Deck 1: The Sociological Approach to Social Problems

Question 1

Half of the people in the world live on less than __________.

A) $0.25 a day
B) $0.50 a day
C) $1 a day
D) $2 a day

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In the underdeveloped world, conflicts over scarce resources are __________.

A) increasing
B) decreasing
C) staying the same
D) not currently studied

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Society-induced conditions that harm any segment of the population, and acts and conditions that violate the norms and values found in society, define __________.

A) social problems
B) self-actualization
C) cultural deprivation
D) the sociological imagination

Answer 3

A

Question 4

As the percentage of the U.S. residents who are over 65 years old increases, the divide between workers who support the old with payroll taxes will have a racial dimension because the elderly will be overwhelmingly __________.

A) African American
B) Asian
C) Latin American
D) White

Question 5

According to the text, __________ often escape criticism and identification as social problems.

A) institutions
B) criminals
C) the mentally ill
D) school dropouts

Question 6

The __________ nature of social problems describes societal conditions that harm certain segments of the population.

A) economic
B) objective
C) political
D) subjective

Question 7

Social welfare states have a(n) ________ life expectancy when compared to the United States.

A) shorter
B) longer
C) identical
D) nonexistent

Question 8

Sociology is distinct from other disciplines in its approach to understanding norm violations as __________.

A) defined by the least powerful members of society
B) culturally defined and socially labeled
C) an inherent property of deviant individuals
D) universally agreed upon

Question 9

Citizens in social welfare states likely have better health outcomes than those in the United States because __________.

A) they provide more tax-funded social services for their people
B) they have no unemployment
C) they have a more competitive system for social services
D) they access social services through private enterprise, which ensures higher quality

Question 10

In the most recent direction of the study of deviance, __________.

A) labeling people as abnormal has helped to clarify that they are the source of most social problems
B) it is understood that social structures contribute to the perpetuation of deviance
C) it is understood that deviants bring their problems on themselves
D) labeling is seen as irrelevant in creating and sustaining deviance

Question 11

Based on the measures used in the text, which of the following is the most accurate?

A) The United States is the only country to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
B) The United States was among the worst countries in the rate teenage births.
C) Japan has the highest rate of incarceration.
D) Children have it better in the United States than in any other country in the world.

Question 12

Almost all the growth in the world's population by 2050 will take place in the __________.

A) poorest nations
B) wealthiest nations
C) United States
D) European Union

Question 13

According to the sociological perspective, norm violators are __________.

A) solely responsible for their actions
B) universally criticized
C) the symptoms of social problems, not the cause
D) guiltless for their actions

Question 14

Institutionalized deviance results in a society in which __________.

A) all law enforcement is corrupt
B) there is an extremely high rate of crime
C) some members are disadvantaged
D) all members are economically equal

Question 15

The United States, with about 4.5 percent of the world's population, consumes __________ of the world's energy.

A) one-third
B) one-fourth
C) one-half
D) three-fourths

Question 16

According to the text, the key to understanding social problems is understanding the __________.

A) opinions of the public
B) personal experiences of those who violate society's norms
C) needs of victims of deviant behavior
D) distribution of power in society

Question 17

Which of the following is a danger associated with relying on public opinion to define social phenomena as social problems?

A) It may increase focus on intuitions as the source of social problems.
B) It may divert attention from problems within the existing social order.
C) It may overlook conditions that are detrimental to the rich.
D) It may overlook individual responsibility.

Question 18

The __________ nature of social problems illustrates that social problems vary by time, place, and definition.

A) economic
B) objective
C) political
D) subjective

Question 19

The nations of Western Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada are able to provide generous social welfare policies for their citizens because they __________.

A) are monarchies
B) tax their citizens at a higher rate than the United States
C) restrict the freedoms of their citizens
D) are communist nations

Question 20

As a result of extensive and universal social services, the social welfare states have __________ than the United States.

A) higher infant mortality rates
B) lower literacy rates
C) lower rates of violent crime
D) higher rates of violent crime

Question 21

Asserting that "the poor are poor because the institutions around them set them up to fail" might be said by a __________.

A) social Darwinist
B) system blamer
C) person who focuses on norm violators
D) victim blamer

Question 22

Which of the following would be a reason for a recently released criminal committing another crime according to the system-blame approach?

A) The person did not reform in prison.
B) The person is surrounded by ex-criminals.
C) The person is inherently criminal.
D) Many employers do not hire ex-convicts.

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of institutionalized deviance?

