Deck 7: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry

Question 1

Folkways are more important than mores in determining what kinds of behavior will be considered deviant in a society.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Behaviors, beliefs, and ideals regarding what is sexually deviant have varied over time, from place to place, between and within groups.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Traditionally, pre-marital sex or fornication has been regarded as deviant in the United States.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Sex trafficking brings in around $58 million annually.

Question 5

Most people arrested for prostitution-related crimes are female.

Question 6

Most prostitution customers are black males under the age of thirty.

Question 7

Some sociologists believe that prostitution is linked to the economic, political, and social exploitation of people of color.

Question 8

The moral framework of the social construction of pornography as a social problem refers to the reality or factualness of the situation that constitutes the "problem."

Question 9

Based on the text's definition of soft-core pornography, we can assert that many PG-13- and R-rated contemporary films feature soft-core pornography.

Question 10

Although sociologists have identified several levels of prostitution, most prostitutes have relatively similar lifestyles and experiences.

Question 11

Social scientists refer to prostitution, pornography, the adult-film and adult-video trade, escort services, massage parlors, and strip and table dancing clubs as

A) criminal behavior.
B) immoral behavior.
C) the sex industry.
D) the sex machine.

Question 12

Concerning prostitution, ancient Greeks

A) often sentenced prostitutes to death.
B) refused to bestow the status of wife upon prostitutes.
C) publicly denigrated upper-class prostitutes.
D) shunned all prostitutes.

Question 13

Early Christian leaders such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas believed that prostitution

A) was evil but served a basic social need.
B) was good.
C) was an unforgiveable sin.
D) only affected women.

Question 14

Women first voiced their opinions about prostitution in which century?

A) 17^th
B) 18^th
C) 19^th
D) 20^th

Question 15

The global demand for prostitution is greatest when

A) many women are concentrated in one area due to gender segregation.
B) large numbers of men are congregated for extended periods of time or are far from home.
C) unemployment rates affect the poverty line.
D) perceptions of deviant behavior are reinforced.

Question 16

Call girls and call boys are terms referring to

A) sex workers at the lower echelon in prostitution.
B) prostitutes who earn higher fees than others and have more selectivity in their working conditions and customers.
C) sex workers who work night clubs, bars, and strip joints.
D) house girls who work in brothels.

Question 17

In the United States, legal brothels (houses of prostitution) are located in

A) 15 of the 50 states.
B) New York, New Jersey, California, and Texas.
C) Nevada.
D) Alaska.

Question 18

In the United States, the vast majority of prostitutes are

A) young men who engage in sexual encounters with other men.
B) young women between the ages of 17 and 24.
C) young teenagers between the ages of 12 and 14.
D) women between the ages of 30 and 40 who have at least one child to support.

Question 19

According to sociologist Patricia Hill Collins, prostitution

A) provides an economic livelihood for teenage runaways and homeless youths.
B) occurs because middle-age, white, married males seek adventure away from their homes and families.
C) affects African American women because it promotes the widespread image of black women as sexually promiscuous.
D) is seldom engaged in by Latinas due to early gender socialization in the Roman Catholic church and in the family.

Question 20

According to functionalists, prostitution

A) will always exist because it serves important functions in society.
B) is perpetuated by labels ascribing deviance.
C) does not benefit the economy.
D) seeks to destroy the institution of the family.

Question 21

Using a symbolic interactionist perspective of prostitution, which of the following assertions can be made?

A) Subjective reality and the roles we play in society do not have any bearing on how we view prostitution.
B) Prostitution provides people with the opportunity to engage in sexual practices that regular sex partners or spouses might view as immoral or distasteful.
C) Prostitution provides a sexual outlet for men who do not have ongoing sexual relationships because they are not married or have heavy work schedules.
D) For some prostitutes, prostitution is a business deal which can be an efficient, nonemotional way to earn money.

Question 22

According to conflict theorists, prostitution

A) highlight the relationship between power in society and sex work.
B) is rooted in deviance, which serves an important function in society.
C) should be studied with microlevel concerns in mind.
D) provides prostitutes with economic freedom.

Question 23

Conflict theorists using a liberal feminist framework believe

A) the only way to eliminate prostitution is to reduce disparities in income levels between women and men and eliminate poverty.
B) prostitution is a victimless crime.
C) criminalizing prostitution uniquely affects poor women, especially poor women of color who are overrepresented among street prostitutes.
D) the underlying cause of all males in seeking prostitutes is misogyny.

Question 24

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, graphic depiction of sexual behavior through pictures and/or words-including by electronic or other data retrieval systems can be considered obscene (and legally pornographic) if

A) it is profitable to many people.
B) it is only available online to Internet users over the age of 18.
C) they show respect for all human beings and are free of sexism, racism, and homophobia.
D) it appeals to lustful desires, depicts offensive and illegal sexual conduct, and lacks value.

Question 25

Erotica

A) is illegal in 36 states.
B) depicts rape.
C) depicts consensual, pleasurable sex acts.
D) depicts consensual, male-dominated sex acts.

Question 26

Female porn film industry workers earn

A) 25% of what male workers earn.
B) 50% of what male workers earn.
C) 50% more than male workers.
D) 100% more than male workers.

