Deck 1: Studying Social Problems in the Twenty-First Century

Question 1

According to sociologists, the definition of violence includes pain or injury to other people or damage of property.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What constitutes a social problem remains constant across time.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

To be defined as a social problem, a condition or pattern of behavior must affect all members of a population.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A subjective awareness that a social problem exists usually emerges before the objective reality of the problem is acknowledged.

Question 5

The functionalist perspective would attribute social problems to the unequal distribution of resources in society.

Question 6

Conflict theorists focus on inequalities in society.

Question 7

Labeling theory and the social construction of reality are value conflict perspectives.

Question 8

The type of research method used depends on the nature of the study in question.

Question 9

It is logical to conclude that one has to be in a position of power in order to discriminate.

Question 10

According to C. Wright Mills, in order to understand a phenomenon in question in its entirety, it is important to bridge the micro-macro aspects of society.

Question 11

Which statement below best describes social problems?

A) Social problems remain constant across cultures.
B) Social problems are contingent on the culture of the country in question.
C) Culture does not play a role in defining social problems.
D) Culture plays only a minimal role in defining social problems.

Question 12

A large number of individuals who share the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations is a(n)

A) culture.
B) society.
C) economic system.
D) gender.

Question 13

According to sociologists, a social problem is a social condition or a pattern of behavior that

A) individuals typically bring upon themselves; therefore, they must take action to solve their own problem.
B) everyone agrees is harmful for all individuals and the society.
C) often is of relatively short duration but is problematic for those who are affected by it.
D) people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change.

Question 14

According to the text, some personal problems

A) are viewed as conditions that affect individual members of a population.
B) are related to the larger social issues in society.
C) rarely harm all of society's members.
D) rarely harm all of a culture's members.

Question 15

Of the fifty states in the United States of America, how many states have hate crime laws?

A) seven
B) twenty-three
C) forty-three
D) fifty

Question 16

Which of the following best describes C. Wright Mills' Sociological Imagination?

A) the ability to see the world from one's perspective
B) the ability to create one's world through one's imagination
C) the ability to connect individual experiences to the larger society
D) the ability to disconnect the larger society from one's individual's experience

Question 17

According to C. Wright Mills, widespread unemployment resulting from changes in the national economy is

A) a personal problem.
B) a public issue.
C) not a social problem since it will be corrected with the next change in the economy.
D) a problem for those who are unemployed but not for other people.

Question 18

The text defines discrimination as

A) a negative or unfavorable attitude towards a group or its individual members.
B) stereotyped beliefs that are not tested against reality.
C) actions or practices of subordinate group members that have a harmful impact on members of dominant groups.
D) actions or practices of dominant group members that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups.

Question 19

Microlevel analysis focuses on

A) small group relations and social interaction among individuals.
B) individual attitudes and behavior.
C) how large scale political decisions affect everyday people.
D) how economic systems affect cultures.

Question 20

Which of the following is the best definition of social policy?

A) a written set of ideas and goals that are formally adopted by a relevant decision-making body
B) a subjective awareness rooted in contemporary social events
C) cultural norms that are accepted by most members of a group
D) societal values that are passed down from generation to generation

Question 21

A theoretical framework, overall approach, or viewpoint towards some subject is a(n)

A) norm
B) hypothesis
C) perspective
D) theory

Question 22

Standards of conduct that are culturally established are

A) norms.
B) values.
C) mores.
D) anomies.

Question 23

Functionalists base their approach on the works of early social thinkers such as August Comte, the founder of sociology, who compared society to which of the following?

A) the fingers of a glove
B) the evening sunset
C) a living organism
D) a sponge

Question 24

Functionalists use which of the following terms to refer to unintended consequences of an activity or social process?

A) dysfunctions
B) latent functions
C) manifest functions
D) social disorganization

Question 25

The functionalist explanation of violence which states that violence is part of the normative expectations governing everyday behavior among young males in the lower classes is called

A) the subculture of violence hypothesis.
B) the male hypothesis
C) the culture of youth hypothesis
D) lifestyle-routine activity approach

Question 26

John is a sociologist who argues that social conditions (real culture) and group values (ideal culture) are incompatible. John is using which theory?

