Contemporary Social Issues
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
This course explores pressing social issues in contemporary society, examining topics such as inequality, gender, race, poverty, environment, health, and globalization. Students will analyze the causes and consequences of these issues from sociological, political, and economic perspectives, evaluating potential solutions and policy approaches. Through readings, discussions, and case studies, the course encourages critical thinking and informed debate to understand how social problems emerge, persist, and can be addressed in todays complex and interconnected world.
Recommended Textbook
Sociology The Essentials 8th Edition by Margaret L. Andersen
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16 Chapters
2480 Verified Questions
2480 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Sociological Perspective
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160 Verified Questions
160 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The fundamental principle or lesson of sociology is that
A)it is not possible to truly understand human behavior.
B)the social context shapes what people do and think.
C)it is easiest to study the most extreme and unusual behavior.
D)sociology just restates the obvious in empirical ways.
Answer: B
Q2) The early American sociologists are characterized by
A)their extremely theoretical approach to problems.
B)their adherence to the conflict perspective primarily.
C)their belief that sociology could alleviate the negative consequences of society.
D)their lack of interest in research.
Answer: C
Q3) The conflict perspective emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society. A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Culture and the Media
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156 Verified Questions
156 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The idea of cultural capital was developed by:
A)Durkheim.
B)Weber.
C)Marx.
D)Bourdieu.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following is an example of non-material culture?
A)a painting
B)a fashion magazine
C)a building
D)table manners
Answer: D
Q3) The theoretical perspective that examines how culture creates group identity from diverse cultural meanings is )
A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interaction
D)new cultural studies
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Doing Sociological research
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162 Verified Questions
162 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Covert participatory observation allows researchers to avoid the Hawthorne effect.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Explain why sociology is considered a science.
Answer: Sociology is considered a science because it uses systematic methods of empirical investigation, analysis, and critical thinking to understand and explain social phenomena. Like other sciences, sociology seeks to develop theories and test them through research to uncover patterns and trends in human behavior and social interactions. It also aims to make predictions and understand the underlying causes of social issues. Additionally, sociology follows the principles of objectivity, replicability, and peer review, which are fundamental to the scientific method. By studying society and human behavior in a systematic and rigorous way, sociology contributes to our understanding of the social world and helps us address complex social problems. Therefore, it is rightly considered a science.
Q3) Explain what content analysis is,and what types of questions it is most appropriate for.Describe the limitations of content analysis.
Answer: NOTGIVEN
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Chapter 4: Socialization and the Life Course
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150 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is true about rites of passage?
A)The ceremonies surrounding rites of passage tend to be informal and "low key."
B)Contemporary U.S.society has no single,formalized rite of passage marking the transition from childhood to adulthood.
C)Rites of passage are a unique feature of American society.
D)Rites of passage are relatively consistent over time.
Q2) The term for both prejudice and institutionalized discrimination against people of various ages is termed.
A)ageism
B)classism
C)cohort discrimination
D)age stereotypes
Q3) Albert likes to play catch with his brother,but he cannot understand the complete game of baseball.Albert is Likely in which of Mead's stages?
A)imitation
B)play
C)game
D)taking
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Chapter 5: Social Structure and Social Interaction
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160 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the principle of the social construction of reality; give an example.
Q2) When the different statuses of a person each brings with them significantly different amounts of prestige this causes.
A)role strain
B)status inconsistency
C)role conflict
D)status ambivalence
Q3) Explain the differences between preindustrial and industrial societies in terms of economic and social organization.
Q4) Which of the following describes a society according to sociologists?
A)Highly independent individuals living together.
B)Members who share common culture.
C)Members who are unaware of other societies.
D)Members who exhibit constant harmony.
Q5) How does post-industrialism impact members of society?
A)most have more leisure time
B)new kinds of jobs pay better so most make more money
C)education,particularly science,takes on paramount importance
D)full employment as new kinds of jobs are created
Q6) Explain the difference between macro- and microanalysis.What does each study?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Groups and Organization
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Sample Questions
Q1) Identify an example of McDonaldization (other than a fast food restaurant)and explain how it fits the definition of McDonaldization.
