help of an explanation clue, in which the new vocabulary word is explained within the same sentence. Explanation clues can also appear in the sentence immediately preceding or following the sentence containing the target word.

Objective 0003 
Understand the process of reading, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' reading development in the social science classroom.

5. A high school social science class includes some English language learners and struggling readers who lack the basic reading skills necessary to comprehend complex informational texts. Which of the following strategies for differentiating reading assignments for these students would be most appropriate for a content-area teacher to use to address the students' reading comprehension needs?

  1. teaching the students the basic reading skills that they lack and then reviewing key skills before assigning a new text for independent reading
  2. using a variety of techniques to promote the students' development of oral reading fluency with respect to an assigned text, such as phrase-cued reading, choral reading, and echo reading
  3. introducing key vocabulary to the students prior to assigning a new text and having them read aloud, discuss, and annotate the text with a partner
  4. allowing the students to search for an alternative text online that addresses the same topic as an assigned text but is written for a grade level that is better aligned with their own reading level
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Lack of academic language knowledge is a common contributing factor to comprehension difficulties for students who are English language learners and/or struggling readers. Providing English language learners and struggling readers with explicit instruction in a text's key academic vocabulary, coupled with repeated meaningful exposure to and practice using the new vocabulary (e.g., by having them read aloud and discuss the text with a partner) is an effective approach for enhancing the students' comprehension of new academic language in a complex informational text. Finally, annotating the text with a partner requires the students to use various means (e.g., sticky notes, highlighting, notes in the text's margins) during reading to identify the text's key ideas and details, including the author's argument, claims, and evidence. Text annotation reinforces students' reading comprehension as well as their retention of essential text content.

Objective 0004 
Understand political concepts, systems, features, and processes in the United States and other world areas.

6. The U.S. Congress is best able to influence foreign policy by exercising its constitutional power to:

  1. regulate international commerce.
  2. establish independent regulatory commissions.
  3. appropriate federal funds.
  4. approve or reject presidential appointments.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
The power to tax and spend is the first of the enumerated powers given to Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. One illustrative example of Congress influencing foreign policy through the "power of the purse" is the Boland Amendments to the Defense Appropriations Act during the 1980s. This series of amendments banned U.S. assistance to the Nicaraguan Contra rebels.

Objective 0005 
Understand economic concepts and systems, the operation of the U.S. and world economies, and personal finance.

7. A consumer who is choosing between a credit card with a high interest rate and no annual fee and one with a low interest rate and a substantial annual fee should consider spending habits primarily for which of the following reasons?

  1. If the consumer's large purchases are seasonal, an annual fee may seem burdensome.
  2. If the consumer's purchases are mostly made with cash, a high interest rate is more affordable.
  3. If the consumer spends the same amount each month, a high annual fee may be critical.
  4. If the consumer limits purchases and pays the bill in full each month, the interest rate is irrelevant.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
The scenario illustrates the common economic phenomenon of a trade-off where an advantage comes with the opportunity cost of an offsetting disadvantage. The disadvantage of the first credit card, a high interest rate on balances carried forward, can be avoided if the consumer does not carry a balance and instead pays the credit card bill in full each month.

Objective 0006 
Understand major developments and patterns of continuity and change in world history.

8. Which of the following developments reflects an important consequence of the Neolithic agricultural revolution?

  1. the emergence of pietistic religions
  2. a more equitable distribution of wealth
  3. a decrease in average family size
  4. the creation of permanent settlements
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
In the Paleolithic Era, early humans lived in small groups sustained by hunting and gathering. As they gained knowledge of the migration habits of the animals they hunted and the growth patterns of the wild grains they gathered, humans began domesticating animals and cultivating crops to feed gradually rising populations. As early as 10,000 B C E, these new ways of acquiring food led humans to establish permanent agricultural villages.

Objective 0007 
Understand major developments and patterns of continuity and change in U.S. history.

9. The increased use of steam power by U.S. manufacturers during the first half of the nineteenth century most directly influenced the:

  1. location and productivity of factories.
  2. division of labor in factories.
  3. variety of goods produced in factories.
  4. quality of goods produced in factories.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
The development of steam power marked a signal advance in the ability to do work, which had previously been limited to the muscle power of humans and draft animals supplemented by energy generated by wind and running water. Steam requires the burning of wood or, more commonly, coal to boil water, so the factories that used steam power tended to be located near sources of those raw materials. Furthermore, steam-powered factories required substantial human labor and produced large amounts of consumer goods, encouraging a concentration of population into fast-growing urban centers.

