Deck 1: Approaches to the Study of Social Problems

Question 1

The key role of theories is to ________.

A)negate one's belief in religion
B)explain why something occurred
C)judge people's behaviors
D)set norms on which a society should be based

Answer 1

B

Question 2

________ are rules of conduct that guide people's behavior.

A)Norms
B)Values
C)Causalities
D)Hypotheses

Answer 2

A

Question 3

________ refers to legitimate power that is obeyed because people believe it is right and proper that they obey.

A)Causality
B)Autocracy
C)Confederacy
D)Authority

Answer 3

D

Question 4

________ refers to the tendency to view one's own culture or subculture as the best and to judge other cultures or subcultures in comparison to it.

A)Recidivism
B)Elitism
C)Ethnocentrism
D)Ageism

Question 5

According to the functionalist perspective,what is the difference between manifest and latent functions?

A)Manifest functions are causative events,while latent functions are the actual results of a social action.
B)Manifest functions are the undesirable consequences of a social action,while latent functions are the desirable consequences.
C)Manifest functions are the intended consequences of a social action,while latent functions are the unintended or unexpected consequences.
D)Manifest functions are the changes that take a longer time to be effective,while latent functions show immediate results of a social action.

Question 6

________ are people's ideas about what is good or bad,right or wrong.

A)Norms
B)Rules
C)Hypotheses
D)Values

Question 7

Rita follows the functionalist perspective to study human behavior.She is most likely to argue that ________.

A)various interrelated elements constitute a society and help maintain its stability
B)social problems arise when an influential group defines a social condition as problematic
C)social practices are simultaneously beneficial and detrimental to different groups
D)observing the everyday interactions between people is the best way to understand a society

Question 8

What is the difference between the way in which laypeople and sociologists view deviant behaviors?

A)Sociologists view behaviors or characteristics as being deviant,while laypeople consider a behavior to be deviant only when some group so defines it.
B)Sociologists view deviance as relative,while laypeople view deviance in an absolute way by comparing it with some fixed standards.
C)Sociologists consider deviance to be a healthy group characteristic,while laypeople dislike and reproach deviance.
D)Sociologists suggest that deviant behaviors are universal,while laypeople insist that deviance can be understood only within the context of the norms and values of a particular culture.

Question 9

Which of the following observations led to the emergence of the functionalist perspective?

A)competition between humans to attain societal resources
B)similarities between society and biological organisms
C)differences in the communication styles across cultures
D)recurring patterns of violence originating from different causes

Question 10

A group is said to be an influential group if it has ________.

A)a large number of members
B)a significant impact on public debate and social policy
C)existed for more than 5 years
D)advocated for issues that affect a large number of people

Question 11

According to the interactionist perspective,a central part of social interaction is ________.

A)the frequency of interactions between people
B)people's interpretations or definitions of others' behavior
C)people's willingness to conform to societal norms
D)the context of a discussion

Question 12

A group is said to be a vested interest group if it ________.

A)encourages social reforms that would change its current position
B)advocates policies that are supported by a majority of people
C)benefits from existing policies,practices,and social arrangements
D)succeeds in achieving its goals and policy changes

Question 13

________ is the ability of one group to realize its will,even in the face of resistance from other groups.

A)Fecundity
B)Power
C)Androgyny
D)Pluralism

Question 14

Personal troubles become public issues only when ________.

A)an influential group so defines them
B)it has been affecting a family for a long time
C)a social condition has caused it
D)they require economic support to be resolved

Question 15

According to Karl Marx,the ________ consisted of those who owned the businesses,factories,and textile mills.

A)proletariat
B)bourgeoisie
C)precariat
D)proles

Question 16

Some college students have joined together to form a rock band.This band consists of people who have similar interests and a passion for rock music.This group is an example of a(n)________.

A)subculture
B)interest group
C)anomie
D)ethnic group

Question 17

A majority of the people in the state of Trecova value hard work and industriousness.They regard welfare schemes with disdain and oppose their existence.However,these schemes are welcomed by the poor and disadvantaged people who are not capable of doing much labor.This difference in interest creates a clash between the two groups and becomes a social problem.This social problem has developed because of ________.

A)deviation from norms
B)misuse of power
C)influential interest groups
D)differences between subcultures

Question 18

The interactionist perspective is considered more of a supplement to the functionalist and conflict perspectives because it ________.

