Deck 15: Aging and the Elderly

Question 1

The "young old" refers to people under the age of fifty-five.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Increasing longevity is a major factor driving up the elderly population.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

As people get older, their personalities change so that people who knew them years before would say they are not the same person.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Gerontology is the study of aging and the elderly.

Question 5

Age stratification refers to inequality among elderly people.

Question 6

The "old-age dependency ratio" refers to the ratio of non-working elderly people to working-age adults.

Question 7

As the elderly population of the United States increases, the physical and social segregation of the elderly will almost certainly decline.

Question 8

Seniors with higher incomes assess their own health as better compared to seniors with lower incomes.

Question 9

Today, life expectancy is about fifty years in the lowest-income countries.

Question 10

In the United States, males typically outlive females.

Question 11

Societies throughout the world often define their oldest members in negative terms.

Question 12

In horticultural, pastoral, and agrarian societies, the oldest members have the greatest wealth and power.

Question 13

The elderly population of Japan is increasing rapidly; at the same time, that country's overall population is projected to decline.

Question 14

Older people typically report a loss of sensory abilities, such as hearing.

Question 15

Rising birth rates is a major factor in driving up the elderly population.

Question 16

The median age of the U.S.population now stands at twenty years.

Question 17

In hunting and gathering societies, older members are considered to be a valuable resource to the group.

Question 18

Gerontocracy is a form of social organization in which the oldest members of a society have the greatest wealth and power.

Question 19

The elderly population in nearly all high-income nations has been increasing rapidly.

Question 20

In general, higher-income nations have the largest share of elderly people in their populations.

Question 21

Women are more likely than men to visit and care for their elderly parents.

Question 22

Of all age categories, people over the age of sixty-five have the highest poverty rate.

Question 23

Bernice Neugarten states that the key to successful aging is maintaining personal dignity as a person accepts the inevitability of advancing age.

Question 24

Elderly people were more likely to retire a century ago than they are today.

Question 25

The share of the elderly population is increasing quickly in

A)the world's poorest nations.
B)all the world's nations.
C)the world's high-income nations.
D)the United States, but not elsewhere.

Question 26

In general, industrialization raises the relative social standing of the elderly.

Question 27

Modern, high-income societies tend to separate death from living.

Question 28

Euthanasia refers to providing comfort and care to a person who has a terminal illness.

Question 29

The number of senior citizens in the United States

A)already outnumbers teenagers.
B)increased tenfold over the last century.
C)will double again by 2040.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 30

The economic downturn that began in 2007 has forced many older workers to postpone retirement and to continue working.

Question 31

In the United States, most elderly men, but not most elderly women, live alone.

Question 32

Disengagement theory is guided by the symbolic-interaction approach.

Question 33

Poverty rates among the U.S.elderly have increased in recent decades.

Question 34

Industrialization leads more elderly people to move out of the labor force, giving rise to what we call "retirement."

Question 35

Social isolation is a greater problem for elderly women than for elderly men.

Question 36

Activity theory states that a high level of activity enhances personal satisfaction in old age.

Question 37

Ageism is the belief that the oldest people are the wisest and should have the most power.

Question 38

Elder abuse is a form of family violence that often goes unreported to police.

Question 39

Causes for the increase in the proportion of the population that is elderly include

A)increases in both the birth rate and life expectancy.
B)decreases in both the birth rate and life expectancy.
C)a decreasing birth rate and increasing life expectancy.
D)an increasing birth rate and decreasing life expectancy.

Question 40

Social-conflict analysis points to ways in which the elderly are socially disadvantaged.

Question 41

What effect did industrialization have on life expectancy in the United States and Western Europe?

A)Life expectancy went up.
B)There was little effect on life expectancy.
C)Life expectancy went down.
D)Life expectancy rose for women but fell for men.

Question 42

Which of the following statements about the living arrangements of the elderly in the United States is correct?

