Deck 6: Sexuality and Society

Question 1

A sexual counterrevolution had developed in the United States by

A) 1920.
B) 1960.
C) 1980.
D) 1995.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Attitudes and practices involving human sexuality

A) are determined entirely by biology.
B) vary considerably, both from one society to another and over time.
C) have changed little in the United States over the past 50 years.
D) are much the same around the world.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Sociologists point to several important functions of the incest taboo. Which of the following is NOT one of these functions?

A) The incest taboo limits a family's contact with the larger society.
B) The incest taboo helps clarify the kinship system.
C) The incest taboo helps define people's rights and obligations toward each other.
D) The incest taboo limits sexual competition within families.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which theoretical approach rests on the idea that society needs to regulate human sexuality?

A) the symbolic interaction approach
B) the social conflict approach
C) the structural-functional approach
D) queer theory

Question 5

_______________refers to a person's romantic and emotional attraction to another person.

A) Sexual identity
B) Sexual experience
C) Sexual orientation
D) Sex role

Question 6

One norm found everywhere in the world is the incest taboo, which refers to norms forbidding

A) old people from engaging in sex.
B) women from becoming sexually active before marriage.
C) sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.
D) young children from engaging in sex.

Question 7

The importance of Alfred Kinsey's research on sexuality in the United States was that it

A) discouraged people from talking about sex.
B) fueled the sexual revolution.
C) showed that sexuality was not a proper focus of scientific study.
D) showed that people were much more conventional about sex than was widely assumed.

Question 8

In terms of his sexuality, Mark has always felt that he is "trapped in the wrong body." This feeling suggests that Mark is in which of the following categories of people?

A) homosexual people
B) intersexual people
C) bisexual people
D) transsexual people

Question 9

The weight of evidence indicates that sexual orientation is determined mostly by

A) human biology, although society plays some role.
B) how societies construct sexuality.
C) individual choice.
D) the way young children are raised.

Question 10

Comparative research indicates that

A) although sex has a biological foundation, it is an element of culture that varies from place to place.
B) people throughout the world engage in the same sexual practices.
C) sex is a taboo in every society.
D) sexuality is defined almost entirely by a biological "sex drive."

Question 11

When did the sexual revolution begin?

A) It began about 1980.
B) It began in the 1920s but came of age by the late 1960s.
C) It began during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
D) It began in the colonial era, gaining strength steadily throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Question 12

The term _______________refers to humans who have some combination of female and male genitalia?

A) bisexual people
B) intersexual people
C) transsexual people
D) asexual people

Question 13

Critics of easily available pornography argue that it

A) encourages violence against women.
B) encourages a breakdown in morals.
C) unfairly depicts women as playthings of men.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

At birth, males and females are distinguished by_______________ , which are the genitals, or organs used for reproduction.

A) secondary sex characteristics
B) sexual chromosomes
C) gender roles
D) primary sex characteristics

Question 15

The development of breasts in females and deeper voices in males are examples of

A) primary sex characteristics.
B) secondary sex characteristics.
C) gender norms.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 16

Prostitution is regarded by many people in the United States as a

A) victimless crime.
B) corporate crime.
C) crime against person.
D) white-collar crime.

Question 17

First-cousin marriage in the United States is permitted

A) in about half the states.
B) only in Massachusetts and Iowa.
C) in no state.
D) by law in every state.

Question 18

Sexual attraction to people of both sexes is called

A) bisexuality.
B) heterosexuality.
C) asexuality.
D) homosexuality.

Question 19

At birth, males and females are distinguished by _______________, which are the genitals, or organs used for reproduction.

A) secondary sex characteristics
B) sexual chromosomes
C) gender
D) primary sex characteristics

Question 20

The term _______________refers to the biological distinction between males and females.

A) gender
B) gender roles
C) sex
D) sexual orientation

Question 21

Little or no sexual attraction to people of either sex is called

A) heterosexuality.
B) bisexuality.
C) asexuality.
D) homosexuality.

Question 22

In global perspective, prostitution is

A) most common in high-income nations, where women are free to choose their profession.
B) found in every country in about the same degree.
C) most common in low-income nations, where women have fewer economic opportunities.
D) most common in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, where women have fewest choices about their lives.

Question 23

Prostitution is regarded by many people as a

A) victimless crime.
B) corporate crime.
C) crime against the person.
D) white-collar crime.

Question 24

Research on extramarital sex shows that about_______________ of married men and about_______________ of married women remain faithful to their spouse throughout their married lives.

A) 75 percent; 90 percent
B) 75 percent; 50 percent
C) 50 percent; 75 percent
D) 25 percent; 40 percent

Question 25

The campus culture of "hooking up" typically involves sex between partners

A) who are of the same sex.
B) who find great satisfaction in these encounters.
C) who know little about each other and have been drinking alcohol.
D) who are in a committed relationship.

