Deck 14: The Sociology of the Body: Health,illness,and Sexuality

Question 1

According to the textbook,which assumption below would probably follow from Talcott Parsons's notion of the sick role?

A) A sick person should not be personally blamed for being ill.
B) A sick person should be isolated from society.
C) A sick person should always tend to his or her work responsibilities while sick.
D) A sick person should avoid modern medicine.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of Corbin and Strauss's types of work involves the process of incorporating an illness into one's life,making sense of it,and developing ways of explaining it to others?

A) illness work
B) biographical work
C) everyday work
D) adapting work

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Why have some sociologists criticized Talcott Parsons's notion of the sick role?

A) Sociologists have long done away with the theoretical use of the term role in analysis.
B) It cannot be applied across all contexts,cultures,and historical periods.
C) Functionalist approaches are no longer studied in sociology.
D) It oversimplifies complex symbolic relationships among different languages.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Priyanka is a sociologist who thinks that society usually operates in a smooth and consensual manner.What school of sociology mentioned in the textbook does she probably belong to?

A) symbolic interactionist
B) structuralist
C) functionalist
D) postmodernist

Question 5

Albert has a body mass index greater than 30 and is therefore obese.His friend Stan is not obese.According to the textbook,which of the following statements is true?

A) Albert and Stan have equal chances of suffering from strained family relationships.
B) Albert and Stan have equal chances of suffering from schizophrenia.
C) Albert and Stan have equal chances of suffering from cancer.
D) Albert and Stan have equal chances of suffering from employment discrimination.

Question 6

Tina is a researcher in a university who investigates how and why our bodies are affected by our social experiences and the norms and values of the groups to which we belong.What field of study does Tina research?

A) sociology of experience
B) sociology of norms
C) sociology of values
D) sociology of the body

Question 7

Miguel is a researcher who studies the ways people interpret the social world and the meanings they ascribe to it.He applies this approach to health and illness as a corrective to some of Talcott Parson's work.What school of sociology mentioned in the textbook does he probably belong to?

A) symbolic interactionist
B) structuralist
C) functionalist
D) postmodernist

Question 8

Mathilda is morbidly obese.She regularly has problems interacting with her family,friends,and strangers due to the stereotypes that abound regarding her illness.She even lost a job once because she could no longer accept the degrading comments made by her coworkers and boss regarding what they perceived as her moral failings for being obese.What term would sociologists use to refer to her obesity because it is devalued and labeled by society as undesirable?

A) a disadvantage
B) a stigma
C) a dogma
D) a sick role

Question 9

Todd suffers from chronic back pain.Mostly he just tries to grin and bear it,but at times the pain is so debilitating that he takes strong painkillers just to be able to get out of bed in the morning.What type of work,as defined by Corbin and Strauss,is Todd incorporating?

A) illness work
B) coping work
C) everyday work
D) adapting work

Question 10

What term refers to the process by which we control phenomena regarded as natural,such as reproduction?

A) the socialization of reproduction
B) the socialization of the body
C) the socialization of health
D) the socialization of nature

Question 11

Kevin is a 10-year-old American boy who lives in a poor neighborhood and suffers from childhood obesity.Which of the following factors is most likely to be a component causing his condition?

A) failure to take a daily vitamin
B) spending too much time running around at the park
C) a lack of healthy food choices at school and home
D) living in an impoverished society where food is scarce

Question 12

Which of the following questions would a symbolic interactionist most likely ask?

A) Why do some humans become ill whereas others do not?
B) How do people put themselves at risk of contracting illness?
C) How does illness shape individuals' daily lives?
D) What does the way we define illness tell us about healthy practices?

Question 13

What is the definition of obesity?

A) excessive body weight
B) a health condition characterized by the inability to maintain balance
C) a sociological term used to describe unequal societies
D) a tendency to generalize

Question 14

Elvira is a university professor who teaches and investigates the process by which humans control phenomena regarded as natural,such as reproduction.She is especially intrigued by the fact that phenomena that used to be natural,or given in nature,have now become social-they depend on our own social decisions.What term do sociologists use to refer to this process?

A) phenomenology
B) the socialization of nature
C) the naturalization of socialization
D) the nature of socialization

Question 15

Pat suffers from anorexia nervosa.Which of the following statements are true?

A) Pat is more likely to be a man than a woman.
B) Pat is more likely to be over the age 65 and older than all other ages combined.
C) Pat cannot suffer from bulimia because bulimia involves bingeing and purging.
D) Pat suffers from the psychological disorder that has the highest mortality rate.

