Public Policy and Social Issues
Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the dynamic relationship between public policy and contemporary social issues, examining how governmental decisions shape and are shaped by society's needs and values. Students will analyze key policy areas such as healthcare, education, poverty, and criminal justice, considering their underlying political, economic, and ethical dimensions. Through case studies and critical discussion, the course emphasizes policy formulation, implementation, and the impact of various stakeholders, equipping students with tools to assess and influence policy responses to pressing social challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Social Problems 13th Edition by D. Stanley Eitzen
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19 Chapters
1521 Verified Questions
1521 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/361
Page 2
Chapter 1: The Sociological Approach to Social Problems
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6081
Sample Questions
Q1) As the percentage of the U.S.residents who are over 65 years old increases,the divide between workers who support the old with payroll taxes will have a racial dimension because the elderly will be overwhelmingly __________.
A) African American
B) Asian
C) Latin American
D) White
Answer: D
Q2) According to the sociological perspective,norm violators are __________.
A) solely responsible for their actions
B) universally criticized
C) the symptoms of social problems, not the cause
D) guiltless for their actions
Answer: C
Q3) A __________ is a representative part of a population that sociologists use to answer sociological questions.
Answer: sample
Q4) There is __________ among sociologists as to what constitutes a social problem.
Answer: disagreement
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Chapter 2 Wealth and Power: The Bias of the System
AMultiple-Choice
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6082
Sample Questions
Q1) The economic and social constraints on political decision makers that promote the status quo refers to __________.
A) systemic imperatives
B) capitalism
C) socialism
D) interlocking directorates
Answer: A
Q2) According to your text,Adam Smith would __________.
A) be against competition
B) not recognize capitalism in America today
C) not believe in the free market
D) approve of socialism
Answer: B
Q3) The __________ are the people who occupy the most influential roles in society. Answer: power elite
Q4) Income inequality is __________ in the United States. Answer increasing Answer: increasing
Page 4
Q5) __________ is the nation with the most millionaires. Answer: United States
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Chapter 3: World Population and Global Inequality
AMultiple-Choice
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6083
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was true of colonizers?
A) They used the majority of the crops planted to feed the local population.
B) They encouraged population growth among the local people to ensure a large supply of low-cost workers.
C) They distributed the country's raw materials among the citizens.
D) They determined what crops should be planted based on the needs of the local population.
Answer: B
Q2) Since the UN began funding family planning programs in developing nations there has been a(an)__________.
A) decline in the number of children born in less developed nations
B) increase in the number of children born in less developed nations
C) decline in the number of women using contraception
D) increase in the relative poverty rate in less developed nations
Answer: A
Q3) The number of people on this planet constitutes a potential future calamity.
A)True
B)False
Answer: TRUE
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Threats to the Environment
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6084
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a major contributor to the deforestation of tropical rainforests?
A) Damage by wildlife
B) Lumber and mining companies
C) Local tribes using timber for construction
D) Global warming
Q2) Which of the following is associated with environmental classism?
A) The poor often have dangerous jobs and are residentially segregated.
B) The rich have the most unwanted jobs.
C) All corporations are champions of environmental justice.
D) The poor live in the most desirable neighborhoods.
Q3) Describe the biosphere and why it is important for us to protect it.
Q4) In relation to environmental problems,Americans have __________.
A) disproportionately consumed the world's resources
B) been the least wasteful of the world's resources
C) decreased their dependency on oil since 1965
D) only used American sources of environmental resources
Q5) Over __________ pounds of toxic chemicals are released by industry into the nation's environment each year.
Page 6
Q6) How is deforestation related to climate change?
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Chapter 5 Demographic Changes in the United States: The
Browning and Graying of Society
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6085
Sample Questions
Q1) One of the major forces behind the aging of the U.S.population is __________.
A) increased fertility rates
B) increasing numbers of children in the total population
C) the lack of medicine to increase longevity
D) the baby boom generation reaching old age
Q2) Typically,new immigrants face hostility from their hosts because they are __________.
A) coming to America at the wrong time of year
B) feared as competitors and people who are "different"
C) coming from countries that have better education systems
D) learning to speak English and trying to hide from Americans
Q3) If a family consists of a beanpole structure,they are more likely to __________.
A) have three tiers of parent-child relationships
B) practice farming for a living
C) have families without grandchildren
D) have two parents and zero pets
Q4) Because racial minorities have a lower __________ than do Whites,they form a smaller proportion of the elderly population.
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Q5) The __________ generation,roughly 76 million Americans were born between 1946 and 1964.
Chapter 6 Problems of Place: Urban Suburban and Rural
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6086
Sample Questions
Q1) The federal cuts in money and services to central cities not only impacted the residents,but also __________.