Question 26

Which of the following categories of teenagers would you correctly place at the highest probability of pregnancy?

A) teenage women with low incomes and weak families
B) teenage women with high incomes
C) teenage women with little sexual experience
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 27

The concept "homophobia" refers to

A) fear of one's own sexuality.
B) fear of pregnancy.
C) fear of experiencing sexual attraction to a child.
D) fear of close personal interaction with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

Question 28

Which of the following concepts refers to a person's romantic and emotional attraction to another person?

A) sexual experience
B) sexual history
C) sex role
D) sexual orientation

Question 29

Elite prostitutes-young, attractive, well educated--- are widely referred to as_______________ .

A) pimps
B) brothel workers
C) streetwalkers
D) call girls or escorts

Question 30

Which of the following statements about rape is NOT true?

A) Official rape statistics include only victims who are women.
B) Many rapes are not reported to the police.
C) Most men who rape men are not homosexual.
D) In most cases of rape, the victim does not know the attacker.

Question 31

In 2008, about _______________of U.S. adults state that homosexuality is "always wrong" or "almost always wrong."

A) 12 percent
B) 32 percent
C) 52 percent
D) 82 percent

Question 32

The muxes of Mexico are significant because they illustrate

A) that a society can recognize people who are neither exclusively male nor female, but a third gender.
B) the dangers of engaging in homosexual or bisexual activity.
C) that Mexico is a very conventional society when it comes to sex.
D) that every society recognizes only heterosexuality.

Question 33

Edward Laumann's 1994 study of sexual patterns among U.S. adults shows that

A) in the age of AIDS, almost all sex is limited to married partners.
B) frequency of sexual activity varies so widely that no single stereotype accurately portrays sexual activity in the United States.
C) single people have more sex than married people.
D) almost everyone has about the same amount of sexual experience over a lifetime.

Question 34

Chapter 6's "Seeing Sociology in the News" article describes how one young man in high school generated a controversy by asking the question

A) "Why, for the last fifty years, has the rate of teen pregnancy gone up?"
B) "I'm gay, so can I go to the prom?"
C) "Should pornography be legally banned?"
D) "Why does our society permit prostitution?"

Question 35

Critics of easily available pornography include

A) only conservatives who claim that pornography encourages a breakdown in morals.
B) both conservatives as well as liberals and feminists.
C) neither conservatives nor liberals and feminists.
D) only liberals and feminists who claim that pornography encourages violence against women.

Question 36

The weight of evidence indicates that sexual orientation is determined mostly by

A) the way young children are raised.
B) human biology, although society plays some role.
C) individual choice.
D) how societies construct sexuality.

Question 37

Sexual attraction to someone of the same sex is called

A) asexuality.
B) homosexuality.
C) bisexuality.
D) heterosexuality.

Question 38

Survey research on public attitudes toward premarital sex shows that

A) the public supports premarital sex but only for men.
B) there has been little or no change in public attitudes toward premarital sex.
C) the public is more accepting of premarital sex than it was a generation ago. the public is less accepting of premarital sex than it was a generation ago.

Question 39

The effect of the sexual counterrevolution was

A) to keep sex only within marriage.
B) to finally close the historical "double standard."
C) to discourage the use of birth control technology.
D) to encourage people to limit their number of sexual partners or to abstain from sex.

Question 40

According to researchers, about_______________ of men and_______________ of women in the United States define themselves as partly or entirely homosexual.

A) 2.3 percent; 1.3 percent
B) 10 percent; 6 percent
C) 16 percent; 10 percent
D) 30 percent; 30 percent

Question 41

Queer theory is a growing body of knowledge asserting that

A) no sexual practice should be considered wrong.
B) sex has always been an uncomfortable topic to most people.
C) there is a bias against homosexuality in U.S. society.
D) people fear discovering their own sexuality.

Question 42

Which of the following concepts refers to a view that labels anyone who is not heterosexual as "queer?"

A) Homosexism
B) Heterosexism
C) Heterophilia
D) Homophilia

Question 43

There are few areas of life in which sexuality does not play some part.

Question 44

The more global our view of sexuality,

A) the more variety we see in the meanings people attach to sexuality.
B) the greater evidence we find that biology defines sexuality.
C) the more clearly we see that sexual practices are strikingly similar around the world.
D) the more we observe that, as societies advance technologically, the more they regulate sexuality.

Question 45

Because U.S. culture discouraged open discussion of sexuality, researchers did not begin to study sexuality until the middle of the twentieth century.

Question 46

If you were teaching a class about the symbolic interaction approach to sexuality, on which of the following topics would you likely focus?