Objective 0007 
Understand major developments and patterns of continuity and change in U.S. history.

10. Which of the following provisions of the U.S. Constitution most clearly reflects the framers' goal of creating a strong national government after the failure of the Articles of Confederation?

  1. "The Congress shall have power to ... make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States."
  2. "[The president] shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for."
  3. "The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed."
  4. "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence."
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
The Constitution enumerates seventeen specific delegated powers to Congress, several of which are substantially more expansive than the powers of its predecessor under the Articles of Confederation. In addition, the Constitution gives Congress "implied powers" to legislate on other matters that "shall be necessary and proper." This clause gives Congress and the national government generally much more power than the central government that had been established by the Articles of Confederation.

Objective 0008 
Understand tools, concepts, and processes of human and physical geography.

11. Which of the following examples best illustrates how experience and culture influence human perceptions of regions?

  1. A person from Canada is more likely than a person from Guatemala to view Latin America as a culture region.
  2. A person from Italy is more likely than a person from Spain to view Western Europe as a culture region.
  3. A person from South Africa is more likely than a person from Egypt to view sub-Saharan Africa as a culture region.
  4. A person from Malaysia is more likely than a person from Thailand to view Southeast Asia as a culture region.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
In geography, a region is an area of land that shares one or more characteristic features. Because many regions are defined by their human features, such as the predominant languages, ethnicities, and economic activities across an area, cultural background and personal experiences can influence how people perceive regions. For example, an individual living in Guatemala may be attuned to cultural differences across Central and South America, while an individual living in Canada may be more likely to perceive Latin America as a cohesive region.

Objective 0009 
Understand concepts, terms, and theories related to human behavior and development, the study of cultures, the structure and organization of human societies, and the processes of social interaction.

12. A major sociological difference between preindustrial and postindustrial societies is that in a preindustrial society:

  1. gender roles are likely to be less rigidly defined.
  2. social status is more likely to be determined by nonmonetary standards.
  3. people are less likely to integrate religious and secular concerns.
  4. an individual's sense of self is more likely to be shaped by occupational role.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Because preindustrial societies operate close to subsistence level, mass participation in producing food is required. In many such societies, the most monetized classes—such as people engaged in mercantile trade�have lower social status than warriors, priests, and landowners. In industrial and postindustrial societies, social classes become even more stratified, with monetary accumulation typically measuring social status.

Objective 0010 
Understand concepts, theories, and processes related to human development and individual differences.

13. Amy and Sam are shown two identical glasses, each containing four ounces of juice. The juice from one glass is then poured into a glass that is taller and narrower than the first. Sam is given the shorter glass of juice and Amy is given the taller glass. Sam comments, "Amy got more juice than I did." According to Jean Piaget's theory of development, this reaction indicates that Sam is at which of the following developmental levels?

  1. sensorimotor
  2. preoperational
  3. concrete operational
  4. formal operational
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children are in the preoperational stage from approximately age two to age seven. During this stage, children typically show no understanding of the logical thinking ability known as conservation. In the situation described, Sam's comment demonstrates his mistaken judgment regarding a conservation problem, indicating that he is at the preoperational level of development.

Objective 0011 
Understand concepts and processes related to sensation, perception, motivation, and emotion.

14. In which of the following examples is an individual demonstrating the correct functioning of sensation but poor or inaccurate perception?

  1. A woman describes an important event that occurred in her childhood but is unable to recall what she did the previous afternoon.
  2. A pedestrian crossing the street while talking on a mobile phone looks in the direction of an oncoming car but fails to step out of the way.
  3. A man with colorblindness can respond appropriately to traffic lights but bases his response on the position of the lights rather than their color.
  4. A dancer is able to repeat a complex dance after seeing it performed one time but cannot describe the dance sequence verbally.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Sensation refers to the process by which stimulation of a sensory receptor gives rise to neural impulses sent to the brain. Perception occurs as the brain organizes and interprets the raw information obtained through sensation, enabling people to make sense of the world around them. The pedestrian described in response option B can see the oncoming car with his eyes but does not organize and interpret this sensory information, due to competing sensory messages entering the nervous system from the phone conversation.

Objective 0012 
Understand concepts, theories, and processes related to learning and cognition, including memory, thinking, language, and intelligence.

