Deck 15: Urbanization, population, and the Environment

Question 1

According to the ecological approach,the development of urban areas can be understood as similar to

A) a machine.
B) the natural world.
C) rural development.
D) the solar system.

Answer 1

the natural world.

Question 2

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 intersections on trade routes.

A) the ecological approach to urban analysis
B) gentrification analysis
C) the created-environment approach to urban analysis
D) the collective-consumption theory of urban development

Answer 2

the ecological approach to urban analysis

Question 3

Most of the people leaving rural areas represent

A) the uneducated population.
B) the older population.
C) the younger population.
D) the nonwhite population.

Answer 3

the younger population.

Question 4

The Chicago School focused on cities as ______;however,most contemporary theory and research in urban sociology focus on cities as ______.

A) social constructions;created environments
B) dangerous;safe
C) natural formations;created environments
D) places of conflict;places of cooperation

Question 5

Several distinct central cities and counties,including Los Angeles,Orange County,Riverside,and San Bernardino,merge together to form the Greater Los Angeles Area,creating a continuous network known as

A) a conurbation.
B) urbanization.
C) a megalopolis.
D) a metropolis.

Question 6

Sandra lives in the heart of a large city.Lately,there have been robberies on several streets near her home,but none on her street.Sandra and her neighbors believe that they have not seen any crime on their street because they know each other,notice when strangers or strange cars are in the neighborhood,and have a mix of old retired couples and young families who use the neighborhood at different times of the day.Jane Jacobs would see this as an example of

A) gentrification.
B) eyes and ears upon the street.
C) inner-city life.
D) nosy neighbors.

Question 7

Rural areas in the United States have seen their populations decline because of

A) lack of opportunities for young people.
B) growth in farming industries.
C) too many government services.
D) low poverty rates.

Question 8

Manuel Castells emphasized ______,such as the gay community in San Francisco,as an important factor in urban development.

A) model minorities
B) privileged groups
C) underprivileged groups
D) revolutionary groups

Question 9

In most ancient cities,

A) an inner wall offered military defense.
B) there was little separation from the countryside.
C) the elite and ruling class generally lived in the city center.
D) the outer area was primarily a religious and political district.

Question 10

Sociologists refer to a "city of all cities" as

A) a mega-urbation.
B) a megalopolis.
C) a metropolis.
D) urbanization.

Question 11

When Jorge first moved to Chicago from his small,rural town in California,he found it hard to meet new people.Back home in his small town,people often said hello to each other on the street,and he knew the names of most of the people who lived there.However,in Chicago people rarely made eye contact with him on the street.According to Louis Wirth,Jorge was experiencing

A) the racism of urban life.
B) rural isolationism.
C) the urban interaction problem.
D) the rudeness of urban life.

Question 12

According to Claude Fischer,how do cities create opportunities for close,rewarding friendships and social ties?

A) The repeated interactions between those living on the same street eventually lead to friendships.
B) The anonymity required for most everyday interactions enhances relationships formed in other ways.
C) Work and school life are more intimate than in other places.
D) The large number and diversity of urban dwellers allows subcultures to flourish.

Question 13

Ancient cities were considered the main centers for science,the arts,and cosmopolitan culture.Their influence on surrounding areas was

A) great,since the cities set policy that everyone in the region had to follow.
B) moderate,since farmers tended to pick and choose which rules they adhered to.
C) immeasurable,since cities affected countryside residents in numerous ways.
D) weak,since there were few people living in cities relative to the countryside.

Question 14

According to David Harvey and Manuel Castells,the most important factors that affect cities are

A) natural growth and development.
B) government decisions and social movements.
C) their size and shape.
D) ecological processes.

Question 15

In recent years,both China and India have seen rapid economic growth and urbanization as their populations have grown larger.While these changes have helped many citizens reach middle-class status,the textbook outlines one significant area negatively associated with this expansion

A) there have been decreasing numbers of customers for consumer goods.
B) the amounts of environmental pollutants have increased.
C) citizens have stopped traveling by automobiles.
D) people are having a hard time finding jobs.

Question 16

Britain was the first country to undergo industrialization,which generated ______,the movement of population from the countryside into towns and cities.

