Deck 6: Science, Technology, and Agriculture, Leland L Glenna and Daniel Tobin

Question 1

1) The idea that culture and society develop around technological advancements is called

A) technological determinism.
B) the technology treadmill.
C) science as repair.
D) industrialization.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

2) Farmers having to continually invested in new innovations to remain competitive is referred to as

A) technological determinism.
B) science as repair.
C) a technology treadmill.
D) modernization.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

3) The tomato harvester illustrates that

A) the benefits of technological innovations.
B) the application of new technologies can be contentious and impacts complex.
C) the innovations can increase labor costs.
D) new innovations are always willingly accepted by farmers.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

4) The Green Revolution resulted in

A) lower yields and negative environmental impacts.
B) lower yields and reduced negative impacts on the environment.
C) increased yields and reduced negative impacts on the environment.
D) increased yields and negative environmental impacts.

Question 5

5) Depeasantization refers to

A) small farmers moving off the land in developing nations.
B) urban resettlement plans in developing countries.
C) the shift from the use of peasants to hired workers in agriculture.
D) rural to urban migration caused by a surge in urban job opportunities.

Question 6

6) The concept of appropriate technologies refers to

A) technologies that are to tailored to local populations and specific contexts.
B) standardized technologies.
C) technologies that are tailored to small farmers.
D) Green Revolution technologies.

Question 7

7) The Green Revolution approach to modernizing agriculture in the Global South fits best with which of the following theories?

A) World systems theory
B) Modernization theory
C) Dependency theory
D) Bread basket theory

Question 8

8) When new technological innovations are developed to remediate problems caused by previous technological innovations, this is referred to as

A) appropriate technology.
B) the technology treadmill.
C) the science of repair.
D) technological determinism.

Question 9

9) Which statement best fits with a sociological approach to agricultural science and technologies?

A) New technologies always benefit all farmers.
B) New technologies tend to have both benefits and drawbacks.
C) New technologies always have more costs than benefits.
D) New technologies are capable of solving all of the problems with agriculture.

Question 10

10) Direct human intervention to alter an organism's genome or epigenome by editing or introducing new proteins is called

A) nanotechnology.
B) the Green Revolution.
C) science of repair.
D) genetic engineering (GE).

Question 11

11) The most common type of genetically-modification for agricultural crops is

A) virus resistance.
B) herbicide tolerance and pest resistance.
C) drought tolerance.
D) increased nutritional content.

Question 12

12) The main goal of agricultural science and technology over the last century has been

A) increasing nutritional content.
B) lessening the environmental impacts of agriculture.
C) increasing yield.
D) maintaining the economic viability of small farmers.

Question 13

13) In the United States, agricultural research at universities

A) is increasingly funded by private companies.
B) always benefits the public good.
C) is subject to democratic governance.
D) is fully funded by the US government.

Question 14

14) High-yielding crops

A) may or may not benefit small farmers, depending on market access.
B) always benefit small farmers.
C) never benefit small farmers.
D) are only adopted by large farmers.

Question 15

15) The effects of agricultural technologies

A) affect men and women in the same ways.
B) often affect men and women in different ways.
C) always empower women on farms.
D) always marginalize women on farms.

Question 16

16) In agriculture, the gender gap refers to

A) the fact that men have been shown to be more effective farmers.
B) inequality in access to land and inputs between male and female farmers.
C) variance among female farmers.
D) higher rates of food insecurity among male farmers.

Question 17

17) It is estimated that closing the gender gap in agriculture would

A) ensure a place for women working in the fields with their children.
B) increase global food insecurity by 12-17%.
C) reduce global food insecurity by 12-17%.
D) have no effect on global food insecurity.

Question 18

18) Which theory posits that industrialization, urbanization, and the more complex divisions of labor represent progress?

A) Modernization theory
B) Dependency theory
C) World Systems theory
D) Urbanization theory

Question 19

19) Which theory supports the green revolution and would view it as largely a success?

A) Modernization theory
B) Dependency theory
C) World Systems theory
D) Urbanization theory

Question 20

20) The trend in agricultural research in the US is

A) towards greater public support.
B) towards greater privatization.
C) towards greater investment in non-technological solutions to agricultural problems.
D) towards greater democratization.

Question 21

1. Describe Henke's concept of "science of repair."

Question 22

2. Discuss how the introduction of an agricultural technology can differentially impact men and women on the farm.

Question 23

3. Discuss one way that private interests may influence agricultural science and technology.

Question 24

1. Sociologists argue that the introduction of new technological innovations can have complex effects. Using the example of the Green Revolution, discuss the ways that agricultural innovations can have both benefits and drawbacks, and how these can vary by for different actors.

Question 25

2. Write an essay that examines the way that institutional contexts affect agricultural science and technological development. First, discuss the ways that agricultural science and technological development has come to be increasingly influenced by private interests. Second, describe what proponents argue are the benefits of such privatization. Third, discuss the critique of the privatization of agricultural science and technological development.