Contemporary Social Issues
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
This course examines pressing social issues shaping contemporary society, including inequality, discrimination, globalization, environmental challenges, migration, and the impact of technology on social relations. Through critical analysis and discussion, students explore the root causes and consequences of these issues, the ways in which they are debated in public discourse, and potential strategies for social change. Emphasis is placed on understanding the complex interplay between individual experiences and larger structural forces, enabling students to develop informed perspectives and engage thoughtfully with current social debates.
Recommended Textbook
You May Ask Yourself An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist Core 4th Edition by Dalton
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
1556 Verified Questions
1556 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/444
Page 2
Conley
Chapter 1: The Sociological Imagination: An Introduction
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7866
Sample Questions
Q1) According to Comte,positivism arose out of a need to make ____________ sense of the social order in a time of declining religious authority.
A) scientific
B) moral
C) rational
D) economic
Answer: B
Q2) Max Weber criticized Marx because he felt he was "too narrow" in his focus.Why did Weber think Marx's focus was too narrow?
Answer: Weber believed there were multiple influences on human behavior,including religious ideologies,economics,and politics.Marx,in contrast,focused almost exclusively on how human behavior (feelings and actions)were the result of economic forces-or how a person's behavior primarily reflected his or her class interests: whether one was a capitalist "owner," or a member of the large proletariat class.Weber felt that Marx's approach was much too narrow because Marx didn't pay much attention to how culture,ideas,and religion also influenced human behavior (or how societies evolve).In other words,Marx saw culture,ideas,and religion as merely an effect rather than a cause of people's behavior.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: Methods
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
97 Verified Questions
97 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7867
Sample Questions
Q1) Paula begins to notice that there are patterns to where people sit on the bus,and these patterns differ depending on whether the rider is male or female.Based on these observations,she generates larger ideas (theories)about the behaviors of men and women.This is an example of which kind of research approach?
A) deductive
B) inductive
C) quantitative
D) a case study
Answer: B
Q2) Define causality,and list and define the three factors that are needed for it to be established.
Answer: Causality is the notion that a change in one factor or variable results in a corresponding change in another factor or variable.The three factors that must be established for a researcher to claim causality are correlation,time order,and ruling out alternative explanations.
11ea1b29_29a0_bb21_9599_b5663b737527_TB3339_00
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 3: Culture and Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7868
Sample Questions
Q1) Culture tends to be:
A) stable.
B) relative.
C) concrete.
D) natural.
Answer: B
Q2) According to ____________,the language we speak directly influences and reflects the way we think about and see the world.
A) the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
B) the high-low culture debate
C) Marxist ideology
D) the law of averages
Answer: A
Q3) The experience of internalizing a culture's norms,values,and the like,is known as:
A) socialization.
B) ideology.
C) hegemony.
D) reflection.
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 4: Socialization and the Construction of Reality
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7869
Sample Questions
Q1) Summarize the case of Anna.Based on the five conclusions reached from studying her life,what does this case tell us about the importance and limits of socialization?
Q2) According to Goffman,the main goal of impression management is to:
A) create an alter ego.
B) save face.
C) fool others.
D) control our self.
Q3) According to George Herbert Mead's stages of development,children learn to recognize an other through:
A) playing informally with other people.
B) imitation.
C) playing formal games (like baseball).
D) trial and error.
Q4) Who developed role theory as a way to examine social interaction?
A) Karl Marx
B) Erving Goffman
C) Robert Merton
D) Charles Horton Cooley
Q5) List and give an example of each of the four main agents of socialization.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Groups and Networks
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7870
Sample Questions
Q1) What kind of group ceases to exist if even one member leaves the group?
A) dyads
B) triads
C) affinity groups
D) informal groups
Q2) Cooley distinguished between two types of groups he called:
A) triads and dyads.
B) small and large groups.
C) primary and secondary groups.
D) parties and wild bashes.
Q3) When you go on a date with one other person,you have formed a:
A) union.
B) party.
C) relationship.
D) dyad.
Q4) A group that helps us understand our position relative to other groups is a(n): A) secondary group.
B) reference group.
C) small group.
D) in-group.
Page 7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Social Control and Deviance
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
86 Verified Questions
86 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7871
Sample Questions
Q1) Which term best describes what happens when other people label a person and that label affects his or her actions?
A) rebellion
B) innovation
C) primary deviance
D) secondary deviance
Q2) In 1973,the governor of New York State enacted legislation mandating increased prison terms for drug possession and sale.These are still in effect and are known as:
A) three strikes.
B) the war on drugs.
C) the Rockefeller drug laws.
D) you do the line, you do the time.
Q3) Which of Durkheim's types of social solidarity characterizes modern life?