A) improved the natural landscape
B) encouraged businesses and jobs to leave cities
C) put an end to redlining
D) improved the size of the tax base in the city
Q2) The most significant factor determining whether one will get credit in U.S.cities is one's credit rating.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The most significant factor determining access to mortgage credit is __________.
A) the gender of the applicant
B) the bank account balance of the applicant
C) the race of the applicant
D) whether the applicant has a car
Q4) Over the past three decades,the __________ government has made huge cuts in dollars and services for central cities.
Q5) What health-related concerns exist for urban residents?
Ideal
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Chapter 7: Poverty
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6087
Sample Questions
Q1) __________ refers to a standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance of adequate diet,health,and shelter.
Q2) One of the primary ways that people without insurance access healthcare is by using __________ medical services that are less efficient and more costly.
Q3) __________ is a reason for the high poverty rate among women.
A) The lower intelligence of women
B) The high frequency of divorce
C) A small number of never-married women with children
D) Good job and earnings opportunities for women
Q4) Jeff is a part of a hidden system of tax breaks and advantages given to his corporation directly in the form of subsidies and indirectly in the form of tax loopholes.Jeff benefits from __________.
A) welfare
B) wealthfare
C) institutional discrimination
D) the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
Q5) The poor pay __________ than the non-poor for many goods and services.
Q6) The new poor are __________ off than the old poor.
Q7) Women are __________ likely than men to be among the working poor.
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Chapter 8: Racial and Ethnic Inequality
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6088
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the significance of the census allowing citizens to choose more than one racial category?
Q2) Though not popular anymore,for years scientists spent time trying to validate __________ theories by looking at things like IQ and other intelligence tests.
A) bias
B) cultural
C) biological deficiency
D) structural
Q3) __________ refers to the fact that members of some minority groups are more likely to be exposed to harmful substances in the environment.
A) Environmental racism
B) Environmental sexism
C) Toxic waste
D) Toxic ableism
Q4) Racial problems have __________ foundations.
A) interpersonal
B) religious
C) scientific
D) structural
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Chapter 9: Gender Inequality
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6089
Sample Questions
Q1) __________ are still oppressed by religious institutions.
Q2) The everyday fun and games of school children are actually power play where gender is constructed and enacted.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The use of "guys" to refer to groups of mixed gender people is an example of __________ language which perpetuates male dominance.
A) trivializing
B) sexualizing
C) ignoring D) policing
Q4) A form of social organization in which men are dominant over women is known as __________.
A) androgyny
B) patriarchy
C) capitalism
D) matriarchy
Q5) Clerical work is a part of the __________ segment of the labor market.
Q6) Discuss the links between religious belief and practice and gender.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Sexual Orientation
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6090
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the concept of "deviance" as a socially created notion with respect to homosexuality.Who creates this form of deviance and who benefits from its enforcement?
Ideal
Q2) According to the text,in 2010 __________ percent opposed gay marriage.
A) 65
B) 40
C) 33
D) 15
Q3) What is a powerful label that affects a person's social identity and self-concept in a way that has a negative impact and is difficult to overcome?
A) A stigma
B) A status
C) Sodomy
D) Homophobia
Q4) __________ effectively began the modern gay rights movement.
A) Stonewall
B) The 1987 march on Washington
C) "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
D) The AIDS crisis
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Disability and Ableism
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6091
Sample Questions
Q1) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was originally called the __________.
A) Education for all Handicapped Children Act
B) No Child Left Behind Act
C) Education for All Act
D) Children with Disabilities Education Act
Q2) How do labels affect people with disabilities? What role do they play in creating a master status with a stigma?
Ideal
Q3) The Americans with Disabilities Act has ended discrimination against people with disabilities.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Mary lost her arm as a result of a mountaineering accident and her brother John was born with mental retardation.Of Mary and John,__________ is likely to be more stigmatized in American society.
Q5) Why do the authors of the text consider abortion a "thorny" issue in the context of disability?
Q6) The __________to disability defines disability as primarily an individual issue.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Crime and Justice
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6092
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is considered to be a political crime?
A) Insider trading
B) Government involvement in a secret action to overthrow a legitimate government in another country
C) Conflicts of interest
D) Price-fixing in order to ensure a lack of competition among corporations
Q2) Because crime is political in nature,including who gets to decide what counts as a crime and what does not,there is a class bias inherent in the law.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Cheating on personal income tax and time theft are examples of __________.
A) organized crime
B) street crime
C) white-collar crime
D) corporate crime
Q4) Regardless of whether the case is heard by a judge or a jury,the outcome of a trial will be the same.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Drugs
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81 Verified Questions
81 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6093
Sample Questions
Q1) While more Whites use illegal drugs,drug arrest rates for African Americans are at least __________ times as high.
A) two
B) ten
C) twenty
D) twenty-five
Q2) Discuss the pros and cons of the legalization of drugs.Do you support this move? Why or why not?