Question 16

Rene was diagnosed with cancer recently and has started chemotherapy.She feels extremely run-down after sessions but manages to keep up with her housework by dividing it into small tasks that she can do without becoming completely overwhelmed.She tries to rest between tasks and to recover before tackling another task around the house.What type of work,as defined by Corbin and Strauss,is Rene incorporating?

A) illness work
B) coping work
C) everyday work
D) adapting work

Question 17

Most sociologists accept that most of what we currently recognize as medicine is a consequence of developments in Western society over the past three centuries.Sociologists would include which of the following items among these developments?

A) a trend toward seeing the origins and treatments of disease as physical and explicable in scientific terms
B) the rejection of the hospital as the setting within which to treat serious illnesses
C) the rapid increase in malpractice suits that question the expertise of the medical profession
D) the inclusion of self-taught healers

Question 18

How do sociologists know that the causes of eating disorders,such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia,and obesity reflect social factors more than physical or biological factors?

A) Max Weber clearly showed that their origins lie in the cult of beauty present in the Roman republic.
B) If physical or biological factors were responsible,physicians would have found a cure for such important health issues.
C) Women suffer from these conditions much more often than men do.
D) They are very recent health problems.

Question 19

Paul has an enlarged prostate and is thus forced to go to the bathroom frequently.He is embarrassed by his condition and avoids telling others about his illness.When he goes out with his friends to dine and is asked why he leaves the table so often,he tells others that he is calling home to check on the children.What type of work,as defined by Corbin and Strauss,is Paul incorporating?

A) illness work
B) coping work
C) everyday work
D) biographical work

Question 20

Richard is a social worker who coordinates activities for the "Let's Move!" program described in the textbook.Which of the following activities would he be most likely to include in the program?

A) a plan to bring grocery stores to inner-city neighborhoods and to help small urban grocery stores or bodegas stock their shelves with healthy grains and produce
B) classes aimed at informing adults about the employment opportunities present around the country to encourage worker flexibility through movement
C) free medical checkups for homeless inner-city dwellers
D) projects designed to provide affordable,clean housing to people who live in unsanitary conditions

Question 21

April is a woman,and Jack is a man.Which of the following statements is true?

A) April is more likely to live longer than Jack is.
B) Jack is more likely to suffer from acute conditions than April is.
C) Jack is more likely to suffer from nonfatal chronic conditions than April is.
D) Jack is more likely to spend any given day sick in bed than April is.

Question 22

One of the major barriers to the treatment of the HIV and AIDS epidemic worldwide is:

A) the increasing number of intravenous drug users
B) the increasing percentage of homosexuals who practice unsafe sex
C) the increasing percentage of heterosexuals who practice unsafe sex
D) the discrimination against people living with these infections

Question 23

Most people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS):

A) live outside of Africa
B) are heterosexual
C) are intravenous drug users
D) are hemophiliacs

Question 24

The 20th century has witnessed which of the following trends in industrialized societies?

A) a significant increase in life expectancy
B) a rise in infant mortality rates
C) a decrease in standards of health and well-being
D) the virtual elimination of health inequalities

Question 25

Akiki is a 16-year-old orphan girl from Uganda.What can be inferred from the textbook about her situation?

A) She was probably orphaned because her parents died of AIDS.
B) She will likely be placed into a state institution for orphaned children.
C) Her parents were probably killed by government troops.
D) Her parents were likely murdered by members of a gang.

Question 26

According to the textbook,why may differences in occupational status lead to inequalities in health and illness even when medical care is evenly distributed?

A) Hospitals are located closer to professionals and white-collar workers.
B) Manual laborers often come from immigrant backgrounds and bring many health problems with them from their places of origin.
C) Government health programs offer a wider variety of solutions to people from professional backgrounds than to other workers.
D) Those who work in offices or in domestic settings have less risk of injury or exposure to hazardous materials than some manual workers do.

Question 27

Gaia is interested in her health.She often consults health-related Web pages for advice about diet,disease prevention,and treatment.What trend mentioned in the textbook are her activities an example of?

A) a trend characterized by doctors who,lacking quality health-care training,must rely on the Internet for practical knowledge
B) a trend characterized by young,uninsured individuals who must utilize the Internet in place of going to see physicians due to economic circumstance
C) a trend that sees individuals increasingly becoming health consumers and adopting an active stance toward their own health and well-being
D) the Internet health-care shopper trend

Question 28

Tracy is an African American woman.Barbara is a white American woman.Which of the following statements is true,based on the information in the textbook?