A) The equal distribution of health care among all members of society
B) The equal distribution of income among all members of society
C) The bias against the poor and people of color by police officers
D) Tax laws that permit a large business to write off purchases

Question 24

Which of the following is a reason for using the system-blame approach in studying social problems?

A) Individual actors are the source of many social problems.
B) A balance is needed since most people in our society tend to blame institutions.
C) It is a necessary first step in restructuring society along more humane lines.
D) Citizens are eager for societal change.

Question 25

The belief that the place of people in the stratification system is a function of their ability and effort refers to __________.

A) self-actualization
B) Social Darwinism
C) the subjective nature of social problems
D) the objective nature of social problems

Question 26

The assumption by the members of a group that the culture of some other group is not only inferior but also deficient is a component of __________.

A) system-blame
B) person-blame
C) Social Darwinism
D) sociological imagination

Question 27

Relying too heavily on a system-blame approach is a problem because __________.

A) societal conditions are taken for granted and go unchallenged
B) it focuses on person-change rather than system-change
C) it directs blame at individuals and away from the system
D) it absolves individuals from responsibility for their actions

Question 28

A person-blame approach advocates social programs that __________.

A) seek to control individual behavior
B) produce sweeping social change
C) reorganize social institutions
D) change long-held societal norms

Question 29

According to William Graham Sumner, the rich are successful because __________.

A) they are superior
B) they have worked the hardest
C) there is a conspiracy by the powerful who keep the poor down
D) they have helped the poor

Question 30

The system-blame orientation would attribute students' failure in schools to __________.

A) being born with limited intellectual capacities
B) the failure of the students to work hard to succeed
C) the failure of the educational system to meet their needs
D) the failure of their parents to provide proper guidance

Question 31

The system-blame approach assumes that social problems results from __________.

A) psychological conditions
B) social conditions
C) religious tradition
D) institutionalized deviance

Question 32

According to the system-blame approach, many ex-convicts can be seen as victims in that __________.

A) they were born deviant
B) they have to spend time in prison for their crimes
C) they do not have the skills and resources to survive without resorting to crime
D) they are required to spend a year in school after getting released from prison

Question 33

Asserting that "the poor are poor because they are not bright enough to succeed" might be said by a __________.

A) social Darwinist
B) sociologist
C) person who focuses on institutionalized deviance
D) system blamer

Question 34

The person-blame approach assumes that social problems results from __________.

A) psychological conditions
B) social conditions
C) religious tradition
D) institutionalized deviance

Question 35

According to Social Darwinism, disadvantaged members of society __________.

A) do not have any control over their circumstances
B) are valuable parts of the community
C) deserve government welfare
D) deserve their fate

Question 36

Deviant people are treated as the cause of their own problems by which of the following approaches to studying social problems?

A) self-actualization
B) person-blame
C) system-blame
D) institutionalized deviance

Question 37

Recidivism is the __________ crime.

A) reinvolvement in
B) retribution for
C) institutionalized deviance of
D) cultural deprivation of

Question 38

The sociological imagination involves which of the following components?

A) A focus on your individual point of view
B) A focus on genetic determinants
C) A focus on social, economic, and historical circumstances
D) A focus on individual decision making

Question 39

Relying too heavily on a person-blame approach to social problems is a problem because __________.

A) it legitimizes the right to initiate system-change rather than person-change
B) societal conditions (such as norms that are racist, sexist, or homophobic) go unchallenged
C) it directs blame at the system and away from the individuals
D) it absolves individuals from responsibility for their actions

Question 40

The idea of the "sociological imagination" was developed by which sociologist?

A) C. Wright Mills
B) William Graham Sumner
C) Karl Marx
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 41

Sociologists' study of social problems is a value-free pursuit.

Question 42

A person-blame approach advocates social programs that transform existing institutions.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is accurate about sociologists doing research on social problems?

A) Personal values of the researcher do not affect his/her research.
B) Sociologists agree on a liberal agenda that sides with the disadvantaged.
C) The study of social problems cannot be value free.
D) Sociologists largely promote an agenda that maintains the existing social order.

Question 44

The victim-blamer would attribute high rates of recidivism to faults and failures of the individual criminals, including their greed, feelings of aggression, weak control of impulses, and relative lack of conscience.

Question 45

Conclusions made from __________ will be reliable about the entire population.

A) participant observation
B) a control group
C) a probability sample
D) an experiment

Question 46

The objective reality of social problems is demonstrated by the fact that some social conditions, which can be identified as such in any given place or time, induce material and psychic suffering for entire segments of the population.

