Deck 15: D: Aging and the Elderly

Question 1

Elderly people of the future will tend to have:

A)more family responsibilities
B)less savings
C)higher levels of education
D)less real work experience

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The concept "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.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What effect did industrialization have on life expectancy in high-income countries?

A)life expectancy went up about 30 years
B)there was little effect on life expectancy
C)life expectancy went down by about 10 years
D)life expectancy rose for women but fell for men

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The concept "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 5

In general,seniors with higher incomes:

A)have more health problems than people with lower incomes.
B)are very happy.
C)have the same level of happiness as people with lower incomes.
D)are extremely lonely.

Question 6

Which of the following provinces has the highest portion of the elderly in its population?

A)B.C.
B)Saskatchewan
C)Prince Edward Island
D)Newfoundland

Question 7

What is the sociological term for the very high rate of increase in the elderly population of Canada?

A)The Aged Canada
B)The Greying of Canada
C)The Geritol Generation
D)The Aging of Canada

Question 8

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 the above are correct.

Question 9

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

A)a bright future,because your target population is increasing in size.
B)a dim future,because your target population is getting smaller.
C)little change,because your target population will remain stable.
D)that your target population will,more and more,be men.

Question 10

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 the above are correct.

Question 11

Causes for the increase in the elderly population 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 12

Across Canada,there are a generally higher percentage of people who are elderly in which of the following regions?

A)the parts of Canada where there is a large Aboriginal population
B)The Maritimes
C)the North
D)Alberta

Question 13

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 the above are correct.

Question 14

One of the most troublesome problems of old age is a group of illnesses called:

A)bacterial infections
B)osteo-arthritic conditions
C)cardiovascular conditions
D)dementias

Question 15

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 16

How well and how long people live depends,first,on:

A)a society's values and traditions
B)global economic trends
C)a society's technology
D)individual;health habits

Question 17

A majority of people over the age of sixty-five in Canada:

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

Question 18

Compared to the "young old," the "old old" in Canada:

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

Question 19

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 Canada,but not elsewhere.

Question 20

Who,of the following,died the youngest?

A)Mozart
B)Shakespeare
C)Edgar Allen Poe
D)Oscar Wilde

Question 21

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 22

In general,industrialization has what effect on the social standing of the elderly relative 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 23

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

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

Question 24

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 25

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 26

Abuse of the elderly includes:

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

Question 27

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 28

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 29

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 30

Most caregiving to older people in Canada is provided by:

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

Question 31

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 32

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 33

The concept "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 34

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 35

Gordon Streib concludes that older people:

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

Question 36

Who argued that ageism is deeply rooted in our culture?

A)Betty Friedan
B)Max Weber
C)Daniel Callahan
D)Sue Rodriguez

Question 37

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 38

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 the above are correct.

Question 39

In general,industrialization has what effect on the social standing of the elderly relative 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 40

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 41

Following the ideas of Karl Marx,Steven Spitzer suggests that capitalist societies:

A)care more about the elderly than about children.
B)ensure that seniors have the most wealth.
C)treat the elderly as being the most wise.
D)devalue the elderly as less productive.

Question 42

The right-to-die debate is mostly about:

A)whether people should die before their time
B)whether doctors are able to delay death
C)how much control people have over their own death
D)whether poor people have the same quality of life as rich people

Question 43

Activity theory draws on:

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

Question 44

By the year 2050 in Canada:

A)the elderly population will exceed the population of the entire country in 1900.
B)one-fourth of all seniors will be over the age of eighty-five.
C)seniors will have a greater voice in U.S.society.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 45

Read the four terms below.Which of the following is NOT one of the stages in the dying process used by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross?

A)denial
B)rejoicing
C)negotiation
D)acceptance

Question 46

Why can we expect the number of elders in our society to rise to new levels in the years to come?

A)immigration is bringing more older people to this country
B)government benefits to older people are going up
C)the country's large baby boomer cohort is now entering old age
D)an increasing number of people are dying at a young age

Question 47

The main point of activity theory is that:

A)a high level of activity enhances personal satisfaction in old age.
B)seniors should not try to do more than they feel they can.
C)seniors should retire knowing they have earned the right to relax.
D)some seniors have far more wealth than others do.

Question 48

In today's society,most deaths occur in:

A)impersonal settings such as hospitals and nursing homes.
B)the homes of people's children.
C)a person's own home.
D)a hospice.

Question 49

Today,in Canada,what share of people die after reaching the age of fifty-five?

A)20 percent
B)35 percent
C)50 percent
D)85 percent

Question 50

Compared to disengagement theory's focus on _____;activity theory has more of a focus on _____.

A)staying active;the value of retirement
B)the operation of society;the needs of elders themselves
C)society as a whole;patterns of inequality
D)the negative aspects of aging;the positive aspects of aging

Question 51

Which of the following is FALSE regarding baby boomers in Canada?

A)they are the generation that brought sex out into the open
B)they have redefined every stage of life as they aged
C)they are defining sex as part of growing old
D)they have little interest in politics

Question 52

What document specifies medical procedures an individual wants and does not want under specific conditions?

A)a living will
B)an insurance policy
C)a death wish
D)a living trust

Question 53

Which concept refers to assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease?

A)Hippocratic assistance
B)euthanasia
C)gerontocracy
D)bereavement

Question 54

What is the term for a facility that provides care and comfort for people as they approach death?

A)hospital
B)elder hostel
C)nursing home
D)hospice

Question 55

The right-to-die debate is mostly about:

A)whether people should die before their time.
B)whether doctors have the ability to delay death.
C)how much control people have over their own death.
D)whether poor people have the same quality of life as rich people.

Question 56

Which country has the most permissive law involving physician-assisted suicide in the world?

A)the United States
B)the Netherlands
C)Russia
D)Japan

Question 57

In centuries past:

A)people avoided discussing death.
B)people refused to accept the reality of death of their own death.
C)people were more familiar with death than they are today.
D)All of the above are correct.