A)exemplifies the theories discussed in other perspectives
B)shows how societies can constitute of independent elements that are stable and remain in equilibrium
C)provides the assumptions that form the foundations of other perspectives
D)shows how the social processes described in other perspectives enter people's lives

Question 19

A social condition is considered to be a social problem if it ________.

A)threatens a group's values
B)cannot be remedied by social action
C)poses a threat to an individual's values and beliefs
D)affects a small number of people

Question 20

What is the advantage of the sociological perspective?

A)It helps to understand the changes in various cultures due to diversification.
B)It frees people from blind submission to social forces that they do not understand.
C)It helps to understand the changes that led to the formation of interest groups.
D)It makes people aware of the fallacies in social research studies.

Question 21

Ivan is a conflict theorist.The government in his country has decided to increase the tax on luxury goods so that the additional revenue generated can be used to improve the living conditions of the poor.Though this decision is encouraged by most people,it is also opposed by some.According to Ivan,this change in the tax policy will become a social problem if ________.

A)it leads to an increase in social disruption or social disorganization
B)a group of people do not believe that its interests are being met
C)the conflict between the underprivileged and elite people for resources increases after this change
D)people do not see a long-term benefit from this change

Question 22

With respect to people's opinion about government intervention in addressing social issues,what was the change observed between the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements?

Question 23

What was Karl Marx's stand on the influence of the personal values of researches on their works?

Question 24

________ is the technique of using famous and respected people to support a program or policy as a means of engendering public support.

A)Research
B)Testimonial
C)Modernization
D)Social stratification

Question 25

According to the interactionist perspective,when does the need for social change arise and what happens during this process?

Question 26

Martin is conducting a research on more effective ways to control foot-and-mouth disease in animals.He has developed a detailed research design,and it has been reviewed by other experts.He has also conducted the necessary experiments and drawn inferences from the resulting data.Based on the systematic steps followed by researchers while conducting a scientific study,which of the following should be done next?

A)The experts should review the research design to make sure the researcher has used the most modern and effective methods for studying the problem.
B)Martin should publicly disseminate his research and its results through publication in a book or professional journal.
C)Martin should formulate the research problem and review it for its feasibility.
D)The experts should review if the conclusions made are accurate and warranted.

Question 27

________ are tentative statements that can be tested regarding relationships between two or more factors.

A)Theories
B)Norms
C)Hypotheses
D)Theorems

Question 28

How do norms contribute to a society?

Question 29

How can one establish causality between two factors?

Question 30

What is the role played by theories in the study of social problems?

Question 31

________ consist of elements that are taken from a group or population and that serve as a source of data.

A)Hypotheses
B)Anomie
C)Samples
D)Ghettos

Question 32

What are symbols,and how do people attach meaning to symbols?

Question 33

What is the advantage of using the systematic steps followed by scientists for conducting scientific research?

A)It guarantees accuracy of a research work.
B)It makes the scientific method more likely than other methods to give an accurate knowledge of the world.
C)It ensures that all research problems,including those that cannot be solved by scientific investigation,are also pursued.
D)It provides a means for researchers to conduct their observation without the need to get their work reviewed prior to publishing it.

Question 34

The term ________ refers to the belief that government should intervene as little as possible in people's lives or the workings of society.

A)laissez-faire
B)politics
C)causality
D)cross-dependence

Question 35

The government of Castleton is in the process of formulating a new policy to address the problem of child labor.They have assessed the possible positive and negative outcomes of various policy alternatives and have formulated a policy that they believe would achieve the desired goals in an effective manner.According to the stages in the process of policy formulation,what is the next stage in the process of formulating this new policy?

A)policy formulation
B)policy implementation
C)evaluation
D)closure

Question 36

What is the purpose of preventive or intervention programs that focus on social reform to address social problems?

Question 37

A spurious relationship is said to exist between two events if ________.

A)one event occurred before the other
B)they are independently related to another event
C)they occurred at the same point of time
D)one event occurs only if the other occurs

Question 38

________ are controlled methods of collecting evidence that give people confidence in stating that one factor caused another to happen.

A)Theories
B)Experiments
C)Hypotheses
D)Causalities

Question 39

What is the importance of hypotheses in verifying a theory?

Question 40

Define a subculture and discuss its importance in the study of social problems.