Deck 14: Population, Health, and Environment

Question 1

Opinion polls indicate that within the U.S., popular concern over threats to the environment is higher than it has ever been.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In applying the human ecological perspective, sociologists and environmentalists have identified which of the following relationships between the environment and people?

A) The environment provides the resources essential for life.
B) The environment serves as a waste repository.
C) The environment "houses" our species.
D) All of the answer choices are correct.

Answer 2

All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 3

Which of the following is True regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

A) Even years later, its effects could be seen in stressed corals, stranded dolphins, and harmed birds.
B) The harm it caused was relatively minor despite being blown out of proportion by the media.
C) Once the oil was cleaned up from the shores and water surface, the environmental effects ceased.
D) It resulted in the deaths of millions of animals, but it had very little effect on the regional economy.

Answer 3

Even years later, its effects could be seen in stressed corals, stranded dolphins, and harmed birds.

Question 4

Many of those who are now calling for a reduction in the human activity that contributes to global warming are located in core nations, which have contributed disproportionately to the problem. This shows that the challenge of global warming is closely tied to

A) ethnocentrism.
B) neocolonialism.
C) global inequality.
D) modernization.

Question 5

What are the major environmental challenges facing the world today? How effectively to date has the world responded to these challenges? Why do you think most Americans remain relatively unconcerned about environmental threats?

Question 6

In cities around the world, residents have come to accept _______ as normal.

A) toxic waste dumping
B) polluted air
C) global warming
D) acid rain

Question 7

The sociological approach that highlights the power involved in forcing less affluent nations to exploit their mineral deposits, forests, and fisheries in order to meet their debt obligations to developed nations is

A) world systems analysis.
B) equilibrium theory.
C) postindustrialization.
D) market systems analysis.

Question 8

In recent surveys about future development of U.S. energy supplies, Americans showed

A) an inability to understand the differences between conventional and alternative energy sources.
B) no change in their attitude toward alternative versus conventional energy sources.
C) weaker support for alternative energy sources than for conventional ones.
D) stronger support for alternative energy sources than for conventional ones.

Question 9

The U.S. has demonstrated its commitment to tackling global warming by signing and ratifying the 1997 Kyoto Accord.

Question 10

The primary cause of urban air pollution is

A) aircraft.
B) heavy industry.
C) automobiles.
D) power plants.

Question 11

Which of the following are possible explanations for the finding that racial and ethnic minorities make up a large percentage of the people living near dangerous sites?

A) Both explanations are possible.
B) Neither of the explanations is possible.
C) Racial and ethnic minorities settle near the sites after they are constructed, because economics and forces of discrimination push them into less desirable living areas.
D) Racial and ethnic minorities possess less political power than others and cannot prevent toxic sites from being located in their backyards.

Question 12

Which of the following is a sign that we are recognizing our mutual interdependence?

A) People, countries, and corporations are beginning to take steps to bring about positive social change.
B) Multinational corporations are beginning to take advantage of the resources present in developing nations.
C) The vast majority of people in the United States believe that global warming is a serious problem.
D) Companies with emissions problems are relocating to countries with less stringent environmental standards.

Question 13

In 2008, native peoples from around the world convened to make the case that wealthier countries should compensate them for conservation of

A) wetlands.
B) fossil fuels.
C) tropical rain forests.
D) water.

Question 14

The people of which nation are least convinced that climate change represents a "major threat" to their country?

A) Nigeria
B) Russia
C) The United States
D) Brazil

Question 15

The United States has ______ the Kyoto Protocol.

A) accepted
B) ratified
C) denied the existence of
D) not ratified

Question 16

People in industrialized nations have insisted that developing nations change their practices to save the planet. This is an example of

A) globalization.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) neocolonialism.
D) dependency theory.

Question 17

In general, which groups of people are MOST likely to be victims of the everyday consequences of economic development?

A) poor people and Caucasian women
B) middle-class people of color
C) poor people and people of color
D) wealthy people and Caucasian men

Question 18

Which of the following is True about the relationship between globalization and climate change?

A) Globalization has both positive and negative impacts on climate change.
B) Globalization primarily has a negative impact on climate change.
C) Globalization has little overall effect on climate change.
D) Globalization primarily has a positive impact on climate change.

Question 19

It is possible for scientists to track carbon dioxide emissions and map the current and projected contribution each country makes.

Question 20

Scientific evidence for global climate change is

A) unclear and biased.
B) skewed and murky.
C) inconsistent and unreliable.
D) clear and consistent.

Question 21

The term ________ is used by some to describe the geological epoch we are currently experiencing, in which human actions can have global environmental consequences.

A) Pleistocene
B) global warming
C) Anthropocene
D) Industrial Revolution

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of the extent to which water has become a highly contested commodity around the world?

