Deck 12: Aging

Question 1

According to 1950s functionalist theorist Talcott Parsons:

A) U.S. society needed to find roles for people who are elderly that were appropriate to their diminished physical and psychological capacities
B) people who are elderly needed to organize social movements to struggle for greater economic equality
C) older people should actively participate in shaping and defining their own social roles
D) older people experience social closure globally
E) older people need not to expect to have a vigorous sex life

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A common criticism of functionalist theory is that it:

A) is too focused on social inequalities and not enough on the abilities of people who are elderly
B) paid too little attention to the inevitable mental and physical decline of people who are elderly
C) unrealistically assumed that people who are elderly could play an active part in defining their own role
D) had no support in research
E) emphasized the need for people who are elderly to adjust to existing conditions rather than participate in changing them

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Most of the difference in life expectancy in the United States now compared with that 100 years ago is accounted for by:

A) better chances that young people will live to adulthood
B) better chances that middle-age people will live to old age
C) better chances that old people will live to be 100 years old
D) greater dangers now than then, primarily because of higher crime rates
E) higher mortality rates now due to war and terrorism

Answer 3

A

Question 4

People who are elderly can be divided into three age groups.Aside from their younger age,what advantages do the "young old" have over the "oldest old"?

A) The young old tend to be more widely traveled.
B) The young old grew up during a time of economic hardship, which taught them discipline.
C) The Great Depression and World War II had little effect on the lives of the young old.
D) The oldest old profited from owning their own homes during a positive real estate market.
E) The young old have benefited more directly from antimalarial medication.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a possible benefit of using assistive devices?

A) They help sociologists understand how we lose cognitive ability as we age.
B) They enable older adults to maintain their independence.
C) They allow people who are elderly to keep up daily routines.
D) They lengthen the time that some people can continue to live in their own homes.
E) They can prevent falls.

Question 6

former president Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a number of years before his death in 2004.The most apparent manifestation of Alzheimer's disease is a:

A) lack of compassion for the less fortunate coupled with a need to associate with wealthy people
B) superb ability to communicate with people and appeal to their inner feelings of superiority
C) rapid loss of speech and hearing, forcing the patient to rely on advocates for necessities
D) "dying" of parts of the brain, resulting in severe mental impairment that worsens over time
E) malignancy that is inoperable, spreads rapidly, and kills the host within a few months

Question 7

Why is it easier for an aged,divorced,or widowed male to find a mate than it is for an aged,divorced,or widowed female?

A) A sex ratio imbalance begins at birth in our society.
B) Women do not like to date men who have already been married.
C) The male's pool of potential partners would probably include mates that are many years younger.
D) A man's sexual peak occurs later than a woman's.
E) Aged, divorced, or widowed females segregate themselves from society at large, while males do not.

Question 8

The theory that explicitly argues that it is functional for society to remove people who are elderly from their roles to free those roles for others who would be more successful and productive is:

A) Talcott Parsons's functionalism theory
B) disengagement theory
C) activity theory
D) conflict theory
E) third-generation theory

Question 9

Which theory is vulnerable to the criticism that it is based on stereotypical assumptions about the abilities of people who are elderly?

A) biological aging theory
B) disengagement theory
C) activity theory
D) conflict theory
E) third-generation theory

Question 10

Biological aging usually involves:

A) declining vision, hearing loss, and accumulation of fat and wrinkles
B) enhanced memory and name recognition
C) improved motor skills
D) quicker reflexes
E) changing social roles

Question 11

Alzheimer's disease:

A) is an insignificant factor in dementia in old age
B) is relatively common in persons under 75 who are in independent living situations
C) may be found in half of all people over 85
D) is studied more by sociologists than medical doctors
E) is caused by the same virus that causes dementia

Question 12

"Act your age!" This command refers to:

A) biological age
B) psychological age
C) social age
D) any age older than the one you are
E) normal age

Question 13

Average life expectancy in the United States today is:

A) less than 30 years
B) 42 years
C) 59 years
D) 65 years
E) 78 years

Question 14

Psychological aging:

A) involves memory loss but not normally until the late eighties
B) has effects that are much better established than physical effects
C) is defined by sociologists as the ability to turn the aging process around through therapy
D) can involve motivation to learn, clarity of thought, and problem-solving capacity, but normally these effects go away by the late eighties
E) has largely been discredited for study by scientists

Question 15

The SOCIOLOGICAL definition of aging is the:

A) biological processes that affect people as they grow older
B) psychological processes that affect people as they grow older
C) social processes that affect people as they grow older
D) biological and social processes that affect people as they grow older
E) biological, psychological, and social processes that affect people as they grow older

Question 16

According to sociologists,men find it easier to grow old gracefully than do women because of:

A) social aging
B) cultural values that feminize youth and beauty
C) cultural values that emphasize material success
D) biological aging
E) cultural values that emphasize biological advantages

Question 17

Norms,values,and roles that are culturally associated with a particular chronological point in a person's life make up the person's:

A) biological age
B) psychological age
C) social age
D) normal age
E) age role

Question 18

The discipline concerned with the study of the social aspects of aging is known as:

A) social aging
B) aging chronology
C) ageology
D) elder studies
E) social gerontology

Question 19

The median age of the U.S.population is rising.In 1850,half the population was older than 19.Today,half are over:

A) 25
B) 35
C) 50
D) 22
E) 65

Question 20

According to the text,between 2010 and 2030,the number of older Americans will:

A) shrink by half
B) nearly double
C) decline only slightly
D) more than triple
E) stay the same

Question 21

The Hispanic population in the United States is graying the least.This is partly explained by the:

A) fact that Hispanics are less healthy than the rest of the population
B) fact that many older Latino immigrants return to their home countries in later life
C) greater access to health care by the Hispanic population
D) declining Hispanic population in the United States
E) greater wealth among the Hispanic population

Question 22

The theory advocating that both society and people who are elderly can benefit if people who are elderly remain actively engaged in work and other social roles as long as they can is:

A) Talcott Parsons's functionalism theory
B) disengagement theory
C) activity theory
D) conflict theory
E) third-generation theory

Question 23

Most pertinent studies have shown that which of the following assertions about elder abuse is NOT correct?

A) Most cases of adult children abusing elderly parents can be explained by latent anger of children boiling over when they are responsible for ailing parents.
B) Abuse is underreported.
C) Elder mistreatment is difficult to measure and document.
D) Mistreatment may take many forms.
E) Older adults may be embarrassed, ashamed, or fearful of retaliation by their abusers and thus may be reluctant to report such experiences.

Question 24

Which of the following is illegal in the United States?

A) discrimination on the basis of age
B) prejudice against people who are elderly
C) andragogy
D) driving after the age of 75
E) restricting sales of alcoholic beverages based on age

Question 25

The second generation of theories of aging focused on:

A) how well the aged were integrated into the larger society
B) the extent to which activity is functional for the aged and for society
C) how the larger social structure creates unequal opportunities for the aged, creating potential for social conflict
D) the roles provided for the aged in our society
E) the reality the aged create for themselves

Question 26

The group that is most likely to experience poor health,isolation,and economic insecurity is:

A) young-old
B) old-old
C) middle-old
D) oldest old
E) newly old

Question 27

According to social conflict theorists,the group of people who are elderly who fared best in the 1980s was composed of:

A) women
B) low-income people
C) ethnic minorities
D) immigrants
E) the economically powerful

Question 28

People who are elderly in the United States are likely to be viewed as:

A) a source of historical memory
B) a source of traditional wisdom
C) productive and independent
D) a viable workforce
E) inflexible

Question 29

According to the text,which of the following statements is true?

A) Men are actually more sociable than women.
B) Women are more likely to outlive husbands and have more difficulty finding another mate.
C) Young-old women are young enough to remember companionship but too old to enjoy it.
D) Sociologists agree that men and women are equally likely to experience loneliness.
E) Age is so highly valued today that people who are elderly are rarely alone.

