Test Bank for Social Problems-Community Policy and Social Action 8th Edition by Leon-Guerrero ISBN: 9781071929667
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Social Problems-Community Policy and Social Action (8th) ISBN 9781071929667 | Chapter 1: Sociology and the Study of Social Problems Total Questions: 80
Easy Multiple Choice (12) Q1. [Multiple Choice]
A social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals and our social world is referred to as which of these? a) social problem ✓ correct b) personal issue c) structural constraint d) human agency Q2. [Multiple Choice]
According to Spector and Kituse, social problems can be identified as happening in how many stages? a) two b) three c) four ✓ correct d) five Q3. [Multiple Choice]
C. Wright Mills defined the ______ as a small group of political, business, and military elite who exclusively control our society. a) power elite ✓ correct b) bourgeoisie c) proletariat d) prestige elite Q4. [Multiple Choice]
Identifying an issue as a social problem is a subjective process. Taking a private trouble and transforming it into a public issue is an example of what stage in this process? a) stage 1 ✓ correct b) stage 2 c) stage 3 d) stage 4 Q5. [Multiple Choice]
Quantitative research methods focus on the collection of ______. a) statistical data ✓ correct b) independent variables c) dependent variables d) social life as people experience it
Page 1
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q6. [Multiple Choice]
What is the term for the ability to link our own lives and experiences with our social world? a) sociology b) sociological imagination ✓ correct c) globalization d) socialism Q7. [Multiple Choice]
Which perspective considers how society is held together by power and coercion for the benefit of those in power? a) functionalist perspective b) symbolic interactionist perspective c) conflict perspective ✓ correct d) power perspective Q8. [Multiple Choice]
Which research method traces a sequence of events over time? a) focus groups b) secondary data analysis c) survey research d) historical and comparative methods ✓ correct Q9. [Multiple Choice]
Which type of theory focuses on the individual level of analysis of society? a) macro theory b) micro theory ✓ correct c) meso theory d) anomic theory Q10. [Multiple Choice]
Which type of theory focuses on the societal level of analysis of society? a) macro theory ✓ correct b) micro theory c) meso theory d) anomic theory Q11. [Multiple Choice]
______ refers to an awareness of an individual’s social position in society. a) Class consciousness ✓ correct b) Class awareness c) Class alienation d) Class subjectivity Q12. [Multiple Choice]
______ use their responses to support, educate, and empower individuals and their communities. a) Social researchers b) Social advocates ✓ correct c) Social interactionists d) Social innovators True/False (3)
Page 2
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q13. [True/False]
A theory is a set of assumptions and propositions used for explanation, prediction, and understanding. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q14. [True/False]
Applied research has a specific intent to utilize findings for policy implementation. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q15. [True/False]
In the first stage of the identification of a social problem, activists, advocates, and victims of the problem feel distrust toward formal organizations. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False
Medium Multiple Choice (30) Q16. [Multiple Choice]
A functionalist, concerned about the structure of society, often examines various social ______ of society. a) institutions ✓ correct b) symbols c) inequalities d) human agency Q17. [Multiple Choice]
A set of assumptions and propositions used for explanation, prediction, and understanding is defined as which of these? a) a theory ✓ correct b) a hypothesis c) a macro−level analysis d) a micro−level analysis Q18. [Multiple Choice]
A social problem has ______. a) personal and public issues b) structural conditions and human agency c) objective and subjective realities ✓ correct d) cultural characteristics and globalization Q19. [Multiple Choice]
According to Karl Marx, conflict based on social class created tensions between which two groups? a) proletariat and bourgeoisie ✓ correct b) men and women c) Republicans and democrats d) workers and non−workers
Page 3
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q20. [Multiple Choice]
According to Spector and Kituse’s stage model of social problems, the transformation of COVID−19 from private trouble to a public issue is an example of which stage of social problem emergence? a) stage one ✓ correct b) stage two c) stage three d) stage four Q21. [Multiple Choice]
According to the text, which statement is true for all four sociological perspectives? a) They examine society from the macro level. b) They highlight how social problems emerge from our social structure or social interaction. ✓ correct c) They underscore the importance of qualitative analysis in understanding our social world. d) They connect the experience of inequality to globalization. Q22. [Multiple Choice]
Charles Lemert argues that sociology is a thing to be ______. a) studied b) lived ✓ correct c) discussed d) rejected Q23. [Multiple Choice]
Damien and his friends are at a barbecue discussing the changes in AIDS over the past few decades. Damien asserts that HIV/AIDS is no longer a significant global health concern because his neighbor is HIV positive and is thriving. Damien's statement is most likely based on which of these? a) objective reality b) subjective reality ✓ correct c) social constructionism d) sociological imagination Q24. [Multiple Choice]
Durkheim argued that during periods of rapid social change when social norms and values are evolving ______ is likely to occur. a) anomie ✓ correct b) dysfunction c) deviance d) constructionism Q25. [Multiple Choice]
