Public Policy and Social Issues Exam Review
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth exploration of how public policy shapes and responds to a wide range of contemporary social issues. Students will examine the policymaking process, including agenda setting, formulation, implementation, and evaluation, while analyzing the political, economic, and social contexts that influence decision-making. Key topics include inequality, healthcare, education, criminal justice, and environmental sustainability. Through case studies and critical discussions, students will develop analytical frameworks to assess the effectiveness of policies and the ethical considerations that underlie governmental responses to pressing public challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Introduction to Social Problems 10th Edition by Thomas J. Sullivan
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15 Chapters
600 Verified Questions
600 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2087
Page 2
Chapter 1: Approaches to the Study of Social Problems
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41538
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the functionalist perspective,what is the difference between manifest and latent functions?
A)Manifest functions are causative events,while latent functions are the actual results of a social action.
B)Manifest functions are the undesirable consequences of a social action,while latent functions are the desirable consequences.
C)Manifest functions are the intended consequences of a social action,while latent functions are the unintended or unexpected consequences.
D)Manifest functions are the changes that take a longer time to be effective,while latent functions show immediate results of a social action.
Answer: C
Q2) What was Karl Marx's stand on the influence of the personal values of researches on their works?
Answer: Karl Marx was a strong champion of the cause of the poor and the downtrodden,and he wanted to use science to improve their plight.He argued that social scientists should bring strong moral commitments to their work and use science to change inequitable or immoral social conditions.
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Chapter 2: Concentration of Power: Economic and Political Institutions
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41539
Sample Questions
Q1) According to investment firms,how can workers' pension funds be used to empower them?
Answer: Workers can be empowered by investing their pension funds.This approach takes advantage of the fact that workers have available a substantial amount of capital,mostly in the form of the billions of dollars in their pension funds.Much of this money is invested in purchasing the stocks of corporations,which means that the workers who own these pension funds are part owners of those corporations.Investment firms now use this worker's capital as a lever to insist that corporations support worker and family-friendly policies.
Q2) Which of the following responsibilities was given to the central government of the United States during the formation of the new Constitution post independence?
A)raising an army
B)regulating banks
C)providing healthcare facilities to its citizens
D)overseeing the allocation of resources
Answer: A
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4
Chapter 3: Family-Related Problems
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41540
Sample Questions
Q1) ________ refer to marriages in which parents would select marriage partners for their children,sometimes shortly after their birth,based on what was considered best for the family,and the prospective marriage partners had little other choice.
A)Participant-run romances
B)Arranged marriages
C)Parent-run courtships
D)Plural marriages
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following aspects of mass media has helped them play a central role in shaping the debate about problems in the modern family?
A)their tendency to downplay the negative aspects of modern families
B)their ability to remain unaffected by industrialization
C)their accurate portrayal of family lives in reality
D)their ability to influence people's beliefs and values
Answer: D
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5
Chapter 4: Health and Illness
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41541
Sample Questions
Q1) The ________ represents a coincidence of interests between physicians and other health-care providers and the industries producing health-care goods and services,with both parties profiting from the increased use of these commodities while the health-care consumer pays enormous costs for inadequate care.
A)military-industrial complex
B)functionalist perspective
C)medical-industrial complex
D)health maintenance organization
Q2) Which of the following is a limitation of the medical model on mental illness?
A)It does not consider the possibility that mental disorders can result from biochemical imbalances or genetic traits.
B)It can lead to a disregard for the many factors in the social environment that contribute to mental problems themselves.
C)It considers the basic nature of mental disorders to be different from that of physical disorders.
D)It disregards the possibility of external factors or internal dysfunction causing mental illness and makes individuals more accountable for their choices.
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6
Chapter 5: Education, Science, and Technology
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41542
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain how school systems vary in the United States and other countries in terms of the centrality of the planning and decision making.
Q2) Saul,a genetic engineer,takes a portion of DNA from a bacterial family and combines it with the DNA of a virus to observe the characteristic of the bacteria in the virus.Which of the following genetic engineering processes is seen in the given scenario?
A)gene splicing
B)mechanization
C)cybernation
D)gene culturing
Q3) What is biotechnology? What is its basic principle?
Q4) How did the United States narrow the cultural lag between technology and social policy?
A)by ensuring that education is made available for all classes of society
B)by encouraging competition for societal resources among various groups
C)by establishing workers' compensation and employer liability
D)by establishing strict dress codes with punishments for violation
Q5) What are the differences between charter schools and public schools?
