Test your knowledge with 20 MCQs on Feminism and Social Constructionism | Questions with Answers & Explanations

Test your knowledge of Feminism and Social Constructionism with 20 well-researched MCQs. Each question includes answers and explanations to help you understand contemporary developments in social theory.

1. What is the core idea of feminism?

A) Gender roles are biologically determined
B) Advocating for equal rights and opportunities for all genders
C) Women should be superior to men
D) Social hierarchy should remain unchanged

Answer: B) Advocating for equal rights and opportunities for all genders

Explanation: Feminism seeks to address gender inequalities and promote equal rights in social, political, and economic spheres.

2. Which wave of feminism is associated with suffrage and voting rights?

A) First wave
B) Second wave
C) Third wave
D) Fourth wave

Answer: A) First wave

Explanation: The first wave of feminism (19th–early 20th century) focused on legal rights, particularly women’s suffrage.

3. Social constructionism suggests that:

A) Reality is objectively determined
B) Knowledge and identity are shaped by social interactions
C) Biology solely determines human behavior
D) Cultural norms are fixed and universal

Answer: B) Knowledge and identity are shaped by social interactions

Explanation: Social constructionism argues that our understanding of reality, including gender and social norms, is created through social processes and interactions.

4. Who is considered one of the key figures in social constructionism?

A) Simone de Beauvoir
B) Karl Marx
C) Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann
D) Judith Butler

Answer: C) Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann

Explanation: Berger and Luckmann introduced the concept of social constructionism in their book The Social Construction of Reality (1966).

5. Judith Butler is best known for her work on:

A) Intersectionality
B) Gender performativity
C) Postmodern feminism
D) Economic determinism

Answer: B) Gender performativity

Explanation: Butler’s theory of gender performativity suggests that gender is not innate but is constructed through repeated social behaviors.

6. The second wave of feminism primarily focused on:

A) Voting rights
B) Workplace equality and reproductive rights
C) Digital activism
D) Climate change

Answer: B) Workplace equality and reproductive rights

Explanation: The second wave (1960s–1980s) addressed issues such as reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, and legal inequalities.

7. Social constructionism argues that categories such as race and gender are:

A) Based purely on biology
B) Socially and culturally created
C) Unchanging across societies
D) Irrelevant to identity

Answer: B) Socially and culturally created

Explanation: Social constructionism holds that race, gender, and other social categories are products of cultural and historical contexts.

8. Which feminist theorist wrote The Second Sex?

A) Simone de Beauvoir
B) Betty Friedan
C) Angela Davis
D) Judith Butler

Answer: A) Simone de Beauvoir

Explanation: In The Second Sex, de Beauvoir argues that women are made, not born, highlighting the social construction of gender.

9. The term "intersectionality" was coined by:

A) Gloria Steinem
B) Kimberlé Crenshaw
C) bell hooks
D) Adrienne Rich

Answer: B) Kimberlé Crenshaw

Explanation: Intersectionality examines how overlapping social identities (e.g., race, gender, class) create unique experiences of oppression.

10. Postmodern feminism critiques:

A) The focus on legal equality
B) The idea of a universal female experience
C) The role of technology in gender issues
D) The environmental movement

Answer: B) The idea of a universal female experience

Explanation: Postmodern feminism challenges the notion that all women share the same experiences, emphasizing diversity and fluid identities.

11. The concept of "hegemonic masculinity" was introduced by:

A) Judith Butler
B) R.W. Connell
C) Michel Foucault
D) bell hooks

Answer: B) R.W. Connell

Explanation: Hegemonic masculinity refers to dominant forms of masculinity that reinforce male power and social hierarchy.

12. Feminist standpoint theory argues that:

A) Women’s experiences are identical across cultures
B) Knowledge is shaped by social positions and experiences
C) Only elite perspectives matter
D) Gender roles are biologically fixed

Answer: B) Knowledge is shaped by social positions and experiences

Explanation: Standpoint theory suggests that marginalized groups have unique insights into social reality due to their lived experiences.

13. The "social contract" concept in feminist theory critiques:

A) Traditional economic systems
B) The exclusion of women from political agreements
C) Religious institutions
D) Psychological theories

Answer: B) The exclusion of women from political agreements

Explanation: Feminist critiques argue that historical social contracts privileged men while marginalizing women’s voices.

14. Who wrote The Feminine Mystique?

A) Gloria Steinem
B) Betty Friedan
C) Audre Lorde
D) Simone de Beauvoir

Answer: B) Betty Friedan

Explanation: Friedan’s book criticized the limited roles of women in the 1950s and helped launch second-wave feminism.

15. Which of the following is an example of a socially constructed concept?

A) DNA structure
B) Gender roles
C) Gravity
D) Blood type

Answer: B) Gender roles

Explanation: Gender roles are created by societies and vary across cultures, making them socially constructed.

16. Which of these is NOT a branch of feminism?

A) Liberal feminism
B) Radical feminism
C) Economic determinism
D) Ecofeminism

Answer: C) Economic determinism

Explanation: Economic determinism is a Marxist concept, whereas the other options are feminist perspectives.

17. What is the primary focus of third-wave feminism?

A) Women's suffrage
B) Workplace rights
C) Diversity, inclusivity, and intersectionality
D) Property rights

Answer: C) Diversity, inclusivity, and intersectionality

Explanation: Third-wave feminism (1990s–2000s) focuses on gender fluidity, inclusivity, and intersectionality.

18. Social constructionism challenges:

A) The existence of objective reality
B) Cultural diversity
C) Personal opinions
D) The importance of historical events

Answer: A) The existence of objective reality

Explanation: Social constructionists argue that our understanding of reality is shaped by social contexts rather than objective facts.

19. Who is a prominent feminist critic of capitalism?

A) Judith Butler
B) bell hooks
C) Angela Davis
D) Betty Friedan

Answer: C) Angela Davis

Explanation: Davis critiques capitalism for reinforcing racial, gender, and class inequalities.

20. Fourth-wave feminism is characterized by:

A) Focus on legal equality
B) Digital activism and intersectionality
C) Avoidance of gender discussions
D) The rejection of earlier feminist movements

Answer: B) Digital activism and intersectionality

Explanation: Fourth-wave feminism, emerging in the 2010s, uses social media to address gender inequality and intersectional issues.