A) value conflict
B) functionalist
C) subculture of violence
D) lifestyle-routine activity

Question 27

According to critical-conflict theorists, social problems occur when

A) there are discrepancies between the ideal and real culture in society.
B) there are major contradictions inherent in how a society is organized.
C) there is a high level of social disorganization.
D) there are too few people following the rules of society.

Question 28

According to the conflict perspective, the problem of violence in societies such as the United States is linked to

A) democracy.
B) religion.
C) capitalism.
D) family values.

Question 29

Sociologist Howard Becker coined which of the following terms to describe people who develop individual views of right and wrong then label others as deviant?

A) deviants
B) moral entrepreneurs
C) moral deviants
D) moral relativists

Question 30

Which of the following types of research is used most by social scientists?

A) field research
B) survey research
C) secondary analysis of existing data
D) labeling theory

Question 31

Symbolic Interactionist Solutions to violence include which of the following?

A) reinforcing the importance of conformity to society's rules and laws
B) pushing for major changes in our nation's political and economic institutions
C) emphasizing that oppression is a major factor that contributes to social problems
D) teaching people of all ages to engage in nonviolent conflict resolution

Question 32

The study of social problems involving the economy or the government would take place at the:

A) mesolevel.
B) macrolevel.
C) microlevel.
D) symbolic level.

Question 33

Tameka is a sociologist who explores inequalities derived from the U. S.'s economic system. Tameka's perspective is which of the following?

A) value conflict
B) critical-conflict
C) functionalist
D) symbolic interactionist

Question 34

Rico has been labeled "delinquent" since he was a child; now in high school, he is close to dropping out and has participated in activities that have also been termed as deviant. If Rico is arrested in the future, his situation will fit which of the following terms?

A) norm
B) situational approach
C) subculture of violence
D) self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 35

When news stations and newspapers chose to provide exhaustive coverage of the Casey Anthony trial while ignoring other news-worthy events, they were participating in which of the following?

A) episodic news framing
B) frame amplification
C) thematic framing
D) media framing

Question 36

Deborah is studying the effects violent video games have on youth by observing children after they have played video games to see if their behavior is more violent as a result of gaming. Deborah is using which kind of research in her study?

A) field research
B) survey research
C) labeling theory
D) subculture of violence hypothesis

Question 37

In order to conduct a study of population growth among various religious and ethnic groups, Walter collects U.S. Census Bureau data for analysis. Walter is using which of the following for his research?

A) primary observational data
B) secondary analysis of existing data
C) secondary analysis of observational data
D) primary field notes

Question 38

Researchers who use data collected by the FBI and published as the UCR (Uniform Crime Report) are using which of the following?

A) evolutionary methodology
B) field research
C) survey research
D) secondary analysis of existing data

Question 39

David was physically attacked by a group of students in his college dorm. The assailants attacked David because they believed he was homosexual. David was a victim of a(n)

A) simple assault.
B) crime of passion.
C) assault with malice.
D) hate crime.

Question 40

Jane is a sociologist who prefers to conduct research that focuses on small groups such as individual families and children living in group home residential facilities. Which type of analysis does Jane prefer?

A) quantitative
B) qualitative
C) microlevel
D) macrolevel

Question 41

Describe how you would develop a study on media violence using field research.

Question 42

Compare and contrast functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives on social problems. Select a specific problem such as unemployment and discuss how each approach might explain its causes, effects, and possible solutions.

Question 43

Of the three main theoretical perspectives mentioned, which do you think most effectively explains social problems? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the theory you have chosen?

Question 44

Explain in detail labeling theory and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Create and describe a violent event or social situation. Use the labeling theory to explain the event you have described. How can the self-fulfilling prophecy help explain the violent event or social situation you described?

Question 45

Compare and contrast field research and survey research. Which do you think is ore effective or reliable?