A) Neither answer choice is correct.
B) Both answer choices are correct.
C) the competition for water in the southwestern United States
D) the bombing of water tanks in the Middle East

Question 23

Concerns over the environment have recently led to the emergence of a strategy known as environmental justice. What does this strategy entail? How can one distinguish between environmental justice and the concept of NIMBY?

Question 24

What was the Kyoto Protocol intended to do?

A) Provide a multinational response that would collectively reduce global population growth.
B) Provide a multinational response that would collectively reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases.
C) Provide a multinational response that would collectively reduce global water pollution.
D) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 25

One of most important factors contributing to the global environmental crisis is the declining population of the world.

Question 26

Which of the following is True about efforts to curb air pollution during the 1984 and 2008 Summer Olympics?

A) They were successful and sustained after the events.
B) They were successful but not sustained after the events.
C) They were not immediately successful but did lead to long-term improvements.
D) They were unsuccessful.

Question 27

Which of the following threatens the quality of water supplies on a daily basis for more than 2 billion people?

A) the lack of sanitation facilities
B) None of the answer choices are correct.
C) radiation contamination
D) oil tanker spills

Question 28

American opponents of the Kyoto Protocol argue that

A) all developing nations should adopt the Kyoto Protocol first.
B) it is unnecessary because the United States emits fewer greenhouse gases than Europe.
C) agreeing to it would place the nation at a disadvantage in the global market.
D) it does far too little to address climate change and global emissions.

Question 29

The fight against a hazardous waste landfall in Warren County, North Carolina, is an example of the concept of ______ at work.

A) Catch-22
B) NIMBY
C) the EPA
D) SNAFU

Question 30

Based on a 2016 public opinion poll, _______ of Americans think that global climate change is due to human activity.

A) 22 percent
B) 32 percent
C) 12 percent
D) 48 percent

Question 31

Which area of study is concerned with the interrelationships between people and their environment?

A) human ecology
B) environmental science
C) sociology
D) None of the answer choices are correct.

Question 32

The likelihood of which of the following extreme weather events are increased by global warming?

A) torrential downpours
B) desert expansion
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) wildfires

Question 33

The environmental effects of technological innovation have been extreme since

A) the 1990s.
B) the Industrial Revolution.
C) World War II.
D) the founding of the United States.

Question 34

The term growth rate refers to

A) the rate at which new populations spring up.
B) the number of new members of a population in a year.
C) the overall percent change in a population per year.
D) how many new people join a group in a year versus how many leave.

Question 35

Which of the following do women have lower rates of, compared to men?

A) consumption of alcohol
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) employment in dangerous occupations
D) cigarette smoking

Question 36

Which of the following is True about the rates of disease and death in many racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S.?

A) They are on par with disease and death rates of Whites.
B) They are mainly caused or influenced by genetics.
C) They are unrecorded by sociologists.
D) They are mainly caused by environmental factors.

Question 37

As a percentage of total spending, the U.S. spends more on health care than any other country.

Question 38

Culture-bound syndrome refers to

A) a disease or illness to which a particular culture is unusually conducive.
B) a disease or illness that gets transferred by cultural interactions.
C) a disease or illness that cannot be understood apart from some specific social context.
D) a disease or illness caused by a particular physical environment.

Question 39

How does the study of social epidemiology help to shed light on the factors that affect health outcomes? What factors have been shown by social epidemiologists to adversely affect the health of individuals?

Question 40

What, if anything, is the relationship between culture and illness? Use examples to illustrate the interaction of culture, society, and health.

Question 41

In his book An Essay on the Principle of Population, Thomas Malthus argued that

A) there are natural limits to the number of people the environment can sustain.
B) total food production would always increase enough to support the population.
C) food shortages would only bring individuals closer together.
D) population will always be kept in check by religious mores.

Question 42

Poor areas around the world tend to be underserved in terms of health care in part because

A) residents in poor countries have little need for medical treatment.
B) health care professionals move to industrial nations as part of brain drain.
C) most health care professionals return to these areas after college abroad.
D) people in poor nations prefer to treat their ill at home.

Question 43

What did presidential candidate Donald Trump and Republican congressional candidates pledge to repeal and replace in 2016?

A) Medicare
B) ObamaCare
C) Social Security
D) Medicaid

Question 44

Social epidemiologists study how which of the following affect health?

A) gender
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) social class
D) ethnicity

Question 45

Anorexia nervosa is best understood as the product of Western cultural norms. Therefore, it is an example of a culture-bound syndrome.

Question 46

Emigration refers specifically to

A) when individuals join a new population group.
B) the movement of people from one group to another.
C) the ejection of an individual from a group.
D) when members of a population leave that group.

Question 47

Which of the following was formerly classified as a mental illness by the medical community?

