CLEP Introductory Sociology Readiness Test

10 questions, balanced across the exam's topics. Answer each one, then submit for your practice readiness estimate and per-topic breakdown. This is a practice estimate — not a prediction or guarantee of your official exam result.

Question 1

Which concept or principle best accounts for the following situation? An indicator asks whether resources meet a defined minimum standard for basic necessities.

Absolute poverty Vertical mobility Prejudice Structural mobility

Question 2

Which statement most accurately describes Cultural relativism?

White-collar crime commonly refers to offenses committed in occupational contexts by people in respectable or higher-status positions. Cultural relativism seeks to understand a practice in its own cultural context rather than automatically judging it by outside standards. Role-taking involves understanding behavior from another person's social standpoint. Role conflict occurs between expectations attached to different statuses held by one person.

Question 3

Which example most directly illustrates Informal social control?

A newcomer learns both methods and justifications for rule breaking from close associates. Friends express disapproval through criticism and social avoidance after a norm violation. Members of a hobby community share specialized vocabulary while participating in mainstream institutions. A child learns to anticipate how another participant will respond in an interaction.

Question 4

Which statement most accurately describes Medicalization?

A labor union organizes workers to pursue shared employment interests through collective action. Monogamy is a marriage arrangement involving one spouse at a time. Kinship consists of socially recognized relationships based on descent, marriage, or other culturally defined ties. Medicalization frames a condition or behavior increasingly in medical terms.

Question 5

A student writes the following study note. Which heading is the most precise fit? Infant mortality conventionally counts deaths before age one per thousand live births.

Tragedy of the commons Migration push factor Environmental justice Infant mortality rate

Question 6

Which statement most accurately describes Harriet Martineau's comparative inquiry?

Microsociology emphasizes small-scale interaction and everyday social processes. Sampling bias arises when selection systematically misrepresents the target population. Martineau examined social life comparatively and highlighted discrepancies between professed ideals and actual practices, including inequality. A cross-sectional design observes variation at one time rather than following change in the same units.

Question 7

Which example most directly illustrates Cultural capital?

A hierarchy allows changes in position through education, work, or ownership while remaining unequal. An employer holds a negative belief about a group before considering any individual applicant. A student benefits because the institution rewards cultural habits and knowledge learned at home. An indicator asks whether resources meet a defined minimum standard for basic necessities.

Question 8

Match each situation to its most direct concept, in the order shown. I. A movement's success is analyzed through its funding, leadership, and access to communication networks. II. A community places a high ideal importance on individual independence.

I: White-collar crime; II: Value I: Resource-mobilization theory; II: Role strain I: Value; II: Resource-mobilization theory I: Resource-mobilization theory; II: Value

Question 9

Which statement most accurately describes Positive sanction?

Resocialization involves substantial learning that replaces or revises earlier patterns of conduct. A positive sanction rewards conduct that a group regards as desirable. Impression management involves efforts to shape how others perceive oneself. Deviance is behavior that violates relevant social norms, with definitions varying across contexts.

Question 10

Match each situation to its most direct concept, in the order shown. I. Participants leave a common ceremony feeling more connected to their community. II. A voluntary religious group draws strict boundaries from mainstream society and demands high commitment.

I: Religious sect; II: Religion and social solidarity I: Religion and social solidarity; II: Religious sect I: Medicalization; II: Religious sect I: Religion and social solidarity; II: Bilateral descent

Unanswered questions count as incorrect. Your answers are graded on the server; no answer key is sent to your browser.

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