Question 47

With corporations in the process of downsizing their employee base, while at the same time frequently merging with other companies, C. Wright Mills would refer to the resulting unemployment as "private troubles" of the individuals involved rather than a "public issue."

Question 48

Early social pathologists assumed that social norms were universally held and viewed social problems as behaviors or social arrangements that disturb the moral order.

Question 49

In experimental research, who is the "control" group?

A) They are the researchers who conduct the study.
B) They are subjects who are exposed to the independent variable.
C) They are subjects not exposed to the independent variable.
D) They are subjects who are aware of the experimental manipulation.

Question 50

Researchers who use __________ collect information about the same persons over many years.

A) longitudinal surveys
B) experiments
C) participant observation
D) public opinion polls

Question 51

Our social system is rarely seen as causing social problems because __________.

A) it is the poor who define what are considered social problems
B) we tend to focus on the elite who commit "deviant" acts
C) institutions cannot be changed
D) we have a hard time questioning our taken-for-granted assumptions

Question 52

Relying solely on a person-blame approach to social problems is the best way to bring about significant social changes.

Question 53

Sociologists use __________ to explain a range of human behavior and a variety of social and societal events.

A) political discourse
B) media representations
C) public opinion
D) sociological theory

Question 54

By referring to the subjective nature of social problems, sociologists have more recently come to acknowledge that what is defined as a social problem is basically the same across audiences and time.

Question 55

Social Darwinists would oppose social reforms like social welfare because __________.

A) they are too expensive to produce viable results
B) they allow people to get money for doing nothing
C) they perpetuate the existence of unfit groups in society
D) it is more effective to provide technical training for the poor

Question 56

The textbook examines two types of social problems: (1) acts and conditions that violate social norms and values, and (2) the difficulties for those suffering from the deviant acts of norm violators.

Question 57

The analysis of social problems relies on __________.

A) politicians
B) reliable data
C) public opinion
D) media representations

Question 58

An extremely dogmatic system-blame approach to social problems views individuals almost as robots controlled totally by their social environment.

Question 59

The authors assert that exclusively focusing on the individual when studying social problems __________.

A) overlooks deviations from society's norms as potential problems
B) takes an overly deterministic view of social problems
C) ignores the strains that are caused by the inequities of the system
D) treats social problems as being the product of systematic inequity

Question 60

According to the sociological perspective, which of the following best explains social problems?

A) Norm violators
B) People who seek self-actualization
C) Problems caused by societal conditions
D) Biology

Question 61

William J. Wilson argues that the ghetto poor endure because of the disappearance of low-skill jobs in the past 30 years or so. Discuss how this view differs from the explanation that might be offered by William Graham Sumner.
Ideal

Question 62

Compared to all other countries, the United States uses the __________ percentage of the world's energy resources.

Question 63

Illustrate how the system-blame approach understands the role of individual responsibility.

Question 64

To understand the cause-and-effect relationship among variables, sociologists use controlled __________.

Question 65

How do the authors justify the claim that the study of social problems cannot be value-free? How do they suggest that we deal with bias?
Ideal

Question 66

A __________ is a set of ideas that explains a range of human behavior and a variety of social and societal events.

Question 67

Sociologists ask three types of questions: empirical, comparative, and __________.

Question 68

Analyze the differences between norm violations and institutionalized deviance. Give an example of each.

Question 69

The __________ assumes a child fails in school because the school setting was inappropriate for the child.

Question 70

Describe some of the different sources of data sociologists use to study social problems.

Question 71

A __________ is a representative part of a population that sociologists use to answer sociological questions.

Question 72

Social Darwinism is a theoretical perspective that is often used to argue __________ government social programs (such as those that increase welfare to the poor).

Question 73

There is __________ among sociologists as to what constitutes a social problem.

Question 74

Why do the authors of the text emphasize a system-blame approach?
Ideal

Question 75

Advantaged members of society have more__________ to determine what constitutes a social problem than disadvantaged members of society.

Question 76

Discuss the dangers of relying solely on the person-blame approach in explaining social problems.
Ideal

Question 77

A person-blame approach assumes the ______________ should change.

Question 78

Discuss how each of the two main approaches to understanding social problems would explain a social problem like recidivism.
Ideal

Question 79

Analyze the differences between the subjective nature and the objective reality of social problems. Give an example of each.

Question 80

According to C. Wright Mills, what is the relationship between private troubles and public issues? Give an example of each.