Question 27

The results of the 1970 and 1986 presidentially commissioned studies of pornography were

A) similar regarding the link between sex crimes and antisocial behavior.
B) similar regarding the destructive nature of pornography.
C) contradictory in finding fault with the Meese Commission.
D) contradictory regarding whether pornography is dangerous.

Question 28

In regard to class and pornography, research has shown that

A) support of pornography may be rooted in class-based elitism.
B) the use of pornography may be related to men's feelings of powerlessness when they have dull, predictable jobs.
C) the pornography industry is an "equal opportunity" employer, and young women of all racial-ethnic groups have about an equal chance of being portrayed in pornography.
D) pornography blurs class distinctions.

Question 29

In research on the depiction of different racial-ethnic groups in pornography, sociologists Alice Mayall and Diana E.H. Russell found that

A) the pornography industry is an "equal opportunity" employer, and young women of all racial-ethnic groups have about an equal chance of being portrayed in pornography.
B) white women are more likely than women of color to be found in materials featuring rape, bondage, and homosexuality.
C) white women are more likely to be used in heterosexual pornography because they fulfill traditional stereotypes equating female beauty with white skin and Caucasian features.
D) women of color are more likely than white women to be featured in erotica.

Question 30

Which perspective views pornography as a "threat" to moral social values, especially family values?

A) symbolic interactionist
B) religious conservative
C) anti-porn feminist
D) anti-censorship feminist

Question 31

Which perspective asserts that women's subordination cannot be narrowed down to a single factor such as pornography?

A) functionalist
B) antipornography feminist
C) religious liberal
D) anticensorship feminist

Question 32

According to sociological approaches to studying deviance,

A) folkways are strongly held norms that have moral and ethical connotations.
B) mores are informal norms of everyday customs that may be violated without consequences.
C) social control refers to the systematic practices that discourage conformity and encourage deviance.
D) not shaking hands when making introductions can be considered a deviant behavior.

Question 33

Globally, prostitution becomes normalized when sex work is

A) available in many different forms of media.
B) made illegal and prosecuted as a crime.
C) considered entertainment without legal impediments.
D) coercive and involves debt bondage.

Question 34

According to the text, addiction

A) directly affects a prostitute's position on the five tiers of female prostitution.
B) is not recognized as an issue on the five tiers of female prostitution.
C) typically is suffered by those in the top tier of female prostitution.
D) is only seen in those in the bottom tier of female prostitution.

Question 35

According to the text, the nature and extent of pornography have changed dramatically in the United States due to

A) changes in laws pertaining to pornography and obscenity.
B) technological innovations such as digital media and the Internet.
C) greater permissiveness on the part of parents regarding what their children watch on television and in films.
D) a decline in morality in this country.

Question 36

Specifically, how does sociologist Patricia Hill Collins suggest that black prostitutes may have been affected by the media?

A) Black women are often portrayed in media as stereotypically sexually promiscuous.
B) Media portrayals of black women have empowered many of them to seek out prostitution as a career.
C) Various media have featured women of color in positive ways, prompting many prostitutes to leave the industry.
D) Women of color are particularly portrayed in a stereotypical way in video games.

Question 37

Why do some conflict theorists focus on the interrelationship of race, class, and gender in examining social problems?

A) because the criminalization of prostitution uniquely affects poor women of color
B) because law enforcement officials specifically target white call girls
C) because these conflict theorists view prostitution as a victimless crime
D) because these theorists are chiefly concerned with the reasons men use prostitutes

Question 38

According to presented research in the text, the increase in media coverage of child pornography cases could be explained by

A) an increase in the number of pedophiles and child pornographers.
B) a decrease in the number of pedophiles and child pornographers due to tougher and more news-worthy laws.
C) a recent trend showing a decrease in the availability of child pornography.
D) the Internet's contribution to a huge increase in the amount and access to child pornography.

Question 39

A sociologist who studies why prostitutes or pornographers enter the sex industry is associated with which perspective?

A) conflict
B) symbolic interactionist
C) functionalist
D) religious conservative

Question 40

A sociologist attempting to draw a connection between how pornography affects people's views and subsequent actions or activities is examining a(n)

A) cognitive framework.
B) moral framework.
C) example of obscenity.
D) link between hard- and soft-core pornography.

Question 41

Judy and Mark went on a first date. Because it was their first date, there was not an emotional attachment between them. Mark paid for dinner, a movie, and drinks at a bar during the evening. When they left the bar, Mark made it clear to Judy that he expected sex because he paid for everything. Judy complied with Mark's request. Have Judy and Mark engaged in prostitution? Explain why or why not.

Question 42

Define prostitution and explain how it has globally changed in recent years.

Question 43

Outline the major categories of prostitution in the U.S. that sociologists have identified. Also, define sex industry consumers. Who do you think benefits the most from prostitution?

Question 44

Describe the nature of male prostitution. Include information regarding the types of prostitution most common to male prostitutes, arrest rates, and other problems faced by male prostitutes. Discuss the symbolic interactionist perspective to explain societal views of male prostitutes, but be sure to point out weaknesses of this point of view.

Question 45

Which approach-functionalist, conflict, or symbolic interactionist-do you believe is most accurate in addressing solutions to problems associated with the sex industry? Why do you believe as you do?