A)Most men live with spouses; women are about equally likely to live with a spouse or to live alone.
B)Most men live in nursing homes or other assisted-living facilities; most women live alone.
C)Most women live in nursing homes or other assisted-living facilities; most men live alone.
D)Most men and women live in nursing homes or other assisted-living facilities.

Question 43

The concept "gerontocracy" refers to a society in which

A)there is a pronounced "youth culture."
B)the richest people have most of the power and prestige.
C)religious leaders have the most power.
D)the oldest people have the most wealth, power, and prestige.

Question 44

A majority of people over the age of sixty-five in the United States

A)consider their health "good" or "excellent."
B)report having trouble walking.
C)are bedridden.
D)are receiving intensive care in a hospital or nursing home.

Question 45

The type of society that typically operates as a gerontocracy is

A)hunting and gathering.
B)industrial.
C)pastoral, horticultural, or agrarian.
D)postindustrial.

Question 46

Assume you have a business that provides products to older people.Looking ahead, you have reason to expect

A)increasing sales, because your target population is increasing in size.
B)decreasing sales, because your target population is getting smaller.
C)little change in sales, because your target population will remain stable.
D)that your target population will increasingly be men.

Question 47

In general, industrialization has what effect on the social standing of the elderly in relation to younger people?

A)It reduces the social standing of seniors.
B)There is little or no effect.
C)It raises the social standing of seniors.
D)It raises the social standing of older men but reduces it for women.

Question 48

In global terms, life expectancy is

A)highest in the lowest-income countries.
B)about the same everywhere, but higher for women than for men.
C)about the same everywhere, but higher for men than for women.
D)highest in the highest-income countries.

Question 49

In the future, Japan's population will

A)become smaller.
B)grow older, on average.
C)be supported by a smaller labor force.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 50

Across the United States, there is a higher percentage of people who are elderly in which region of the country?

A)the East coast
B)the Midwest and Plains states
C)the West coast
D)the Gulf coast

Question 51

How does industrialization change patterns of working for income for people over the age of sixty-five?

A)People continue working for as long as they can.
B)People begin to retire from paid work, often by about age sixty-five.
C)People come to see retirement from paid work as a sign of weakness.
D)The peak earning years shift later into the sixties and seventies.

Question 52

Research suggests that, by and large, people reaching old age

A)become more positive about life.
B)become more negative about life.
C)think and feel much the same about life as they did when they were younger.
D)have high levels of depression.

Question 53

The concept of "gerontology" refers to

A)estimating people's life expectancy.
B)a medical specialty dealing with old people.
C)the study of aging and the elderly.
D)a treatment that restores vitality to seniors.

Question 54

Compared to the "young old," the "old old" in the United States

A)contains a larger share of women.
B)is richer.
C)has better health.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 55

With advancing age, older people notice

A)loss of height and weight.
B)less keen sensory abilities, including taste, sight, and hearing.
C)that minor injuries take longer to heal.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 56

The median

A)17 years.
B)37 years.
C)57 years.
D)67 years.

Question 57

Biological changes that accompany growing old include

A)less keen senses.
B)loss of height and weight.
C)wrinkles in the skin and graying of the hair.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 58

Age stratification is found in which of the following types of societies?

A)hunting and gathering
B)horticultural and pastoral
C)industrial
D)All of these are correct.

Question 59

In general, seniors with higher incomes

A)have more health problems than people with lower incomes.
B)assess their health in better terms than people with lower incomes.
C)have the same level of health as people with lower incomes.
D)die earlier due to high consumption of rich foods.

Question 60

The concept of "old-age dependency ratio" refers to

A)the ratio of children to elderly people.
B)the ratio of elderly women to elderly men.
C)the ratio of working-age adults to non-working elderly people.
D)the ratio of people over age sixty-five to those under forty.

Question 61

Disengagement theory is guided by which theoretical approach?

