Deck 1: Thinking About Social Problems

Question 1

The ____________ of society refers to the way society is organized.

A)structure
B)culture
C)ethos
D)sociological imagination

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Society's structure is made up of

A)the people who share a culture.
B)institutions, social groups, norms, and symbols.
C)beliefs, values, norms, and symbols.
D)institutions, social groups, statuses, and roles.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Sociologists refer to the position a person holds in a group as his or her

A)status.
B)folkway.
C)institution.
D)role.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is a group, according to the definition in your text?

A)all of the people in your favorite shopping mall at noon Saturday
B)people who usually watch NBC nightly news
C)your college sociology class
D)fans of the Yankee baseball team

Question 5

Which of the following is more likely to be found in primary rather than secondary groups?

A)task-oriented actions
B)impersonal interaction
C)intimate relationships
D)formal statuses and roles

Question 6

Roles

A)guide our behavior.
B)tell us what is true or false.
C)are general ideas about what is important.
D)refer to the positions within a social group.

Question 7

Which of the following illustrates part of the social structure of a society?

A)the public educational system
B)the belief in God
C)the value of education
D)the belief that abortion should be illegal

Question 8

Which of the following is an ascribed status?

A)female
B)single parent
C)high school graduate
D)college professor

Question 9

Sociologists define an institution as

A)a general idea about what is important or desirable.
B)a building where people with special needs live and are cared for.
C)a collection of people who have something in common.
D)an established and enduring social pattern of social relationships.

Question 10

The objective element of a social problem

A)refers to our attitudes about the social conditions.
B)refers to the existence of a social condition.
C)is the only part that can be measured.
D)is unimportant.

Question 11

Modern society includes the __________ of science and technology, mass media, medicine, sports and the military.

A)social groups
B)institutions
C)statuses
D)roles

Question 12

Which of the following illustrates a primary group?

A)a husband, wife, and child
B)your sociology class
C)the college or university you are attending
D)your hometown

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a secondary group?

A)a single mother and her children
B)a group of friends who work together in a large corporation
C)a sociology class at a community college
D)the siblings in a family

Question 14

Which element of a social problem refers to the belief that a particular social condition is harmful to society?

A)objective
B)subjective
C)operational
D)theoretical

Question 15

Which type of status is assigned on the basis of some characteristic or behavior over which the individual has some control?

A)ascribed
B)elementary
C)achieved
D)rational

Question 16

Definitions of social problems

A)are objectively created.
B)vary across societies and over time.
C)are determined only by social structure.
D)are determined only by culture.

Question 17

Which of the following best illustrates the subjective element of a social problem?

A)U.S.Census statistics that show the percentage of the United States population who live in poverty
B)reports that show the percentage of people who have lost their jobs due to the closing of factories in the United States
C)the percentage of Americans who believe availability of child pornography on the Internet is harmful to society
D)World Health Organization estimates of the number of people in the world who have died of the AIDS virus in the last five years

Question 18

Edward is an African American male, age 26, who married his high school sweetheart after he graduated from college.He is now the father of two children and employed as a chemical engineer.Which of the following is one of Edward's achieved statuses?

A)African American
B)male
C)chemical engineer
D)adult

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT one of the five traditional social institutions?

A)family
B)religion
C)politics
D)prison

Question 20

A social problem is a social condition that

A)interferes with the functioning of society.
B)results in conflict among various population segments of a society.
C)a segment of society views as harmful to members of society and in need of remedy.
D)everyone in a society agrees is problematic for the society.

Question 21

Cheating on a spouse would be a violation of a

A)folkway.
B)more.
C)value.
D)belief.

Question 22

Which of the following is the best example of a value?

A)equality
B)being sent to prison
C)a cross on a church
D)believing that God exists

Question 23

Ernie was caught speeding and given a fine.The fine is an example of a(n)

A)value.
B)folkway.
C)informal sanction.
D)formal sanction.

Question 24

Socially defined rules of behavior are

A)beliefs.
B)values.
C)norms.
D)sanctions.

Question 25

Which of the following is a violation of a more in American society?

A)refusing to shake hands with a new acquaintance
B)sexual abuse of a child
C)eating peas with your fingers
D)littering

Question 26

Janet receives disapproving looks from strangers for singing loudly while walking down the street.The disapproving looks Janet receives are examples of

A)values.
B)folkways.
C)informal sanctions.
D)formal sanctions.

Question 27

"Secondhand smoke harms nonsmokers." This statement is an example of a

A)belief.
B)value.
C)folkway.
D)more.

Question 28

Social consequences for conforming to or violating norms are

A)values.
B)folkways.
C)mores.
D)sanctions.

Question 29

A ___________ is something that represents something else.

A)sanction
B)more
C)folkway
D)symbol

Question 30

Folkways, laws, and mores are three types of

A)sanctions.
B)norms.
C)values.
D)master statuses.

Question 31

Every status is associated with many _________, or the set of rights, obligations, and expectations associated with a status.