Q2) Explain the difference between microanalysis and macroanalysis when applied to the study of groups and organizations.
Q3) What are the effects of social class and race on people's roles within an organization?
A)Race and social class do not have any consistent effect on people's roles within an organization.
B)People of upper and middle class backgrounds are more likely to be promoted than someone with a lower-class background,even if they are of the same race.
C)When members of minority groups have the same level of education as their White peers,there is no difference in the rates of promotion.
D)When people with a lower social class background have the same level of education as their peers they are just as likely to be promoted.
Q4) Define social network and describe how they develop.Describe a benefit of social networks for the individual.
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Chapter 7: Deviance and Crime
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153 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The sociological definition of social deviance
A)stresses social context,not individual behavior.
B)focuses on individual nonconformity.
C)recognizes deviance as being the same for all groups and settings.
D)argues that definitions of deviance remain the same over time.
Q2) Which of the following would be of the least interest to sociologists studying drug and alcohol use?
A)How definitions of alcohol and drug abuse change over time.
B)Why using one substance is considered more than another.
C)The hormone levels of the people most likely to use drugs.
D)What social groups those who are most stigmatized belong to.
Q3) Labeling theorists argue that once a person is labeled deviant
A)they will only associate with others who are considered deviant.
B)the will no longer share an interest in socially desirable goals.
C)it will be difficult for them to reestablish a nondeviant identity.
D)they will turn to a life of crime.
Q4) The number of low income women who commit crimes is increasing due to their low wage position in the labor market.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Social Class and Social Stratification
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Sample Questions
Q1) The feudal societies of Europe in the Middle Ages are an example of a(n) system of stratification.
A)estate
B)caste
C)class
D)socialist
Q2) Using evidence from the text,answer the following question: Is welfare reform working?
Q3) What type of system did black workers experience during South Africa's period of Apartheid?
A)estate
B)caste
C)class
D)socialist
Q4) Virtually all societies have a system of social stratification.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Define the concept of the urban underclass.Explain how members of the urban underclass differ from others in the lower class.
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Chapter 9: Global Stratification
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Sample Questions
Q1) Conceptually,modernization theory is an outgrowth oftheory.
A)conflict
B)functionalist
C)symbolic interactionist
D)social control
Q2) Therefers to the number of live births a woman will have over her lifetime at the current rate in her country.
A)total fertility rate
B)fecundity rate
C)total growth rate
D)composite growth rate
Q3) World systems theory focuses on
A)internal factors in individual countries.
B)patterns of migration and other population issues.
C)the belief that there is a world economic system that must be understood as a single unit.
D)neocolonial relationships between individual countries and their former colonizers.
Q4) Discuss the characteristics of hunger for a population.
Q5) Explain how core and periphery countries are linked in the world system.
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Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity
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154 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The process of racial formation is supported by:
A)family members.
B)the government.
C)religious organizations.
D)social institutions.
Q2) When it comes to gender stereotypes,
A)men are generally stereotyped more negatively than women.
B)the same stereotypes are most often applied to both men and women.
C)stereotypes about women are more negative than those about men.
D)men are not subject to stereotyping.
Q3) How do sociologists distinguish between prejudice and discrimination?
Q4) The situation for women in society should be studied separately within each social class because differences between men and women are not the same in every racial or class group.This is an argument of the perspective.
A)intersection
B)functionalist
C)symbolic interactionist
D)social exchange
Q5) Explain how the concept of ethnic enclaves relates to the experience of Middle Easterners in the U.S.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Gender
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the nature versus nurture argument.What is your perspective on the debate?
Q2) Anita believes that the oppression of women is based on the capitalist economy.Anita is a:
A)liberal feminist
B)functionalist
C)conflict theorist
D)socialist feminist
Q3) Which of these statements about gender socialization is false?