A) hyperactivity
B) premenstrual syndrome
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) homosexuality

Question 48

Which of the following defines Medicare?

A) a compulsory health insurance plan for the elderly
B) an insurance plan for all Americans
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) a noncontributory federal and state insurance plan for the poor

Question 49

Which of the following defines Medicaid?

A) an insurance plan for all Americans
B) None of the answer choices are correct.
C) a compulsory health insurance plan for the elderly
D) a noncontributory federal and state insurance plan for the poor

Question 50

The term "medicalization of society" is used to describe the extent to which certain behavior patterns once considered normal are now conceptualized as illnesses worthy of medical treatment.

Question 51

Who determines whether or not individuals are healthy?

A) the World Health Organization (WHO)
B) the individuals, their relatives, friends, coworkers, and physicians
C) the media
D) the medical community

Question 52

Women are more likely than men to

A) seek medical treatment.
B) have heart disease.
C) be included in clinical studies.
D) suffer hypertension.

Question 53

Practitioners of holistic medicine in the United States

A) fully reject the traditional health care system as being harmful.
B) use treatments like massage, chiropractic medicine, and acupuncture.
C) are excluded from national funding for biomedical research.
D) always function within the traditional health care system.

Question 54

Which of the following is True concerning labeling?

A) All of the answer choices are correct.
B) The power to label and the power to oppress sometimes go hand in hand.
C) Labeling a life experience as a disorder can change the way we see that experience.
D) A label, such as "HIV positive," can overshadow all other aspects of a person's life.

Question 55

The founding of the American Medical Association in 1848 to standardize education and licensing of doctors was the beginning of the

A) medicalization of society.
B) end of feminized medicine.
C) institutionalization of health care.
D) popular health movement.

Question 56

Policy makers were particularly slow to respond to ______ in the United States because those in high-risk groups were comparatively powerless and were labeled as such.

A) the influenza epidemic
B) breast cancer
C) the AIDS crisis
D) pancreatic cancer

Question 57

What is the meaning of the phrase "the medicalization of society"? From what perspective can the medicalization of society be viewed as something negative?

Question 58

Of the two terms used by social epidemiologists, incidence and prevalence, incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disease in a given year, while prevalence describes the geographical extent of the spread of the disease.

Question 59

Therapies in which the health care practitioner considers the patient's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual characteristics are collectively referred to as

A) holistic medicine.
B) faith healing.
C) modern medicine.
D) midwifery.

Question 60

Although women continue to live longer than men on average, the gap in terms of life expectancy is decreasing.

Question 61

Physicians have enhanced their power and prestige by

A) labeling certain practitioners as outside the realm of acceptable medicine.
B) retaining absolute jurisdiction over many health care procedures.
C) greatly expanding its domain of expertise.
D) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 62

Theorists that adhere to the demographic transition model believe that population growth

A) will inevitably be checked by elevated death levels due to disease and war caused by food shortages.
B) will continue to explode unchecked until a series of major natural disasters kill significant numbers of people.
C) will only be checked when governments intervene and dictate the number of children that people can have.
D) will be checked by a natural decline in fertility rates due to technological, social, and economic changes.

Question 63

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act

A) requires most Americans to purchase some form of health insurance.
B) was enacted with broad, bipartisan support.
C) established a "public option" that allows people to enroll in a government-run health insurance plan.
D) set annual caps and lifetimes limits on how much health insurance benefits individuals can receive.

Question 64

An example of culture-bound syndrome is

A) hemophilia.
B) multiple sclerosis.
C) angina.
D) anorexia nervosa.

Question 65

Prevalence refers to which of the following?

A) the total number of cases of a specific disorder that exist at a given time
B) the occurrence of death from a specific disease in a given population
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) the individual new occurrences of diseases in a given population

Question 66

Which of the following factors affect a person's odds of good health?

A) All of the answer choices are correct.
B) class
C) gender and age
D) race and ethnicity

Question 67

As part of the sick role, the ill are obligated to

A) continue working.
B) attempt recovery.
C) get a note from the doctor.
D) stay home from work.

Question 68

Polio is a disease that was almost eradicated, but there are still new cases that appear due to the failure to immunize all children. Researchers keep close tabs on how many new cases of this disease occur each year in the hope that it will soon cease to exist. This enumeration is an example of

A) prevalence.
B) duration.
C) incidence.
D) frequency.

Question 69

Under the leadership of the American Medical Association in the mid-1800s, "regular" doctors marginalized which groups?

A) lay practitioners
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) female physicians
D) sectarian doctors

Question 70

Which of the following BEST defines morbidity rates?

A) None of the answer choices are correct.
B) incidence of death in a given population
C) the incidence of disease in a given population
D) the number of new cases of a specific disorder that occur during a stated period