A) mechanical
B) organic
C) anomic
D) egoistic
Q4) Explain the basic argument of deterrence theory and distinguish between specific and general deterrence.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Stratification
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
87 Verified Questions
87 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7872
Sample Questions
Q1) Soros has suggested that repealing the estate tax would result in a shift of the tax burden onto earnings,which would shift it onto people:
A) in the upper class.
B) with the most money.
C) in the middle class.
D) with less money.
Q2) One of the best ways to reduce the number of children born (according to Sachs)is to:
A) disallow marriages.
B) decrease infanticide.
C) provide family planning.
D) make access to education more difficult.
Q3) An example of the ideology of equality of condition put into practice is: A) segregation.
B) affirmative action.
C) health care.
D) slavery.
Q4) Define the three types of equality mentioned in your text: equality of opportunity,equality of condition,and equality of outcome.Use examples in your answer.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Gender
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
87 Verified Questions
87 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7873
Sample Questions
Q1) In the classroom,compared to girls,boys are:
A) more likely to interrupt (and to get away with it).
B) more frequently put down by their other-sex classmates.
C) called on by the teacher less during class discussion.
D) more frequently bullied out of class discussion.
Q2) Which of the following would NOT be considered a positive trait or characteristic for a man within today's hegemonic masculinity?
A) heterosexuality
B) strong jawline and muscular body
C) emotional sensitivity
D) a love of sports
Q3) Which statement is NOT true about girls as compared to boys?
A) Girls report a higher number of suicide attempts.
B) Girls frequently report low self-esteem.
C) Girls report experiencing more sexual harassment.
D) Infant females are at greater risk of death.
Q4) When examining the woman question,why is it important to include the intersection of sexual orientation,race,class,nationality,ability,and other factors? Use examples in your answer.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Race
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
87 Verified Questions
87 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7874
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the differences between race and ethnicity.How does symbolic ethnicity fit into explanations of ethnicity? How do the differences between race and ethnicity underscore the privileged position of whites in America?
Q2) Nativists believed that restricting the immigration of certain groups would:
A) create tension in ethnic communities.
B) protect the nation.
C) harm international relations.
D) eliminate racism.
Q3) Reverend Samuel Stanhope Smith's proposal that skin color should be viewed as a product of climate and therefore not correlated to inner virtues (e.g.,intelligence,character,personality)suggests that he felt:
A) people were are all the same beneath their skin.
B) skin color correlates with moral virtues.
C) skin color was immutable and innate.
D) skin color was a legitimate organizing principle.
Q4) Your text mentions forms that minority-majority group relations can take: assimilation,pluralism,segregation,and conflict.Discuss each form and give examples.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 10: Poverty
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7875
Sample Questions
Q1) An economist surveying lottery winners found that people who had zero earnings and who were not in the workforce before winning:
A) spent their money quickly.
B) increased their commitment to work.
C) gave most of their winnings to family and friends.
D) volunteered in their communities.
Q2) Gautreaux v.Chicago Housing Authority was a class action suit that alleged public housing was:
A) keeping the underclass poor.
B) de facto government segregation.
C) keeping the poor on public assistance.
D) not up to sanitary code.
Q3) Why is there such unequal distribution of wealth in the United States? How does the United States compare to other nations?
Q4) According to the underclass thesis,the poor are:
A) undependable.
B) no different from the rest of us.
C) deviant and dangerous to mainstream society.
D) unmotivated and lazy.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Health and Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7876
Sample Questions
Q1) While HMOs might decrease the prestige of physicians,they could also be detrimental to patients because a patient could be:
A) forced to go into an unlicensed hospital.
B) undertreated.
C) ignored by administrative staff.
D) forced into risky treatments.
Q2) Under HMOs,doctors usually don't get more money each time a patient comes in,so the incentive might be to:
A) undertreat the patient.
B) overtreat on the first visit.
C) spend maximal time with the patient.
D) let medical staff care for the patient.
Q3) Why aren't antibiotics as successful in treating illnesses as they were several years ago?
A) Fewer physicians are now prescribing antibiotics.
B) Individuals have developed allergies to them.
C) Antibiotics are not as available as they were in the past.
D) Bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
13
Chapter 12: Family (in Core edition)
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7877
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is true concerning the domestic world of Ozzie and Harriet portrayed in the 1950s television program?
A) The program was a good portrayal of how Americans lived, dressed, and spoke in the 1950s.
B) The program was popular because it portrayed the economic and emotional struggles of a bourgeois family.
C) The quality of family life today has declined significantly compared to the 1950s.
D) The program portrayed an idealized version of American family life in the 1950s.
Q2) Sociologist Arlie Hochschild (1980)has found that many women who would traditionally be expected to take care of the home and children also try to have a career.She calls this the:
A) supermom strategy.
B) cult of domesticity.
C) gender factory.
D) pecking order.
