Deck 14: Inequalities of Youth and Age

Question 1

Which of the following terms refers to a set of statuses and roles based on age that is established by the norms of a particular society?

A) age grades
B) age norms
C) age statuses
D) the life course

Answer 1

age grades

Question 2

Which of the following statements about age grades is NOT true?

A) They are established by the norms of a society.
B) They are the same in all societies.
C) They are usually accompanied by a rite of passage.
D) They create predictable turning points in an individual's life.

Answer 2

They are the same in all societies.

Question 3

Rough divisions of people into layers according to age-related social roles are called:

A) age grades
B) age norms
C) age strata
D) age statuses

Answer 3

age strata

Question 4

A pathway along an age-differentiated, socially-created sequence of transitions is referred to as:

A) a life course
B) a life cycle
C) an age grade
D) a rite of passage

Question 5

A ceremony or other event marking the transition to a new stage of a culturally-defined life course is a(n):

A) civic ritual
B) incorporation ceremony
C) rite of passage
D) status ceremony

Question 6

Weddings, baptisms, and retirement parties are all examples of:

A) civic rituals
B) incorporation ceremonies
C) rites of passage
D) status ceremonies

Question 7

The French social historian Philippe Aries argues that the concept of childhood:

A) did not develop until the seventeenth century
B) is essentially the same in all societies
C) makes unrealistic demands on children
D) varies from one social class to another

Question 8

Aries' study of the emergence of childhood revealed that:

A) forms of play and education were the same for girls as for boys
B) girls were treated as infants until the advent of puberty
C) male children were allowed to play among themselves and be educated for adulthood
D) the concept of girlhood developed a century before the concept of boyhood

Question 9

Which of the following terms refers to people of the same age who are passing through the life course together?

A) age cohort
B) age grade
C) the fertility rate
D) the sex ratio

Question 10

Which of the following statements about the population pyramids for advanced industrial countries is correct?

A) There are bulges in the pyramid for particular cohorts, but for the most part the cohorts pass in a regular fashion through the stages of life.
B) They tend to have a broad top, which gets progressively narrower toward the bottom.
C) They tend to have a bulging middle, a very narrow base, and a sharp point.
D) They tend to have a very broad base and a sharp point at the top.

Question 11

Dividing the population into five-year age cohorts, grouped vertically from zero to 100+ and divided into male and female, produces a chart known as:

A) a cohort distribution
B) a fertility map
C) an age chart
D) a population pyramid

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the population pyramid of a less developed nation?

A) a broad base and a bulging middle
B) a flat top and a fairly narrow base
C) a rectangle with a slight peak at the top
D) a sharp, pointed top and a broad base

Question 13

What mean family size of children per couple is required for a society's population to remain constant over time?

A) 5
B) 4.3
C) 2.1
D) 1.5

Question 14

As the "graying of America" continues, which of the following changes will occur in the shape of the population pyramid?

A) Both the peak and the base will narrow.
B) The base will become broader.
C) The peak will rise sharply.
D) The peak will widen dramatically.

Question 15

Which of the following terms refers to the average number of years that a member of a given population can expect to live beyond his or her present age?

A) age cohort
B) age grade
C) life course
D) life expectancy

Question 16

The phrase "graying of America" refers to:

A) a widening of the base of the population pyramid
B) the increasing number of people age 65 or older in the population
C) the negative impact of inflation on the lifestyle of elderly people
D) the movement toward more conservative politics on the part of American voters

Question 17

Which of the following describes the change that would take place in a nation's population pyramid if its birthrate increased?

A) The base would become broader.
B) The middle would become larger.
C) The top would become more peaked.
D) The top would become wider.

Question 18

A high mortality rate during this decade would have which of the following effects on a nation's population pyramid during the next decade?

A) The base would become broader.
B) The middle would become broader.
C) The peak would become broader.
D) The peak would develop a sharp point.

Question 19

The term "baby boom" refers to the cohorts born during which of the following periods?

A) 1920-1935
B) 1935-1945
C) 1945 to the early 1960s
D) the mid 1960s to 1980

Question 20

Which of the following was a consequence in the l960s and l970s of the baby boom?

A) The number of elderly people decreased.
B) The population pyramid remained essentially the same.
C) There has been a decrease in the number of people entering the labor force.
D) There was an increased demand for higher education.

Question 21

The largest category in the population age 65 and older is:

A) divorced people
B) married couples
C) widowers
D) widows

Question 22

The age at which a person crosses the legal boundary between childhood and adulthood is called:

A) coming of age
B) crossing the bar
C) reaching maturity
D) the age of majority

Question 23

Stratification by gender is characteristic of

A) all human societies
B) feudal societies
C) preindustrial societies
D) urban industrial societies

Question 24

In recent years large corporations have made a concerted effort to replace older workers with younger ones because younger workers:

A) are cheaper to hire
B) are more productive
C) have higher skill levels
D) tend to show greater job satisfaction

Question 25

Which of the following statements about aging people is NOT true?