A) conurbation
B) metropolization
C) megalomania
D) urbanization

Question 17

In the time since Jacobs published her study describing the "eyes and ears upon the street," the appearance and composition of many urban neighborhoods have changed significantly.Modern neighborhoods are more likely to be made up of residents from different cultural backgrounds,have more signs of economic inequalities present,and demonstrate extremely varying personal behaviors.How do these changes affect Jacobs's concept?

A) They show the natural decline of urban neighborhoods.
B) They illustrate how her conclusions are more of use for neighborhood residents than ever before.
C) They have forced urban scholars to look for other ways to explain city living.
D) While residents of modern neighborhoods may not feel the same solidarity and mutual assurance as when Jacobs wrote,her ideas remain very important and influential.

Question 18

According to Jane Jacobs,what circumstance would be most "safe" for city dwellers?

A) a busy street with many shoppers,workers,and sightseers walking around
B) a well-ordered,mostly empty street with open shops dotted along the blocks
C) a quiet suburban street with occasional sounds of children playing in backyards
D) the financial district of a city at night after workers have gone home and few cars are on the street

Question 19

The Urban Ecology approach to urbanization emphasizes the _____ of different city areas,with more dominant and influential groups occupying central areas of cities.

A) interdependence
B) independence
C) division
D) segregation

Question 20

According to David Harvey,cities as well as suburbs can be understood as _____ humans established to serve their needs.

A) evolutionary spaces
B) urban ecology
C) created environments
D) collective communization sites

Question 21

Saskia Sassen developed which term to refer to urban centers that are home to the headquarters of transnational corporations and have an abundance of financial,technological,and consulting services?

A) megalopolis
B) metropolis
C) global cities
D) exurban zones

Question 22

According to your textbook,how have rural poverty rates compared to urban rates since 1960?

A) Rural poverty rates have been lower than urban rates.
B) Rural poverty rates have been higher than urban rates.
C) There is not statistical difference between the poverty rates of rural and urban regions.
D) It is hard to form comparisons between urban and rural poverty rates since there is so much missing data.

Question 23

While gentrification is a general term for the process of older,deteriorating neighborhoods becoming "revived" with new businesses,buildings getting renovated,and more affluent residents moving into the area,______ specifically applies to situations where public funds are used to accomplish the same goals,often through the large-scale demolition of "slum housing."

A) urban renewal
B) suburbanization
C) red-lining
D) created environment

Question 24

Which of the following methodological approaches to a research project on internal migration from rural to urban areas is an ethnography?

A) A researcher distributes paper questionnaires to individuals in rural areas in South America asking their reasons for staying in rural areas and their experiences with friends and neighbors who have moved to cities.
B) A researcher conducts a series of interviews with individuals about their motivation for moving to cities from rural areas in Argentina.
C) A researcher examines the different reasons to move to urban areas in Africa vs.in South America.
D) A researcher asks individuals in rural villages in northern Africa their opinions about (randomly)only one of the two following conditions: whether a long-term drought would cause them to leave a rural area for an urban area,or whether conflict among village leadership would cause them to leave a rural area for an urban area.

Question 25

The decline in jobs in the manufacturing industries in the urban United States coincided with an increase in jobs in

A) the white-collar service industry.
B) the low-skill service industry.
C) the blue-collar skilled sector,such as plumbing.
D) academic teaching jobs.

Question 26

According to Elijah Anderson,what happened to the poor residents in the Philadelphia neighborhood he studied that became gentrified?

A) Social services important to poor residents were cut.
B) Short-term improvements in social services were offset by rising taxes.
C) Violence rose in response to wealthier people moving to the area.
D) New low-income housing offset some of the effects of gentrification,allowing poor residents to stay in the neighborhood.

Question 27

Jonah grew up in a neighborhood with poor schools,few businesses,and many run-down and abandoned buildings.However,in the past few years,the city has renovated many buildings,and tax breaks are encouraging new businesses to move into the city.This process is called

A) conurbation.
B) suburbanization.
C) gentrification.
D) urbanization.

