Deck 6: Age and Aging

Question 1

A life course perspective examines which of these?

A) the entire course of human life from childhood to old age
B) the first 12 years of human life
C) life from age 18 to old age
D) later years in life

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Sociologists from the life course perspective regard age as which of these?

A) a social construction
B) a biological mandate
C) a stigma
D) irrelevant to social life

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of these is a formal norm of age-related behavior according to your text?

A) the ability to hold elected office
B) the ability to think independently
C) the ability to consume social media
D) the ability to shop

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Gerontology is the study of which of these?

A) human life from childhood through old age
B) aging and the elderly
C) dementia
D) biology and age

Question 5

Population aging in the U.S. is also referred to as which of these?

A) Sonic Boom
B) Graying of America
C) Whiting of America
D) Baby Boom

Question 6

Which of these is a good measure of population aging?

A) mean age
B) median age
C) modal age
D) demographic age

Question 7

"Median age" refers to which of these?

A) the average age of a population
B) the most frequently occurring age in a population
C) the age where half the population is older and the other half is younger
D) the age calculated one-half between the average and mode

Question 8

Which state had the population with the highest median age?

A) Alaska
B) Utah
C) Maine
D) South Dakota

Question 9

In 2105, what percentage of the world's 617 million people were 65 years or older?

A) 1.5 percent
B) 8.5 percent
C) 15.5 percent
D) 25.5 percent

Question 10

The author uses the term "elderly" to refer to which age group?

A) 55 or older
B) 60 or older
C) 65 or older
D) 70 or older

Question 11

Which continent has the largest elderly population?

A) North America
B) Europe
C) Asia
D) South America

Question 12

Estimates are that approximately ______ people will become eligible for Social Security every day during the next two decades.

A) 10
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 10,000

Question 13

Which world region has the lowest percentage of elderly in the world?

A) Africa
B) Asia
C) Europe
D) Latin America and Caribbean

Question 14

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the life expectancy for a child born in 2015 is how many years?

A) 59.8
B) 68.2
C) 78.8
D) 85.5

Question 15

Emma was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1948. Gerontologists would place Emma in the category of ______ and consider her a member of the ______ birth cohort.

A) young-old; Baby Boom
B) middle-aged; Depression
C) old-old; Depression
D) oldest-old; Baby Boom

Question 16

Which of these is NOT a cause of population aging?

A) longer life expectancy
B) decreasing urbanization
C) declining birth rates
D) effects of birth cohorts

Question 17

Which perspective argues that age maintains the stability of society by providing a set of roles and expectations for each particular age group or for a particular life stage?

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

Question 18

Which of these describes a boomeranger?

A) an elderly adult who moves into their adult child's home for care
B) a teenager who moves out of the house and then returns because she or he is not able to live on their own
C) an young adult who leaves home for college but return after graduation because of economic constraints or personal choice
D) a divorced adult who cannot afford housing and moves back in with their elderly parents

Question 19

Nan has just turned 55. She is planning to retire from her teaching job so that she can spend time traveling. She believes a new faculty member will contribute fresh ideas to the department she has served in for years. Which of these applies best to Nan?

A) modernization theory of aging
B) disengagement theory
C) double standard of aging theory
D) ageism

Question 20

Which of these is the final form of disengagement?

A) retirement
B) parenthood
C) illness
D) death

Question 21

According to your text, which of these is a critique of disengagement theory?

A) It fails to acknowledge that elderly are powerful.
B) It wrongly assumes that all elderly disengage from their former lives.
C) It wrongly assumes that the status of elderly declines only with industrialization.
D) It focuses on women's aging and neglects the aging of men.

Question 22

Modernization theory of aging is closely linked to which of these theories?

A) feminist theory
B) interactionist theory
C) functionalist theory
D) conflict theory

Question 23

Which of these is NOT an aspect of modernization that lowers the status of older people, according to the conflict perspective?

A) health technology
B) education
C) urbanization
D) religion

Question 24

From a Conflict perspective, the two groups at odds with each other are which of these?

A) rich and poor
B) white and black
C) cisgender and lgbt
D) young and old

Question 25

The feminist perspective is likely to point out that aging is associated with which of these?