Ideal
Q3) Legalizing marijuana but regulating its use has which of the following benefits?
A) It would decrease the product's conformity to standards of purity and safety.
B) It would dry up the need for vast criminal networks that distribute drugs.
C) Prison space and police activities could be used to deter heavy marijuana use.
D) It would reduce marijuana use.
Q4) Marijuana is commonly prescribed for __________.
A) easing migraine headaches
B) reducing appetite for the obese
C) social anxiety disorder
D) curing ADHD
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Chapter 14: The Economy and Work
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6094
Sample Questions
Q1) Fundamental changes in the economy resulting from technological breakthroughs,globalization,and capital flight describes __________.
A) the reserve army of the unemployed
B) the structural transformation of the economy
C) sunrise industries
D) sunset industries
Q2) Describe the move from a manufacturing-based to a service-based economy and discuss its impact on American workers.What have we lost? What have we gained?
Ideal
Q3) Unemployed people who want to work but whose presence tends to depress the wages of other workers and keep them from making demands on their employers are known as __________.
A) discouraged workers
B) displaced workers
C) the reserve army of the unemployed
D) sunset workers
Q4) Juan does contract work for a publishing company.He is a contingent worker.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Families
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6095
Sample Questions
Q1) The biggest change in household type since 1970 is with the rise of __________ households.
A) kinship
B) nonfamily
C) boomerang
D) immigrant
Q2) Over the last forty years the United States has seen the poverty rate of those over age 65 rise steadily.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Children of divorce __________.
A) account for the majority of all children
B) show no effects of their parental split
C) may experience a decline in school performance and behavioral problems
D) are at an all-time low
Q4) The biggest problem facing almost all divorced women is a dramatic decline in economic resources.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The vast majority of __________ families are dual earners.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Education
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6096
Sample Questions
Q1) Teacher expectations __________.
A) have a minimal effect on student performance
B) have no effect on student performance
C) are shaped objectively
D) have a large effect on student performance
Q2) __________ affects how long a child will stay in school,whether s/he will have a computer in the home,and out-of-school enrichment activities.
A) Intellectual ability
B) Standardized test scores
C) Desire
D) Level of affluence
Q3) The educational process in the United States is largely __________.
A) conservative
B) liberal
C) libertarian
D) progressive
Q4) Explain how local control of education influences the quality of public schools.What would be the effects of removing local control? Do you think we should remove local control?
Ideal
Page 18
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Chapter 17: The Healthcare System
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6097
Sample Questions
Q1) How does gender affect health? Explain the intersection of the biological and the social aspects of women's health.
Ideal
Q2) Discuss the history of efforts to provide universal healthcare in the United States.What political tactics have been deployed to oppose universal healthcare? Why did healthcare reform finally pass now?
Ideal
Q3) Tuberculosis is an example of __________,which is especially found among the poor.
A) a communicable disease
B) cancer
C) a vision problem
D) heart disease
Q4) Which of the following provides government healthcare for the poor?
A) Medicare
B) Medicaid
C) Blue Cross/Blue Shield
D) Health maintenance organizations
Q5) All things considered,women receive __________ quality healthcare than men.
Page 19
Q6) The elderly take an average of __________ prescription drugs per person.
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Chapter
18: National Security in the Twenty-First Century
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6098
Sample Questions
Q1) Only Russia,China,and India outspend the United States on national security.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In 2011 there were about __________ active military personnel in the U.S.armed forces.
A) 1,400,000
B) 848,000
C) 678,025
D) 451,000
Q3) Operation Iraqi Freedom was based on the notion of a __________ which is illegal under the U.N.Charter.
A) Cold War
B) preemptive war
C) preventive war
D) regime change
Q4) __________ is/are one of the major challenges to the United States.
A) Russia
B) WMDs
C) Saddam Hussein
D) Immigration
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Progressive Plan to Solve Social Problems
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/6099
Sample Questions
Q1) Sociologists are rejected by those in power largely because they do not use mathematical models to test their theories.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The ideological consensus among Republicans,Blue Dog Democrats,and various pressure groups includes the idea that __________.
A) individuals' failure to succeed is their own fault
B) corporations' failure to succeed is their own fault
C) direct government subsidies to corporations exacerbate social problems
D) the welfare safety net should be expanded
Q3) Chad is starting to get discouraged because he has spent a lot of time and energy working for social change,but does not think he has made much of a difference.He is comforted by the words of Frances Fox Piven,the sociologist,who noted,in regard to predicting social movements that __________.
A) they come every fifty years
B) most of the really important work has already been done
C) no one can successfully predict when they will occur
D) social movements are not really necessary anymore
Q4) Discuss the significance of the 1997 Teamster strike against UPS.
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