Q6) According to the interactionist perspective,what are the consequences of labeling?
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Chapter 6: Poverty
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41543
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the functionalist perspective,inflation may be reduced by ________.
A)an increase in employment opportunities
B)increasing the demand for goods
C)increasing the cash flow within the country
D)an increase in unemployment
Q2) Which of the following trends has caused an increase in the percentage of homeless families in the United States?
A)an increase in the number of industrial jobs that pay a living wage
B)the flight of jobs from the cities where poor people live
C)an increase in the number of children being born to unmarried mothers
D)the need for specialization in the job market
Q3) Describe the use of the absolute definition of poverty.
Q4) The relative definition of poverty states that ________.
A)the poor in the United States are worse off today than they were 55 years ago
B)the poor in the United States are identified as those who are permanently and unwillingly poor
C)poverty has become less chronic
D)poverty has become less dysfunctional
Q5) Give a possible devastating consequence of temporary unemployment.
Q6) How can the relative nature of poverty be taken into account?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Race and Ethnic Relations
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41544
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the racist attitudes of the United States toward Chinese immigrants between 1882 and World War II.
Q2) ________ are rigid and oversimplified images in which each element or person in a category is assumed to possess all the characteristics associated with that category.
A)Analogies
B)Prejudices
C)Stereotypes
D)Anomies
Q3) Which of the following situations led to the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
A)the ability of Chinese laborers to demand and work for higher wages than other laborers
B)the increasing supremacy of Chinese immigrants in the United States
C)the increasing fear that Chinese would deprive whites of jobs in mining and railroading
D)the strained relationship between the Chinese and American governments due to trade issues
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Chapter 8: Gender,Sexual Orientation, and Social Inequality
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41545
Sample Questions
Q1) Gavin,a social worker,feels that women are still at the lower end of the status hierarchy in the work place.He is most likely to agree with the fact that ________.
A)women primarily are into professions such as engineers or physicians
B)women tend to hold jobs such as secretary or receptionist
C)employers hire women for jobs that require managerial skills
D)low-paying jobs are filled equally by men and women
Q2) The ________ issue is one of status politics where opposition to or support for the amendment is in part a controversy over who has the power to enforce the definition of appropriate sex-role behavior on society.
A)Women's Suffrage Amendment
B)Equal Rights Amendment
C)Educational Amendments Act
D)Nineteenth Amendment
Q3) Sex is a(n)________.
A)ascribed status
B)earned status
C)chosen status
D)achieved status
Q4) Summarize the patterns of female gender inequality across nations in the world.
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Chapter 9: Age and Social Inequality
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41546
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of industrial societies?
A)People are heavily dependent on their parents to making a living.
B)Entry-level positions in the economy can be gained with minimal parental support.
C)Kinship ties are a source of power and prestige for the elderly.
D)People enter the workforce at a very early age.
Q2) ________ need a highly educated and well-trained workforce to manage the complex technology and the elaborate division of labor.
A)Agricultural societies
B)Industrial societies
C)Feudal societies
D)Preindustrial societies
Q3) In industrial societies,retirement serves as a way of ________.
A)increasing the number of goods and services that are produced
B)reducing the number of workers who are competing for a limited number of jobs
C)reminding people that it is ideal for them to leave the work force while they are healthy
D)recognizing the capabilities of older people
Q4) Explain the reasons for poor conditions in nursing homes.
Q5) How do children suffer because of divorce?
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Chapter 10: Crime and Delinquency
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41547
Sample Questions
Q1) The court system in the United States uses a(n)________ model in evaluating guilt or innocence.
A)adversary
B)customary
C)inquisitorial
D)pluralistic
Q2) Sarah believes that the government should not control personal and moral issues and that gambling and drug use should be legal.Sarah supports the legalization of
A)victimless crimes
B)white-collar crimes
C)status offenses
D)cybercrimes
Q3) Which of the following is true of plea bargaining?
A)It is legally binding.
B)It is involved in only a negligible number of convictions for criminal offenses.
C)It places due process of law above local politics and community norms.
D)It results in the dropping of some charges or the granting of a more lenient sentence.
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Chapter 11: Alcohol and Other Drugs
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41548
Sample Questions
Q1) The government of a country plans to focus on primary prevention programs against illegal drug use.Which of the following measures should it adopt to establish a successful primary prevention program?