Feminist theorists would be most likely to explore which of these? a) the proletariat b) anomie c) class consciousness d) patriarchy ✓ correct
Page 4
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q26. [Multiple Choice]
How does the self emerge from the interaction? a) We act based on our past experiences and based on what we have come to accept as definitions of each role. ✓ correct b) It is our given nature, and we are born with a natural instinct to interact. c) The self never emerges. d) It is believed everyone is born with a true meaning of self. Q27. [Multiple Choice]
In the United States in most college classrooms, students will raise their hand when they want to speak and wait to be called on by their professor. This rule of behavior that is shared across classrooms, students, and teachers is an example of what? a) a norm ✓ correct b) society c) status d) a belief Q28. [Multiple Choice]
Jean Schroedel and Daniel Jordan examined the allocation of federal funds to four distinct HIV/AIDS groups between 1982 and 1992. The group that received the most funding was labeled as which of these? a) advantaged ✓ correct b) dependents c) deviants d) contenders Q29. [Multiple Choice]
Reforming practices and protocols are sometimes necessary when more information is available. For example, early public health protocols were revised in response to an increased understanding of how COVID−19 is spread and treated. This is an example of what stage in the identification of a social problem? a) stage 1 b) stage 2 c) stage 3 ✓ correct d) stage 4 Q30. [Multiple Choice]
Social structures can have positive or negative consequences. According to functionalist, Robert Merton, what is the name for the negative consequences? a) malfunctions b) negative functions c) conflict d) dysfunctions ✓ correct Q31. [Multiple Choice]
Sociologists are often concerned about the fact that personal choices are constrained by what? a) poor choices b) social structure ✓ correct c) natural consequences d) individual failures
Page 5
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q32. [Multiple Choice]
Some social conditions are considered a problem by one group in society but completely ignored by another group. This suggests that social problems are which of these? a) subjective ✓ correct b) objective c) structural d) imaginary Q33. [Multiple Choice]
This sociological perspective helps explain the fact that there are subjective aspects of social problems. a) conflict theory b) social functionalism c) social constructionism ✓ correct d) feminism Q34. [Multiple Choice]
What active role of individuals do Interactionists—more than any other perspective—stress as a factor in creating their social environment? a) human agency ✓ correct b) human energy c) socialization d) social construction Q35. [Multiple Choice]
What is one way that objective realities of a social problem can be confirmed? a) collection of data ✓ correct b) personal accounts c) human agency d) subjective observations Q36. [Multiple Choice]
What is the term for the belief that problems only become real because they were perceived and defined that way? a) social constructionism ✓ correct b) social problem c) objective reality d) definitional theory Q37. [Multiple Choice]
Which of these is a way to confirm that COVID−19 is a real disease that has human and social consequences? a) watch political commentary about the disease on television b) ask family members and friends about their experiences with the disease c) personally experience the disease d) observing infected individuals in one’s community ✓ correct Q38. [Multiple Choice]
Which of these theories takes a micro−level of analysis? a) functionalist theory b) conflict theory c) feminist theory d) symbolic interactionist theory ✓ correct
Page 6
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q39. [Multiple Choice]
Which research method is designed to capture social life as participants experience it? a) qualitative ✓ correct b) quantitative c) survey d) historical and comparative Q40. [Multiple Choice]
Which stage in the process of identifying an issue as a social problem entails reforming practices and engaging in organizational restructuring? a) transformational b) legitimization c) conflict ✓ correct d) alternative Q41. [Multiple Choice]
Which statement best defines secondary data analysis? a) data collected based on responses to a series of questions b) research that involves working with data that the researcher did not originally design or collect ✓ correct c) research that focuses on one historical period or traces a sequence of events over several years d) data collected in the field by an interviewer Q42. [Multiple Choice]
Which theorist is associated with the Interactionist Perspective? a) Karl Marx b) Emile Durkheim c) C. Wright Mills d) George Herbert Mead ✓ correct Q43. [Multiple Choice]
Which theorist proposed that the function of society is to control individual actions? a) Karl Marx b) Emile Durkheim ✓ correct c) C. Wright Mills d) George Herbert Mead Q44. [Multiple Choice]
Who developed the concept of the “Social Construction of Reality”? a) Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim b) Jane Addams and C. Wright Mills c) Peter Berger and Thomas Luckman ✓ correct d) Max Weber and Robert Merton Q45. [Multiple Choice]
With which of these statements about social problems would Symbolic Interactionists agree? a) Individuals’ behaviors that lead to social problems are biological in nature. b) All social problems result from inequality in the social structure. c) All social problems have functions and dysfunctions for society. d) Objective social problems do not exist; they become real only if they are defined and labeled. ✓ correct True/False (17) Page 7
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q46. [True/False]