A)the social-conflict approach
B)the structural-functional approach
C)the symbolic-interaction approach
D)the sociobiology approach

Question 62

The median wealth

A)$1,237.
B)$23,700.
C)$237,000.
D)$1,237,000.

Question 63

The practice of older people retiring from work

A)is as old as society itself.
B)emerged along with the spread of agriculture.
C)developed about a century ago along with industrialization.
D)emerged only in postindustrial societies.

Question 64

Poverty rates among African American and Hispanic elders in the United States are

A)about the same as among elderly, non-Hispanic whites.
B)two to three times higher than among elderly, non-Hispanic whites.
C)ten times higher than among elderly, non-Hispanic whites.
D)lower than among elderly, non-Hispanic whites.

Question 65

Among U.S.seniors, the gender gap in income

A)does not exist.
B)is much smaller than it is for the population as a whole.
C)is greater than it is for the population as a whole.
D)is the same as it is for the population as a whole.

Question 66

Which of the following situations increases the risk of elder abuse?

A)A caregiver to an older person also has a full-time job.
B)A caregiver to an older person also cares for his or her young children.
C)A caregiver to an older person has little help or support from other people.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 67

Since 1960, the poverty rate among the U.S.elderly

A)has dropped significantly.
B)has fluctuated up and down.
C)has remained stable.
D)has gone up.

Question 68

The concept of "ageism" refers to

A)failing to provide necessary care for the elderly.
B)the reality that we all grow old.
C)prejudice and discrimination against the elderly.
D)forcing elderly people to retire from paid work.

Question 69

Abuse of the elderly includes

A)emotional harm.
B)physical neglect.
C)financial harm.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 70

Social isolation is most commonly a problem for

A)elderly men.
B)elderly women.
C)elderly men and women living with their children.
D)elderly men and women living with spouses.

Question 71

The poverty rate among people over the age of sixty-five is

A)above the national average.
B)the same as the national average.
C)below the national average.
D)almost zero, since people receive Social Security.

Question 72

The main point of disengagement theory is that

A)seniors want to be independent like everyone else.
B)society remains orderly by disengaging aging people from positions of responsibility.
C)seniors do not require as much care as most people think they do.
D)seniors want to remain active.

Question 73

Bernice Neugarten claimed that people who experience old age most successfully are those with

A)disintegrated and disorganized personalities.
B)passive-dependent personalities.
C)defended personalities.
D)integrated personalities.

Question 74

Most caregiving to older people in the United States is provided by

A)the staff at nursing homes.
B)hospital staff.
C)women, typically daughters and wives.
D)senior friends and neighbors.

Question 75

Gordon Streib concludes that older people

A)are not a minority as, say, African Americans are.
B)are more disadvantaged than other minorities.
C)are an advantaged segment of the population.
D)have the highest risk of any age category of becoming poor.

Question 76

Which of the following illustrates the concept of "staged retirement"?

A)Alicia carefully plans for retirement beginning when she is in her twenties.
B)Marco's company requires him to retire at age sixty-five.
C)Latoya continues working in her old age, but at a reduced level.
D)Sam finds other activities to fill the time once spent working.

Question 77

The recent economic downturn has had what effect on older workers in the United States?

A)Almost no older people now work for income.
B)Many have had little choice but to continue working.
C)Most older workers people now retire by about age fifty.
D)Most older workers are enrolled in college courses.

Question 78

One criticism of disengagement theory is that

A)few seniors ever want to disengage.
B)seniors have little to contribute to society.
C)many older people do not have the money to permit disengaging from work.
D)many older people are not physically or mentally able to work.

Question 79

For most U.S.seniors, who is the greatest source of social support?

A)staff at nursing homes
B)other seniors
C)family members
D)neighbors

Question 80

Over the life course, poverty rates in the United States are lowest among those

A)aged sixty-five and older.
B)aged fifty-five to sixty-four.
C)aged forty-five to fifty-four.
D)aged thirty-five to forty-four.