A)using drugs such as Antabuse to produce undesirable effects on consuming drugs
B)preventing drug imports by manufacturing synthetic drug alternatives
C)providing therapy to drug addicts in order to make them averse to drugs
D)establishing educational programs to alert people about the dangers of drug abuse
Q2) Which of the following is a myth about drug abuse in the United States?
A)Alcohol abuse is the most severe drug problem in the United States.
B)Heavy use of heroin clouds judgment and reduces inhibitions.
C)Heroin addicts are as likely to be high on alcohol as heroin when they commit crimes.
D)Drug use problem was a more serious issue in the past century compared to present times.
Q3) A similarity between cocaine and amphetamine is that both ________.
A)produce paranoid psychotic reactions at very low doses
B)stimulate the central nervous system
C)are synthetic stimulants
D)primarily act as analgesics and painkillers
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Chapter 12: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Trade
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41549
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an advantage of online prostitution?
A)Prostitutes feel secure against IV-drug users infected with the AIDS virus.
B)Prostitutes feel secure against customers who force them to do things they would prefer not to do.
C)It is easier for sex workers to avoid contact with the police,especially in comparison to the visibility of a streetwalker.
D)It is easier for sex workers to avoid contact with customers who physically assault them.
Q2) Male prostitutes of the peer-delinquent subculture differ from those of the gay subculture in that the peer-delinquent prostitutes ________.
A)consider themselves to be homosexuals or bisexuals
B)engage in prostitution for sexual gratification
C)do not engage in criminal activities
D)engage in prostitution only for making money
Q3) Explain how different cultures around the world view sexual behavior.
Q4) What are the findings of the research conducted by Edward Donnerstein and his colleagues about the relationship between pornography and sexual behavior?
Q5) What is Internet prostitution? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
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Chapter 13: Population Growth and Urbanization
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of the transitional stage of demographic transition?
A)It is characterized by high birthrates and high death rates,resulting in a population that grows slowly,if at all.
B)The falling death rates occur because of improvements in lifestyle resulting from industrial development.
C)The decline in the birthrate was a response to the impact of industrialization on cultural values regarding childbearing.
D)It is characterized by low birthrates and low death rates,resulting in a roughly stable population with little growth.
Q2) The defensible space strategy focuses on ________.
A)spreading poverty evenly around a metropolitan area by developing ghettos so that communities are grouped together
B)the segregation of neighborhoods to promote stability
C)the physical environment of neighborhoods that makes it easier for people to protect themselves against crime
D)reducing tensions between racial groups
Q3) What is demographic transition? What are its four stages?
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Chapter 14: Environmental Problems
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41551
Sample
Questions
Q1) How have "bottle bills" encouraged people to reduce the production of solid wastes?
A)They limit the number of bottled beverages a person can buy in a day.
B)They ban the production of plastic bottles.
C)They require that a deposit be paid for bottles when a beverage is bought.
D)They make it mandatory for beverage companies to start using cans instead of bottles.
Q2) What does the conflict perspective state about environmental problems?
Q3) A person looking at environmental problems from a conflict perspective is likely to believe that ________.
A)a highly technological social organization is always dysfunctional
B)environmental problems arise because of the way in which resources are distributed
C)high technology and environmental preservation are at odds with one another
D)decisions that affect the environment are made on the basis of maintaining a balance in an ecosystem
Q4) What does exceeding the carrying capacity of an ecosystem mean? What is its consequence?
Q5) What are the three sources of radioactive wastes?
Q6) What are some of the consequences of global warming?
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Chapter 15: Violence, War, and Terrorism
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41552
Sample Questions
Q1) Research on gun control in the U.S.has shown that ________.
A)it is particularly effective in preventing collective violence
B)it is only effective in reducing the overall amount of violence in society
C)it has a very modest impact on the amount of violence in society
D)it is effective in reducing people's tolerance toward public dissent
Q2) Which of the following is a true statement about the Children's Television Education Act?
A)It is very specific about what television broadcasters must do to provide for the educational and informational needs of children and youth in their programming.
B)It makes licensees demonstrate at the time of their license renewal that their programs provide for the educational and informational needs of children.
C)It forces television broadcasters,networks,and cable companies to collaborate to reduce the amount of violent content by subjecting them to antitrust laws.
D)It directly addresses the issue of violence and permits television broadcasters to collaborate to reduce the amount of violent content.
Q3) What are the three categories of social sources of violence?
Q4) What are the three ways in which television encourages people toward violence?
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