15. Which of the following methods is associated with the operant conditioning technique of extinction?

  1. using a combination of positive and negative stimuli
  2. removing the neutral stimulus while applying punishment
  3. removing forms of reinforcement from learned behavior
  4. using punishment for behaviors that were previously reinforced
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behavior is controlled by environmental consequences that either reinforce or inhibit a behavior. In operant conditioning, extinction of a learned behavior can occur if the learned behavior is no longer reinforced.

Objective 0012 
Understand concepts, theories, and processes related to learning and cognition, including memory, thinking, language, and intelligence.

16. In their thinking processes, humans make use of concepts primarily to:

  1. represent the form of an experience or activity.
  2. commit information to memory on a permanent basis.
  3. gain insight into motives for individual behavior.
  4. simplify complex information by organizing it into categories.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
A concept is a type of mental representation that groups together objects, relations, events, and people that have common attributes or properties. By organizing complex information into categories, concepts help humans simplify the world around them, thereby facilitating the ability to remember and understand what things are, what they mean, and how they relate to other things.

Objective 0013 
Understand concepts, theories, and processes related to personality.

17. Parents and caregivers generally have most influence on the development of a young child's self-concept as a result of:

  1. providing positive or negative reinforcement for the child's behaviors.
  2. exposing the child to adults and peers who have diverse attitudes and types of personalities.
  3. encouraging the child to value and exhibit individuality versus conformity.
  4. explaining to the child why some actions should be avoided while others should be emphasized.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Young children�s self-concept is largely shaped through their interactions with the significant people in their lives. The feedback children receive from parents and other caregivers, including both positive and negative reinforcement for their behavior, plays an important role in guiding the children's perceptions of who they are.

Objective 0014 
Understand concepts related to stress, health, and states of consciousness.

18. In reactions to stress, which of the following conditions is typically characteristic of the resistance stage of the general adaptation syndrome (G A S)?

  1. The individual becomes irritable, has difficulty concentrating, and is susceptible to illness as the body's resources are depleted.
  2. The parasympathetic branch of the nervous system begins to establish homeostasis while the individual attempts to cope with the cause of the stress.
  3. The body's resources are shifted toward regenerating damaged cells as the individual addresses or eliminates the cause of the stress.
  4. The individual experiences accelerated heart rate and perspiration as the sympathetic branch of the nervous system activates a fight-or-flight response.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
The general adaptation syndrome (G A S) is a three-stage physiological process that occurs in response to many different kinds of stress. The stages include the alarm phase, in which the body quickly mobilizes its resources to respond to a stressor; the resistance phase, in which the body tries to adapt to and cope with the stressor; and the exhaustion phase, in which the body's resistance collapses if the stressor lasts too long. During the second stage, the body uses the parasympathetic nervous system to initiate efforts to reestablish a condition of internal homeostasis.

Objective 0015 
Understand psychological disorders, their characteristics, and their treatment.

19. A high school psychology teacher is preparing a lesson on the causes, effects, and treatment of mood disorders. The teacher planned to use an article on depression from a mass-circulation health magazine as a resource to support instruction, but is considering replacing the article with brief video interviews with people who have been treated for depression. Compared with the article, a significant benefit of using the video interviews would most likely be to help students:

  1. recognize the relative importance of depression among the various types of mood disorders.
  2. gain insight into the experiences of real individuals diagnosed with depression.
  3. engage in productive discussion of the treatment of depression and other mood disorders.
  4. develop an understanding of the broad range of possible causes of depression.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Popular health magazine articles on depression typically provide readers with systematic information about the condition drawn from many different sources. By contrast, interviews with people who have been treated for depression are intended to convey these people�s experiences. When students watch brief video interviews with people with depression, they are likely to gain knowledge and insight regarding these individuals' authentic experiences of living and coping with this psychological disorder.

Objective 0016 
Understand concepts and processes related to social psychology.

20. Which of the following features is a defining characteristic of deindividuation?

  1. a reduction of self-awareness in groups
  2. an increase in prejudice against others viewed as being different
  3. a reduction of conformity in social situations
  4. an increase in altruism in response to the heightened needs of others
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
In social psychology, the concept of deindividuation is used to help explain the behavior of individuals whose immersion in a group leads to a loss of individual identity and a reduction of self-awareness as the social identity of the group takes hold. Deindividuation, and the sense of anonymity and diffused responsibility associated with it, has most often been used by social psychologists to explore why people in groups are more likely than people acting alone to engage in antinormative behaviors involved in activities such as rioting, stealing, and genocide.