Question 28

The centrality and marginality of global cities' geography refers to

A) central business districts residing only in global cities.
B) areas of enormous affluence and acute poverty residing side by side with minimal interaction.
C) the presence of central zones and marginal ones.
D) inequality between the amount of influence global cities have on the global economy.

Question 29

According to the 2010 U.S.Census,Waukee,an area located outside Iowa's capital city of Des Moines,is 98.17 percent white.If suburbs are increasingly becoming "majority minority," what most likely explains Waukee's demographics?

A) Waukee is an exurb,not a suburb,so it is one of the few places that remain predominantly white.
B) Waukee has a white mayor,which makes it less welcoming to residents of color.
C) Suburbs in the Midwest are generally exempt from the "majority minority" pattern.
D) Waukee has a lower average income compared to surrounding areas.

Question 30

The inner cities in the United States have decayed in the past fifty years.What reasons do sociologists give for this decline?

A) Businesses,jobs,and middle-class residents have moved to the inner city.
B) There is a lack of public transportation to the businesses and jobs in the inner city.
C) Segregation has significantly decreased.
D) Manufacturing industries have disappeared and taken away many of the blue-collar jobs for which lower-class residents were qualified.

Question 31

Government programs helped fuel the rapid increase of suburbanization in the United States during the

A) 1980s and 1990s.
B) 1920s and 1930s.
C) 1930s and 1940s.
D) 1950s and 1960s.

Question 32

Mike Davis noticed a "conscious hardening of the city surface against the poor" in his study of Los Angeles.He observed this process taking place through the presence of

A) short benches at bus stops.
B) large public parks.
C) freeways.
D) homeless shelters.

Question 33

Richard Rothstein's research on housing built under the federal Public Works Administration showed that

A) the newly built houses were available to applicants of all races.
B) the houses were deliberately segregated,with most going to whites.
C) mortgages for the houses could only be obtained by military veterans.
D) white applicants were denied access to the new neighborhoods.

Question 34

In the 1980s,Williamsburg,Brooklyn,was a predominantly Latino and Black area of New York City,but since the mid-1990s,landlords have pushed out long-time tenants,renovated buildings,and rented out units for dramatically higher prices.This process is called

A) conurbation.
B) metropolization.
C) urbanization.
D) gentrification.

Question 35

Suburbanization is

A) the development of state-subsidized housing.
B) the movement of nonwhite populations outside the city.
C) the massive development and inhabitation of towns surrounding cities.
D) the redevelopment of housing in the inner city.

Question 36

Both urban and suburban neighborhoods are highly

A) populated by whites and blacks,whereas Latinos live in rural areas.
B) segregated by race.
C) racially integrated.
D) populated by nonwhites,whereas rural areas are mostly white.

Question 37

Which of the following jobs most closely illustrates the informal economy?

A) a secretary at a multinational paper manufacturer based in Los Angeles
B) a sociology professor in Detroit
C) unionized garbage workers in the northeastern United States
D) a used-book vendor on the streets of New York City

Question 38

According to William Julius Wilson,the growth of an urban underclass is largely due to

A) whites leaving urban areas for the suburbs.
B) lower educational levels among urban minorities.
C) blue-collar manufacturing industries moving out of urban areas.
D) a decline of the information economy.

Question 39

The Global South experiences high rates of population growth because of higher birth rates as well as

A) high crime in rural areas.
B) high rates of migration from other countries.
C) high rates of internal migration.
D) idealization of American life.

Question 40

What explains the phenomenon of "aging in place" in rural areas?

A) the lack of social services available for the elderly in rural communities
B) strong social networks that care for the elderly within rural communities
C) a decline in the population of rural areas,particularly among the young
D) the lack of job opportunities for young adults,which leaves them living with parents well into adulthood

Question 41

What is the difference between a "crude" and a "specific" rate (e.g. ,birthrate,deathrate)?

A) Crude rates use less sophisticated statistical analyses than specific rates.
B) Crude rates are estimations based on a population sample,while specific rates are constructed from census counts.
C) Crude rates do not take account of the population distribution in any way,while specific rates do.
D) Crude rates estimate a range for a particular statistic,while specific rates give a single number.