A)Gender socialization impacts the self-concepts of both women and men.
B)Gender socialization influences the social and political attitudes of both men and women.
C)Gender socialization shapes the perceptions that men and women have about other people.
D)Gender socialization causes all members of society to conform to gender expectation of society.
Q4) Homophobia refers to a fear and hatred of homosexuals.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain how peers serve as a source of gender socialization.
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Chapter 12: Sexuality
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155 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The social construction of sexual identities is explained by.
A)conflict theory
B)functionalism
C)symbolic interaction theory
D)social control theory
Q2) Historically,how have sociologists approached the study of the experience of gays and lesbians?
A)as a form of deviance
B)as part of a spectrum of possibilities for human sexuality
C)as a normal phase in the development of adolescent sexuality
D)sociologists have focused primarily on homophobia
Q3) In the sociological study of sexual practices
A)behavior is studied more often than attitudes.
B)people are generally very consistent in terms of what they say and do.
C)actual behavior is difficult to document.
D)have been well-documented in surveys.
Q4) Explain the concept of sexualization as described by the American Psychological Association.Discuss the conditions that define sexualization and how they impact young girls in particular.
Q5) Explain the concepts of homophobia and heterosexism,and how they are related.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Families and Religion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Prior to industrialization,
A)the nuclear family was the cultural ideal in the U.S.
B)the household was the center for production and distribution of goods.
C)men were responsible for economic life and women were responsible for domestic life.
D)men worked in wage labor outside the home,and women and children labored at home.
Q2) 5families may find it necessary to have all family members working.
A)Migrant
B)Poor
C)Extended
D)Fictive
Q3) Compare a church and a sect.How do they differ by organization?
Q4) Religious extremism
A)is not found anywhere except the Middle East.
B)frequently fuels violent behavior,and is fed by religious intolerance.
C)only pertains to Christianity.
D)is only an individual phenomenon; it has no connection to social groups.
Q5) Identify the functions of religion as identified by Emile Durkheim.
Q6) Discuss the relationship between religious identification and intolerance.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Education and Health Care
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research on the relationship of social class to health care finds that
A)people with lower incomes do not generally rate their health as excellent.
B)those in lower social classes have rates of infant mortality and stillbirths roughly equal to those of upper- class people.
C)lower income people are less likely to smoke than upper-class people.
D)those using Medicaid are healthier than those not using Medicaid.
Q2) Recently,obesity has become
A)a minimized problem.
B)defined as a public health problem.
C)an individual issue.
D)largely solved.
Q3) Standardized ability tests are intended to measure.
A)potential
B)skill
C)intelligence
D)performance
Q4) Being skinny was associated with poor health during the early twentieth century.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the key components of the debate on high stakes testing.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Economics and Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Critics of the privatization of the military argue that
A)it may lure the best talent away from the traditional military if they make more money through private military employment.
B)privatization is much less efficient than retaining all functions within the government funded military.
C)privatization means that new recruits will not have any positions open to them within the military.
D)it may reward conflict over consensus.
Q2) Inthe Supreme Court ruled that federally funded military academies like the Citadel and West Point may not refuse to admit women.
A)1976
B)1986
C)1996
D)2006
Q3) Which of the following best represents feminist theories of the state?
A)The state should be predominantly matriarchal.
B)Power is directly linked to social class.
C)Women should boycott involvement in the state.
D)The state reflects men's interests,and is run primarily by men.
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Chapter 16: Environment, Population and Social Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Baby Boom is one of the most significant demographic events in all of U.S.history.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The path by which technological innovation enters society is reflective of the predominant cultural values of the society.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Studies of ecosystems have demonstrated that A)a disturbance in one element has an impact on the entire system. B)it is impossible for the social sciences to interconnect with the biological sciences. C)there are many social problems that are much more pressing than the environment. D)with proper management all resources can eventually be renewed.
Q4) The Taliban and al Qaeda are examples of groups that may be understood through the application of social movement theory.
A)True B)False
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