Question 30

Eunice tells a colleague,"I wish Professor Carlson would retire.He's got a nice big office and the department can't afford to hire any new faculty.I'm getting my Ph.D.next month,and I'd love to work here." This is an example of:

A) prejudice
B) social gerontology
C) cultural diversity
D) social conflict theory
E) disengagement theory

Question 31

The example of a highly stigmatized stereotypical role for older people in our society is NOT a:

A) spinster with lots of cats
B) grumpy old man
C) Supreme Court justice
D) erratic driver
E) woman who is hard of hearing

Question 32

Approaches popular in the 1950s and 1960s,as well as those of the 1970s and 1980s,that overemphasized the importance of social structures in shaping the lives of people who are elderly.

A) first-generation
B) third-generation
C) social conflict
D) fifth-generation
E) disengagement

Question 33

future generations may suffer from social isolation more than aged people today because of:

A) changing patterns of gender relations, including an increase in divorce and a decline in remarriage
B) the rapidly increasing average life span, causing an imbalance in the population
C) self-segregation by aged people who believe that for young people to mature, they need to be raised away from people who are elderly
D) extreme prejudice of society, leading aged people to retreat from social environments
E) technological progress leading to further isolation of people who are elderly

Question 34

Mary,a 75-year-old widow,has several close friends and maintains a close relationship to her children,but she does not have many casual friends.Mary's social life is best explained by:

A) socioemotional selectivity theory
B) functionalism theory
C) conflict theory
D) activity theory
E) life course theory

Question 35

Integrating elderly immigrants into the U.S.population poses many challenges.Which of the following is NOT a challenge?

A) Many foreign-born elderly do not speak English.
B) Many lack retirement income.
C) Many have low levels of education.
D) Many do not want to live in the United States.
E) Many depend on their families for support.

Question 36

Prejudice and/or discrimination based on age is:

A) very rare
B) ageism
C) no longer a problem in the United States
D) andragogy
E) functional

Question 37

Studies confirm that the likely person to abuse an infirm aged person is:

A) outside caregiver
B) spouse
C) sibling
D) other relative
E) friend

Question 38

According to the text,a source of ageism is:

A) a stereotype of people who are elderly as content, wise, and serene
B) the obsession with youth in American popular culture
C) the natural assumptions about aging
D) the historical processes in which age has replaced race as a primary source of societal conflict
E) democracy

Question 39

Which of the following groups is more likely to live longer in U.S.society?

A) black men
B) white men
C) black women
D) white women
E) Hispanic women and men

Question 40

The source of many of the problems of aging according to social conflict theories is:

A) social institutions that favor those who have the most economic power
B) disengagement of people who are elderly from their previous roles
C) the elderly person's self-concept
D) roles that have no meaning for older people
E) ignorance of biological repercussions of aging

Question 41

The governmental program that covers medical care for the poor and long-term care (nursing homes for people who are elderly when they have "drawn down" or have few assets except their homes)is:

A) Medicaid
B) Medicare
C) Social Security
D) Elderly Care Act
E) American Association of Retired Persons

Question 42

People who are elderly have such a strong political voice in the U.S.government because they:

A) have a monopoly on political offices, which excludes the participation of younger voters and representatives
B) have low voter turnout, accounting for only 1% of the vote
C) have an effective organization representing their interests in the American Civil Liberties Union
D) are growing in numbers
E) are actually politically weak according to political scientists

Question 43

Terry is a retired elementary school teacher who volunteers at the local nursing home by teaching small groups of seniors.The students pick new topics each month.Terry prepares a small lecture and leads discussions each week.Terry is practicing:

A) lifelong learning
B) functional learning
C) active learning
D) gerontological learning
E) equity learning

Question 44

How much of the U.S.federal budget does Medicare account for?

