Deck 6: Sexuality

Question 1

Heterosexuality is normal because only a man and a woman are naturally and biologically capable of reproducing together. This statement is an example of a __________ approach.

A) Functionalist
B) Constructivist
C) Naturalist
D) Structuralist
E) None of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Sexual practices and orientations are not determined by anatomy or biology, but instead by an individual's culture and socialization. This statement is an example of a ___________ approach.

A) Functionalist
B) Constructivist
C) Essentialist
D) Structuralist
E) None of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements is one reason why naturalism has been criticized for being too essentialist?

A) Naturalists view sexuality as having an inherent, unchanging quality.
B) Naturalists view sexuality as being biologically determined through genetics, brain structure, and hormones.
C) Naturalists view sexuality as being defined by rigid, binary categories such as male/female, heterosexual/homosexual etc.
D) Naturalists deny historical and cultural evidence, and in doing so deem socially specific arrangements and institutions as natural and inevitable.
E) All of the above

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Examples of sexual regulations in Ancient Greece and early Christian societies offer in Chapter 6 as evidence that:

A) Sexuality is a biological fact, driven by hormonal and chemical activity.
B) Heavily religious societies have always had stricter moral regulations regarding sexual activity than non-religious societies.
C) Sexual norms and values, even before modernity, were variable and constructed based on norms and values particular to the specific society.
D) The Ancient Greeks were deeply interested in eroticism and free love, but the emergence of Christianity shifted sexuality back to being a private, moral activity.
E) None of the above

Question 5

What does 'self-cultivation' refer to?

A) Self-cultivation refers to the emergence of individualism as a value in post-modern society.
B) Self-cultivation refers to the way in which individuals have become increasingly concerned with self-preservation and caring for the self, as evidenced by the increase in New Age practices and various wellness programs.
C) Self-cultivation refers to the quest for absolute pleasure and pure aesthetics in the human experience.
D) Self-cultivation was an important concept in Ancient Greece and refers to moderation required in the pursuit of pleasure.
E) None of the above

Question 6

As the modern nation-state was formed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, sexual activities, behaviors, and desires came to be subject to political objectives, regulation, and control. This process is sometimes referred to as:

A) Welfare
B) Desexualization
C) Totalitarianism
D) Gender Politics
E) None of the above

Question 7

While sexuality in the public sphere is highly regulated and often labeled as profane, there is a counter sphere in which sex is considered as an end in itself, an idealized pleasure apart from morality. This sphere is called:

A) the Erotic Sphere
B) the Brothel
C) the Red Light District
D) Both b and c, but not a
E) None of the above

Question 8

Which of the following statements captures the relationship between Max Weber's concept of the iron cage and sexuality?

A) The iron cage refers to the ways in which modern life relies on tidy, yet often restrictive, categories. Weber argued that sexual deviancy was the natural outcome of these categories being too narrow and too repressive.
B) The iron cage refers to the strict means of punishment adopted to punish sexual immorality in modern society. Weber understood that these punishments did not deter sexual immorality, but instead caused it to be better concealed, private, and underground.
C) The iron cage refers to the emphasis on discipline and control in modern society. Weber understood that sex and eroticism was inherently at odds with the regulation and discipline of the iron cage.
D) The iron cage was a concept Weber used to describe the distancing of modern social life from its religious values, particularly regarding the emergence of capitalism. It did not relate to sexuality.
E) None of the above

Question 9

According to Chapter 6, in which ways is postmodern sexuality similar to modern sexuality?

A) Criticism about nonprocreative sexual behavior is still prevalent.
B) Homosexuality remains controversial.
C) Masturbation, prostitution, and the value of abstinence as a means of fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases continue to be controversial public debates.
D) Patriarchy still distorts sexual experiences.
E) All of the above

Question 10

According to Chapter 6, in which ways is postmodern sexuality different from modern sexuality?

A) The erotic sphere has moved from the outskirts of public life into the center of public life.
B) Eroticism is more free-floating-less naturalized, less rigid and less likely to be morally stigmatized.
C) Sexual tourism is no longer viewed as deviant or a social problem, but instead is publicly accepted.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 11

Which of the following is not a social cause discussed in Chapter 6 regarding the transformation of sex between modern and postmodern society?

A) Urbanization and mobility
B) Globalization and multiculturalism
C) Extended Socialization
D) Feminism
E) None of the above

Question 12

In what way did Freud's psychoanalytic theory challenge modern conceptions of sexuality?