A) It is about equally likely that Tracy is infected with HIV or AIDS as Barbara.
B) Tracy is slightly more likely to be infected with HIV or AIDS than Barbara.
C) Tracy is significantly more likely to be infected with HIV or AIDS than Barbara.
D) Barbara is significantly more likely to be infected with HIV or AIDS than Tracy.

Question 29

According to the textbook,why are large areas of east Africa devoid of cattle today?

A) Changes European intruders introduced allowed the multiplication and uncontrolled spread of the tsetse fly,which carries illnesses that are fatal to both humans and livestock.
B) The natives of the region practiced a scorched earth policy of defense against European intruders in which they slaughtered their own herds and burned down their own villages.
C) European cattle farmers resented the cheap imports that flowed into the continent after colonization,and colonial administrators were pressured to destroy millions of animals natives owned.
D) The African cattle transmitted diseases to Europeans that the native peoples had resistance to,and the subsequent substitution of European cattle breeds for the African breeds proved unsuccessful.

Question 30

According to the textbook,why did diseases such as smallpox and measles produce epidemics that ravaged or completely wiped out native populations in the Americas after contact with Europeans in the late 15th century?

A) Europeans refused to share their medicines with the native peoples.
B) The native peoples lacked resistance to these diseases.
C) Europeans forced the native peoples to relocate to massive urban centers,where the bacteria easily spread.
D) Europeans forced the native peoples to abandon their traditional medicines,which had kept the diseases largely at bay before contact.

Question 31

Which of the following people would most likely practice alternative medicine?

A) an oncologist
B) a chiropractor
C) a pediatrician
D) a cardiologist

Question 32

According to the textbook,why are some men less likely to seek annual checkups?

A) They are socialized to believe that men should be traditionally masculine,strong,and self-sufficient.
B) Because of their work,men generally have more responsibilities than women and thus have less time for regular medical checkups.
C) Men are more likely to feel physically threatened by health-care personnel than women do.
D) Men become ill less often and therefore believe that they do not need checkups as often as women.

Question 33

The most important example of a disease that has almost disappeared from the world in the past half-century or so is:

A) malaria
B) measles
C) influenza
D) smallpox

Question 34

How do some sociologists explain the fact that although Hispanics in the United States have fewer socioeconomic resources than whites,studies have shown that their health-and especially the health of their infants-is just as good as if not better than that of whites?

A) Hispanics have more genetic resistance to many debilitating diseases than whites.
B) Whites are more socially cohesive than Hispanics.
C) Studies of the health of Hispanics in the United States focus on those who successfully migrated to the United States and who are believed to be in better health than those who remained in their native countries.
D) For cultural reasons,Hispanics are more devoted to healthy activities,such as playing sports and dancing,than whites.

Question 35

Brian quit high school before graduating and never returned to school.Joe has a university degree.Which of the following statements is true?

A) Each man is equally likely to smoke.
B) Each man is equally likely to engage in aerobic exercise.
C) Each man is equally likely to be overweight.
D) Each man is equally likely to suffer from a genetic disease.

Question 36

What term refers to the set of principles underpinning Western medical systems and practices that defines diseases objectively,in accordance with the presence of recognized symptoms,and holds that the healthy body can be restored through scientifically based medical treatment?

A) the Western health-care model
B) the scientific method of health
C) the biomedical model of health
D) the scientific health-care method

Question 37

Yu spends most of his time in the countryside picking herbs to use in his place of work.He dries the herbs and makes teas and elixirs for his customers,who are ill people who distrust doctors and Western medicine in general.His clients use his concoctions to treat their maladies instead of going to a doctor.What term do sociologists use to describe Yu's practices?

A) alternative medicine
B) faith healing
C) complementary medicine
D) herbal remedy cures

Question 38

When Sonia came to the United States,she was bewildered by the magnitude of health-care choices available.Some people in her home village in the mountains of Peru seek health advice from local healers who have no formal training.Sonia had learned many of these techniques from a healer in Peru and decided to offer herbal remedies to cancer patients in the United States to combat the side effects of the chemotherapy treatments they were receiving from their doctors.What term do sociologists use to describe what Sonia offers?

