Social Problems
Question Bank
Course Introduction
This course examines the major social problems facing contemporary societies, exploring their causes, consequences, and possible solutions. Through the analysis of issues such as poverty, inequality, crime, discrimination, health disparities, environmental threats, and family disruption, students will learn how social structures, cultural values, and public policies shape the lives of individuals and communities. The course integrates sociological theories and empirical research to critically evaluate social problems and encourages students to engage in thoughtful discussions and consider multiple perspectives on complex social issues.
Recommended Textbook
Experience Sociology 3rd Edition by David Croteau
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17 Chapters
1701 Verified Questions
1701 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Sociology in a Changing World
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27188
Sample Questions
Q1) During the Middle Ages, who or what dominated European intellectual life?
A) enlightened monarchs
B) the Church and its clergy
C) science
D) philosophers
Answer: B
Q2) What was Immanuel Kant describing with the motto "Dare to know"?
A) modernity
B) urbanization
C) industrialization
D) the Enlightenment
Answer: D
Q3) Which social thinker produced ground-breaking research on race in America?
A) W. E. B. Du Bois
B) Harriet Martineau
C) Jane Addams
D) Emile Durkheim
Answer: A
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3
Chapter 2: Understanding the Research Process
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Studies that describe and help us better understand some aspect of society are examples of
A) applied research.
B) basic research.
C) public sociology.
D) experiments.
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following research methods can effectively describe large populations in a cost-effective way?
A) focus groups
B) intensive interviews
C) surveys
D) field research
Answer: C
Q3) Critical social science believes that research must be value-free.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Culture
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The swastika was an ancient symbol that was used in many cultures.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution would be considered an element of material culture.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Many multicultural communities will have signs available in both English and the languages spoken by the local community. What is the purpose for this?
A) to receive more federal funding by showing that a community is multicultural
B) to have the English speakers learn another language
C) to accommodate various cultural groups
D) All these answers are correct.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Social Structure
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99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What level of society is a sociologist studying if he is examining the structure and routines of an organization like a school or business?
A) micro
B) macro
C) meso
D) societal
Q2) Ethnomethodologists are interested in how individuals collectively create
A) common values.
B) social structure.
C) competition.
D) power struggles.
Q3) The idea that society is held together through individuals participating in daily routines and social structures represents which sociological concept?
A) power
B) social organization
C) equilibrium
D) social integration
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Chapter 5: Power
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which theoretical perspective focuses on the multiplicity of dimensions of inequality and their interaction?
A) interdependence theory
B) intersectionality theory
C) standpoint theory
D) political power theory
Q2) Systems of stratification based on an ascribed status
A) allow upward social mobility.
B) discourage social mobility.
C) facilitate social mobility.
D) allow virtually no social mobility.
Q3) In the socialist system, the role of the government is
A) limited.
B) to promote equality.
C) to restrict freedom.
D) to discourage individual achievement.
Q4) Systems of stratification based on an ascribed status commonly exist in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Socialization
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What might people who were born in the late twentieth century consider themselves to be?
A) the Internet generation
B) the "me" generation
C) the consumer generation
D) the 9/11 generation
Q2) Which agent of socialization is most focused on teaching cultural knowledge?
A) the government
B) religious institutions
C) the media
D) schools
Q3) How did the Western view of children change in the nineteenth century compared to earlier times in history?
A) Children were able to work in the new factories and earn income for their family.
B) The lines between childhood and adulthood were blurred.
C) Children became an economic liability rather than an economic asset.
D) Children were viewed as in need of discipline and received severe beatings for transgressions.
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8
Chapter 7: Interaction, Groups, and Organizations
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102 Verified Questions
102 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Maggie has many social statuses, including mother, wife, daughter, high school principal, and softball player. She often feels she cannot meet all of the responsibilities in her life. For example, last week she had to miss a softball game because she needed to work late and also missed her son's school play. Maggie is experiencing which of the following?
A) role conflict
B) role strain
C) intersubjectivity
D) homophily
Q2) What is a bureaucracy?
A) a secondary group of people interested in business
B) a highly diffuse and informal organization
C) a hierarchical administrative system with formal rules and procedures
D) a governmental agency with many responsibilities
Q3) Solomon Asch's experiments concluded that
A) people will always stand up for what is right.
B) people are hard to influence in terms of their behavior.
C) the actions of others within a group promote conformist behavior.
D) group-mindset leads to violent and activist behavior.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Deviance and Social Control
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A person comes to be considered a deviant when publicly marked with such a designation, and typically acknowledges this definition as part of his or her identity. This is a definition of what theory?
A) strain theory
B) deviance theory
C) labeling theory
D) rational choice theory
Q2) Which is NOT a factor driving the medicalization of deviance?
A) power of pharmaceutical companies
B) direct consumer advertising
C) improvement in diagnostic ability
D) growing power of the medical profession
Q3) Which statement best describes recidivism rates in the United States?
A) Three-quarters are rearrested within five years.
B) Recidivism is low.
C) Many programs exist to prevent recidivism.
D) A majority commit new crimes.
Q4) Individual immorality often explains deviant behavior.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Class and Global Inequality
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Karl Marx, which of the following statements about the relationship between owners and workers is FALSE?
A) Capitalist systems are focused on conflicts between owners and workers.
B) Owners exploit workers by paying low wages.
C) Owners motivate workers by offering incentives.
D) Workers seek maximum pay for their labor.
Q2) Discrimination based on someone's economic resources and lifestyle is called
A) classism.
B) consumerism.
C) socialism.
D) capitalism.
