Deck 2: Teenage Wasteland: Suburbias Dead-End Kids

Question 1

What was the second leading cause of death for America's young people in 1987?

A) automobile accidents
B) drug overdoses
C) drowning
D) suicide

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In the 1980s, "doing it" meant ______.

A) getting married
B) having sex
C) drinking alcohol
D) committing suicide

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What was historically unique about the Bergenfield case?

A) It was the first case of murder-suicide in New Jersey.
B) It involved a teenage suicide pact in which four people died together.
C) It was the first case of teenage suicide in the United States.
D) It involved the death of four family members.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The four teenagers found in the Camaro had all been labeled ______.

A) preps
B) jocks
C) hippies
D) burnouts

Question 5

What do Joe, Joan, and Susie have in common?

A) They all had siblings who committed suicide.
B) They all attempted suicide.
C) They are all children of divorce.
D) They all grew up with the author.

Question 6

At Bergenfield High, metal heads were synonymous with ______.

A) burnouts
B) copycats
C) criminals
D) preps

Question 7

In Bergenfield, what was the criterion for cool?

A) participation in sports
B) number of friends
C) family income
D) academic performance

Question 8

Which characteristic of Bergenfield was a contributing factor in the teens' deaths?

A) There were not enough academically oriented after-school activities.
B) There was no place for nonconforming kids to go.
C) There was a lack of ethnic and racial diversity.
D) There was a high unemployment rate.

Question 9

Who are the "forgotten half"?

A) youth who attend vocational school
B) youth who dream of being rich and famous
C) youth who are unlikely to go to college
D) youth who have committed suicide

Question 10

Plano, Texas; Leominster, Massachusetts; and Omaha, Nebraska, are all ______.

A) communities under siege
B) fading factory towns
C) safety zones for teenage delinquents
D) locations of teenage suicide clusters

Question 11

Describe the ethical issues the author had to confront before conducting her research.

Question 12

Discuss how the sociological imagination helps our understanding of teenage suicide.

Question 13

Why were national rates of teenage suicide higher in suburbs and rural areas in the 1980s?

Question 14

What conclusion does the author make about the future of teen suicide in towns like Bergenfield? Do you agree with her conclusion? Why or why not?

Question 15

Which two models dominated the study of teenage suicide for many years?