A)institutions
B)values
C)roles
D)norms

Question 32

Culture includes all of the following elements EXCEPT

A)beliefs
B)values
C)statuses
D)symbols

Question 33

Being praised by one's neighbors for organizing a neighborhood community surveillance project would be a(n)

A)formal positive sanction.
B)informal positive sanction.
C)formal negative sanction.
D)informal negative sanction.

Question 34

Having to attend classes, read assignments, take exams, and write papers illustrates the __________ of a college student.

A)status
B)role
C)institution
D)sanctions

Question 35

Which of the following is an aspect of the culture, in contrast to the social structure, of a society?

A)institutions
B)social groups
C)values
D)statuses

Question 36

Loreli dieted and worked out resulting in significant reduction in size and weight.Which of the following is an informal positive sanction?

A)She feels much better about herself than she did before the weight loss.
B)Friends tell her she looks great.
C)She lost twenty-five pounds.
D)She fits into a much smaller size in jeans.

Question 37

Wearing clothes that are in style is an example of a

A)folkway.
B)more.
C)law.
D)sanction.

Question 38

________ are norms that are formalized and backed by political authority.

A)Folkways
B)Mores
C)Laws
D)Values

Question 39

_________ are social agreements about what is considered good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

A)Norms
B)Values
C)Roles
D)Beliefs

Question 40

Jeff frequently picks his nose in class.He is violating a

A)value.
B)folkway.
C)more.
D)law.

Question 41

Colleges are good places for young adults to meet potential mates.This is an example of

A)a manifest function.
B)a latent function.
C)the sociological imagination.
D)a dysfunction.

Question 42

According to the social disorganization perspective, the solution to social problems

A)would be to ensure equality in society.
B)lies in slowing the pace of social change and strengthening social norms.
C)lies in severely punishing rule breakers and rewarding those who conform.
D)would be to change definitions and meanings.

Question 43

According to C.Wright Mills, the ____________ is the ability to see the connections between our personal lives and the social world.

A)functional perspective
B)sociological imagination
C)ascribed status
D)anomie

Question 44

Which of the following illustrates "corporate violence"?

A)contract killings ordered by organized crime
B)the lack of action by BP prior to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico despite knowledge of unstable seals
C)a fired employee who seeks revenge by murdering his employer and fellow workers
D)the terrorist bombing of a U.S.corporation's factory in a foreign country

Question 45

Contemporary Marxist theories point to the main source of social problems as

A)the weak social norms of capitalist societies.
B)class inequality that is inherent in a capitalistic system.
C)social disorganization that exists in both capitalist and communist societies.
D)lack of social communication among individuals in society.

Question 46

According to the ___________________________, social problems result from breakdown of the family, religious, economic, educational, or political institutions of a society.

A)symbolic interactionist perspective
B)social pathology model
C)Marxist conflict theory
D)non-Marxist conflict theory

Question 47

Which of the following conclusions BEST illustrates use of the sociological imagination?

A)Jody's parents are getting a divorce because they do not love each other anymore.
B)Helen is not attending college because her parents do not have enough money to pay her expenses.
C)Tony's college failure illustrates problems of inner-city children whose schools inadequately prepare them for the rigor of college courses.
D)Megan has to request welfare payments because she lost her job.

Question 48

Which of the following would NOT be an example of a symbol?

A)the word "jacket"
B)a nod indicating yes
C)a wedding ring
D)shivering when you are cold

Question 49

A social theory is

A)a prediction or educated guess about how one variable is related to another.
B)the ability to distinguish between "private troubles" and "public issues" and see the connections between the two.
C)a set of interrelated ideas designed to answer a question or explain a phenomenon.
D)a set of procedures for collecting data about a particular topic.

Question 50

A society is in a state of "anomie" when

A)norms are weak or in conflict with each other.
B)the major social institutions reinforce the same cultural values.
C)there are more secondary groups than primary groups.
D)some segments of society have more wealth than others.

Question 51

The two general types of conflict theories are Marxist and

A)dysfunction analysis.
B)social pathology.
C)non-Marxist.
D)alienation.

Question 52

According to social disorganization theory, ______ is an example of the kind of rapid social change that disrupts norms in society.

A)a labor strike
B)the cultural revolution of the 1960s
C)evolution
D)the aging of society

Question 53

The sociological imagination allows us to see the connections between private troubles and ________.

A)social institutions
B)sociology
C)social problems
D)public issues

Question 54

A peace sign is an example of a

A)value.
B)belief.
C)symbol.
D)sanction.

Question 55

Manifest functions are consequences that

A)are negative for most members of a group.
B)most members of a group do not recognize.
C)are intended and commonly recognized.
D)are irrelevant to the good of the group or its members.

Question 56

Which of the following illustrates a latent function of a public school?

A)the transmission of knowledge
B)development of reading and writing skills
C)a source of friends and potential mates
D)teaching mathematics

Question 57

An inner-city youth was caught burglarizing houses.Which of the following explanations views the youth's crime as a public issue?

A)The youth was unable to find a job because most of the factories had moved out of the inner city.
B)The youth dropped out of school because he did not like his teachers
C)The youth's mother did not provide adequate supervision because she was more interested in her boyfriend.
D)The youth thought burglarizing homes would be an easier way to make money than to work in a job.