A) alternative medicine
B) faith healing
C) complementary medicine
D) Peruvian curing

Question 39

According to the textbook,programs of health education and disease prevention:

A) work better among more prosperous,well-educated groups
B) have been shown to be by far the most effective publicly funded means of effecting the changes needed to significantly reduce extant health inequalities
C) are especially effective in poor societies
D) usually produce significant changes in behavior

Question 40

According to the textbook,which of the following items has been put forth by sociologists to explain the health and mortality disadvantage for blacks?

A) Blacks are more likely to report being depressed than whites.
B) Whites as a group have greater access to religious communities that help them protect against stress compared with blacks as a group.
C) Black women are far less likely than white women to exercise regularly.
D) Black babies are significantly more likely to be born prematurely than white babies.

Question 41

According to the textbook,currently,traditional attitudes toward sex exist alongside much more permissive attitudes,which developed widely and became openly public:

A) in the 18th century
B) in the 19th century
C) in the early 20th century
D) in the 1960s

Question 42

Phil was a woman and became a man.According to sociologists,Phil is:

A) a bisexual
B) a transvestite man
C) a transsexual woman
D) a transsexual man

Question 43

Although Sigmund Freud's research was carried out in the Victorian era,it clearly revealed that:

A) humans are born without concrete sexual tastes and society teaches them what to like by adulthood through the socialization process
B) human sexuality is usually determined at birth,although the socialization process does have a limited role in influencing people by adulthood
C) female and male sexual tastes are similar at birth but increasingly vary as adulthood approaches,largely due to hormonal differences between males and females
D) human sexual tastes are widely varied at birth and are curbed by society through socialization,but still remain significantly diverse through adulthood

Question 44

According to the influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,homosexuality:

A) was never considered a disorder
B) was considered a disorder until 1920
C) was considered a disorder until 1950
D) was considered a disorder until 1980

Question 45

What is the term that sociologists use to refer to an aversion to or hatred of homosexuals?

A) hate crime
B) homosexual aversion
C) gay hate
D) homophobia

Question 46

Juliana is an American sociologist whose research centers on why some people become homosexual and others do not.According to the textbook,why do investigators like Juliana devote such considerable time to research focused on this question?

A) Heterosexuality is the norm for most people in U.S.culture.
B) Increasing numbers of people are becoming homosexual.
C) It has only recently been learned that people are only born homosexual.
D) Various religious organizations funded such research to try to counter trends that they viewed as anathema.

Question 47

Jim is a woman who regularly dresses as a man.According to the textbook,Jim is:

A) a bisexual
B) a transvestite man
C) a transvestite woman
D) a transsexual man

Question 48

According to the textbook,one notable victory for the International Lesbian and Gay Association was:

A) persuading the Council of Europe to require all its member nations to repeal laws banning homosexuality
B) forcing the New York City police department to release all arrested activists after the Stonewall riots
C) shaming Uganda into repealing its especially harsh homophobic laws
D) persuading the security council of the United Nations to approve a statement in support of gay marriage

Question 49

Vanessa recently told her family and friends that she is homosexual.Now she no longer hides the fact that her best friend,Margaret,is also her partner.According to the textbook,which of the following is the result of people like Vanessa coming out?

A) New York City,San Francisco,London,and other large metropolitan areas worldwide have thriving gay and lesbian communities.
B) The larger society universally embraces openly homosexual individuals,such as Vanessa,and homosexuals no longer face any backlash for coming out.
C) The government keeps a registry of all the individuals who come out,which now includes Vanessa.
D) Coming out has resulted in an increasing rejection of the homosexual lifestyle because homophobes who were previously willing to ignore the presence of homosexuals in society when they were hidden no longer are willing to do so.

Question 50

Fran's sexual orientation is homosexual.According to the textbook,which of the following statements is true?

A) Far fewer than half of Americans approve of Fran's lifestyle.
B) Slightly less than half of Americans approve of Fran's lifestyle.
C) Slightly more than half of Americans approve of Fran's lifestyle.
D) Sociologists do not have enough reliable information to know how many Americans approve of Fran's lifestyle.