A) understanding men's power over women
B) how individuals in various settings engage in different sexual behavior and attach different meanings to sexual activity
C) raising public concern about sexual harassment
D) understanding why society must regulate with whom and when people reproduce

Question 47

Which of the following statements is NOT consistent with the social-conflict approach?

A) Because people construct social reality differently, one group's views of sexuality may well differ from another's.
B) Defining women in sexual terms devalues them, making women into objects of men's interest.
C) U.S. culture often depicts sexuality in terms of sport and violence, such as when we speak of men "scoring" with women, and men "hitting on" women.
D) When police enforce laws against prostitution, the person most likely to be arrested is the female prostitute, not her male "client."

Question 48

A child's sex is determined shortly before birth by chromosomes contributed by the mother.

Question 49

Based on what you know about the history of human sexuality, once a society develops effective birth control technology

A) the incest taboo is no longer observed.
B) social norms regarding sexuality become more permissive.
C) families, rather than individuals, make choices about sexual partners.
D) social control of sexuality becomes more strict.

Question 50

Which theoretical approach points to the ways in which sexuality is linked to social inequality?

A) structural-functional approach
B) symbolic-interaction approach
C) social-exchange approach
D) social-conflict and feminist approach

Question 51

If we are speaking about the "social construction of sexuality," we are probably using

A) the structural-functional approach.
B) the social-conflict approach.
C) the social-exchange approach.
D) the symbolic-interaction approach.

Question 52

Assume you are investigating the consequences of the incest taboo for kinship organization in a number of societies. Which theoretical approach are you using?

A) the structural-functional approach
B) the symbolic-interaction approach
C) the social-conflict approach
D) queer theory

Question 53

Standards of human beauty are the same for people everywhere in the world.

Question 54

Primary sex characteristics refer to reproductive organs.

Question 55

The changing importance of virginity over the last century in our society is a topic correctly linked with

A) the structural-functional approach.
B) the symbolic-interaction approach.
C) the social-conflict approach.
D) queer theory.

Question 56

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws banning abortion in

A) 2003.
B) 1993.
C) 1973.
D) 1953.

Question 57

_______________studies the variable meanings that people attach to everyday behavior, including sexuality.

A) The structural-functional approach
B) The social-conflict approach
C) The symbolic-interaction approach
D) Queer theory

Question 58

Which of the following statements is a criticism of the social-conflict approach's view of sexuality?

A) Sexuality is not a power issue for everyone.
B) Women are as likely as men to treat people of the opposite sex as "sex objects."
C) Most of the world's societies agree on matters involving sexuality.
D) There is less need to regulate sexuality today compared to decades past.

Question 59

Beauty may lie in the eye of the beholder but, as sociobiology points out, in every society on Earth people are attracted to youthfulness.

Question 60

According to national survey data, _______________of adults in the United States state that a woman should be able to obtain an abortion for any reason.

A) 91 percent
B) 71 percent
C) 41 percent
D) 11 percent

Question 61

If you were to select a married adult in the United States at random, it is likely that this typical person would have been sexually faithful to a spouse.

Question 62

There was no distinct category of "homosexual" until about a century ago.

Question 63

The publication of Alfred Kinsey's first book in 1948 caused a public stir, partly due to the simple fact that scientists were studying sex.

Question 64

Sexual orientation is clearly and distinctly delineated; that is, all people fall into one category or the other.

Question 65

The fact that some people are bisexual shows that sexual orientation is not always clear-cut.

Question 66

Based on the Laumann study, you would correctly conclude that almost all adults in the United States are very active sexually.

Question 67

No single sexual practice--not even the incest taboo--is found everywhere in the world.

Question 68

If you were to study sexuality in global context, you would expect to see that human sexual behavior is very similar across all cultures.

Question 69

Despite the widespread image of "swinging singles," married people have sex with their partners more often than singles do.

Question 70

Every state in the United States permits lawful marriage between a women and a man who are first cousins.

Question 71

Because Henrietta Markson grew up during the Great Depression, she was part of the first cohort inU.S. history to grow up with the idea that sex was part of everyone's life, married or not.

Question 72

A majority of adults in the United States report having engaged in some homosexual activity.

Question 73

Although the sexual revolution increased sexual activity overall, it changed behavior among women more than among men.

Question 74

Historically, public attitudes toward sexuality in the United States have been inconsistent, mixing cultural repression with individual choice.

Question 75

People in all cultures respond to intersexual people with confusion or even disgust.

Question 76

The sexual counterrevolution was based on the idea that sexual activity should be part of a social friendship.

Question 77

The muxes of Mexico are transgender people viewed as neither male nor female.

Question 78

Although humans possess a biological "sex drive," our biology does not dictate any specific ways of being sexual.

Question 79

The concept "homophobia" turns the question, "What's wrong with gay people?" into "What's wrong with people who can't accept a different sexual orientation?"

Question 80

The region of the world where people make the least use of birth control is South America.