Question 58

Which perspective argues that the division of society into the "haves" and "have-nots" will create social problems?

A)functionalist
B)interactionist
C)conflict
D)anomie

Question 59

Structural-Functionalist Theories of Social Problems include social pathology and

A)social disorganization.
B)labeling theory.
C)non-Marxist conflict theory.
D)social construction of reality.

Question 60

Structural-functionalists

A)emphasize the feelings of powerlessness of workers in industrialized societies.
B)focus on how groups with different interests compete for scarce resources.
C)view society as a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain balance.
D)focus on how a person's self-concept is formed by his or her interaction with others.

Question 61

Which of the following topics is most likely to be the topic of study of a social constructionist?

A)why marijuana use, but not alcohol and nicotine use, are illegal
B)how rapid social change weakens traditional rules for behavior
C)how the economic structure of society determines power differences
D)how unequal social classes create conflicts of interest in society

Question 62

Susan's parents and teachers often bragged about what a smart girl she was, so Susan grew up believing she could learn any subject if she tried hard enough.This phenomenon illustrates

A)looking-glass self.
B)alienation.
C)a macro perspective.
D)anomie.

Question 63

Which of the following theoretical perspectives reflects microsociology?

A)symbolic interactionism
B)structural-functionalism
C)Marxist conflict
D)non-Marxist conflict

Question 64

Which of the following is a major source of alienation in industrial societies, according to Marxist conflict theorists?

A)lack of socially shared symbols of communication
B)the primary groups to which individuals belong
C)limited and repetitive tasks of specialized workers
D)lack of effective sanctions in society

Question 65

Symbolic interactionism emphasizes that

A)societal institutions meet the needs of people in society.
B)institutional inequalities cause social problems.
C)human behavior is influenced by meanings that are created through social interaction.
D)the important symbols of society are distributed unequally.

Question 66

Which perspective claims our identity or sense of self is shaped by social interaction?

A)social disorganization
B)social pathology
C)symbolic interactionism
D)Non-Marxist conflict theory

Question 67

The ________ perspective often questions the origin and evolution of social problems and examines how research, government agencies, and the media influence the public's view of social problems.

A)labeling
B)social pathology
C)social disorganization
D)social constructionism

Question 68

________ are most likely to see the solution to social problems as solving differences through negotiation or mediation and finding win-win answers.

A)Non-Marxist conflict theorists
B)Marxist conflict theorists
C)Symbolic interactionists
D)Structural functionalists

Question 69

To reduce the social problem of underage drinking, ______ would recommend a campaign to encourage teenagers to define alcohol consumption as "un-cool."

A)labeling theory
B)social pathology
C)social disorganization
D)conflict theory

Question 70

Microsociologists, such as W.I.Thomas, believe that human action is influenced mostly by

A)the social organization of a social situation.
B)definitions of a situation.
C)objective inequalities that exist in a situation.
D)feelings of alienation that occur from lack of power.

Question 71

According to Herbert Blumer the first stage of a social problem is

A)mobilization for action.
B)societal recognition.
C)implementation of a plan.
D)social legitimation.

Question 72

Non-Marxist conflict theories focus on social conflict that results from

A)weak norms.
B)social disorganization.
C)competing values and interests among groups.
D)lack of communication among groups.

Question 73

Which of the following social policies is most likely to be advocated by a structural-functionalist?

A)cultivate a strong collective sense of right and wrong
B)minimize competition
C)reduce the impact of labeling
D)alter the definition of what is defined as a social problem

Question 74

Which of the following social policies is most likely to be advocated by a conflict theorist?

A)repair weak institutions
B)assure proper socialization
C)create an equitable system for the distribution of resources
D)reduce the pace of social change

Question 75

Symbolic interactionist Herbert Blumer said that social problems develop in stages.In the ________ stage, a condition is recognized as a social problem by the larger community, such as media, schools, and churches.

A)objectification
B)social legitimation
C)mobilization
D)implementation

Question 76

Conflict theory is more likely than structural-functionalism or symbolic interactionism to view the cause of social problems as

A)rapid social change.
B)different interpretations of social roles.
C)inequality.
D)inadequate socialization.

Question 77

Which theoretical perspective emphasizes that a condition must be defined or recognized as a social problem in order to be a social problem?

A)structural-functionalism
B)Marxist conflict theory
C)Non-Marxist conflict theory
D)Symbolic-Interactionism

Question 78

The first stage in conducting a research study is

A)reviewing the literature.
B)formulating a research question.
C)formulating a hypothesis.
D)defining variables.

Question 79

Max Weber's concept of ________ implies that, in conducting research, social scientists must try to understand others' view of reality and the subjective aspects of their experiences, such as symbols, values, and beliefs.

A)anomie
B)looking-glass self
C)verstehen
D)alienation

Question 80

Alienation refers to

A)feelings of powerlessness and meaningless.
B)dislike of others who have more than you.
C)the intended consequences of social organization.
D)contradictory social norms.