Unlock hundreds more features
Save your Quiz to the Dashboard
View and Export Results
Use AI to Create Quizzes and Analyse Results

OR
Sign inSign in with Facebook
Sign inSign in with Google
Quizzes > Society & Culture

Habitus and Durkheim Quiz: Sociology Chapters 1-2

Quick, free Durkheim sociology quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Ryan PolicareUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper illustration on coral background with quiz topics Durkheim class struggle Bourdieu habitus sociological imagination

This quiz helps you check your understanding of Bourdieu's habitus, Durkheim's social facts, and core ideas from Chapters 1-2. For more practice, try the sociology research methods quiz, explore the sociology of gender quiz, or build context with the introduction to anthropology quiz along the way.

According to Durkheim, what are "social facts"?
Individual beliefs
Cultural traditions
Collective norms and values external to the individual
Personal preferences
Durkheim defined social facts as values, cultural norms, and social structures that exist outside the individual yet exert social control. They are coercive and shape individual behavior. Social facts are central to his functionalist perspective.
Who coined the term "sociological imagination"?
Pierre Bourdieu
Émile Durkheim
C. Wright Mills
Karl Marx
C. Wright Mills introduced the sociological imagination to describe the ability to see the relationship between personal experiences and larger social structures. It encourages linking individual troubles to public issues. This concept remains foundational in sociology.
What does Bourdieu’s concept of "habitus" refer to?
Economic capital only
Internalized dispositions shaped by social conditions
Physical environment shape
Government policies
Habitus describes the ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that individuals acquire through their social and class conditions. It is the link between structure and agency in Bourdieu’s theory. Habitus shapes how people perceive and act in the world.
Which sociologist is most closely associated with the study of class struggle?
Herbert Spencer
Emile Durkheim
Max Weber
Karl Marx
Karl Marx argued that class conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat drives social change and historical development. Durkheim, by contrast, focused on social solidarity rather than conflict. Marx’s theory of class struggle is central to conflict theory.
In Durkheim's functionalist perspective, what maintains social order?
Individualism
Collective conscience
Class conflict
Economic competition
Durkheim argued that the collective conscience—shared beliefs and values—binds members of society together and maintains social order. This moral consensus is what holds societies cohesive. It contrasts with conflict-based explanations of social order.
What form of solidarity characterizes pre-industrial societies according to Durkheim?
Organic solidarity
Mechanical solidarity
Emotional solidarity
Cultural solidarity
Mechanical solidarity exists in simpler societies where individuals share similar work, values, and lifestyles. It relies on homogeneity to create social cohesion. As societies become more complex, organic solidarity emerges instead.
Durkheim introduced the concept of "anomie." What does it describe?
Collective agreement
State of normlessness during rapid change
Excessive regulation
Religious unity
Anomie refers to a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, often occurring during periods of rapid change. Individuals feel disconnected and uncertain about expectations. Durkheim used it to explain certain forms of suicide.
Which type of suicide did Durkheim associate with too little social integration?
Egoistic suicide
Anomic suicide
Altruistic suicide
Fatalistic suicide
Egoistic suicide occurs when individuals feel detached from society and lack social bonds. Durkheim observed higher rates among those with weak integration. It contrasts with altruistic and fatalistic types.
What does Durkheim’s "division of labor" theory explain?
How religion divides society
Why individuals compete economically
How political power is allocated
How specialization creates social cohesion
Durkheim argued that as societies grow, the division of labor becomes more specialized, creating interdependence and social cohesion. This evolution from mechanical to organic solidarity is central to his work.
Which methodology did Durkheim pioneer in sociology?
Ethnographic fieldwork
Participant observation
Comparative historical analysis
Statistical analysis of social phenomena
Durkheim applied statistical methods to social data, notably in his suicide study, to uncover patterns and social causes. This positivist approach distinguished his work. It set a methodological standard in sociology.
Durkheim viewed society as:
A battlefield of classes
An organism with interrelated parts
A loose collection of individuals
A market system
Durkheim likened society to a living organism where each part (institutions, norms) serves a function to maintain the whole. This organic analogy underpins his functionalist theory.
Organic solidarity differs from mechanical solidarity in that it:
Eliminates social regulation
Occurs only in small societies
Is based on similarity
Relies on specialization and interdependence
Organic solidarity emerges in complex, modern societies where individuals perform specialized roles and depend on each other. This interdependence contrasts with the homogeneity of mechanical solidarity.
Anomic suicide, according to Durkheim, is primarily caused by:
Excessive societal regulation
Strong community integration
Abrupt breakdown of norms during social change
Religious fanaticism
Durkheim defined anomic suicide as resulting from sudden disruptions in social norms and values, leaving individuals without clear guidelines. Rapid economic or social change often triggers this.
Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital includes:
Financial wealth only
Physical strength
Political office
Educational credentials and cultural knowledge
Cultural capital refers to non-economic assets such as education, skills, and cultural knowledge that influence social mobility and status. Bourdieu saw it as crucial alongside economic and social capital.
The sociological imagination helps individuals understand:
Intersection of personal troubles and public issues
Purely historical events
Only personal successes
Biological factors
The sociological imagination, according to Mills, illuminates how personal troubles are often rooted in broader social issues, linking biography to history. It enables a deeper understanding of one’s social environment.
Secondary socialization primarily occurs:
At birth
In schools and peer groups
Within the family
During worship
Secondary socialization refers to the learning of appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society, such as schools, workplaces, and peer groups, beyond the family.
The term "collective conscience" refers to:
Personal conscience
Individual moral code
Shared beliefs and values in society
Random social norms
Collective conscience is the set of shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society. Durkheim saw it as essential for social cohesion.
How does Bourdieu’s habitus influence behavior?
Solely through economic incentives
By shaping perceptions and actions based on past experiences
Through legal restrictions
By genetic predisposition
Habitus embodies the internalized cultural and social structures that guide how individuals perceive the world and act within it. It shapes practices in a largely unconscious way.
Durkheim argued that rapid societal change leads to:
Anomie and normlessness
Elimination of suicide
Increased collective conscience
Stronger social bonds
For Durkheim, sudden changes like economic upheavals disrupt social norms and lead to anomie, a state of normlessness that can cause social disintegration.
Which type of capital is NOT a form identified by Bourdieu?
Cultural capital
Social capital
Symbolic capital
Technological capital
Bourdieu identified economic, social, cultural, and symbolic capital as key resources. Technological capital is not part of his framework.
According to Mills, public issues differ from personal troubles because they:
Are trivial
Are rooted in broader social structures
Affect only individuals
Are unchangeable
Mills distinguished public issues—matters that transcend individual environments and reflect structural problems—from personal troubles that occur within the individual’s immediate relationships.
Durkheim's study of suicide is an example of:
Experimental research
Qualitative interviews
Participant observation
Quantitative research
Durkheim used statistical data on suicide rates across different social groups to identify correlations between social integration and suicide. This quantitative approach was pioneering in sociology.
Durkheim believed that organic solidarity in modern societies is sustained by:
Interdependence of specialized roles
Homogeneous moral values
Strict legal codes
Religious rituals
Organic solidarity arises when individuals perform specialized functions and rely on each other, creating cohesion through interdependence. Durkheim contrasted this with the similarity-based mechanical solidarity of simpler societies.
In Bourdieu’s framework, the "field" refers to:
A rural agricultural area
A social arena with its own rules and power relations
The global economy only
An individual's mind
A field is a structured social space with its own rules, stakes, and power relations where agents compete for resources and positions. Bourdieu’s analysis of fields shows how power operates.
Which statement best describes the relationship between habitus and capital?
Habitus is independent of capital forms
Habitus shapes how individuals acquire and use capital
Capital determines habitus entirely
Habitus is a form of physical capital
Habitus guides the perception and acquisition of various forms of capital by embedding social structures within individuals. It makes certain strategies of action feel natural.
Durkheim’s concept of "collective effervescence" illustrates:
Economic exchange
Heightened communal energy during rituals
Class struggle
Division of labor
Collective effervescence refers to the energy and unity people feel during group rituals, strengthening social bonds and shared identity. Durkheim used examples like religious ceremonies to illustrate this.
A common critique of Mills' sociological imagination is that it:
Underestimates individual agency
Overemphasizes empirical data
Is purely historical
Ignores the role of social structures
Critics argue that while Mills highlights the link between personal troubles and public issues, his framework may underplay the capacity of individuals to act independently of structural forces.
Which type of suicide in Durkheim's typology involves excessive regulation by society?
Altruistic
Anomic
Fatalistic
Egoistic
Fatalistic suicide occurs under conditions of oppressive regulation and loss of autonomy, such as in highly controlled environments where individuals see no possibility of change.
According to Bourdieu, symbolic power is:
The power to shape cultural tastes only
The ability to impose meanings and legitimize social order
State-sanctioned violence
Strictly economic in nature
Symbolic power is the authority to construct reality, define norms, and legitimize social hierarchies, often operating through language and symbols. Bourdieu saw it as central to maintaining power.
Durkheim's argument that crime is "normal" in society suggests that:
No society is completely free of deviance
Crime is only found in modern societies
Crime should be eradicated entirely
Crime is always harmful
Durkheim argued that crime is a normal part of social life, serving to reinforce norms by defining boundaries of acceptable behavior. It can even promote social change.
How does Bourdieu argue habitus contributes to social reproduction?
By ensuring genetic traits pass between generations
Through random chance
Through transmission of dispositions that perpetuate class structures
By enforcing legal codes
Habitus internalizes class-based dispositions and preferences, leading individuals to reproduce social positions similar to those of their parents, thus perpetuating class structures.
In Durkheim’s view, religion contributes to social cohesion by:
Encouraging economic competition
Promoting individualism
Reinforcing shared symbols and rituals
Dividing society into classes
Durkheim saw religious rituals and symbols as powerful means of uniting members through collective representation, strengthening the collective conscience. This cohesion is a key social function of religion.
Which critique highlights Durkheim's functionalism overlooking social conflict?
That it is too focused on individual agency
That it denies the existence of social structure
That it neglects power dynamics and conflict
That it overemphasizes economic factors
Critics argue that Durkheim’s focus on social cohesion and function underplays the roles of inequality, power struggles, and conflict in shaping society. Conflict theorists like Marx emphasize these omitted dynamics.
How does Bourdieu’s theory address the structure-agency debate?
It proposes habitus mediates between structure and individual agency
It focuses only on agency, ignoring structure
It fully rejects structural influences
It treats individuals as completely determined by structure
Bourdieu’s concept of habitus encapsulates how social structures are internalized, shaping dispositions while allowing individual choice—bridging structure and agency.
Mills argued that modern bureaucratic institutions:
Are irrelevant to personal troubles
Enhance individual freedom unequivocally
Create impersonal forces that constrain individual agency
Completely dissolve social structures
Mills viewed bureaucratic institutions as powerful, impersonal entities that shape life chances and limit personal autonomy, reflecting wider structural forces.
Compare Marx's class struggle and Durkheim's solidarity; which best captures conflicts in modern society?
Both focus equally on solidarity
Durkheim’s model centers on economic factors
Marx’s model emphasizes conflict, Durkheim’s emphasizes social cohesion
Marx’s theory denies any form of conflict
Marx highlights class antagonism as the engine of social change, whereas Durkheim underscores shared values and interdependence for social order. This contrast defines their theoretical divide.
What methodological difference distinguishes Durkheim’s approach from Marx’s?
Both used only philosophical argumentation
Durkheim employed empirical statistical analysis, Marx used historical dialectics
Marx pioneered use of social experiments
Durkheim relied on qualitative narratives, Marx used only surveys
Durkheim championed a positivist, statistical approach exemplified in his suicide study, while Marx applied historical materialism and dialectical analysis to social phenomena.
0
{"name":"According to Durkheim, what are \"social facts\"?", "url":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/QPREVIEW","txt":"According to Durkheim, what are \"social facts\"?, Who coined the term \"sociological imagination\"?, What does Bourdieu’s concept of \"habitus\" refer to?","img":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/3012/images/ogquiz.png"}

Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze Durkheim's Class Struggle Theory -

    Break down why Durkheim believed that society was characterized by class struggle by identifying its core principles and social implications.

  2. Apply the Sociological Imagination -

    Use the sociological imagination quiz framework to connect personal experiences to larger social patterns as outlined by C. Wright Mills.

  3. Evaluate Bourdieu's Habitus Concept -

    Describe the bourdieu habitus concept and assess how ingrained dispositions shape individual behaviors within social contexts.

  4. Assess Global Interdependence in Sociology -

    Examine examples of global interdependence sociology to understand its role in modern social structures and cross-border dynamics.

  5. Prepare for a Comprehensive Sociology Chapters Quiz -

    Develop strategies to tackle core questions in a sociology chapters quiz, ensuring mastery of foundational concepts from Chapters 1 & 2.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Durkheim on Class Struggle vs. Social Solidarity -

    While the phrase durkheim believed that society was characterized by class struggle often circulates, Durkheim actually distinguished between mechanical and organic solidarity to explain social cohesion. He asserted that conflict emerges from regulatory breakdown leading to anomie. A mnemonic: "MEO" helps remember Mechanical equals offspring similarity; Organic equals cooperative diversity.

  2. Bourdieu's Habitus Concept -

    The bourdieu habitus concept describes how ingrained dispositions shape individual perceptions and actions across social fields. For example, tastes in art and food reflect one's social class and education, as detailed in Bourdieu's Distinction (1979).

  3. C. Wright Mills' Sociological Imagination -

    Tackling a sociological imagination quiz? Mills argued that personal troubles become public issues when viewed through broader social structures, such as linking individual unemployment to economic shifts. Remember: "Think global, feel personal."

  4. Global Interdependence in Sociology -

    Global interdependence sociology examines how nations' economies and cultures influence one another through trade networks, communication, and migration. The World-Systems Theory by Wallerstein is a key model - use the mnemonic "Core-Periphery-Semi" to recall its three tiers.

  5. Key Research Methods for Sociology Chapters Quiz -

    In your sociology chapters quiz, recall that quantitative methods analyze numerical data using statistics (e.g., correlation coefficient r ranges from -1 to +1), while qualitative methods rely on interviews and thematic coding. A quick memory hack: "Quant finds quantity, Qual finds qualities."

Make a Quiz (FREE) Copy & Edit This Quiz Create a Quiz with AI

Politics & Civics Quizzes

Powered by: Quiz Maker