Q3) Which of the following is NOT one of the impacts of inequality between nations?
A) the structure of a nation's government
B) the health of a nation's citizens
C) an individual's access to education
D) the type of housing individuals have
Q4) Individuals who share similar lifestyles have the same individual mobility.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the effect of identifying certain physical traits as socially significant?
A) People are more understanding once they see the physical differences.
B) People are less likely to stereotype and discriminate.
C) People will get more accurate perceptions of reality.
D) People create a social reality based on how they view physical and cultural differences.
Q2) On which of the following points do all theories that fall under "new racism" agree?
A) Prejudice and discrimination continue in social life today.
B) The civil rights era brought many changes to life in the United States, but only in legal arenas.
C) The election of Barack Obama was the single most important factor in changing many Americans' minds about the role of race and racism in their own lives.
D) Racism in America is as it always was; despite some progress, the heart of the problem remains.
Q3) In ancient Greece and Rome, slavery existed independent of race.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Gender and Sexuality
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Bryan took his two-year-old daughter to daycare. Once inside, one of the workers introduced her to the other children and told her to not go and pick out a boyfriend because she was too young. This interaction provides an example of A) sexual identity.
B) gender identity.
C) homophobia.
D) heterosexism.
Q2) Tommy wears his hair cut short and enjoys rebuilding his car. When he is older, he wants to become a lawyer and a father. These traits and aspirations are called
A) his gender identity.
B) gender roles.
C) his gender expression.
D) gender socialization.
Q3) Feminism advocates for what type of equality between men and women?
A) political equality
B) social equality
C) economic equality
D) All these answers are correct.
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13
Chapter 12: Family and Religion
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27199
Sample Questions
Q1) Nearly 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements regarding religion on a global level is true?
A) Christianity has a significant presence in every area of the world.
B) The highest percentage of Muslims is in Asia.
C) About 16 percent of the world's population is nonreligious.
D) Religious participation for the U.S. is lowest among the wealthy, industrialized countries.
Q3) Which group is most likely to marry outside of their race or ethnicity?
A) blacks
B) Hispanics
C) whites
D) Asians
Q4) What is the current status of same-sex marriage in the United States?
A) Same-sex marriage is only legal in some states in the United States.
B) Same-sex marriage was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015.
C) Same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in 2015.
D) Domestic partnerships, but not same-sex marriage, are legal in the United States.
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Chapter 13: Education and Work
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99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Glynn grows up in a lower-income family that does not have the financial means to do things like go to the opera, buy many books, or travel much. Glynn works hard in school but does not do as well based on his efforts. How could Glynn's cultural capital be hurting his performance?
A) His cultural capital does not align with that of the school or his teachers.
B) He lacks the cultural capital to afford tutors and lessons.
C) His cultural capital lacks the connections to help him in school.
D) His cultural capital does not allow him to afford college.
Q2) A sociologist interested in social reproduction would be most likely to study how schools
A) teach moral values.
B) function as childcare.
C) approach inequality.
D) transmit knowledge.
Q3) Collective bargaining allows workers to have a unified voice in the negotiation process with employers.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Media and Consumption
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the key to the development of new media?
A) individuals' willingness to participate in the creation of media
B) globalization
C) linking digital media to the Internet
D) None of these answers is correct.
Q2) Why is it difficult for researchers to truly determine people's level of media use?
A) There is no such thing as a "typical" media user.
B) Most people under-report their media use because they simply are not aware of all the media surrounding them.
C) Most people over-report their media use because they want to appear to be as "tech-savvy" as the media portray Americans to be.
D) None of the answers are correct.
Q3) Receiving an email about gourmet cooking after you buy a cookbook online is an example of A) stealth advertising.
B) cultural imperialism.
C) behavioral targeting.
D) product placement.
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16
Chapter 15: Communities, the Environment, and Health
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The built environment of cities can reflect and reinforce broader cultural values. This is a ________ analysis of the physical environment.
A) macro level
B) functionalist
C) meso level
D) community studies
Q2) According to Emile Durkheim, homogeneous rural communities typically exhibit close social ties and limited individuality. This is characteristic of ________ solidarity.
A) rural
B) social
C) organic
D) mechanical
Q3) Which of the following best describes what conditions were like for the poor in early modern cities?
A) improved living standards
B) brutal and overcrowded
C) ample opportunities for advancement
D) centralized oppression
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Chapter 16: Politics and the Economy
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100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which sector received the greatest amount from the U.S. government's discretionary spending budget?
A) energy and science
B) international affairs
C) the military
D) education
Q2) According to Max Weber, what type of power do governments represent?
A) legitimate power
B) traditional power
C) supreme power
D) democratic power
Q3) The middle class receives a more positive political socialization than the working class, making middle-class individuals more likely to participate in political life.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Political participation is stratified by class more in the United States than in many other democracies.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Social Change: Globalization, Population, and Social Movements
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Western Protestant evangelicals have successfully exported their beliefs and religious practices to many countries around the world. This is an example of
A) cultural globalization.
B) a global social movement.
C) a transnational church.
D) neoconservatism.
Q2) What are global cities?
A) cities that do not recognize a single "official" language
B) cities whose population is made up of more than 50 percent immigrants or children of immigrants
C) cities that have no immigration restrictions or trade barriers for companies that are based in them
D) cities that are home to companies that provide services that are strategic to the global economy
Q3) What primarily differentiates social movements from other forms of politics?
A) Social movements do not involve money.
B) Social movements use extrainstitutional tactics.
C) Social movements fight for a noble cause.
D) Social movements are centered on conflict.
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