Social Problems Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course examines critical issues facing contemporary societies, focusing on the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to social problems such as poverty, crime, inequality, discrimination, environmental challenges, and health disparities. Through a sociological lens, students analyze how social structures, cultural norms, and public policies contribute to the emergence and persistence of social issues. Emphasis is placed on understanding the impact of these problems on various populations and exploring strategies for social change at local, national, and global levels.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Sociology 6th Edition by Richard
P. Appelbaum
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16 Chapters
1118 Verified Questions
1118 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Sociology: Theory and Method
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78 Verified Questions
78 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the textbook, ________ was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations.
A) Émile Durkheim.
B) W. E. B. Du Bois.
C) Harriet Martineau.
D) Lucy Parsons.
Answer: C
Q2) Elise collects data on homeless people in New York City by widely distributing structured questionnaires. What kind of sociological research best describes what she is doing?
A) survey research
B) experimental research
C) ethnography
D) comparative research
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Culture and Society
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70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Juliana notes in her research that new means of communicating seem to be creating the possibility for a new global culture and have even been helpful in organizing protests and social movement actions in places such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Kuwait. It is likely that Juliana will be studying ________ as part of this research project.
A) regular mail
B) the telephone
C) the Internet
D) sit-ins
Answer: C
Q2) The textbook refers to the emergence of machine production based on the use of inanimate power resources (such as steam or electricity) as:
A) capitalism.
B) civilization.
C) feudal progression.
D) industrialization.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Socialization, the Life Course, and Aging
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67 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which theorist do you believe provides a more accurate explanation of child development today- George Herbert Mead or Jean Piaget? Explain in three to four sentences.
Answer: The student must explain which theory he or she believes is the most accurate and why. Mead views child development as a process that happens through social interaction with others. Children develop a social self by responding to the reactions of others, and they achieve self-consciousness by becoming aware of this social identity as well as the generalized other (that is, the shared norms and expectations of society). Although Piaget also views child development as a series of stages, he focused much less on social interaction in his analysis. Piaget argued that children go through four stages of cognitive development where they learn about the environment around them and become able to engage in abstract, logical thought. Mead believed that as children become adults they move through all stages of development and come to see themselves as others see them. Piaget, on the other hand, argued that not all children will reach the last stage of development, and thus some adults will be incapable of abstract, hypothetical thought.
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Chapter 4: Social Interaction and Everyday Life in the Age
of the Internet
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Sample Questions
Q1) Social life is divided into different settings or zones. These social zones, such as a kitchen and a bedroom, are separated physically but also by:
A) time.
B) income.
C) modern architectural design.
D) interior design principles.
Q2) What do sociologists call the social honor or prestige that society accords to a group of people?
A) status
B) agency
C) race
D) expectation
Q3) When Jane arrived at the party, her friend Alyssa came over immediately to say hello. According to Erving Goffman, this is an example of:
A) controlled alertness.
B) focused interaction.
C) unfocused interaction.
D) interactional vandalism.
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Chapter 5: Groups, Networks, and Organizations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Max Weber was the first to develop a systematic interpretation of:
A) conformity.
B) primary groups.
C) modern organizations.
D) secondary groups.
Q2) Groupthink takes place when:
A) group members discuss strategies to increase group harmony.
B) group members work together to carefully weigh all the options presented to them.
C) group members ignore the actions, plans, or ideas that go against group consensus.
D) group members are all in agreement.
Q3) During rush week when the brothers are recruiting new members, the Alpha Gamma Gamma fraternity always makes fun of its rival fraternity, Alpha Sigma Sigma. This increases the bonding and sense of loyalty among the members of Alpha Gamma Gamma. We could consider them members of:
A) an out-group.
B) an in-group.
C) a network.
D) a social category.
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Chapter 6: Conformity, Deviance, and Crime
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements concerning victims and perpetrators of crime is true?
A) Men are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with women.
B) Older people are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with young people.
C) Whites are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with African Americans.
D) Residents of the suburbs are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with inner-city residents.
Q2) What is the biological view of deviance? What are some of the weaknesses of this approach? Please explain in three to four sentences.
