Question 1

Claimsmakers who are activists typically must

Accepted Answer

A)  draw attention to their cause.
B)  recruit people to join their movement.
C)  manage their movement's operations.
D)  maintain interest in their cause.
E)  all of the above E

Question 2

Policymaking that is intended to reduce social problems is done by

Accepted Answer

A)  school officials.
B)  legislative bodies.
C)  government agencies.
D)  local communities.
E)  all of the aboveF) b and c only E

Question 3

The term policy outcomes refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  the extent to which the policy solves the problem.
B)  people's reaction to the social problems process.
C)  critics' concerns about how the policies are implemented.
D)  critics' concerns about the production of new problems through the solutions to the old problems.
E)  all of the above E

Question 4

Saying that something is socially constructed means that it is

Accepted Answer

A)  not real.
B)  only real because a group of people created it.
C)  real only to those who have had experience with it.
D)  shaped by people's definitions and understandings of it.

Question 5

The role of rhetoric in the social problems process can be seen in how

Accepted Answer

A)  claimsmakers put together an effective argument.
B)  the media make decisions about which claims to cover.
C)  policymakers choose to focus on certain aspects of a problem and not others.
D)  people tend to reinterpret previous claims once the policy outcomes associated with them can be observed.
E)  all of the aboveF) a and d only

Question 6

Subjectivists tend to think of social problems as

Accepted Answer

A)  social conditions that cause problems for people.
B)  the process of responding to social conditions.
C)  social conditions that cause problems for society.
D)  the process of a condition becoming problematic.

Question 7

Claimsmaking can most accurately be described as a process in which people

Accepted Answer

A)  claim the right to profit from a troubling situation.
B)  lie about conditions to make them seem problematic.
C)  bring to the attention of others a situation that they find troubling.
D)  find objective proof of a problem.

Question 8

A subjectivist might suggest that heightism is not a social problem in the United States because

Accepted Answer

A)  there is no research to indicate that people are discriminated against on the basis of their height.
B)  Americans do not think of discrimination based on height as a problem.
C)  heightism is not illegal in the United States.
D)  discrimination based on height does not hurt enough people to cause serious harm to society.

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of the questions an objectivist may ask to determine whether a social condition is a social problem?

Accepted Answer

A)  Is it harmful to individuals or groups?
B)  How many people does it harm?
C)  How serious or damaging is the harm it creates?
D)  Why do people think of it as harmful?

Question 10

The social problems process discussed in your text refers to the process through which

Accepted Answer

A)  a condition worsens to become a problem.
B)  people come to define a condition as a social problem.
C)  public officials determine the best way to solve a problem.
D)  a problem is identified, discussed, and acted upon.

Question 11

The term feedback is used to refer to

Accepted Answer

A)  the fact that each social problem influences the process through which other social problems will progress.
B)  the fact that each stage in the social problems process influences the stages both before and after it.
C)  the relationship between claimsmakers who are making claims about the same social problem.
D)  the way in which social problems workers can disrupt the social problems process by discrediting the claims made by experts.

Question 12

Describe the six stages in the natural history model of the social problems process. Be sure to clearly describe the actions and actors involved in each stage.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the six stages in the natural...

Question 13

The natural history model of social problems outlines the process that

Accepted Answer

A)  most social problems go through.
B)  every social problem goes through.
C)  social problems that get solved go through.
D)  social problems that get media attention go through.

Question 14

What are the three major flaws in the objectivist approach to social problems? For each, explain what the flaw is and how it might confuse us as we try to differentiate between social problems and social conditions. Give examples to illustrate your points.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the three major flaws in...

Question 15

The term natural history refers to the sequence of stages that social problems

Accepted Answer

A)  often move through.
B)  move through when they are not interfered with by claimsmakers.
C)  create in a typical community.
D)  create through their environmental impact.
E)  all of the above

Question 16

What does a subjectivist approach add to our ability to define effectively what is and what is not a social problem?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does a subjectivist approach add to...

Question 17

Choose any social problem with which you are familiar and briefly describe the extent to which you believe it followed the natural history of the social problems process and why.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Choose any social problem with which you...

Question 18

The discussion of reclassifying Pluto as a minor planet or an interplanetary body illustrates the fact that

Accepted Answer

A)  even scientists are sometimes unsure of what is really a problem.
B)  the way we use and change language reflects our efforts to better describe and understand the world around us.
C)  even natural phenomena are difficult to define clearly.
D)  even those in the hard sciences such as astronomy have a difficult time defining concepts.

Question 19

The term social constructionism refers to the way people

Accepted Answer

A)  create fresh understandings of the world around them.
B)  learn language from their parents.
C)  use language to define their place in society.
D)  learn to differentiate social conditions from social problems.
E)  all of the aboveF) b and c only

Question 20

Resources primarily impact the social problems process at the level of

Accepted Answer

A)  media coverage.
B)  claimsmaking.
C)  policymaking.
D)  social problems work.
E)  all of the aboveF) b and c only

Exam 1: The Social Problems Process