Social Problems
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course examines the major social problems confronting contemporary societies, including poverty, crime, inequality, discrimination, substance abuse, and environmental issues. By utilizing sociological perspectives and research methods, students will analyze how these problems are defined, the factors contributing to their persistence, and their impact on individuals and communities. The course also explores possible solutions, public policies, and the roles individuals and groups play in addressing social issues, encouraging students to think critically about the challenges and opportunities for social change.
Recommended Textbook
Investigating Social Problems 2nd Edition by A.
Javier Trevino
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
17 Chapters
934 Verified Questions
934 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2147
Page 2
Chapter 1: Sociology and Social Problems
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42792
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the social constructionist approach,when people define certain behaviors,events,and social conditions as social problems,they are social problems.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the terms below allows us to see the intersection between history and biography?
A)social lens
B)social movement
C)social structure
D)the sociological imagination
Answer: D
Q3) Income affects social class but wealth does not.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: Poverty and Class Inequality
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42793
Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following theorists have continued to argue that social inequality is necessary and inevitable for the maintenance of any society EXCEPT ______.
A)Lawrence Mead
B)George Gilbert
C)Charles Murray
D)Karl Marx
Answer: D
Q2) The belief that those in power choose to "blame the victim" rather than accept any responsibility for poverty best illustrates ______.
A)functionalism
B)symbolic interactionism
C)conflict theory
D)integrative theory
Answer: C
Q3) Black men are 5.6 times more likely to be incarcerated than White men.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Race and Ethnicity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42794
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the 2010 U.S.Census,what percentage of Americans are considered Hispanic?
A)6
B)18
C)26
D)36
Answer: B
Q2) Blacks are the largest minority group in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) What portion of ex-felons are African American?
A)55%
B)43%
C)36%
D)40%
Answer: D
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 4: Gender
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42795
Sample Questions
Q1) Liberal feminism is most closely associated with which of the following sociological perspectives?
A)conflict theory
B)integrative theory
C)post-structuralism
D)structural functionalism
Q2) According to radical feminists,patriarchal societies are characterized by ______.
A)male dominance
B)racism
C)classism
D)feminism
Q3) Which theory asserts that gender is an interactive performance we stage through our interactions with others?
A)sex role theory
B)doing gender
C)accountability theory
D)ethno-gender theory
Q4) What does it mean to say that gender is socially constructed?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 6
Chapter 5: Sexuality
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42796
Sample Questions
Q1) ______ is defined as the way in which people learn and develop ways to embody actions in a given social context.
A)Habitus
B)Erotic habitus
C)Socialization
D)Interactionism
Q2) Black Feminist Theory is most closely associated with which of the following sociological perspectives?
A)conflict theory
B)integrative theory
C)post-structuralism
D)structural functionalism
Q3) An unintended consequence of a social action that was unplanned is most closely connected to which of the following theoretical perspectives?
A)symbolic interactionism
B)conflict perspective
C)functionalism
D)erotic habitus
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Aging
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42797
Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of age,______ have the lowest poverty rate.
A)people aged 20-29
B)people aged 30-39
C)people aged 40-49
D)people aged 50-64
Q2) ______ is defined as the number of men per 100 women.
A)Gender dependency ratio
B)Sex ratio
C)Life expectancy
D)Fertility rate
Q3) ______ is a system in which older citizens have the power to run the government and dictate policies that primarily support people in their own age category.
A)Generational theory
B)Gerontocracy
C)Political power
D)Political economy of aging
Q4) What are the basic tenets of the political economy of aging? How does this perspective frame the relationship between the aging population and the broader society?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Education
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42798
Sample Questions
Q1) Conflict theory stresses the need to base education policies on a longitudinal examination of the processes that occur inside schools and classrooms.
A)True
B)False
Q2) ______ is the consistent difference in scores on tests of student achievement across different demographic groups,including groups based on race,gender,and socioeconomic status.
A)Scholar gap
B)Achievement gap
C)SATs
D)Educational achievement
Q3) Theories that best explain cultural,racial,family,and social class differences in education are considered ______ theories.
A)conflict
B)feminist
C)symbolic interactionist
D)cultural differences
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42799
Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the general relationship between crime rates and news coverage of crime.Then name and describe three important factors that contribute to this relationship.
Q2) ______is/are the key to understanding the consistently high level of crime coverage in the U.S.news media.
A)Actual crime rates
B)Journalists' professional routines
C)Journalists' inherent bias
D)Public desire for journalistic sensationalism
Q3) Discuss the research on the relationship between television violence and violent behavior.In general,what does this research find? Then describe two factors that make it difficult to generalize research done on this topic in laboratory settings to what happens in the real world.
Q4) What is a moral entrepreneur? Describe the general relationship between moral entrepreneurs,the claims making process,and the media.Then use a specific example to illustrate your answer.
Q5) With regard to activists intervening and highlighting social issues in the news,discuss the general relationship between media activism and social problems.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Family
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42800
Sample Questions
Q1) Over the last half-century,the percentage of Americans who are divorced has almost ______,and the percentage of never-marrieds has almost ______.
A)doubled;tripled
B)tripled;quadrupled
C)tripled;doubled
D)doubled;doubled
Q2) According to the U.S.Census Bureau,what is the definition of a household?