A) Psychoanalytic theory employed medical terminology that seemed to grant scientific legitimacy to sexual deviance, calling the medical community to attention to find cures.
B) By establishing the role of parenting in shaping and organizing sex, Freud showed that sexuality was not an automatic, natural thing.
C) Through public debates and controversy, Freud challenged the notion that sexuality should be confined to private, married life.
D) Freud revealed the power of the unconscious in shaping sexual identity, further proving that sexuality is not inherent or natural.
E) All of the above

Question 13

The sexual revolution refers to:

A) A process and time period in which sexual activity was separated from the purpose of procreation.
B) A process and time period in which sexuality was pluralized.
C) A process and time period that devalued heterosexual pleasure, and greatly restricted sexual experimentation.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 14

Publications such as Playboy and Cosmopolitan were significant in that they:

A) Were the first magazines about sexuality that were mass marketed.
B) Promoted a new sexual ethic in a post-industrial economy that provided men and women more free time. As a result, a singles culture developed, where members sought partners in sex, not marriage.
C) Were both targets of several law suits due to their exceptionally graphic nature in the early years. This had a significant impact on censorship law more broadly.
D) Were each targeted at a specific gender, and called attention to the tremendous gender gap in postmodern society.
E) All of the above

Question 15

What role did technological innovations, such as the birth control pill, play in furthering the sexual revolution?

A) The development of the birth control pill introduced to the sexual sphere the overall increase in scientific knowledge and technological capability that was characteristic of postmodern society.
B) The development of the birth control pill discredited moral values of society, removing yet another obstacle to the sexual revolution.
C) The birth control pill granted women independent control over whether they became pregnant as a result of sex. This diminished the fears and dangers previously attached to sexual activity.
D) The birth control pill medicalized the act of sex, and as a result, de-eroticized sexual activity.
E) None of the above

Question 16

Which of the following events was a catalyzing force in the women's revolution?

A) Women received the right to vote.
B) By 1930, half of the American professional work force was women.
C) Female activists drew attention to women's issues such as male drunkenness and female prostitution.
D) With the help of technological innovations such as the pill, single females changed from being "failed as women" to sexy and independent.
E) All of the above

Question 17

In which ways did the modern period of sexual repression actually create new opportunities for homosexuality?

A) By segregating and concentrating homosexuals, the modern period actually allowed individuals to feel less isolated and to have a relatively protected space for their sexual activity.
B) By repressing eroticism, many individuals actually turned to homosexuality as a safe alternative. It did not have some of the public risks of heterosexual eroticism, yet had the same pleasure.
C) The modern period so challenged relationships between men and women that many individuals instead chose to avoid the issue, and sought homosexual relationships.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above.

Question 18

What is meant when Chapter 6 states: "Sexuality has been sociologized"?

A) Once the subject of biological studies, sexuality is now primarily studied by sociology.
B) The very notion of sexuality has been constructed, defined, and maintained by sociologists.
C) Sexuality has become a part of the more inclusive, more democratic culture of postmodern times.
D) Both a and c, but not b.
E) None of the above.

Question 19

What does 'sexual citizenship' refer to?

A) The postmodern development that individuals must declare their sexuality on legal documents in order to have full access to their national rights.
B) A concept developed to restrict and ultimately stop bisexuality in society. Individuals must claim either heterosexuality or bisexuality, but cannot have 'dual sexual citizenship'
C) The postmodern phenomenon that men and women must gain verbal consent for each sexual act in order to avoid false charges and misunderstandings in sexual relationships.
D) A social status sought by previously marginalized sexual minorities to be defined by their sexual identities and claim recognition, rights, and respect as a consequence.
E) None of the above

Question 20

Which of the following describes one negative implication of postmodern sexuality?

A) The fact that sexuality has been separated from any connection to morality and love often makes it more difficult to maintain the kinds of long term, committed relationships that enable the morality of love.
B) The fact that sexuality is regulated by a communicative ethic means that there are restrictive standards about how to do it, with whom and when, thereby limiting an individual's opportunities for sexual expression.
C) The fact that sexuality has become so free-floating has devalued the institution of marriage, leaving individuals who are married without the social benefit and stability of their previously valued status.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 21

In the course of modern history, democratic and authoritarian governments have taken a laissez-faire approach to sex and sexuality, encouraging individuals to make decisions based on their personal needs and desires.

Question 22

With the cultural turn in postmodern societies, theorists began naturalist approaches to sexuality as essentialist.

Question 23

Modernizing societies have often projected their fears of deviance outside of themselves, onto separate, morally polluted, excluded races.

Question 24

When sexual practices were excluded from the public sphere, they were not banished, they simply went underground.

Question 25

Regulation of sex and sexual practices has been limited to Western societies.

Question 26

Sex tourism is a phenomenon entirely unique to postmodern society.

Question 27

Freud argued that sexuality was shaped and controlled by proper parenting and socialization. This challenged previously held naturalistic understandings of sexuality.

Question 28

Kinsey found that sexual practices labeled abnormal or deviant were so frequently practiced among Americans that they were considered normal in the statistical sense.

Question 29

The Miss America pageant has consistently been a symbol of the "old" woman-repressed, dominated, and dependent on men for support.

Question 30

The emergence of postmodern forms of sexuality has swept up everything in its path, causing widespread social change in all institutions.