Question 51

Alfred Kinsey's research,which began in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s,was surprising because it revealed:

A) the extent to which assumptions about the sexual activities of men and women had come to resemble each other
B) a tremendous discrepancy between prevailing public expectations of sexual behavior and actual sexual conduct
C) the homogeneity of sexual experience in the United States
D) a strong correlation between income and sexual attitudes

Question 52

Tiffany was assigned male at birth and now identifies as a woman.According to the textbook,Tiffany is:

A) a bisexual
B) a transvestite man
C) a transvestite woman
D) a transsexual woman

Question 53

Clellan Ford and Frank Beach,using anthropological evidence from more than 200 societies,found that:

A) although only slight variations existed among societies regarding natural sexual behavior,norms of sexual attractiveness varied greatly
B) only slight variations existed among societies regarding natural sexual behavior and that norms of sexual attractiveness were largely universal
C) striking variations existed among societies in what was regarded as natural sexual behavior but that norms of sexual attractiveness were largely universal
D) striking variations existed among societies in what was regarded as natural sexual behavior and in norms of sexual attractiveness

Question 54

Western attitudes toward sexual behavior:

A) were for nearly 2,000 years molded primarily by Christianity,whose dominant view was that all sexual behavior is suspect,especially that needed for reproduction
B) have historically rarely included the idea that sexual fulfillment can and should be sought through marriage
C) have remained surprisingly constant throughout even the past two or three centuries
D) have reflected similar assumptions about the sexual activities of men and women

Question 55

Jules is a man who regularly dresses as a woman.According to the textbook,Jules is:

A) a bisexual
B) a transvestite man
C) a transvestite woman
D) a transsexual man

Question 56

The sociologist Peter Bearman asserted that:

A) because males with a female twin are less likely to report same-sex attractions than other males are,having a female sibling the same age provides a model for an ideal sexual partner and demonstrates that social factors influence sexual orientation
B) because males with a female twin are equally likely to report same-sex attractions as other males are,social factors do not influence sexual orientation
C) because males with a female twin are about twice as likely to report same-sex attractions than other males are,the parents of opposite-sex twins are more likely to give them unisex treatment,which leads to a less traditionally masculine influence on the males,and this demonstrates that social factors influence sexual orientation
D) due to the extreme difficulty associated with isolating social factors,only studies on identical twins are able to shed light on factors influencing sexual orientation,and to be reliable,they must concentrate on biological and genetic components only

Question 57

According to the textbook,which of the following terms is incorrectly used,is misleading,and should be avoided?

A) sexual desire
B) sexual orientation
C) sexual preference
D) sexual partner

Question 58

Max's sexual orientation is homosexual.Most sociologists would claim that:

A) if Max has an identical twin,it is overwhelmingly probable that the twin is also homosexual
B) it is virtually impossible to determine whether Max's sexual orientation is a result of biological or sociological influences
C) Max's sexual orientation is a result of biological influences
D) Max's sexual orientation is a result of social influences

Question 59

According to the textbook,what is regarded as the first shot fired in the battle for gay rights in the United States?

A) the Stonewall Inn nightclub raid
B) California Proposition 8
C) Lawrence v.Texas
D) the Texas sniper shootings

Question 60

Ruth was a teenager during the 1970s.More recently,Maggie was a teenager in the first decade of the 21st century.Which of the following statements is true,according to the textbook?

A) It is slightly more likely that Ruth engaged in sex as a teenager.
B) It is significantly more likely that Ruth engaged in sex as a teenager.
C) It is slightly more likely that Maggie engaged in sex as a teenager.
D) It is significantly more likely that Maggie engaged in sex as a teenager.

Question 61

How do functionalist theorists and symbolic interactionists differ in their perspectives on health and illness?

Question 62

What are some important findings about sexual behavior discovered since Alfred Kinsey's research?

Question 63

Why are infectious diseases more common in developing nations than in the United States today?

Question 64

Aurora is a sociologist who studies how social factors affect one's access to health-enhancing resources,such as healthy food,safe walking and running paths,and high-quality healthcare.Which of the following factors would she be likely to include in her studies?

A) eye color
B) class
C) height
D) weight

Question 65

What are some social consequences of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)epidemic in developing nations?

Question 66

Provide at least two explanations for the gender gap in health.

Question 67

What social processes were involved in the creation of homosexuality as a sexual orientation and identity?

Question 68

Compare complementary and alternative medicine.

Question 69

What is sexual orientation?

Question 70

Describe changes in sexual practices over the past two centuries.

Question 71

How do social class and race affect health?

Question 72

What are the some of the important contributions of Alfred Kinsey's research on sexuality?

Question 73

Jack and his partner,Steve,celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia this year.What year was it first celebrated?

A) 1920
B) 1950
C) 1975
D) 2005

Question 74

What is the biomedical model of health?