Q3) In Robert Merton's typology, the majority of people in society are:
A) conformists.
B) innovators.
C) ritualists.
D) retreatists.
Q4) Why have efforts to significantly decrease the supply of illegal drugs in the United States failed?
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Chapter 7: Stratification, Class, and Inequality
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does the government determine the poverty line?
A) It calculates a strict, no-frills budget based on cost estimates for different family sizes.
B) It multiplies the cost of an average household's rent by three.
C) It calculates the average cost of living in each of four regions of the United States and divides that number by the average cost of rent in those places.
D) Because the cost of living varies across the country, it calculates the cost of living in each region and determines a poverty line for each U.S. region.
Q2) Suheir Shedd is a university professor. Which of the following would constitute her wealth?
A) the value of her home
B) all the assets she owns
C) the money she makes in a year
D) the estimated earnings over her life
Q3) In two to three sentences, describe the working poor. What is one explanation for why those who are working are still in poverty?
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Chapter 8: Global Inequality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Modernization theory argues that:
A) state-run economies are most efficient for creating modernized countries.
B) low-income countries must preserve their traditional cultures to develop.
C) high-income countries have a responsibility to give free resources to low-income countries.
D) low-income societies can develop economically only if they give up their traditional ways and adopt modern economic institutions, technologies, and cultural values that emphasize savings and productive investment.
Q2) According to UNICEF (2015), nearly half of all deaths of children under the age of five are attributable to:
A) child labor.
B) parental neglect.
C) pollution.
D) undernutrition.
Q3) In three to five sentences, describe how world-systems theory explains global inequality.
Q4) In a short paragraph, explain how the World Bank measures global inequality. What are some of the problems with measuring global inequality in this way?
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Chapter 9: Gender Inequality
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Sample Questions
Q1) A political office is more likely to be considered "man's work" if the position:
A) involves spending more time in the spotlight.
B) is often held by a Democrat.
C) is based in politics further from home (state or federal).
D) is based in local town politics.
Q2) How would a sociologist explain the existence of gender inequality in modern society?
A) Men and women generally do different kinds of work.
B) Women are responsible for childrearing.
C) Work done by men requires more skill and education.
D) The activities of men and women are valued differently.
Q3) Kai, a boy born in Georgia, is likely to be treated a specific way because of his gender starting at what age?
A) from the moment he is born
B) when he begins kindergarten
C) at the onset of puberty
D) when he enters the labor force
Q4) How do gender, marital status, and parental status interact in time spent doing housework? Answer in two to five sentences.
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Chapter 10: Ethnicity and Race
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a short paragraph, please explain the four models of ethnic integration mentioned in your textbook-assimilation, melting pot, pluralism, and multiculturalism. What model (or models) characterize ethnic integration in the United States, past and present?
Q2) A white couple does not hold prejudicial attitudes about black people. However, they steer away from purchasing a home in a predominantly black neighborhood because they are worried about declining property value. Though they feel uncomfortable, they stick to white neighborhoods where the property is considered a better financial investment. This shows that:
A) only prejudiced people will discriminate.
B) discrimination is unavoidable, but prejudicial attitudes are not.
C) patterns of discrimination are easily fixed by individuals.
D) discrimination is possible from people who are not prejudiced.
Q3) Which group of Americans has the highest median household income?
A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
D) Hispanics
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Chapter 11: Families and Intimate Relationships
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although it is most common for young people to leave home to begin independent lives, in previous generations, young people typically left home:
A) to get away from the endless farmwork required of children.
B) to avoid domestic violence.
C) because their parents evicted them.
D) to get married.
Q2) In 2015, the average age for first marriage was ________ for men and ________ for women.
A) 16; 14
B) 22; 20
C) 29; 27
D) 35; 33
Q3) Tanya, a twenty-five-year-old woman, is currently not married. According to sociologists, why might Tanya be likely to stay unmarried for the rest of her life?
A) Many of today's young adults will choose to remain single for life.
B) Women who are not married by the age of twenty-five have trouble finding a husband.