Question 42

In 2014,Afghanistan had thirty-four live births per one thousand people.This number is known as

A) crude death rate.
B) crude birth rate.
C) fecundity.
D) fertility.

Question 43

Countries whose populations have access to good healthcare and adequate nutrition generally have populations with

A) higher rates of fecundity.
B) higher rates of fertility.
C) longer life expectancies.
D) higher rates of mortality.

Question 44

Which of the following countries has a higher crude birth rate than the United States?

A) Russia
B) Italy
C) Germany
D) Pakistan

Question 45

In Mexico City,nearly 95 percent of the land has buildings on it.Based on what you read about urbanization in the Global South,Mexico City is likely

A) one of the strongest economic centers.
B) one of the most polluted cities in the world.
C) one of the most sustainable cities in the world.
D) one of the cheapest places to live in the world.

Question 46

When migrants are "positively selected" into urban areas in the global south,what does this mean?

A) Those who migrate to urban areas are better prepared to find jobs and thrive in urban areas.
B) Those who migrate to urban areas do not fit in well with their rural communities.
C) Those who migrate to urban areas are less well suited to working in rural areas.
D) Those who migrate to urban areas have already secured jobs in the cities to which they migrate.

Question 47

In 2015,eighty-seven babies per one thousand died before reaching one year of age.This figure is called the

A) crude death rate.
B) fertility-death ratio.
C) fecundity.
D) infant mortality rate.

Question 48

Thomas Malthus was one of the first scholars to show concern for population growth. Demographers,economists,politicians,sociologists,and others have continued to debate Malthus's ideas for more than two hundred years,but many do not share his concern for the natural limits to population growth.Which of the following modern advances challenged Malthus's predictions?

A) worries about population growth in countries such as the United States
B) increases in the rate of population growth in developed countries
C) increases in food production due to new technologies such as machinery and genetics
D) using up all the Earth's natural resources

Question 49

The number of deaths per one thousand people per year is known as crude death rate or

A) the rate of population decline.
B) anti-fecundity.
C) anti-fertility.
D) mortality rate.

Question 50

The formula used to calculate the doubling time of a population is 70 divided by the

A) current growth rate.
B) crude birth rate.
C) crude death rate.
D) fertility rate.

Question 51

Population growth rates are

A) linear.
B) rational.
C) negative.
D) exponential.

Question 52

Karachi-the largest city in Pakistan-began to run out of water.According to your textbook,this example best illustrates

A) how housing is one of the most acute problems in urban areas.
B) urban populations are growing exponentially.
C) global climate change,in combination with urbanization,can have deadly consequences.
D) unbalanced age distribution in less-industrialized areas adds to economic difficulties.

Question 53

The increase in life expectancy has been most significantly influenced by

A) crude longevity.
B) declining infant death rates.
C) increased fecundity.
D) declining fertility rates.

Question 54

Demographers study population patterns.If a demographer were going to study the population changes in a country such as China,which of the following would he or she examine?

A) deaths
B) political party affiliation
C) job growth
D) pollution

Question 55

Fertility rates are often much lower than fecundity rates because

A) modern fertility technology is not as advanced as it should be.
B) women are more likely to be sterile today because of environmental pollution.
C) social and cultural practices limit the number of children women have.
D) women are pressured to have more children than they desire.

Question 56

The number of children women are biologically able to produce is known as

A) fecundity.
B) fertility.
C) the crude fertility rate.
D) the crude birth rate.

Question 57

Malthusianism is the belief that population growth tends to outstrip expansion of food production and that population growth can only be controlled by

A) birth control methods,such as contraceptive pills.
B) natural curbs on population,such as famine and war.
C) advances in medical technology.
D) government policies that limit how many children women can have.

Question 58

In October 2011,the world population reached

A) 2 billion.
B) 4 billion.
C) 7 billion
D) 9 billion.

Question 59

Virtually all industrialized countries have a growth rate of less than .05 percent,while countries in the Global South today have rates of between 2 and 3 percent.Based on what you read in the textbook,how is this difference in the rate of population growth significant?

A) The difference is enormous because population growth is exponential rather than arithmetic.
B) The difference is significant,but global migration will likely mitigate it.
C) The difference is somewhat significant,but increasing rates of education will significantly slow population growth in the Global South.
D) The difference is small enough to not matter dramatically.