A) stigma
B) double standards
C) disengagement
D) self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 26

According to an interactionist, as we age, the social definition of our ______ can lead to stigma and ageism.

A) personalities
B) role expectations
C) norms
D) intellectual capabilities

Question 27

Which theoretical perspective sees age specific roles as an important part of social stability?

A) feminist theory
B) interactionist theory
C) functionalist theory
D) conflict theory

Question 28

Which group has the highest risk of mortality?

A) older adults
B) newborns and infants
C) teenage boys
D) young women

Question 29

Which is TRUE of poverty and age in the United States?

A) Most elderly are living in poverty.
B) Older men have higher poverty rates than older women.
C) Whites have higher poverty rates than other racial groups.
D) The most at risk for poverty are the young and the old.

Question 30

Which age group is most likely to experience chronic illness?

A) youth
B) adults
C) elderly
D) Chronic illness is equally dispersed throughout the lifespan.

Question 31

What is the most prevalent chronic disease of the elderly?

A) arthritis
B) dementia
C) diabetes
D) heart disease

Question 32

Which of these is NOT true of manager's perceptions of older workers?

A) Managers tend to value them for their work habits.
B) Managers tend to think that they are inflexible.
C) Managers tend to devalue them for their performance.
D) Managers tend to think that older workers are more expensive than younger ones.

Question 33

Which of these laws prohibits employers from discriminating based on age?

A) Ageism Act of 1970
B) Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
C) Title IV
D) Title IX

Question 34

The Age Discrimination Employment Act of 1967 prevents employers from discriminating against which age group?

A) 15-18 year olds
B) 20-45 year olds
C) 40-64 year olds
D) workers above 65

Question 35

Yvonne is an 80-year-old retired woman who needs to see her doctor. Which program will most likely help pay some of her doctor visit costs?

A) Social Security
B) Unemployment Insurance
C) Medicare Part A
D) Medicare Part B

Question 36

Which of these is the nation's largest health insurance program?

A) Medicare
B) Medicaid
C) Social Security
D) HealthPlus

Question 37

In their study of older women's employment agency placements in Auckland, New Zealand, Jocelyn Handy and Doreen Davy found which of these?

A) Women of ages 40-60 were often fired from their jobs because of their inability to manage work and family concerns.
B) Women of ages 40-60 were promoted faster than their younger counterparts.
C) Women of ages 40-60 were often placed in low paid, low skilled temporary positions.
D) Women of ages 40-60 were unlikely to seek jobs.

Question 38

Demography is the study of aging and the elderly.

Question 39

The life course perspective examines human life from age 18 to 75.

Question 40

The world's population is aging.

Question 41

The baby boom generation is an example of a cohort.

Question 42

The modernization theory of aging suggests that the role and status of the elderly decline with industrialization.

Question 43

According to the double standard of aging theory, it is harder for the young to age than for the elderly to age.

Question 44

It is estimated that Americans spend nearly $50 billion per year on anti-aging vitamins, treatments, hormones, and pharmaceutical drugs.

Question 45

Most older adults throughout the world are frail and dependent on others for care.

Question 46

Men comprise the majority of the U.S. elderly population.

Question 47

Older women have higher rates of poverty than older men.

Question 48

The most economically vulnerable groups in our society are the young and the old.

Question 49

Medicare Part C pays for medically necessary services and supplies.

Question 50

American elderly constitute 13 percent of our population yet consume less than 10 percent of total health expenditures.

Question 51

Medicaid is considered the nation's largest health insurance program.

Question 52

Elderly American voters have a significant impact on shaping candidates behavior.

Question 53

Age is both biological and sociological. Explain the sociological dimensions of age by addressing formal and informal age norms. Provide your own examples of at least two formal and informal norms for different stages during the life course.

Question 54

Which four factors have contributed to the growth of older populations throughout the world?

Question 55

Compare and contrast the functionalist, conflict/feminist, and interactionist explanations for social problems or issues associated with aging. Which do you find most convincing and why?

Question 56

Name and explain the two antipoverty programs that support financial independence in the elderly.