Social Problems
Test Bank
Course Introduction
This course offers a critical examination of major social problems affecting contemporary societies, such as poverty, inequality, crime, healthcare, environmental degradation, and discrimination. Students analyze these issues through multiple sociological perspectives, considering historical context, theoretical frameworks, and empirical research. The course emphasizes the ways in which social problems are constructed, their impacts on different groups, and the potential strategies for their resolution. By engaging with case studies and current events, students develop a deeper understanding of the complex factors that contribute to social problems and the role individuals and institutions play in addressing them.
Recommended Textbook
Sociology in Our Times The Essentials 10th Edition by Diana Kendall
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16 Chapters
2099 Verified Questions
2099 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective and Research
Process
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142 Verified Questions
142 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain Durkheim's concept of anomie.
Answer: As societies industrialized, more specialized economic activity became the basis of the social bond because people became interdependent of one another. Durkheim observed that rapid social change and a more specialized division of labor produce strains in society. These strains lead to a breakdown in traditional organization, values, and authority and to a dramatic increase in anomie-a condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and of a sense of purpose in society.
Q2) Durkheim observed that rapid social change and a more specialized division of labor produce strain in society; these strains lead to a breakdown in traditional organization, values, and authority and to a dramatic increase in __________. A) anomie
B) social disorganization
C) social solidarity
D) cultural conflict
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Culture
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144 Verified Questions
144 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Groups such as the beatniks of the 1950s, the drug enthusiasts of the 1970s, and members of religious cults reject some or many of culture's basic norms and values. These groups are called __________.
A) contracultures
B) secondary cultures
C) countercultures
D) subcultures
Answer: C
Q2) Most technological changes in a society are modifications of existing technologies.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Because mores govern behavior considered essential to the stability of society, they are always codified into laws and punishable with formal sanctions.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Socialization
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127 Verified Questions
127 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the framework presented by sociologist George Herbert Mead, when young children join T-ball teams and begin to learn to play baseball they are entering the __________ stage of self-development.
A) preparatory
B) play
C) assimilation
D) game
Answer: D
Q2) Which of these statements about the self or self-concept is false?
A) One's sense of self is not present at birth.
B) In early childhood one's focus is on the physical and active self.
C) Self-concept is the basis for communication with others.
D) Self-concept is fixed in childhood and unchanging after.
Answer: D
Q3) Applying the framework for cognitive development created by Jean Piaget, it is possible for a child to be in several stages at the same time, depending on the child's individual personalities.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Social Structure and Interaction in Everyday Life
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128 Verified Questions
128 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Wearing a wedding ring proclaims that a person is married, owning a Rolls-Royce announces that one has "made it," and pushing a shopping cart is an indicator that one is homeless. These are examples of __________.
A) status symbols
B) conspicuous consumption
C) social capital
D) cultural capital
Q2) The mass media is an example of a(n) _______ institution.
A) traditional
B) evolving
C) primary
D) emergent
Q3) Within industrial and postindustrial societies, a person's occupation is a key defining characteristic.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the two types of societies described by T nnies according to their degree of social solidarity and social control.
Q5) Describe the processes of role distancing and role exiting.
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Chapter 5: Groups and Organizations
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132 Verified Questions
132 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A(n) __________ is an organizational model characterized by a hierarchy of authority, a clear division of labor, explicit rules and procedures, and impersonality in personal matters.
A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) anarchy
D) bureaucracy
Q2) Which type of theorist is most likely to note the scripted nature of interaction in contemporary society (for example between employees and customers in a fast food restaurant)?
A) conflict theorists
B) symbolic interactionists
C) functionalists
D) postmodern theorists
Q3) Workers in Japan have greater job security than do workers in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the major shortcomings of bureaucracies, including negative effects on workers, clients, or customers, as well as negative effects on productivity levels.
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Chapter 6: Deviance and Crime
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138 Verified Questions
138 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) From the functionalist perspective, a certain amount of deviance is necessary for the smooth functioning of society.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Explain why sociologist Emile Durkheim believed that deviance was functional for society.
Q3) Cloward and Ohlin identified three basic gang types based on the type of illegitimate opportunity structure available in a specific area. The __________ is devoted to theft, extortion, and other illegal means of securing an income.
A) retreatist gang
B) criminal gang
C) conflict gang
D) rebellist gang
Q4) Outline the principle elements of Merton's strain theory of deviance.
Q5) Define organized crime, including the reasons it is so successful and how it has become integrated into society, which makes it difficult to control.
Q6) Discuss labeling theory; explain how the concept of "moral entrepreneur" could relate to conflict theory.
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Chapter 7: Class and Stratification in the United States
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133 Verified Questions
133 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) __________ mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.
A) Intergenerational
B) Structural
C) Intragenerational
D) Exchange
Q2) In a caste system, people are allowed to marry only within their own group. This is termed __________.
A) endogamous
B) exogamous
C) polygamous
D) homogamous
Q3) A combination of three factors qualifies people for the __________ class: university degrees, authority and independence on the job, and high income.
A) upper-upper
B) middle-middle
C) lower-middle
D) upper-middle
Q4) Define the difference between income and wealth.
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Chapter 8: Global Stratification
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119 Verified Questions
119 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the new international division of labor theory, including descriptions of the two types of global commodity chains.
Q2) The terms "First World," "Second World," and "Third World" categorize countries according to __________.
A) degree of economic development
B) the status of women relative to that of men
C) rates of literacy
D) population size
Q3) The United Nations defines human development as_______________________.
A) the process of expanding people's choices, capabilities, and ability to take action to improve their own lives and live life to its fullest
B) access to adequate health services, including contraception, to increase physical fitness
C) the process of education and travel to increase a person's earning power
D) involvement in global social movements for peace and stability.
