Deck 18: Can Social Problems Be Solved

Question 1

A framework of support systems, such as transportation and utilities, that makes it possible to have specific land uses and a built environment that facilitate people's daily activities and the nation's economy is referred to as an infrastructure.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The first obstacle in trying to solve social problems is the difference between ideal and practical solutions.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Experts usually agree about what the social problems are and the efforts that should be made to reduce or eliminate them.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Social change is the alternation, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time.

Question 5

Social problems must be solved one person at a time.

Question 6

National special-interest groups constitute a macrolevel approach for dealing with social problems.

Question 7

Resistance movements seek to prevent change or undo change that has already occurred.

Question 8

According to Marxist theorists, groups are engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources.

Question 9

Mid-range approaches to dealing with social problem include organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Question 10

Radical terrorists are examples of alternative movements.

Question 11

According to the text, what must ideal solutions for social problems be distinguished from?

A) grassroots coalitions
B) practical/workable solutions
C) unrealistic expectations
D) governmental handouts

Question 12

According to the text, what might efforts to reduce or eliminate social problems give rise to?

A) new problems
B) a content public
C) order and stability
D) government control

Question 13

Which sociologist stated that social problems cannot be solved at the individual level because they are more than personal problems?

A) Joe R. Feagin
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) C. Wright Mills

Question 14

What does the microlevel solutions approach focus on?

A) primary groups
B) secondary groups
C) tertiary groups
D) collective groups

Question 15

Which of the following is a limitation of the microlevel approach to reducing or eliminating social problems?

A) Large-scale social problems can only be solved one person at a time.
B) When collective solutions are used as the strategies for reducing social problems, secondary groups are not being taken into account.
C) Without the involvement of large-scale organizations, it is virtually impossible to reduce large-scale social problems.
D) Women's needs are not taken into consideration in most microlevel approaches.

Question 16

What is the term for organizations started by ordinary people who work in concert to change a perceived wrong in their neighborhood, city, state, or nation?

A) political parties
B) governmental caucuses
C) grassroots groups
D) resistance movements

Question 17

What is the term for an organized group that acts collectively to promote or resist change through collective action?

A) a resistance movement
B) a social movement
C) a grassroots group
D) a rebellious movement

Question 18

According to the text, what is a major limitation of micro- and midlevel approaches to reducing social problems?

A) Not enough emphasis is placed on the part that individuals must play in solving their own problems.
B) Efforts at this level typically lack the sustained capacity to produce changes at the national or international levels.
C) Overemphasis on the structural barriers in society may make social change seem impossible.
D) Family members become over-involved in fixing one another's social problems.

Question 19

According to the text, single issue demands are frequently made by special interest groups that focus on which of the following issues?

A) abortion
B) environment
C) fair wages
D) health care

Question 20

Voluntary, often spontaneous, activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant group norms and values is the definition of which of the following terms?

A) crowds
B) mobs
C) social movements
D) collective behavior

Question 21

What are social movements that attempt to bring about change by working within the existing organizational structures of society called?

A) reform movements
B) revolutionary movements
C) religious movements
D) alternative movements

Question 22

What type of movement seeks to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure?

A) religious
B) revolutionary
C) reform
D) alternative

Question 23

What type of movement seeks to renovate or renew people through inner change?

A) reform
B) revolutionary
C) alternative
D) religious

Question 24

According to a functionalist perspective, when do social problems arise?

A) when protests occur
B) when social institutions do not fulfill the functions they are supposed to perform
C) when the elite impose their power over the masses
D) when individuals try to solve their own problems

Question 25

According to the functionalist approach, what do dysfunctions create?

A) social movements
B) alternative movements
C) social disorganization
D) government integration

Question 26

What does the conflict perspective assume?

A) Conflict is the root of all evil.
B) Conflict always results in death.
C) Conflict is avoidable.
D) Conflict is natural.

Question 27

What do value conflict approaches focus on?

A) the values held by members of divergent groups
B) the values held by members of Congress
C) the values that help to avoid conflict
D) the values that lead to reform

Question 28

According to the critical-conflict approach, what would solutions to social problems require?

A) radical changes in society
B) new government policies
C) increased sense of patriotism
D) elimination of grassroots groups

Question 29

How do globalization theories shape our understanding of social problems at the macrolevel?

A) They eliminate the need for social action groups.
B) They make us aware that social problems transcend national borders.
C) They help us understand why government should not exist.
D) They remind us that social problems are nation-specific.

Question 30

What does the symbolic interactionist perspective focus on?

A) the reasons conflicts end
B) social bias on the microlevel
C) how people act toward one another
D) why the government fails us

Question 31

According to the text, why are efforts to solve social problems difficult?

A) Very few people are interested in solving social problems.
B) Most problems are impossible to solve.
C) Disagreement exists as to who should address the problem.
D) Too many politicians want to get involved.

Question 32

Columnist John Tierney's assessment of Hurricane Katrina and his encouragement for urbanites in cities to protect themselves from fire losses by purchasing insurance is an example of which type of approach?

A) a macrolevel approach
B) a microlevel approach
C) a middle-term approach
D) a long-term approach

Question 33

Self-help groups are an example of which of the following approaches for reducing social problems?

A) microlevel
B) mid-range
C) macrolevel
D) global

Question 34

Which of the following is an example of a problem grassroots groups have had success dealing with?

A) political corruption
B) gun control
C) environmental degradation
D) homelessness

Question 35

New age movements are examples of which type of movement?

A) religious
B) revolutionary
C) reform
D) alternative

Question 36

From a functionalist perspective, the delay in providing aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina is an example of which of the following terms?

A) dysfunction
B) misinformation
C) ignorance
D) bureaucracy

Question 37

What is an example of something a Marxist would say?

A) Power struggles over resources are a continuous source of conflict.
B) Conflict is not a natural part of the human experience.
C) Gender conflicts are the most emotionally charged.
D) The greatest sources of conflict are within our control.

Question 38

According to the critical-conflict perspective, why do social problems arise?

A) Dysfunction lies at the heart of all government interventions.
B) Too many stereotypes exist in today's society.
C) Grassroots organizations tend to cause conflict in the social arena.
D) There are major contradictions in the ways in which societies are organized.

Question 39

From the following organizations, select which one is a special-interest group.

A) Library of Congress
B) Alcoholics Anonymous
C) Zero Population Growth
D) United States Government

Question 40

How would you categorize a group such as "Operation Rescue," which works to change legislation on abortion?

A) revolutionary movement
B) resistance movement
C) alternative movement
D) religious movements

Question 41

Discuss why Hurricane Katrina was both a natural disaster as well as a social disaster. What role did infrastructure play in this situation?

Question 42

Compare and contrast the five types of social movements discussed in the text. Provide an example for each type. Which type of social movement do you think is most effective in reducing or eliminating social problems? Why?

Question 43

Choose and summarize a social problem (drug use, poverty, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.). Next, develop a plan for addressing this problem on the micro-, mid- or macrolevel, according to which level would be the best fit.

Question 44

Explain the Marxist perspective on social problems. Do you agree with this perspective? Why or why not? Use specific examples of real-world situations to support your arguments.

Question 45

Explain how globalization theories relate to social problems. Do you agree with these theories? Why or why not? Give specific examples to support your position.