American Studies
Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
American Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the history, culture, society, and politics of the United States, examining how diverse peoples, ideas, and institutions have shaped and continue to inform the American experience. Drawing on methodologies from history, literature, sociology, politics, and the arts, this course encourages critical analysis of key themes such as identity, race, gender, migration, democracy, and the global impact of American culture. By examining primary and secondary sources, students develop an understanding of the complex narratives and debates that have defined the nation, as well as the ongoing processes that shape American life in a global context.
Recommended Textbook
Drugs in American Society 9th Edition by Erich Goode
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
16 Chapters
456 Verified Questions
456 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3009 Page 2
Chapter 1: A History of Drug Use
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59793
Sample Questions
Q1) Currently,the percentage young adults (18-25)who have drunk at least one alcoholic beverage in the prior month is:
A) a minority-roughly one quarter (25%)
B) roughly half to three-quarters (50-75%)
C) practically everyone (over 90% of the population)
D) unknown
E) none of the above
Answer: B
Q2) Recent increases in overall drug use in the United States have taken place mainly in the consumption of which of the following drugs:
A) heroin
B) methamphetamine
C) cocaine
D) MDMA (Ecstasy)
E) marijuana
Answer: B
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
3
Chapter 2: A History of Drug Control
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59785
Sample Questions
Q1) Which president was "tougher" on drug users-Nixon or Reagan? Why? Justify your answer.
Answer: Answers will vary
Q2) During the course of the 1980s-that is,from 1980 to the end of 1989-the number of prisoners incarcerated in state penal institutions: A) increased B) decreased C) remained the same D) fluctuated wildly and erratically from year to year E) none of the above
Answer: A
Q3) Why has legislation against most illicit drugs been a "success" in that it remains in place and more or less enforced.(Most persons incarcerated in federal prisons,and about a third in state prisons,were convicted for violating the drug laws.)In contrast,laws against the sale of alcohol were a "failure" in the sense that they were repealed.Why the difference? Explain what social forces brought about the success of one and the failure of the other.
Answer: Answers will vary
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
4
Chapter 3: The Pharmacological Perspective
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59784
Sample Questions
Q1) Psychopharmacologists classify OxyContin as a/n:
A) euphoriant
B) depressant
C) disassociative anesthetic
D) hallucinogen
E) analgesic
Answer: E
Q2) Compared with 30 years ago,the potency of the heroin now available on the street:
A) is greater
B) is weaker
C) is more or less the same with respect to potency
D) fluctuates wildly and randomly from year to year
E) remains unknown
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: The Sociologist Looks at Drug Use
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59783
Sample Questions
Q1) The proportion of tobacco smokers who use tobacco abusively and compulsively-that is,on a day-by-day,hour-by-hour basis,is:
A) none,or a minuscule proportion
B) a substantial minority-roughly a quarter of all smokers
C) roughly half
D) a substantial majority-roughly three-quarters of all smokers
E) all or nearly all
Q2) Which of the following drugs was produced and first consumed by humans during its synthetic era?
A) LSD
B) psilocybin mushrooms
C) marijuana
D) cocaine
E) none of the above
Q3) Taking LSD to get high is an example of:
A) illegal recreational use
B) legal recreational use
C) illegal instrumental use
D) legal instrumental use
E) none of the above
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Drugs in the Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59782
Sample Questions
Q1) News stories in the 1960s about the harm caused by the use of LSD:
A) reported consistently throughout the decade about only one harm the use of the drug caused-insanity and self-destruction
B) reported consistently throughout the decade about only one harm the use of the drug caused-chromosome damage
C) began by focusing its reporting mainly on one harm the use of the drug caused (insanity and self-destruction),but switched its attention to a second harm (chromosome damage)
D) was unfocused and all over the map with regard to the harm the use of the drug caused-from addiction to overdoses to progression to more dangerous drugs
E) none of the above
Q2) How does the media hierarchy of prestige influence media sensationalism with respect to drug use? Do media organizations higher on the ladder of prestige present a drug story in a different way than media organizations lower down on the ladder of prestige? Explain.
Q3) Discuss some common themes that can be found during all the eras of drug stories,from marijuana use in the 1930s to methamphetamine use in the late 1990s to the early twenty-first century.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Studying Drug Use
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59781
Sample Questions
Q1) When drug test results were compared with self-reports on surveys of drug use,researchers found that:
A) positive testees were more likely to self-report drug use than negative testees.
B) positive testees were less likely to self-report drug use than negative testees.
C) positive and negative testees were equally as likely to self-report drug use.