A) one-third
B) one-half
C) one-eighth
D) one-quarter
E) one-fifth

Question 45

Generational equity argues for the balance between the needs and interests of members of different generations.There is a fear that as U.S.society ages:

A) too many young people will have decreased expectations of other young people
B) working people will bear the burden of those who do not work
C) Social Security will run out, and there will be money for only a select few
D) Social Security will not privatize
E) younger legislators will rule against aid for the aged

Question 46

Since the inceptions of Medicare and Social Security,poverty rates among people who are elderly in the United States have:

A) decreased only slightly
B) declined steadily and significantly
C) increased slightly
D) increased steadily and significantly
E) stayed about the same

Question 47

The governmental program that covers the cost of acute medical care for people who are elderly is:

A) Medicaid
B) Medicare
C) Social Security
D) The Elderly Care Act
E) The American Association of Retired Persons

Question 48

As the number of people who are elderly continues to grow,which area of public policy will feel the greatest burden?

A) education
B) transportation
C) environment
D) housing
E) medical care

Question 49

How does the government compute your Social Security benefits?

A) Your income from stock dividends and interest from bonds is deducted from the agreed amount.
B) The cost of living in a community is calculated, and you are provided 70% of that amount.
C) As a woman, you are allocated less money because women live longer and will receive benefits longer.
D) Your allocation is based on your medical history and on insurance reports of life expectancy.
E) Your benefits are based on your earnings over the course of your (or your spouse's) work life and other factors, such as age when you decide to draw Social Security.

Question 50

Despite Medicare,older Americans spend on average how much of their income on health-care related needs?

A) about 5%
B) about 13%
C) about 34%
D) about 48%
E) about 64%

Question 51

Which of the following organizations has the most political influence as an advocate for people who are elderly?

A) GLf (Grey Liberation front)
B) OPAM (Old People Against Medicare)
C) AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)
D) GRAND (Grandparents Resisting Another National Deficit)
E) AGE (Americans for Generational Equity)

Question 52

The governmental program that provides retirement pay for all elderly persons who have worked at least a minimum number of years in their lifetime is:

A) Medicaid
B) Medicare
C) Social Security
D) Elderly Care Act
E) American Association of Retired Persons

Question 53

According to the text,Social Security provides the average retiree:

A) barely enough to stay out of poverty
B) 100% of his income
C) a lifestyle below the poverty line
D) a life of luxury
E) less than 20% of his income

Question 54

Other than the Roman Catholic Church,the largest member-based organization in the world is:

A) the National Rifle Association
B) The American Cancer Association
C) The American Association of Recovering Alcoholics
D) AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons)
E) the Alzheimer's Association

Question 55

You are in your twenties and your employer deducts money from each paycheck that goes to a fund for Social Security and Medicare.Who is most likely to benefit from the money taken from your paycheck for these programs?

A) Your parents will eventually receive the benefits.
B) As the employee, you receive the benefits.
C) Your children will receive the benefits.
D) According to some state laws, your siblings will receive the money.
E) The money will be put toward reducing the national deficit.

Question 56

Regarding the health of people who are elderly in the United States:

A) the incidence of chronic disabilities has declined in recent years
B) most of them think their own health is extremely poor
C) elderly patients account for around .09 of health-care expenditures
D) caregivers for them have unionized and standardized labor practices in the industry
E) people are living with more pain than ever

Question 57

Americans for Generational Equity argue that federal programs:

A) favor retirees over other needy groups in society
B) are equitable to all the groups to which they provide programs and services
C) are a waste because the aged population does not need insurance or Social Security to survive
D) need to focus on the aged because they are the backbone of society
E) must bring about true economic equality

Question 58

With respect to health care,people who are elderly differ from other age groups in the United States in that they:

A) are almost all covered by government-funded health insurance
B) are remarkably less likely to suffer from health problems
C) have a better chance of living with HIV/AIDS
D) are less likely to experience chronic diseases
E) are discriminated against regularly by health-care professionals

Question 59

According to the text regarding growing old,Americans most fear:

A) having nothing to do
B) losing their health
C) being lonely
D) becoming a financial burden on others
E) losing their looks

Question 60

A country that does NOT provide full health-care coverage for their elderly people is:

