Deck 7: Why Is There Misery in the World : Society As an Important Source of Human Problems

Question 1

According to the author, what causes poverty?

A)the choices that poor people make
B)inequality in society
C)luck and fate
D)drug and alcohol abuse

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is not one of the causes of misery focused on in the text?

A)social inequality
B)destructive social conflict
C)preparation for natural disasters
D)socialization

Answer 2

C

Question 3

From a sociological perspective,

A)it is possible to end all human suffering.
B)it is important to study the conditions that encourage misery.
C)why some people feel misery in their lives.
D)all misery has psychological causes.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Poverty leads to crime primarily because

A)people want to succeed but they really do not want to work hard at it.
B)people want to succeed, but the legal means are perceived to be fixed against them.
C)people perceive the wealthy as succeeding because they engage in crime.
D)crime among the poor is encouraged by the wealthy because it benefits the wealthy.

Question 5

Who is most likely to be victimized by crime?

A)the wealthy
B)the poor
C)the middle class
D)all social classes equally

Question 6

To the sociologist, misery arises from

A)the breakdown of society.
B)lack of freedom in society.
C)the acts of individuals against one another.
D)social conditions.

Question 7

The jobs at the lowest levels of society

A)are the most dangerous.
B)are the most insecure.
C)rarely have health benefits.
D)all of these

Question 8

According to Durkheim, social events need to be explained by

A)social causes.
B)the nature of society.
C)social forces.
D)all of these.

Question 9

Rabbi Harold Kushner tries to explain misery in the world through the story of Job.Kushner makes the point that

A)humans who live lives of misery freely choose that path.
B)supernatural forces cause all the misery in the world.
C)doing evil over good brings punishment by God.
D)human misery is caused by natural forces.

Question 10

Ideas that are exaggerations of reality, and that defend the current system are called ______.

A)socialization
B)ideology
C)blaming the victim
D)philosophy

Question 11

According to the author, social inequality

A)is an important cause of misery.
B)results from misery.
C)helps alleviate human misery.
D)is the result of a disorganized society.

Question 12

According to the author, interest in understanding misery and its causes

A)has only recently become important in sociology.
B)has been an important part of sociology from its beginning
C)has really never been an important part of sociology.
D)is not important within sociology.

Question 13

Exploitation

A)is rare in democratic societies.
B)is always economic.
C)occurs between groups, nations, and individuals.
D)all of these

Question 14

The author maintains that human misery primarily arises

A)randomly; there seems to be an absence of cause.
B)from biological causes.
C)from social conditions.
D)from acts of God.

Question 15

About what percentage of the U.S.population lives in poverty?

A)2 - 3 percent
B)6 - 9 percent
C)13 - 25 percent
D)33 - 50 percent

Question 16

Which of the following statements about crime is false?

A)Almost all crime is committed by the poor.
B)Crime exists at all levels of society.
C)The wealthy are generally able to avoid prison.
D)The victims of crime are disproportionately poor.

Question 17

The first thing that sociologists consider when trying to understand human misery is

A)social inequality.
B)social organization.
C)natural disasters.
D)the government.

Question 18

Social inequality encourages misery because

A)it produces poverty.
B)it promotes crime.
C)forces some to work at bad jobs.
D)all of these

Question 19

The author emphasizes that where a class society exists, some people become poor because

A)they are not as able as others or they do not work as hard as others.
B)they are left behind in the competition for advantages.
C)they are less efficient in their business ventures.
D)they are basically lazy.

Question 20

Marx emphasized ______ exploitation in his work.

A)economic
B)domestic
C)gender
D)all of these

Question 21

What is the sociological view of human misery and its causes?

Question 22

According to the author, alienation leads to

A)happiness
B)integration
C)misery
D)None of these.

Question 23

How do social institutions produce and perpetuate human misery?

Question 24

The social institutions in a system of inequality

A)are usually geared toward helping people out of poverty.
B)are neutral, allowing people to rise and fall according to their ability and effort.
C)are created to bring about greater equality.
D)serve the interests of those who are wealthiest and most powerful.

Question 25

One of the most important consequences of destructive social conflict is the decline of ______.

A)truth
B)trust
C)hatred
D)disorder

Question 26

According to the author, alienation is probably best defined as ______.

A)separation
B)anger
C)misery
D)lack of success

Question 27

Mechanization, industrialization, and capitalism brought about

A)modernization
B)traditionalism
C)closer communities
D)All of these.

Question 28

In general, those in the lowest positions within a system of inequality

A)are respected because their lives are such a struggle.
B)are looked down upon by others, causing them to look down upon themselves.
C)know that they are better than those at the top of the system.
D)have higher self-worth than others because they really do not care about how others see them.

Question 29

________________ asks us to recognize how necessary it is for the individual to be committed to the continuation of society.

A)Individualism
B)Communitarianism
C)Reactionism
D)None of these.

Question 30

According to the author, as we attempt to gain individual power in society, we experience

A)less misery
B)more misery
C)less alienation
D)None of these.

Question 31

According to the author, social conflict

A)is sometimes beneficial for society.
B)is always destructive.
C)must be avoided at all costs.
D)all of these

Question 32

The author states that work, by the 1970's, became

A)a way of achieving material success
B)a way of achieving spiritual happiness
C)more meaningful
D)normative.

Question 33

Socialization is important for members of society to learn

A)the ways of society.
B)self-control.
C)what we have a right to expect in life.
D)all of these

Question 34

What causes destructive social conflict?

A)ignoring real differences and problems when they come up
B)social inequality
C)it learned from others as a means of solving problems
D)all of these

Question 35

Define exploitation, and explain how it is a result of social inequality.

Question 36

To both Marx and Weber, alienation has a lot to do with work.In general, both believed that

A)human beings naturally become alienated when they have to work.
B)meaningful work is important to human existence.
C)alienation is natural and unavoidable.
D)people should spend more time trying to make money.

Question 37

Describe the consequences of social inequality in terms of how it leads to misery in the world.

Question 38

To Marx, alienation from one another is mostly the result of

A)government.
B)the owners of wealth in society.
C)capitalism and its emphasis on competition.
D)bureaucracy.

Question 39

Explain the relationship between poverty and crime.

Question 40

Early childhood socialization

A)is not as important as learning that takes place in adolescence.
B)places us in our positions within society.
C)has no affect on our ideas of right and wrong.
D)is optional for many people.

Question 41

What is destructive social conflict? What are its causes? How does it contribute to human misery?

Question 42

What is alienation? What are its causes? How does it contribute to human misery?

Question 43

In what ways is social conflict productive for society?

Question 44

How does socialization sometimes lead people into lives of misery? Explain the role of neighborhood and social environment.

Question 45

Explain how we become alienated from out active selves in modern society.

Question 46

Why is socialization important in the development of self-worth and self-control?

Question 47

How does modern day capitalism lead to alienation? Give examples.