D) the degree of correspondence between the results of drug tests and self-report surveys was zero-they had a random relationship with one another.
E) the degree of correspondence between the results of drug tests and self-report surveys remains unknown-and unknowable.
Q2) Discuss the sources available to the researcher and assess which one produces data on drug use that are most relevant to the questions the public wants answered.Which one or ones are most relevant to the policy analyst? To the criminologist?
Q3) If you were to present data on drug use to a legislature or legislative committee attempting to revise the drug laws,which data source or sources would you use? Why? Explain.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Explaining Drug Use
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
22 Verified Questions
22 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59780
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following theories emphasizes the absence of bonds to conventional society as a major explanation for deviance,crime,delinquency,and drug abuse?
A) self-control theory
B) social control theory
C) social learning and subculture theory
D) anomie theory
E) social disorganization theory
Q2) Reinforcement theories of drug use and abuse focus:
A) entirely on positive reinforcement
B) entirely on negative reinforcement
C) on both positive and negative reinforcement
D) neither on positive nor on negative reinforcement
E) none of the above
Q3) In the social sciences,a theory is:
A) a guess
B) an incorrect assertion
C) a denial that something took place
D) a reasoned,empirically-based explanation for a set of events or condition
E) none of the above
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 9
Chapter 8: Legal Drugs: Alcohol and Tobacco
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59779
Sample Questions
Q1) If the legal drugs cause roughly thirty times as many deaths as illegal drugs,why does the use of illicit drugs cause so much more furor than the use of legal drugs and attract so much more attention? Focus you answer on more than simply "the use of illicit drugs is deviant." Can we find material or medical reasons behind this condemnation?
Q2) Why do you think such a strong relationship exists between the consumption of alcohol and engaging in risky,deviant behavior?
Q3) One of the most striking and influential developments that has taken place in the sphere of public health in the past 40 years or so has been the sharp decline in cigarette smoking.Why has smoking declined and how is it socially patterned?
Q4) In the United States in the past 30 years or so,the number of alcohol-related fatalities,the percentage they constitute of all automobile fatalities,and the likelihood that they take place per million miles driven,have all substantially declined.Discuss the reasons why this has taken place.
Q5) What are the similarities and differences between the use of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco and the use of illicit drugs such as marijuana and cocaine?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 10
Chapter 9: Prescription Drugs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
26 Verified Questions
26 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59778
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following prescription drugs does not produce a high,intoxication,or euphoric state?
A) narcotics
B) sedative-hypnotics
C) antipsychotics
D) barbiturates
E) All of the above produce a euphoric state.
Q2) One of the most dramatic changes in the past half-century or so in psychiatric medication was the near-emptying out of mental hospitals.Describe what happened and why.
Q3) In the 1960s,the barbiturates were a widely-prescribed sedative-hypnotic; today,they are much less commonly prescribed.Why?
A) they have harmful side effects
B) they are not effective as sedatives
C) they are not effective as hypnotics
D) they are still widely prescription,though in generic rather than brand-name form
E) they are actually safe and effective,but they received damaging media attention discouraged physicians from prescribing them
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
11
Chapter 10: Marijuana, Lsd, and Club Drugs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59792
Sample Questions
Q1) No authors of texts on drug use have included marijuana in which of the following categories:
A) stimulant
B) narcotic
C) sedative
D) hallucinogen
E) Some writers have included marijuana as belonging in each of these categories
Q2) Is marijuana a dangerous drug? Assess the evidence on both sides of the argument.
Q3) Psychopharmacologists classify ketamine as a:
A) benzodiazepine-a sedative/hypnotic
B) narcotic
C) disassociative anesthetic
D) stimulant
E) none of the above
Q4) Render a sociological portrait of the typical,modal,or most characteristic user of marijuana.
Q5) A substantial number of authors of discussions of drug use regard PCP and MDMA (Ecstasy)as hallucinogens.Why? In contrast,the author of this chapter does not.Why not? Be specific and detailed.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Stimulants: Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Crack
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59791
Sample Questions
Q1) Compare expert opinion on the dangerousness of cocaine use over the past generation,or the past 30 years or so.
A) In the past,experts tended to underplay the dangerousness of cocaine use; today,they tend to exaggerate it.
B) In the past,experts tended to exaggerate the dangerousness of cocaine us; today,they tend to underplay it.
C) Both in the past and today,experts underplay or underplayed the dangerousness of cocaine use.
D) Both in the past and today,experts exaggerate or exaggerated the dangerousness of cocaine use.