A social institution is a set of assumptions and propositions that help define the relationship between society and individuals. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q47. [True/False]
Andy is a student and an athlete. These are examples of his statuses. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q48. [True/False]
Anomie can be explained by periods of rapid social change, such as political upheaval. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q49. [True/False]
Beliefs are informal rules of behavior shared by members of a society and rooted in a cultural value system. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q50. [True/False]
Dr. Johnston, drawing from a conflict perspective, argued that most social problems can be traced back to human agency. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q51. [True/False]
For a social condition to be considered a social problem, it must be personally experienced by every individual in a particular society. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q52. [True/False]
For feminists, the patriarchal society where men dominate women and justify their domination within powerful groups is the basis of social problems. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True
Page 8
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q53. [True/False]
From a conflict perspective, most social problems do not arise from competing interest groups; rather, they emerge out of family issues. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q54. [True/False]
Functionalism uses a macro perspective to examine society. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q55. [True/False]
Policies and programs that feature an untested approach are typically referred to as theories. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q56. [True/False]
Secondary data analysis usually involves the analysis of originally collected data. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q57. [True/False]
Social action to address social problems is effective only in the form of laws. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q58. [True/False]
Social problems can have negative consequences for families, our educational system, and the economy. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q59. [True/False]
Symbolic interactionism is primarily a macro−level perspective. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False Q60. [True/False]
The global pandemic is an example of personal trouble. a) True b) False ✓ correct Correct answer: False
Page 9
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q61. [True/False]
The social constructionist perspective focuses on how social problems are defined. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Q62. [True/False]
The sociological imagination gives us the ability to link our personal lives and experiences with our social world. a) True ✓ correct b) False Correct answer: True Essay (6) Q63. [Essay]
Describe Karl Marx’s views on conflict and capitalism. According to Marx, what is alienation? Suggested answer: Sample response: According to Marx, conflict emerged from the economic substructure of capitalism. He argued that there was a conflict between the two classes of workers: the bourgeoise, those who owned the means of production; and the proletariat, the workers. Marx maintained that in a capitalist society, individuals were alienated from one’s true self, and alienation occurred on multiple levels. For example, a person could be alienated from their work, the product of their work, other workers, and their own human potential. Q64. [Essay]
Describe the role of feminist perspectives in examining social problems, including oppression and inequality. Suggested answer: Sample response: Feminist theories focus on the causes and consequences of women’s oppression. The feminist perspective examines gender and other forms of oppression as the source of inequality and social problems. For example, feminist theorists may examine reasons why women often earn less money even when they hold the same or similar positions to men in the workforce. They also may be interested in the unequal division of household labor and childcare responsibilities between men and women. Q65. [Essay]
Discuss the different research methods: survey research, qualitative methods, historical and comparative methods, and secondary data analysis. How are these methods distinctive from each other? Suggested answer: Sample response: Survey research is a data collection based on responses to a series of questions. Surveys can be offered in several formats: a self-administered mailed survey, group surveys, in-person interviews, or telephone surveys. Qualitative methods include data collection conducted in the field, emphasizing the observations about natural behavior as experienced or witnessed by the researcher. Methods include participant observation for gathering data, which involves developing, and sustaining relationships with people while they go about their normal activities. Focus groups are unstructured group interviews where a focus group leader actively encourages discussion among participants on the topic of interest. Lastly, relatively unstructured, is intensive interviewing, where the interviewer seeks in-depth information on the interviewee’s feelings and experiences, and perceptions. A third of the methods are historical and comparative methods is the historical method is a research method that focuses on one historical period or traces a series of events over time. Comparative research involves multiple cases or more than one time period. The fourth and final of the methods is secondary data analysis, which usually involves analysis of previously collected data that are used in a new analysis. Large public survey data sets such as the U.S. Census the General Social Survey, the National Election Survey, or the International Social Survey Program can be used, as can data collected in experimental studies or with qualitative data sets.