A)a parent and at least one child
B)a group consisting of a parent-child relationship and other living relatives
C)a living arrangement in which a married couple sets up residence separate from either spouse's family
D)people who share living quarters
Q3) The continuously married are better off financially than those who are cohabitating,divorced and not remarried,or never married.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The older a woman is,the less likely she is to find a potential husband.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Work and the Economy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42801
Sample Questions
Q1) In 2014,full-time women workers received an average of ______ cents for every dollar earned by male workers.
A)55
B)64
C)75
D)83
Q2) What is a bureaucracy? According to Max Weber,what are the key elements of a bureaucracy? What is the relationship,according to Weber,between bureaucracies and rationalization?
Q3) People in jail or prison are not counted as part of the labor force.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In 1994,the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed between the United States,Canada,and Mexico.Briefly explain why NAFTA was significant and how it has affected the United States and other countries.
Q5) How have union membership rates in the United States changed over the past two decades? What are three primary benefits of union membership for workers?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 12
Chapter 11: Crime
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42802
Sample Questions
Q1) The ______ process requires both attorneys to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of their case and come to a resolution short of trial.
A)restorative justice
B)presumed innocent
C)plea bargain
D)affirmative
Q2) Tannenbaum's explanation of the "dramatization of evil" is most closely associated with which of the following theoretical schools of thought?
A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interaction
D)feminist theory
Q3) ______ theory says the stronger a person's bond to society,the less likely he or she will feel "free to deviate."
A)Anomie
B)Strain
C)Opportunity
D)Social control
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: Drugs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42803
Sample Questions
Q1) A state characterized by compulsive drug use despite harmful consequences and which produces psychophysiological changes in the user is known as ______.
A)drug abuse
B)drug dependence
C)drug use
D)maturing out
Q2) In the year 2014,______ people in the United States had a substance dependence problem.
A)2 million
B)10 million
C)21.5 million
D)28.5 million
Q3) As Robert transitioned from college to the professional world,he began to smoke marijuana less frequently and stopped drinking on weekdays.Robert's behavior is an example of ______.
A)drug abuse
B)drug addiction
C)drug use
D)maturing out
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 14
Chapter 13: Health
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42804
Sample Questions
Q1) Talcott Parsons's theory of "the sick role" is most closely associated with ______.
A)structural functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interaction theory
D)deviance theory
Q2) ______ theorists explain the U.S.health-care system as a central part of the capitalist economy that functions to produce profit,not to deliver health care.
A)Functionalist
B)Conflict
C)Interactionist
D)Integrative
Q3) Alternative medicine shares many of the characteristics of orthodox medicine by focusing on institutional factors rather than on individual factors as the source of disease.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss Pierre Bourdieu's (1984)theory of the relationship of the body to class position in society.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: The Environment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42805
Sample Questions
Q1) ______argue that we can separate ecological problems from human relationships and social organization.
A)Social constructionists
B)Realists
C)Institutionalists
D)Naturalists
Q2) The treadmill of production concept is most closely associated with the ______ perspective.
A)conflict
B)structural functionalist
C)symbolic interactions
D)feminist
Q3) The theory of ______ suggests that we find solutions to our environmental problems by altering our current economic system to encourage good environmental behavior.
A)concerted cultivation
B)natural growth
C)ecological footprinting
D)ecological modernization
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 16
Chapter 15: Science and Technology
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42806
Sample Questions
Q1) The majority of hackers worldwide are based in China.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The fact that doctoral students are more likely to have a parent with an advanced degree than a parent with only some college is an example of ______.
A)human capital
B)cumulative advantage
C)structural functionalism
D)status reproduction
Q3) Ninety percent of transgenic crops are grown in ______.
A)Canada and China
B)Brazil and Mexico
C)France and Germany
D)the United States and Argentina
Q4) Due to low ______ costs,France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity.
A)labor
B)coal
C)production
D)land
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: War and Terrorism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42807
Sample Questions
Q1) ______ occurs when a government provides materiel support,weapons,and training to subnational units in another country so they can attack governments or civilians in that country.
A)State-sponsored terrorism
B)Repressive state terrorism
C)The terrorist industrial conflict
D)Routinized militarism
Q2) Any government that possesses nuclear weapons might be considered guilty of ______ because it seeks a political outcome.
A)state-sponsored terrorism
B)repressive state terrorism
C)the terrorist industrial conflict
D)cyberterrorism
Q3) What is the military industrial complex? Discuss two of its important features and explain how it relates to C.Wright Mills' concept of the "military definition of reality."
Q4) Wars can only occur between states.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 18
Chapter 17: Urbanization
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42808
Sample Questions
Q1) In 2008,______ was considered the "Foreclosure Capital of the World."
A)Atlanta
B)Los Angeles
C)Las Vegas
D)Houston
Q2) All of the following theories of urban development are associated with structural functionalism EXCEPT ______.
A)multiple nuclei theory
B)the sector model
C)the concentric-zone model
D)redevelopment theory
Q3) Among city dwellers globally,from 2000 to 2008,there was a ______% decrease in access to clean tap water.
A)5
B)20
C)45
D)80
Q4) Discuss Ernest Burgess's concentric-zone model of urban development.Then compare and contrast it with Homer Hoyt's sector model,as well as multiple nuclei theory.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19