E) none of the above
Q2) The law penalizes,and public opinion condemns,crack cocaine possession,distribution,and sale more harshly than for powder cocaine.Is this fair? Does it make sense? Or is there some logic to it? Explain.
Q3) Spell out some differences between the use of amphetamine pills and tablets and the IV injection of methamphetamine.
Q4) What is "immediate sensual appeal" and what role does it play in the use and abuse of the stimulants,including cocaine?
Page 13
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 12: Heroin and the Narcotics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59790
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following effects is not an effect of the relevant or appropriate dose or doses of narcotic drugs?
A) euphoria
B) mental clouding
C) addiction-a physical dependence
D) analgesia
E) all are effects of the narcotics,given the relevant dose or doses
Q2) Compared with most of the other drugs,the margin between the ED and LD for narcotics is:
A) wide
B) narrow
C) the same
D) unknown
E) none of the above
Q3) Which of the following is not a narcotic drug?
A) morphine
B) methedrine
C) meperidine
D) methadone
E) None of the above; all are narcotic drugs.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Trafficking in Illicit Drugs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59789
Sample Questions
Q1) Among women,as the volume of cocaine consumed increases,the likelihood of being the victim of a crime:
A) increases B) decreases C) remains the same D) remains unknown and unknowable E) none of the above
Q2) The early studies of narcotic addiction that put forward the validity the enslavement or economic-compulsive model argued for a particular change in the drug law.What was this change that they proposed,why did they see it as a conclusion of their research,and what political consequences did their arguments have? Which well-known sociologists were associated with this position?
Q3) During the past two decades,the purity of cocaine sold on the street in the U.S.: A) has increased B) has decreased C) has remained stable D) remains unknown E) none of the above
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
15
Chapter 14: Law Enforcement, Drug Courts, and Drug Treatment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59788
Sample Questions
Q1) Over the past three or four decades,the illicit drug market has:
A) become much more centralized,organized,and hierarchical
B) become extremely decentralized
C) remained at the same level of centralization
D) remained secrete-unknown and unknowable
E) none of the above
Q2) According to the thinking of contemporary economists:
A) All crime is economically productive
B) No crime is economically productive
C) Some crime is economically productive,while some is not,some may be negative in its economic impact
D) The economic impact of crime on a society is unknown and unknowable E) none of the above
Q3) How does world-wide globalization make for drug distribution networks and drug supply to the United States? Given the nature of globalization do you think it is possible to wipe out drug selling by making arrests in the countries that supply the U.S.with illicit drugs? Why or why not?
Q4) What two factors are absolutely necessary to drug use and abuse? Are they sufficient,each by itself? Explain.
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 15: Law Enforcement, Drug Courts, and Drug Treatment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59787
Sample Questions
Q1) The black-white disparity rate of incarceration is:
A) greater for men than for women
B) greater for women than for men
C) the same for men and women
D) unknown-and unknowable
E) none of the above
Q2) Drug courts:
A) sentence drug offenders to the maximum possible mandatory prison terms.
B) are criminal courts that are instituted to penalize drug dealers.
C) divert drug offenders into treatment programs.
D) were set up to serve an unknown function.
E) none of the above.
Q3) In Drug War Heresies,drug experts Robert MacCoun and Peter Reuter argue that it is "plausible" that decreasing drug penalties will:
A) substantially increase illicit drug use
B) substantially decrease illicit drug use
C) not substantially increase use
D) have an unknown impact on drug use
E) none of the above
Q4) Should methadone be administered to all narcotic addicts? Why or why not?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: Legalization, Decriminalization, and Harm Reduction
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/59786
Sample Questions
Q1) Most of what drug legalizers have written has focused on:
A) detailing the particulars of a viable and workable drug legalization program.
B) explaining how drug legalization can usher in the socialist revolution.
C) detailing existing alternate legalization programs,such as those that have been instituted in West Europe.
D) criticizing the flaws of current punitive policy.
E) none of the above.
Q2) Some legalizers mistakenly believe that the drugs whose possession and sale are illegal in the United States have been legalized in West Europe-for instance,in the Netherlands.Explain the policy toward drug use that prevails in the Netherlands,pointing out how it differs from a genuine policy of drug legalization.
Q3) Legalizers believe that:
A) the demand for drugs is variable and elastic.
B) the currently illegal drugs are much more harmful than the legal drugs are.
C) criminalization deters use.
D) prohibition encourages the distribution and use of weaker,less dangerous drugs.
E) an illicit drug market tends to sell contaminated and dangerous drugs; legalization would enforce controls on purity and potency.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18