Q3) Define endogamy and exogamy as family forms and give an example of each.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Education
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7878
Sample Questions
Q1) Thomas transfers to a new school when his family moves to a new district,and he is placed in a classroom with students who have slightly higher average math grades than he does.Thomas is concerned that he will fall behind.Based on the research,what is the most likely outcome?
A) Thomas will fall behind and should be moved into a classroom where he has the highest scores.
B) Thomas will succeed and make academic gains when he is in the classes with other high achievers.
C) Thomas will become frustrated and decide to leave school before completing his degree.
D) Thomas will make stronger academic gains if he is tracked into a class with lower-achieving students.
Q2) In 2010,approximately ____________ percent of American adults over age 25 had a college degree.
A) 13
B) 19
C) 41
D) 64
Q3) Explain how race and social class intersect to affect education outcomes.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 15
Chapter 14: Capitalism and the Economy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
87 Verified Questions
87 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7879
Sample Questions
Q1) FBI consultant Robert Hare claimed that in the pursuit of profits for shareholders,corporations exhibit many of the same traits as:
A) psychopaths.
B) philanthropists.
C) narcissists.
D) hedonists.
Q2) The service sector is considered the most important and recent change in the American economy.Discuss this change along with the development of globalization.
Q3) Some critics claim the Carlyle Group uses insider political knowledge,or ____________,to dominate heavily regulated markets.
A) government monopoly
B) political arbitrage
C) corporate oligopoly
D) political intrusion
Q4) Your text discusses four recent phenomena that make the current period of globalization novel: new markets,new means of exchange,new players,and new rules.Discuss each of these phenomena and use examples.
Q5) Corporations have what is called limited liability.What does this mean?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Authority and the State
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7880
Sample Questions
Q1) Which kind of rights give the state the responsibility to interfere in its citizens' lives?
A) civil
B) political
C) social
D) individual
Q2) According to the state-centered approach,a politician from West Virginia who pushes a bill to improve health benefits for miners would do so to improve his or her own: A) popularity.
B) community service record.
C) power.
D) electoral votes.
Q3) Define and explain in detail the state's role in developing social policies.Define and explain a welfare state.
Q4) When Europeans came to North America,they were confronted by Native Americans.Because they wanted control and power over this population,Europeans told the Native Americans that they would take care of them by placing them in reservations in return for their land.What type of theory explains this type of welfare state?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 16: Religion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
86 Verified Questions
86 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7881
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT one that reflects Durkheim's thoughts about religion?
A) Sacred objects have power and meaning because individuals collectively invest the power and meaning in the symbols.
B) Because of tension between different religious groups in pluralistic societies, religion undermines social unity.
C) When people conform to the rules of their religion, they are conforming to the moral authority of their society.
D) We need to look at the functions that religion serves in order to understand how religion develops.
Q2) With regard to gender and religion,which of the following statements is FALSE?
A) Women's groups exist in a third of all congregations; men's groups exist in about a quarter.
B) Women tend to be more religious than men.
C) Women's organizations in churches have maintained their numbers even as women have entered the workforce in greater numbers since the 1970s.
D) Traditional religious beliefs tend to be correlated with traditional gender roles.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 18
Chapter 17: Science, the Environment, and Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7882
Sample Questions
Q1) Genetic modifications reduce waste in all these ways EXCEPT:
A) keeping produce in stores fresher.
B) keeping produce ripe longer.
C) decreasing plant maturation time.
D) all of the above are true.
Q2) Although the BRCA1 gene mutation is a genetic marker that predicts cancer now,it may not be a marker that predicts cancer in the future.Using your sociological imagination,explain why BRCA1 may not predict breast cancer in the future.
Q3) Farmers who are thinking about future generations have committed to several issues.Which of the following is NOT one of the issues mentioned in your text?
A) renewable resources
B) using environmentally friendly tractors
C) conservation of soil
D) saving energy
Q4) What is one of the risks genetic modification may have to the environment?
A) permanent damage to the soil
B) severe damage to other vegetation
C) an ecological chain reaction
D) contribution to global warming
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19
Chapter 18: Collective Action, Social Movements, and Social Change
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
83 Verified Questions
83 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/7883
Sample Questions
Q1) The Yes Men activists have been very successful at "culture jamming." They have impersonated the U.S.Chamber of Commerce,the leadership of the World Trade Organization,and several other government officials.They are attempting to create social change through impersonation and satire.Discuss your personal impressions of this method of social movement.Do you feel this is ethical behavior? Is unethical behavior ever a necessary component of a social movement? At what stage of a social movement do you feel this type of behavior fits?
Q2) The time period that is characterized by concentric circles of social affiliation is the period of:
A) modern societies.
B) premodern societies.
C) postmodern societies.
D) early modern societies.
Q3) How does the dialectic theory assume social change occurs?
A) linearly
B) slowly
C) out of conflict
D) peacefully
Q4) What are the two types of collective action? Give examples of membership.
Page 20
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.