4.2.1.3 The self, identity and difference Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which concept, associated with Erving Goffman, describes the way individuals present themselves in everyday life, using front stage and back stage behaviour?

   • Structuralism, in which social behaviour is explained through deep underlying rules and binary oppositions
   • Functionalism, in which institutions meet the needs of society in order to maintain stability
   • Dramaturgy, in which social life is treated as a performance in which individuals manage impressions
   • Positivism, in which social facts are measured through large-scale statistical surveys of the population

2. What is meant by the view that identity is socially constructed?

   • The view that identity is entirely a matter of personal choice, unaffected by any social influence at all
   • The view that identity is fixed at birth by genetic inheritance, and cannot be changed by social experience
   • The view that identity is shaped by social processes, including interaction, culture and social categories
   • The view that identity is determined by the weather and geography of the place where a person lives

3. Which theorist is associated with the view that individuals in late modern societies must actively construct a reflexive self?

   • Karl Marx, who argued that the self is determined by the economic relations of the society in which it lives
   • Anthony Giddens, who argued that the self is a reflexive project shaped by choice in late modernity
   • Talcott Parsons, who argued that the self is fixed by the roles that individuals perform in the social system
   • Emile Durkheim, who argued that the self is primarily determined by the collective conscience of society

4. Which concept describes the way in which some groups are defined as different from and inferior to a dominant 'us'?

   • Othering, in which a group is constructed as the opposite of, and inferior to, the dominant group
   • Anticipatory socialisation, in which individuals learn the values of a group they hope to join
   • Cultural capital, in which individuals gain advantage through familiarity with high-status knowledge
   • Anomie, in which the breakdown of norms leaves individuals without clear guidance on behaviour

5. Which view is most associated with the claim that some aspects of identity, such as gender, are biologically fixed?

   • Social constructionism, which holds that identities are shaped by social processes and cultural meanings
   • Interactionism, which holds that identities are negotiated through face-to-face interaction in everyday life
   • Essentialism, which holds that identities have a fixed and natural essence that is independent of society
   • Postmodernism, which holds that identities are fluid and fragmented, with no single fixed core

6. Which concept describes the process in which a person's self-image is shaped by the way others respond to them?

   • The looking-glass self, in which the self develops through imagined reactions of others
   • The Protestant ethic, in which religious beliefs shape economic behaviour and the spirit of capitalism
   • The conscience collective, in which shared moral values bind individuals into a unified society
   • The hidden curriculum, in which pupils learn implicit values through the routines of school

7. Which statement best describes the relationship between identity and ethnicity in sociological debate?

   • Ethnic identity can be a source of pride and belonging, and it is also shaped by social classification and discrimination
   • Ethnic identity is entirely determined by a person's genetic ancestry, and it cannot be influenced by social factors
   • Ethnic identity is irrelevant in modern societies, because all individuals share the same cultural identity
   • Ethnic identity matters only to older people, since young people have no sense of their cultural background

8. Which feminist argument is most closely associated with the view that gender identity is performed rather than fixed?

   • Judith Butler's argument that gender is a performance that is repeated and reinforced through social practice
   • Talcott Parsons' argument that gender roles are functionally necessary and fixed by the needs of the family
   • Max Weber's argument that gender identity is an ideal type that describes the rational organisation of society
   • Ann Oakley's argument that gender is biologically determined, so socialisation has no part in shaping roles

9. Which concept describes a person's sense of belonging to a nation, which may be shaped by shared history, language and symbols?

   • National identity, which is a sense of belonging to a nation, shaped by shared culture and symbols
   • Global identity, which is a sense of belonging to humanity in general, unconnected to any nation or state
   • Class consciousness, which is the awareness of shared economic interests with others in the same class
   • Anomie, which is the breakdown of norms that leaves individuals with no clear sense of belonging

10. Which statement about disability and identity is most consistent with the social model of disability?

    • Disability is largely created by social barriers and attitudes, rather than by impairment alone
    • Disability is a personal tragedy that cannot be changed by social policy or any form of environmental change
    • Disability is only relevant to identity for people who were born with an impairment, not for those acquiring it
    • Disability is entirely caused by biological impairment, and social barriers have no influence on it

11. Which argument best illustrates the view that identity is shaped by consumption?

    • Individuals use the goods they buy, such as clothing and music, to express who they are and to signal their group membership
    • Individuals' identities are determined only by their religion, which is unaffected by any consumption choices
    • Individuals' identities are determined only by their income, with no role for their own choices or preferences
    • Individuals have no identity at all in consumer societies, because all goods are identical in form and meaning

12. Which concept describes the way a person may hold several identities at once, which can change depending on the situation?