C) Tanya is likely not heterosexual and therefore does not seek marriage.
D) People now receive tax breaks for remaining unmarried.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Education and Religion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the four types of religious organizations outlined in the textbook. Please explain in two to three sentences for each.
Q2) According to the textbook, how do religious groups in the United States vary by region and socioeconomic status? Please explain your answer in a short paragraph.
Q3) Your textbook notes that the average lower IQ scores recorded for African Americans in the United States are remarkably similar to the lower scores recorded for disadvantaged ethnic minorities in other countries. This provides strong support for the idea that:
A) there are genetically driven intelligence differences between the groups.
B) social, cultural, and economic factors explain variations in IQ.
C) IQ tests do not really measure anything meaningful.
D) IQ differences cannot really be changed.
Q4) What are the connections between education and employment? Please explain your answer in three to five sentences.
Q5) How do religion and education act as socializing agents? Please explain your answer in three to five sentences.
Q6) What is the theory of religious economy? Please explain your answer in three to five sentences.
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Chapter 13: Politics and Economic Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the textbook, what are three types of rights associated with the growth of citizenship? Explain each in one sentence.
Q2) What do Edna Bonacich and Richard Appelbaum mean when they write about a global "race to the bottom" in the retail-dominated production of clothing?
A) Clothing retailers and manufacturers race to get out new products before anyone else and thus foment innovation and increasing quality in the sector.
B) Retailers and manufacturers will go anywhere on earth to pay the lowest possible wages, which results in dismal wages for workers-who are often children.
C) As the manufacture of clothing for large retailers was increasingly centered on areas of the Southern Hemisphere, competition for workers gradually brought wages up in these parts of the world.
D) A manufacturing race has been on for more than twenty years, and it pits large northern retailers against southern manufacturers.
Q3) According to the textbook, how are power and authority different? Explain your answer in two to three sentences.
Q4) What are the main features of capitalism? Answer in two to four sentences.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Barbara and her children live in a community that has no nearby grocery stores. Farmers' markets and fresh fruit and vegetable stands are completely absent as well. The term scholars use to refer to communities like Barbara's is:
A) impoverished.
B) nutritionally challenged.
C) nutritionally isolated.
D) food deserts.
Q2) What are some social consequences of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in developing nations? Please explain your answer in a short paragraph.
Q3) Miguel is a researcher who studies the ways people interpret the social world and the meanings they ascribe to it. He applies this approach to health and illness as a corrective to some of Talcott Parsons's work. What school of sociology mentioned in the textbook does he probably belong to?
A) symbolic interactionist
B) structuralist
C) functionalist
D) postmodernist
Q4) In three to five sentences, compare complementary and alternative medicine.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Urbanization, Population, and the Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Reducing population growth around the world faces which of the following challenges?
A) Few people still see a large family as desirable.
B) Some religions still forbid the use of contraception.
C) Contraception is widely available around the world.
D) Some populations are genetically predisposed to higher birth rates.
Q2) According to sociologists who use ________, cities tend to develop in response to advantageous features of the environment. For example, cities develop on the shores of rivers, on fertile plains, and at the intersections of trading routes.
A) the collective-consumption theory of urban development
B) gentrification analysis
C) the created-environment approach to urban analysis
D) the ecological approach to urban analysis
Q3) Suburbanization is:
A) the development of state-subsidized housing.
B) the movement of nonwhite populations outside the city.
C) the redevelopment of housing in the inner city.
D) the massive development and inhabitation of towns surrounding cities.
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17
Chapter 16: Globalization in a Changing World
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Sample Questions
Q1) New social movements are at the heart of ________, the sphere between the state and the marketplace occupied by family, community associations, and other noneconomic institutions.
A) civil society
B) structural strain
C) institutional control
D) social mobilization
Q2) Globalization is:
A) rapidly diminishing how much humans interact.
B) the development of social and economic relationships stretching worldwide.
C) the expansion of a global economy.
D) the movement toward global equality.
Q3) Participation in new social movements is seen as ________ whereby participants make a statement about who they are.
A) goal-oriented
B) moral expression
C) personal expression
D) expressive logic
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