Question 60

In 2014,women of childbearing age in Afghanistan had an average of 4.8 live-born children per one thousand women of childbearing age.This number is known as

A) fertility.
B) fecundity.
C) the crude birth rate.
D) the crude fertility rate.

Question 61

In your opinion,which Chicago School approach to urban studies-urban ecology or urbanism-is more convincing to you,and why? Explain your answer in three to five sentences.

Question 62

What is one major hurdle faced by efforts to address environmental degradation caused by consumption?

A) Addressing environmental degradation would require laws forcing some people to live in rural areas.
B) Addressing environmental degradation would require investment in technology to invent more environmentally safe products.
C) Addressing environmental degradation would require people living in wealthy countries to consume fewer goods and services.
D) Addressing environmental degradation would require going back in time to reverse much of the damage already done.

Question 63

According to one popular website,Global Footprint,seven planets would be required for all people on the Earth to somehow achieve the standard of living of the average American.Given that we only have one planet,what changes do you think need to be made to make the transition from current processes of environmental degradation to sustainable development? Explain your answer in a couple sentences.

Question 64

Natasha's organization helps companies design projects that will generate profit but also have minimal impact on the environment.Their focus is on recycling physical resources and keeping pollution to a minimum,thus focusing on

A) sustainable development.
B) communization.
C) modernization.
D) postmodernization.

Question 65

Reducing population growth around the world faces which of the following challenges?

A) Few people still see a large family as desirable.
B) Some populations are genetically predisposed to higher birth rates.
C) Contraception is widely available around the world.
D) Some religions still forbid the use of contraception.

Question 66

Demographic transition and Malthusianism are two theories of population change.Which do you think best explains the issues of population growth today and why?

Question 67

In a few sentences,use China as an example to explain some of the issues that countries face regarding population growth,economic growth,and environmental issues.How are these issues intertwined?

Question 68

How has globalization affected the process of urbanization in societies? Discuss this relationship in a few sentences.

Question 69

Instead of the natural curbs to population growth suggested by Malthusianism,demographic transition theory argues that population growth is related to and controlled by

A) economic development.
B) government policy.
C) famine and war.
D) geographic location.

Question 70

According to demographic transition theory,birth rates and death rates remain high in which stage?

A) Stage 2 (partial industrialization)
B) Stage 1 (preindustrial,traditional)
C) Stage 4 (postindustrial)
D) Stage 3 (full industrialization)

Question 71

What is the primary outcome of the second stage in the demographic transition?

A) falling fertility rates
B) rising fertility rates
C) falling mortality rates
D) rising mortality rates

Question 72

In a short paragraph,describe the process of suburbanization as it has occurred in the United States.How has the U.S.government played a role in shaping the process and the outcomes of suburbanization?

Question 73

Why is rural America on the decline? Outline at least one problem facing rural America today in a few sentences.

Question 74

Developed countries that have already undergone the demographic transition are going to experience a growth in the number of older people relative to younger people.This is called the

A) generation ratio.
B) dependent-worker ratio.
C) dependency ratio.
D) birth-death ratio.

Question 75

Why is gentrification considered an urban problem? In three to five sentences,explain what happens to residents of a neighborhood undergoing gentrification.

Question 76

In 2016,scientists warned that the world's giraffe population dropped 40 percent over the past thirty years and is threatened with extinction.Based on what you read in the textbook,how would contemporary sociologists most likely understand this phenomenon?

A) They would take the human domination of nature for granted.
B) They would ignore the problem since it concerns animals,not humans.
C) They would attempt to understand how humans are not exempt from the "web of nature."
D) They would use the "human exceptionalism paradigm" to find a solution.

Question 77

In a few sentences,explain why developing countries are experiencing urbanization at such a rapid pace.

Question 78

David Biello,curator of science for TED Talks,recently told the New York Times that humans' impact on the Earth is "deep and pervasive,and probably permanent." Based on what you read in the textbook,which concept does Biello's statement best exemplify?

A) conurbation
B) fecundity
C) mortality
D) Anthropocene