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Classical Sociological Theory, 4/e
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Thorstein Veblen
Classical Sociological Theory

Quiz



1

While Marx sees labor as the creative force in society, Veblen considers the creative force to be:
A)the business class.
B)the leisure class.
C)the fine arts.
D)the industrial arts.
2

Veblen shares with Marx a(n) _______ orientation, a belief that the ways and means of living and procuring a livelihood shape the lines of human history.
A)idealist
B)culturalist
C)materialist
D)deist
3

According to Veblen, social institutions exist in the present because they have survived a process of:
A)dialectical development.
B)selective adaptation.
C)punctuated innovation.
D)institutional competition.
4

In Veblen's view, _______ have evolved to the point where they no longer have to compete with one another, but _______ retain the need to compete.
A)communities; individuals
B)individuals; communities
C)communities; societies
D)societies; individuals
5

Veblen's two-stage model of evolution begins with ___________ and progresses to the ___________ in which we live today.
A)primative society; industrial society
B)ancient civilization; modern civilization
C)predatory barbarism; economic rationality
D)savage society; predatory barbarism
6

Veblen was critical of ___________ for being a static, hedonistic, rationistic, teleological, deductive theory that accepts natural rights, especially the right of ownership.
A)liberalism
B)Marxism
C)marginal utility economics
D)institutional economics
7

_______ are defined as the innate and persistent propensities of human nature.
A)Social facts
B)Instincts
C)Creative urges
D)Basic needs
8

______________ concern(s) "practical expedients, ways and means, devices and contrivances of efficiency and economy, proficiency, creative work, and technological mastery of facts...a proclivity for taking pains.."
A)The instinct of workmanship
B)Rational instinct
C)Folkways
D)Habitus
9

Which of the following does Veblen NOT describe as being part of human nature?
A)the parental bent
B)idle curiosity
C)emulation
D)self-expression
10

Which of the following terms is used to describe the principle that the system of laws and customs has tended to fall behind the advance of science and technology?
A)decoupling
B)latent social facts
C)cultural lag
D)vestigial traits
11

According to Veblen, ___________ is stripped of its ritual restrictions and is employed strictly because of its practical utility and characteristics.
A)indigenous culture
B)bureaucratic efficiency
C)borrowed culture
D)industrial efficiency
12

Veblen defines____________ as the effort that goes into creating a new thing, with a new purpose given it by the fashioning hands of its maker out of passive material.
A)the instinct of craftsmanship
B)industry
C)the entrepreneurial spirit
D)the innovation ethic
13

According to Veblen, society draws an invidious distinction between ___________ and ____________. The former is seen as worthy and honorable, while the latter is seen as unworthy and debasing.
A)exploit; industry
B)industry; exploit
C)work; leisure
D)wealth; honor
14

____________ is the tendency to demonstrate wealth by ostentatiously not working.
A)Conspicuous consumption
B)Pecuniary emulation
C)Invidious exploit
D)Conspicuous leisure
15

In modern societies, the only practical way to impress large numbers of transient others is with obvious indicators of one's ability to waste money on the best in food, drink, narcotics, shelter, services, ornaments, apparel, etc. Veblen referred to this as:
A)conspicuous connoisseurship.
B)pecuniary honor.
C)conspicuous waste.
D)conspicuous consumption.
16

While most people do not intentionally seek to waste time or money, most people waste in order to:
A)live up to canons of decency.
B)save time or effort.
C)fulfill their economic obligations.
D)make themselves comfortable.
17

According to Veblen, the material interests of the population are best served by maximum output at a low cost, whereas ___________ interests are served by a moderate output at an enhanced price.
A)industrial
B)business
C)individual
D)community
18

____________ has to do with the coordination of mechanical facts and sequences, and their appreciation and utilization for the purposes of human life.
A)Business
B)Socialism
C)Industry
D)Rationalization
19

In Veblen's view, the industrial system should be run by:
A)worker's councils.
B)enlightened despots.
C)philanthropical entrepreneurs.
D)production engineers.
20

The term ____________ is used to describe any situation in which a particular type of training serves to incapacitate, at least in some way, those who have undergone such socialization.
A)trained incapacity
B)invidious socialization
C)socialized incapacity
D)invidious training
21

Veblen's model of society, like Marx's, was based on the ownership of the means of production.
A)true
B)false
22

Veblen criticized mainstream economics for being teleological.
A)true
B)false
23

Veblen spent his entire career close to home at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
A)true
B)false
24

Veblen defines business as the effort that goes into creating a new thing, with a new purpose given to it by the fashioning hands of its maker out of passive material.
A)true
B)false
25

According to Veblen, it is incumbent on all classes, even the very lowest, to emulate the way the leisure class lives.
A)true
B)false
26

According to Veblen, the sporting activities of the leisure class are examples of purposeful social action.
A)true
B)false
27

For Veblen, business is synonymous with industry.
A)true
B)false
28

Veblen is critical of business leaders who focus their attention on trade secrets, trademarks, patents, and monopolies, because these intangibles produce nothing.
A)true
B)false
29

Veblen believed that undergraduate education has no place in the university because it corrupts science, scholarship, and graduate education.
A)true
B)false
30

Veblen sees national governments as hostile to business interests and the international scope of industry.
A)true
B)false