Question 1

In 2006, part of the Sago coal mine in West Virginia collapsed, killing twelve men.Which of the following statements about this event is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) This accident was an exception; mining is federally regulated and is therefore one of the safest occupations. 
B) The mine had a clean record with no violations; it was determined that the miners themselves had caused the explosion by not following proper practices. 
C) An explosion killed all of the men inside the mine instantly. 
D) Over a period of years, this mine had been cited for hundreds of safety violations.

Question 2

From which political point of view would you place great trust in the working of the market?

Accepted Answer

A) liberal 
B) conservative 
C) radical left 
D) Marxist

Question 3

In the tertiary sector of the economy, most people in the labor force do what type of work?

Accepted Answer

A) agricultural work 
B) factory work 
C) service work 
D) forestry or mining

Question 4

In 2014, the median income for men working full time was

Accepted Answer

A) $16,194 
B) $26,194 
C) $36,194 
D) $56,194

Question 5

By mid-2016, what was the official U.S.unemployment rate?

Accepted Answer

A) 2.0 percent 
B) 5.0 percent 
C) 8.0 percent 
D) 12.0 percent

Question 6

What organizations seek to improve wages and working conditions through various strategies, including collective bargaining and strikes?

Accepted Answer

A) volunteer associations 
B) work teams 
C) labor unions 
D) factory workers

Question 7

Which term refers to the decline of industrial production that occurred in the United States after about 1950?

Accepted Answer

A) the global economy 
B) the Information Revolution 
C) deindustrialization 
D) the computer revolution

Question 8

In the recent debate over the pay and benefits of public sector employees, Ohio's Governor John Kasich and Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker claimed that

Accepted Answer

A) all workers should be part of the private sector. 
B) states should require all public workers to belong to a union. 
C) past public union agreements were causing their states to experience huge budget deficits. 
D) unions have no right to exist.

Question 9

Telecommuting has what major disadvantage for workers?

Accepted Answer

A) Long drive times to and from the office. 
B) Less time to care for small children or aging parents. 
C) It blurs the line between home and work. 
D) It greatly lowers personal income.

Question 10

The structural-functional approach, which suggests that technological change ends up improving society, can be criticized for being too

Accepted Answer

A) optimistic. 
B) pessimistic. 
C) radical. 
D) micro-level.

Question 11

Including people working in temporary jobs and part-timers, about what percentage of the U.S.labor force works without at least some of the benefits most full-time workers count on, including retirement plans, sick leave, health insurance, and job security?

Accepted Answer

A) 2 percent 
B) 10 percent 
C) 20 percent 
D) 40 percent

Question 12

Many states have "right to work" laws which, among other things,

Accepted Answer

A) limit the power of corporations to engage in worker lock-outs. 
B) guarantee jobs to every citizen of the state. 
C) require union membership for all state employees. 
D) limit the power of unions to require membership as a condition of hiring.

Question 13

Which term refers to the expansion of economic activity around the world with little regard for national borders?

Accepted Answer

A) deindustrialization 
B) postindustrialization 
C) globalization 
D) the Information Revolution

Question 14

A century ago, workers needed to develop the manual, industrial skills required for making things; today, workers in the postindustrial economy must develop the

Accepted Answer

A) intellectual skills required to manipulate symbols. 
B) scientific skills required to work with the natural environment. 
C) technical skills required to operate heavy machinery. 
D) personal skills required to carry out lonely jobs in forests or at sea.

Question 15

Andy has been out of work for 3 years.At first, he registered at the unemployment office and actively sought work, but with no results to show for it, he just doesn't bother anymore.Andy is now in the category of

Accepted Answer

A) temporary workers. 
B) adjunct workers. 
C) discouraged workers. 
D) McJob workers.

Question 16

If you claim that basic change is needed to our economic system in order to solve our current problems, from which political point of view are you speaking?

Accepted Answer

A) conservative 
B) radical-right 
C) radical-left 
D) liberal

Question 17

Zeke works in a job that has long been one of the most dangerous types of work, that is

Accepted Answer

A) driving a bus. 
B) mining. 
C) office work. 
D) piloting commercial aircraft.

Question 18

If you claim that people, especially the disadvantaged, look to the government to meet their needs, you are speaking as a

Accepted Answer

A) liberal. 
B) radical on the left. 
C) radical on the right. 
D) conservative.

Question 19

Which term refers to a barrier-often involving institutional discrimination-that prevents women and other minorities from moving up in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

A) pink-collar ghetto 
B) glass ceiling 
C) McDonaldization effect 
D) workplace segregation

Question 20

According to Karl Marx, alienation in the workplace results from

Accepted Answer

A) the experience of powerlessness. 
B) too much responsibility. 
C) dangerous working conditions. 
D) a focus on rational efficiency

Exam 11: Work and the Workplace