    • Single identity, in which a person has one fixed identity that remains the same in every social setting
    • Multiple identities, in which individuals draw on different aspects of identity in different contexts
    • Ascribed status, in which identity is assigned at birth and cannot be changed by the individual
    • Master status, in which a single identity overrides all others in every social situation

13. Which evaluation of the claim that identity is entirely socially constructed is most consistent with sociological debate?

    • It is entirely accurate, because nothing about the body or biology has any influence on identity at all
    • It is entirely inaccurate, because identity is always determined by biology, with no social influence at all
    • It is irrelevant, because identity is always a matter of personal feeling that sociology cannot investigate
    • It may underplay the role of bodily experience and biology, while still showing how social meanings shape identities

14. Which concept refers to the way in which a person's identity is affected by the labels that others apply to them?

    • Cultural diffusion, in which cultural forms spread between societies through contact and exchange
    • Labelling, in which categories attached by others shape self-concept and the treatment individuals receive
    • Subcultural capital, in which individuals gain status through their knowledge of a particular subculture
    • Symbolic violence, in which the dominant culture is imposed on subordinate groups as if it were natural

15. Which concept describes a person's identity as a member of a particular social class, shaped by occupation, income and lifestyle?

    • Age identity, which is shaped by the stage of life that a person has reached in the life course
    • Class identity, which is shaped by occupation, income and lifestyle, and may be influenced by culture
    • Religious identity, which is shaped by beliefs about the supernatural and participation in religious practice
    • Ethnic identity, which is shaped by ancestry, language and shared cultural origins in a community

16. A young person says that their identity is 'fluid' and changes across social contexts. Which perspective does this most closely reflect?

    • Marxist views of identity, which emphasise that identity is determined by the individual's class position
    • Functionalist views of identity, which emphasise the fixed roles that individuals perform for social stability
    • Postmodern views of identity, which emphasise fragmentation, plurality and the lack of a single fixed self
    • Essentialist views of identity, which emphasise that identity is determined by a fixed natural core

17. Which argument best supports the view that differences between groups are socially constructed rather than natural?

    • Categories of difference have changed over time and between societies, which suggests they are shaped by social meanings
    • Differences between groups are always the same in every society, which suggests they must be natural and fixed
    • Differences between groups are always the same in every individual, which suggests they must be biologically determined
    • Differences between groups never change, which proves that they are based on fixed genetic traits

18. Which of the following is an example of the way that identity is socially constructed?

    • The date of a person's birth is determined by the calendar, which is the same for everyone in every society
    • The colour of a person's eyes is determined at birth, and it is the same in every society across all of history
    • The meaning of masculinity differs between societies and changes over time, showing it is shaped by social processes
    • The height of a person is fixed by genetics, and it cannot be influenced by any social or cultural factors

19. Which concept describes a person's sense of who they are, shaped by their interactions and the roles they perform?

    • Cultural capital, which is the knowledge and tastes that give individuals advantage in education and work
    • Collective conscience, which is the shared moral framework that binds members of a society together
    • Self-concept, which is developed through interaction and the roles that individuals take on in society
    • Ascribed status, which is assigned at birth and cannot be changed by the individual in any circumstances

20. Which statement best describes the difference between essentialist and social constructionist views of identity?

    • Essentialists and constructionists both see identity as entirely fixed by the economic base of the society
    • Essentialists and constructionists both see identity as entirely a matter of individual choice with no social influence
    • Essentialists see identity as shaped by social processes, while constructionists see identity as fixed by nature
    • Essentialists see identity as fixed by nature, while constructionists see identity as shaped by social processes

Related quizzes

• Conceptions of culture Quiz · 4.2.1.1 · 20 questions
• Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation Quiz · 4.2.1.2 · 20 questions
• Identity and age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and class Quiz · 4.2.1.4 · 20 questions
• Identity, production, consumption and globalisation Quiz · 4.2.1.5 · 20 questions
• The family, social structure and social change Quiz · 4.2.2.1 · 20 questions
• Marriage, cohabitation, divorce and the life course Quiz · 4.2.2.2 · 20 questions
• Gender roles, domestic labour and power in the family Quiz · 4.2.2.3 · 20 questions
• The nature of childhood Quiz · 4.2.2.4 · 20 questions
• Demographic trends in the UK since 1900 Quiz · 4.2.2.5 · 20 questions
• The social construction of health, illness and the body Quiz · 4.2.3.1 · 20 questions