Page 10
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q66. [Essay]
Explain how the functionalist perspective examines social problems. How does this perspective differ from the ways in which conflict theories examine society? Suggested answer: Sample response: The functionalist perspective is a macro-level theory that examines the functions of the structure of society. It focuses on how society creates and maintains social order. Functionalists often consider those social problems may serve a function in society. For example, poverty has negative consequences (or dysfunctions) for children and families. However, a functionalist would consider that poverty benefits society in some ways, such as there are many jobs that depend on the existence of poverty. Without poverty, there would not be a need for many social agencies, non-profit organizations, and workers. While conflict perspective suggests that society is held together by power and coercion, they argue that social problems tend to benefit those in power. For example, the rich may profit from individuals who are suffering in poverty. The rich also tend to support policies that benefit themselves at the expense of those with fewer resources. Q67. [Essay]
Using a specific example, explain how the sociological imagination can help us understand the broader social factors contributing to an individual's unemployment. Suggested answer: Sample response: The sociological imagination emphasizes that social problems often have structural causes beyond individual control. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people in the service industry lost their jobs due to widespread business closures and economic disruptions. While unemployment may initially seem like a personal issue, the sociological imagination helps us see it as part of a larger societal problem, influenced by factors like the global pandemic, economic policies, and industry-specific downturns. This perspective allows us to connect individual experiences of unemployment to broader social realities. Q68. [Essay]
What is a theory? How do theories vary in their level of analysis when examining social problems? Give a specific example demonstrating how theories can help guide social research. Suggested answer: Sample response: A theory is a set of assumptions used for explanation, prediction, and understanding and can help guide research. Theories can be macro-level and consider social problems from looking at social institutions within our society, such as the economy, the educational system, and religious organizations. Micro-level theories focus on individual actions and behaviors that may contribute to social problems. Theories can help provide direction for sociological research. For example, if we were interested in examining poverty, we may draw from feminist theory to consider how the patriarchal structure of society benefits men, and women and children are more likely to live in poverty compared to men.