A) Many elderly people have the ability and strength to continue in their earlier roles.
B) Physical changes demand that aging people retire from their jobs and find new, less demanding roles.
C) The fastest growing segment of the population is those 85 or older.
D) There is a high correlation between life satisfaction and sexual activity among the elderly.

Question 26

What effects have urbanization and industrialization had on the age-grade systems of smaller, non-industrialized societies?

A) Little or none since there is little contact between the two types of societies
B) The power and prestige of the senior members of society is markedly increased.
C) The roles of children and the elderly become less well defined.
D) The status of children becomes more rigid.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about children and youth is TRUE?

A) Little or no change has occurred in the economic value of children in the last one hundred years.
B) Social definitions of childhood are virtually the same around the world.
C) The sentimental value of children has increased markedly in the twentieth century.
D) There is essentially no debate or controversy in American society over such issues as the definition of childhood or proper roles for children.

Question 28

The teenage birthrate:

A) has remained essentially flat for the last thirty years
B) decreased from 1960 to 1980
C) increased substantially for teens 15-17 during the 1960s
D) is now higher than it was at the end of the 1950s

Question 29

The single most important indicator of the relative wellbeing of a nation's population is the:

A) average life span
B) birth rate
C) infant mortality rate
D) mean income per person

Question 30

All of the following are associated with low birth weight EXCEPT:

A) developmental handicaps
B) higher rates of illness in later life
C) number of children in the family
D) poor academic performance

Question 31

Which of the following statements about the elderly and poverty is FALSE?

A) About 50% of people over 65 live at or below the poverty line.
B) Approximately one in five Hispanic American elderly lives in poverty.
C) Medicare has had little or no effect on the poverty rate among the elderly.
D) The poverty rate among the elderly is highest among African Americans.

Question 32

The average number of years a member of a given population can expect to live is called:

A) life cohort
B) life course
C) life expectancy
D) life grade

Question 33

Which of the following statements about age and health/disability is TRUE?

A) Living in old age with disability affects a higher proportion of men than women.
B) People who live longer automatically suffer major disabilities.
C) The more affluent and educated people are when entering their sixties, the healthier they tend to be.
D) The positive effects of socioeconomic status on health tend to increase with age.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about sexual behavior among the elderly is true?

A) Interest in sexual activity remains constant throughout the life cycle.
B) Interest in sexual activity tends to decline with age.
C) Most elderly people have no interest in sex.
D) Sexual activity tends to increase with age.

Question 35

The finding that elderly men are likely to exhibit higher levels of sexual interest and activity than women of the same age is explained by which of the following factors?

A) Elderly women who show interest in sex tend to be seen as deviants.
B) It is more culturally acceptable for men to be interested in sex.
C) Men tend to have less difficulty than women in finding sexual partners.
D) The hormonal levels of men are higher.

Question 36

As the proportion of older people in a society increases:

A) ageism declines
B) ageism increases
C) ageism remains stable
D) the elderly become poorer

Question 37

An ideology that justified prejudice or discrimination based on age is referred to as:

A) ageism
B) gerontocracy
C) geriatrics
D) agoraphobia

Question 38

Corporations that require employees who reach the age of 65 to retire are practicing:

A) ageism
B) gerontocracy
C) geriatrics
D) agoraphobia

Question 39

The theory of aging that states that people in their later years should retire from their jobs and find new, less demanding roles with less power and responsibility is:

A) activity theory
B) disengagement theory
C) geriatric theory
D) selective engagement theory

Question 40

A view of aging that focuses on the perceived need of the elderly for continued participation In the social community is termed:

A) action theory
B) activity theory
C) engagements theory
D) replacement theory

Question 41

The idea that the aging suffer a sense of loneliness when they give up their former roles is a key aspect of:

A) activity theory
B) disengagement theory
C) social ecological theory
D) conflict theory

Question 42

Which of the following statements related to the scientific acceptance of theories of aging is TRUE?

A) Both disengagement theory and activity theory are rejected as inadequate.
B) Gerontologists accept disengagement theory but not activity theory.
C) Researchers, for the most part, reject activity theory but not disengagement theory.
D) Social scientists generally feel that activity theory explains the aging experience better than disengagement theory.

Question 43

The results of social movements among the elderly have had all of the following effects EXCEPT:

A) changing consciousness on the part of the elderly
B) changing theories of aging
C) growing power of the elderly
D) diminishing emphasis on the individuality of the experience of aging

Question 44

The social movement that has emerged to provide alternatives to prolonged institutional treatment of the terminally ill is termed:

A) hospitalism
B) hospice
C) nursing home
D) self care

Question 45

The great benefit of the hospice movement is:

A) easing the dying process for the patient and his/her social circle
B) the decrease in the cost of terminal illness
C) the efficiency and sterility of the services provided
D) the handling of medical insurance and other matters associated with terminal illness

Question 46

The elderly from poor and working class backgrounds are likely to

A) have fewer negative experiences
B) engage in psychosocial risk behaviors
C) maintain their present status
D) improve

Question 47

Migrations patterns of the elderly have which of the following results in the places where they settle.

