20 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in several exam-style shapes. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markWho proposed the concept of cognitive dissonance?
(A) S.M. Mohsin(B) Fritz Heider(C) Leon Festinger(D) Richard LaPiere - 1 markTwo positive relationships and one negative relationship in a P-O-X triangle is:
(A) Balanced(B) Congruent(C) Imbalanced(D) Consonant - 1 markIn the two-step concept, the person whose attitude is to be changed is called the:
(A) Reference group(B) Target(C) Model(D) Source - 1 markLaPiere’s study is most closely associated with:
(A) The kernel of truth concept(B) Scapegoating(C) Cognitive dissonance(D) The attitude-behaviour relationship - 1 markWhich property of an attitude tells us how many ‘member’ attitudes make up a broader attitude system?
(A) Valence(B) Simplicity or Complexity(C) Centrality(D) Extremeness - 1 markA stereotype, as the chapter defines it, is:
(A) A cluster of ideas about a group’s characteristics, assumed to apply to all its members(B) An attitude towards oneself(C) The behavioural component of prejudice(D) A method of reducing prejudice - 1 markAccording to the chapter, discriminatory behaviour can sometimes be curbed by:
(A) Increasing prejudice(B) Law(C) Nothing at all(D) Education alone - 1 markIncreasing intergroup contact succeeds only when the two groups:
(A) Meet in a competitive context(B) Are very different in power or status(C) Meet in a cooperative context, interact closely, and are not different in power or status(D) Avoid all interaction
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): An attitude can be directly observed from outside, in the same way behaviour can.
Reason (R): An attitude is a state of mind (views with an emotional component and a tendency to act) that is part of cognition, so it cannot be observed from outside.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The $1 group in Festinger and Carlsmith’s experiment rated the boring experiment as more interesting than the $20 group did.
Reason (R): The $1 group experienced cognitive dissonance because $1 was too small a justification for lying, so they changed their attitude to reduce the discomfort.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List I (Component/property) with List II (What it represents).
List I: (1) Affective (2) Behavioural (3) Cognitive (4) Centrality
List II: (i) Thought/belief about the attitude object (ii) Emotional reaction (iii) Tendency to act (iv) How much an attitude influences other attitudes
(A) 1-iii, 2-i, 3-ii, 4-iv(B) 1-i, 2-ii, 3-iv, 4-iii(C) 1-ii, 2-iii, 3-i, 4-iv(D) 1-ii, 2-i, 3-iv, 4-iii
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider these statements.
(i) The affective component of an attitude is its emotional component.
(ii) The behavioural component is also called the conative component.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false - 1 markConsider these statements.
(i) According to Heider’s balance concept, an attitude changes when there is an imbalance among the P-O, O-X and P-X relationships.
(ii) Balance exists only when all three relationships in the triangle are positive.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the events of LaPiere’s study in the order they actually happened.
1. LaPiere sent questionnaires to managers of hotels in the same areas asking if they would give accommodation to Chinese guests.
2. A very large percentage of managers said they would not.
3. LaPiere asked a Chinese couple to travel across the United States and stay in different hotels.
4. Only once during the trip were they refused service by a hotel.
(A) 2-1-4-3(B) 3-1-4-2(C) 3-4-1-2(D) 1-3-2-4
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markThe __________ concept, pictured as a P-O-X triangle, was proposed by Fritz Heider.
(A) Cognitive dissonance(B) Scapegoating(C) Two-step(D) Balance - 1 markThe army driver in the chapter’s personal-experience example returned to his native village in __________ and became a community leader.
(A) Gujarat(B) Maharashtra(C) Punjab(D) Kerala
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich one of the following is NOT one of the four properties of an attitude described in the chapter?
(A) Valence(B) Persuasibility(C) Centrality(D) Simplicity or Complexity
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Ramesh strongly dislikes a particular community even though he has never personally interacted with anyone from that community. When his friends ask him why, he says, ‘Everyone says people from that community are dishonest, so there must be some truth to it.’ Ramesh also blames this community whenever his own local shopkeepers’ association faces a decline in business, even though the two things are unrelated.
- 1 markWhich source of prejudice does Ramesh’s statement ‘there must be some truth to it’ illustrate?
(A) Self-fulfilling prophecy(B) Kernel of truth concept(C) Ingroup bias(D) Prejudiced personality - 1 markBlaming the community for the shopkeepers’ association’s declining business, despite no real connection, is an example of:
(A) Ingroup bias(B) Kernel of truth(C) Scapegoating(D) Learning through modelling
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider these statements.
(i) In LaPiere’s study, hotel managers’ questionnaire responses showed a largely negative attitude towards Chinese guests.
(ii) During the actual journey, the Chinese couple was refused hotel service on every occasion.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (C) Leon Festinger proposed cognitive dissonance; Heider proposed balance, Mohsin the two-step concept, and LaPiere conducted the attitude-behaviour study.
- (C) Imbalance exists when all three sides are negative, or when two are positive and one is negative.
- (B) The ‘target’ is the person whose attitude is to be changed; the ‘source’ is the person through whose influence it changes.
- (D) LaPiere’s hotel study is the chapter’s example showing that attitudes may not always predict behaviour.
- (B) Simplicity or complexity (multiplexity) describes how many member attitudes exist within a broader attitude.
- (A) A stereotype is a cluster of ideas about a specific group’s characteristics, assumed to apply to every member of that group.
- (B) The chapter says discriminatory behaviour can sometimes be curbed by law, though the cognitive/emotional core of prejudice is harder to change.
- (C) The chapter names three conditions: a cooperative context, close interaction, and no difference in power or status.
Assertion-Reason
- (D) A is false: the chapter says attitudes are part of cognition, along with an emotional component, and cannot be observed from outside. R is true: it is the chapter’s own description of an attitude.
- (A) Both are true, and R is the chapter’s own explanation for why the $1 group’s attitude changed.
Match the Following
- (C) Affective = emotional reaction, Behavioural = tendency to act, Cognitive = thought/belief, Centrality = influence on other attitudes, i.e. 1-ii, 2-iii, 3-i, 4-iv.
Statement-Based Questions
- (B) Both statements are true, exactly as the chapter describes the three components.
- (A) (i) is true. (ii) is false: balance also exists when two relationships are negative and one is positive, not only when all three are positive.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (C) The travel came first (3), with only one refusal during the trip (4); later came the questionnaire (1) and the mostly negative replies (2), i.e. 3-4-1-2.
Fill in the Blanks
- (D) Heider’s concept is called the balance concept.
- (B) The chapter names Maharashtra as the driver’s native village.
Odd One Out
- (B) Persuasibility is a target characteristic that influences attitude CHANGE, not one of the four properties describing an attitude itself.
Passage-Based Questions
- (B) Ramesh assumes some truth must lie behind what ‘everyone says’, exactly the kernel of truth concept.
- (C) Blaming an unrelated outgroup for one’s own group’s problems is scapegoating; in the chapter’s definition, a majority group blames a weak minority outgroup for its own social, economic or political problems.
True / False
- (A) (i) is true. (ii) is false: they were refused service only once, not on every occasion.
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