A) Canada
B) france
C) Sweden
D) Germany
E) the United States

Question 61

According to the text,by 2050,the population in industrialized societies who will be older adults is:

A) 5%
B) 14%
C) 33%
D) 50%
E) 75%

Question 62

Societies that have incorporated certain familial forms and religious practices are more likely to value people who are aged in their societies and consider them in political decisions and public events.An example of the familial form and religious practice in one of these societies is the:

A) nuclear family and ancestor worship
B) extended family and monotheistic religion
C) nuclear family and polygamy
D) extended family and ancestor worship
E) nuclear family and monotheistic religion

Question 63

Striking a balance between the needs and interests of different generations is called:

A) gerontocracy
B) generational equity
C) andragogy
D) geragogy
E) the generation gap

Question 64

The characteristic that differentiates people who are elderly in countries such as England,france,and the United States from people who are elderly in less industrialized countries is that people who are elderly:

A) in less industrialized countries have more sexual partners than people who are elderly in industrialized countries
B) in less industrialized countries are segregated but in more industrialized countries are integrated into the general population
C) population is larger than the youth population only in industrialized countries
D) are respected and cared for by the younger generation only in developing countries
E) in developing countries have less need of health care

Question 65

Among people in the United States who are elderly,the "oldest old" are most likely to be economically independent.

Question 66

The normal process of aging cannot be avoided,but good health,proper diet,nutrition,and exercise can make a significant difference in health for people of all ages.

Question 67

The best description of the life expectancy of women relative to the life expectancy of men is that the gap between men and women has:

A) remained constant at about five years' difference
B) decreased in the past 50 years as more women enter the labor force
C) widened, particularly since 1950 with women outliving men
D) widened in the past 50 years with men outliving women
E) We have no way of measuring the life expectancies of men and women

Question 68

for most of human history,the average life expectancy at birth was:

A) more than today
B) less than 20 years
C) between 20 and 30 years
D) between 30 and 40 years
E) more than 40 years but less than it is today

Question 69

Those referred to as the "old old" are in the age group 65 to 75.

Question 70

The psychological effects of aging are well known.

Question 71

The graying of America refers to the:

A) increase in smog levels of urban communities
B) increase in the number of people who are elderly as baby boomers age
C) fashion statement that gray has become the "new black" in haute couture
D) understanding that the environment has been decimated during the past five years and all that is left is a dull, gray landscape
E) loss of objective notions of good and evil

Question 72

In U.S.society,people who are elderly are generally a homogeneous group with little variation in physical and mental ability,class,political values,or sexual preference.

Question 73

According to UN estimates,by the year 2050,the number of people age 60 or more globally will be:

A) 200 million
B) 1 billion
C) 500 million
D) 2 billion
E) 800 million

Question 74

If people who are elderly have rich and stimulating lives,it is likely that their mental abilities will NOT decline significantly until their late eighties.

Question 75

The question of generational equity will become more acute as:

A) an increasingly poor population of people who are elderly is supported by an increasingly wealthy younger cohort
B) the proportion of people who are elderly in the population continues to shrink
C) fewer and fewer people of working age pay more and more in taxes to support elderly people who have retired
D) young people learn to value the contributions that earlier generations made to society
E) older people become less politically active

Question 76

As we age,our role expectations become entirely negative.

Question 77

Activity theory is supported by research showing that elders who stay engaged in their work as long as they are able have enhanced mental and physical health.

Question 78

While societies change over time,the idea of being "old" remains fairly constant.

Question 79

The combination of the graying of the population and globalization will mean:

A) An investment into life-prolonging medications will diminish as fears of overpopulation rise
B) a probable decreased burden on government support programs for people who are elderly
C) interlocking family cultural webs will disappear
D) Social Security will have to be dismantled
E) the traditional patterns of family care will be challenged

Question 80

The country that has cultural tenets for businesses to support postretirement work for employees at the same company where they had been employed is:

A) the United States
B) China
C) france
D) Japan
E) Great Britain