Hard Multiple Choice (8) Q69. [Multiple Choice]
According to feminist scholarship, what fundamentally orders social life and social institutions? a) Economic systems b) Technological advancements c) Political ideologies d) Gender and gender relations ✓ correct Q70. [Multiple Choice]
Carla is conducting a study examining the effect of income on available housing. “Available housing” is the ______. a) null hypothesis b) dependent variable ✓ correct c) research question d) independent variable
Page 11
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Q71. [Multiple Choice]
Christopher works at a factory doing the same repetitive task all day. He has little interaction with his coworkers, and he never sees the finished product that he helps produce. Drawing from the conflict perspective, what term best describes Christopher’s work experience? a) self−awareness b) class consciousness c) alienation ✓ correct d) human agency Q72. [Multiple Choice]
Dr. Bradley is conducting research on the relationship between social class and the likelihood of COVID−19 hospitalization. She finds that individuals of lower social classes are more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID−19 compared to individuals of higher social classes. What is social class as portrayed in this example? a) the independent variable ✓ correct b) the dependent variable c) the hypothesis d) a theory Q73. [Multiple Choice]
Kirsten is conducting research on the relationship between media consumption and grades in school. She states that she expects to find that individuals who spend three or more hours on their phones each day will have lower grades in school. This statement is an example of what? a) hypothesis ✓ correct b) theory c) variable d) applied research Q74. [Multiple Choice]
Veronica identified that bullying was a problem at her school. She went to the school board and proposed specific guidelines to help better address the problem. The school adopted the new guidelines and developed a formal anti−bullying program, which resulted in changes to the way the school responded to bullying. What is this scenario an example of? a) social policy ✓ correct b) applied research c) class consciousness d) social innovation Q75. [Multiple Choice]
What might asociologistsay about widespread unemployment? a) It is a personal trouble. b) It is a public issue. ✓ correct c) It is not a social problem. d) It is not a concern of sociology. Q76. [Multiple Choice]
Which of these is an example of applied research? a) a study of divorce rates b) a study of predictors of diabetes c) a study of which programs best address opioid addiction ✓ correct d) a study of hook up culture at colleges
Page 12
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank
Essay (4) Q77. [Essay]
Describe how social policy can lead to social change. Using specific examples, describe the role of social advocates and social innovation in facilitating social change. Suggested answer: Sample response: Social policy refers to the enactment of a course of action through formal law or program. Policies reflect and shape the way society views social problems and the people who may experience these problems. For example, single parents may have difficulties affording childcare for their children, so they are able to work outside of the home. In response to this social problem, the U.S. government has developed financial assistance programs that can help parents pay for childcare including childcare subsidies (or vouchers). Head Start and Early Head Start are other programs that have been designed to help families who have low incomes prepare their children for school. Social advocates use their resources to support, educate, and empower individuals and their communities. Using the same example, a social advocate could help educate a low-income family on various resources that are available to help them. Social innovation may take the form of a policy, a program, or advocacy that features an untested or unique approach. There have been many innovative approaches used to assist low-income families. For example, Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that has helped build more than 1 million houses worldwide for individuals in need of housing. Q78. [Essay]
Drawing from the symbolic interactionist perspective, what is theself? Give an example of how the self emerges from social interaction. Suggested answer: Sample response: According to George Herbert Mead, the self is a mental and social process, and it is the reflective ability to see others in relation to ourselves and to see ourselves in relation to others. Symbolic interactionism focuses on micro-level social interactions. It is concerned with how we interact and communicate with others through words and symbols. The self emerges from interactions. We use our past experiences to help guide our social interactions. For example, in a classroom setting, the interactions between a professor and students help establish their roles within the educational system. When a student raises their hand and waits for the professor to call on them, it reinforces the established social roles and the power dynamics within that context. Q79. [Essay]
Explain the four−stage process identified by Spector and Kituse in the identification of a social problem. Suggested answer: Sample response: Stage 1 “transformation process”: private trouble is transformed into a public issue. In this stage, an influential group, activists, or advocates call attention to and define an issue as a social problem. Stage 2 “legitimization process”: The way social problems are handled is formalized. Stage 3 “conflict stage,” when Stage 2 routines are unable to address the problem. During Stage 3, activists, advocates, and victims of the problem experience feelings of distrust and cynicism toward the formal response organizations. Stage 3 activities include readjusting the formal response system: renegotiating procedures, reforming practices, and engaging in administrative or organizational restructuring. Stage 4 begins when groups believe that they can no longer work within the established system. Advocates or activists are faced with two options: to radically change the existing system or to work outside the system. Q80. [Essay]
How can you explain to someone who believes that sociology is not a true science that it actually is a scientific discipline? Suggested answer: Sample response: Sociology is a science because it uses systematic and logical methods to study social phenomena, similar to how biology studies the natural world. Sociologists develop theories, conduct empirical research using observations and data, and test hypotheses to understand patterns and relationships within society. Like other sciences, sociology relies on evidence gathered through quantitative and qualitative research methods to build knowledge about how our social world operates.
Page 13
Social Problems: Community Policy and Social Action 8e Leon-Guerrero Test Bank