A) they negatively influence the economy
B) they create unusual age inversions
C) they create an imbalance in the sex ratio
D) none of these

Question 48

An example of a geographic location where the migration of the elderly has created an age inversion in the population is

A) Sun City, AZ
B) New York City, NY
C) Los Angeles, CA
D) Miami, FL

Question 49

In developed nations the population pyramid should have a

A) broad pyramidal shape
B) cylindrical shape
C) shape of an inverted pyramid
D) oval shape

Question 50

Which age cohorts are considered the "critical" cohorts?

A) ages 30 to 50
B) ages 65 and over
C) ages birth to 19
D) ages 45 to 65

Question 51

Infant mortality is important as a measure of

A) a nation's ability to care for infants
B) global inequality
C) how many infants will live to adulthood
D) the survival rate of infants

Question 52

In which kind of society does age stratification give greater status to the elderly?

A) industrial
B) horticultural
C) post industrial
D) pastoral

Question 53

Cultural norms that define periods of life are:

A) life strata
B) age grades
C) role strata
D) life grades

Question 54

The life course is best defined as

A) a series of events in an individual's life
B) the predestined events in life
C) an age-differentiated, socially created sequence of transitions
D) status transitions

Question 55

______________ refers to the study of aging and the elderly.

A) Age stratification
B) Demography
C) Gerontology
D) Life course studies

Question 56

Important U.S. population cohorts include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Silents
B) Boomers
C) Gen X
D) Gen Y

Question 57

Which of the following is not an early characteristic of the Millennial generation?

A) Confident
B) Conservative
C) Self-expressive
D) Upbeat

Question 58

The generation born from 1928 to 1940 is known as the "silent" generation because:

A) a rash of birth defects caused by corporate negligence left many people mute
B) prevailing social norms at the time required youth to be seen and not heard
C) of their conformist and civic instincts
D) of their resistance to the development of rock and roll music styles

Question 59

The generation that fought in and won World War II is known as:

A) Generation X
B) the Silent Generation
C) the Greatest Generation
D) Millennials

Question 60

Which of the following is a contributor to the relatively high rates of infant mortality in the U.S.?

A) accidents
B) low birth weight
C) poor medical care
D) lack of access to clean water

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT associated with low birthweight (below 5.5 pounds)?

A) higher incidences of neurological and physical handicaps
B) social marginalization
C) infant death
D) illness in later years

Question 62

Which of the following contributed to raising the elderly out of poverty status in Europe and the United States during the 1900s?

A) Employee pensions
B) Social Security
C) Basic health insurance such as Medicare
D) all of the above

Question 63

What event convinced Americans that some societal level changes were needed to address poverty among the elderly?

A) World War II
B) World War I
C) The Great Depression
D) A series of ethnographic studies by sociologists in the 1940s

Question 64

The number of elderly who live at or below the poverty line in the U.S.

A) is less than that of the general population
B) is higher than that of the general population
C) is the same as that of the general population
D) is the same regardless of race or ethnicity

Question 65

A ______________ is an event or situation that causes long-term stress, such as the death of a child or spouse.

A) lifetime negative experience
B) psychosocial risk behavior
C) life expectancy
D) rite of passage

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT considered a lifetime negative experience?

A) divorce
B) death of child
C) physical assault
D) failing to marry

Question 67

All of the following are components of dominant stereotypes about the elderly EXCEPT:

A) frailty
B) dependent
C) intelligent
D) asexual

Question 68

___________ is defined as the infliction of physical or psychological harm or knowing deprivation of care and services necessary to meet the physical and psychological needs of elderly people.

A) Lifetime negative experiences
B) Rites of passage
C) Elder abuse
D) Ageism

Question 69

What percentage of deaths occur in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions?

A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 60%
D) 80%

Question 70

The period of time known as the living-dying interval often entails which of the following:

A) reconciliations
B) moves from home to hospital and back
C) slipping in and out of consciousness
D) a burst of energy

Question 71

Approximately how many people living in the U.S. today are over 100 years of age?

A) 500
B) 8,000
C) 15,000
D) 28,000

Question 72

Which generation is most likely to admit to sleeping with their cell phone?

A) Silent
B) Boomer
C) Gen X
D) Millennial

Question 73

Which region has the lowest percentage of people over the age of 65?

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

Question 74

Age grades are defined by cultural norms.

Question 75

Life courses and their major turning points tend to be the same in all societies.

Question 76

Prior to the seventeenth century, the concept of "childhood" did not exist.

Question 77

A population pyramid that has a sharp peak and a broad base represents a population that couples a high birthrate with a high mortality rate in later cohorts.

Question 78

The long term effect of low fertility rates combined with greater life expectancy creates an aging population.

Question 79

What has declined is not the rate of teen births but the rate of teen marriage.

Question 80

All indicators of the wellbeing of youth are declining.