Q4) Define the two types of global commodity chains.
Q5) Only high-income countries are relatively unaffected by capital flight.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Race and Ethnicity
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138 Verified Questions
138 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the difference between the concepts of race and ethnicity.
Q2) Sociologists use the term __________ for a group that is advantaged by greater power and access to resources in a society
A) multilateral group
B) dominant group
C) minority group
D) subordinate group
Q3) List and describe each of the four types of discrimination identified by Joe Feagin.
Q4) Which of these explanations for racism is most likely to include the concept of a scapegoat?
A) social convergence hypothesis
B) authoritarian personality principle
C) social learning theory
D) frustration-aggression hypothesis
Q5) Policies that prohibit overt, blatant forms of racial injustice may have little impact on the daily business-as-usual forms of racial discrimination.
A)True
B)False
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
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127 Verified Questions
127 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ is the level of technology and the organization of the economy in a given society.
A) subsistence
B) division of labor
C) technoeconomic base
D) adaptive strategy
Q2) Gender is not one of the major ways by which social life is organized in all sectors of society.
A)True
B)False
Q3) At the core of the differences between gender and sex is the chromosomal information transmitted at the moment a child is conceived. An "XY" chromosome generally means __________.
A) a heterosexual embryo
B) a male embryo
C) a hermaphrodite embryo
D) a female embryo
Q4) Discuss and compare the functional, conflict, and feminist perspectives on gender stratification.
Q5) Discuss the decline in women's status in agricultural and industrial societies.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Families and Intimate Relationships
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129 Verified Questions
129 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In __________ systems, inheritance of property and position is usually traced from the maternal uncle (mother's brother) to his nephew (mother's son). In some cases, mothers may pass on their property to daughters.
A) matricentric
B) matrilocal
C) matrilineal
D) matriarchal
Q2) Even with the less common pattern of __________, which is a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family, women may not control property.
A) matriarchal descent
B) matricentric descent
C) matrilocal descent
D) matrilineal descent
Q3) Over the last fifty years in the United States, the number of households comprised of single men and single women living alone has been increasing.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the emergence of the concept of romantic love within Western culture.
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13
Chapter 12: Education and Religion
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131 Verified Questions
131 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe conflict perspectives on religion and distinguish between the approaches of sociologists Karl Marx and Max Weber.
Q2) Describe the symbolic interactionist perspective on education and explain the significance of labeling and the self-fulfilling prophecy in educational achievement.
Q3) __________ is the belief that plants, animals, or other elements of the natural world are endowed with spirits or life forces that have an impact on events in society.
A) Theism
B) Animism
C) Simple supernaturalism
D) Transcendent idealism
Q4) socially approved dress and manners, and knowledge about books, art, music, and other forms of high and popular culture; some people have more of these attitudes and knowledge than others.
A) Cultural capital
B) Social wealth
C) Etiquette
D) Cultural toolkit
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Chapter 13: Politics and the Economy in Global Perspective
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130 Verified Questions
130 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In __________ monarchies, the royalty serve as symbolic rulers or heads of state whereas actual authority is held by elected officials in the national parliaments.
A) constitutional
B) limited
C) absolute
D) total
Q2) __________ relies on modern technology to monitor and control people; mass propaganda and electronic surveillance are widely used to influence people's thinking and control their actions.
A) Monarchy
B) Authoritarianism
C) Totalitarianism
D) Democracy
Q3) China is the only country in the world today with a purely socialist economic system.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the field of political sociology. What type of organizations and issues are the subjects of research in this field?
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Chapter 14: Health, Health Care, and Disability
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117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ theory emphasizes the political, economic, and social forces that affect health and the health care delivery system.
A) functionalist
B) conflict
C) symbolic interactionist
D) postmodernist
Q2) Rates of illness are highest among the old and the young.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Both ascribed and achieved characteristics are correlated with various health risks. Which of these is an achieved characteristic related to health status?
A) age
B) sex
C) drug use
D) race/ethnicity
Q4) Many practitioners of alternative medicine take a holistic approach.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain how the lifestyle factors of drug use affect health.
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Chapter 15: Population and Urbanization
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131 Verified Questions
131 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United Nations defines high-, intermediate-, and low-fertility countries according to __________.
A) the total fecundity of the population
B) the total fertility of the average woman in the population
C) the average number of daughters who will live to childbearing age born to each woman
D) the level of fecundity minus total fertility
Q2) The conflict perspective on the growth of cities is completely structural in its approach and explanations, focusing on the impact of capitalism.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Compare the concepts of urbanism and urban villagers, both pertaining to symbolic interactionist perspectives on city life.
Q4) Explain the Malthusian perspective on population growth. In your response, include the concepts of doubling and positive and preventive checks. What are the primary criticisms of this perspective?
Q5) Define the concepts of "pull" and "push" factors that influence internal and international migration.
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Chapter 16: Collective Behavior, Social Movements, and Social Change
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133 Verified Questions
133 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define mass behavior; describe the most frequent types of this behavior.
Q2) The social constructionist theorists have identified three ways of framing an issue. A __________ frame presents solutions or remedies based on the target that has been identified.
A) diagnostic
B) prognostic
C) motivational
D) behavioral
Q3) __________ can arise in response to events that people believe are beyond their control, such as a major disruption in the economy. Although they are relatively rare, they receive massive media coverage because they evoke strong feelings of fear in readers and viewers.
A) Mobs
B) Panics
C) Aggregates
D) Riots
Q4) Summarize the key features of these four explanations of collective behavior: contagion theory, social unrest and circular reaction, convergence theory, and emergent norm theory. Highlight the differences among these explanations.
18
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