Deck 11: Work and the Workplace

Question 1

In 1976, in response to ever-increasing use of chemicals in the workplace, Congress

A)created NAFTA.
B)created NIOSH.
C)created the EPA.
D)passed the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the three sectors of the economy?

A)the production of raw materials
B)the transformation of raw materials into finished products
C)service work
D)global trade

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Compared to industrial wages of around $35 an hour in the United States, comparable workers in Mexico earn

A)$2.48 an hour.
B)$6.48 an hour.
C)$16.48 an hour.
D)$66.48 an hour.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The most recent technological change to the U.S. economy was

A)the Agrarian Revolution.
B)the Industrial Revolution.
C)the Information Revolution.
D)the Union Revolution.

Question 5

If you were to work at the top of the primary labor market, you would most likely have a

A)service job.
B)profession.
C)blue-collar job.
D)job in farming.

Question 6

In 2006, part of the Sago coal mine in West Virginia collapsed, killing twelve men. Which of the following statements about this event is correct?

A)This accident was an exception; mining is federally regulated and is therefore one of the safest occupations.
B)The mine had a clean record with no violations; it was determined that the miners themselves had caused the explosion by not following proper practices.
C)An explosion killed all of the men inside the mine instantly.
D)Over a period of years, this mine had been cited for hundreds of safety violations.

Question 7

Which term refers to the decline of industrial production that occurred in the United States after about 1950?

A)the global economy
B)the Information Revolution
C)deindustrialization
D)the computer revolution

Question 8

By 1900, the share of the U.S. labor force working on farms was equaled by the share working in

A)retail sales.
B)service jobs.
C)computer-based jobs.
D)industrial jobs.

Question 9

Perhaps the most important reason that U.S. companies have moved industrial production abroad is

A)better conditions for ordinary workers in other nations.
B)lower wages paid to workers in other nations.
C)unemployment here at home.
D)no skilled workers here at home.

Question 10

According to Karl Marx, alienation in the workplace results from

A)powerlessness.
B)too much responsibility.
C)dangerous working conditions.
D)rarational efficiency

Question 11

Which term refers to the expansion of economic activity around the world with little regard for national borders?

A)deindustrialization
B)post-industrialization
C)globalization
D)the Information Revolution

Question 12

The Industrial Revolution pushed workers into which sector of the economy?

A)primary sector
B)secondary sector
C)tertiary sector
D)global sector

Question 13

Zeke works in a job that has long been one of the most dangerous types of work, that is

A)driving a bus.
B)mining.
C)office work.
D)piloting commercial aircraft.

Question 14

Which of the following is an occupational hazard that places workers at risk of leukemia and other cancers?

A)stress
B)mining operations
C)radiation
D)repetitive motion

Question 15

In 1970, the federal government created OSHA to oversee and regulate

A)workplace health and safety.
B)union and management bargaining procedures.
C)the process of outsourcing jobs.
D)the skills needed for new jobs in the Information Revolution.

Question 16

From 1850 until today, there has been a steady increase in the share of the U.S. labor force engaged in

A)industrial work.
B)service work.
C)farming.
D)mining.

Question 17

If you have an occupation that provides good pay and extensive benefits, you have work in the

A)primary labor market.
B)secondary labor market.
C)secondary sector of the economy.
D)primary sector of the economy.

Question 18

In the tertiary sector of the economy, most people in the labor force do what type of work?

A)agricultural work
B)factory work
C)service work
D)forestry or mining

Question 19

Each year, about how many U.S. workers suffer a work-related illness or injury?

A)100
B)1,000
C)110,000
D)1 million

Question 20

When people speak of large corporations operating in many countries with more and more products moving from country to country, they are talking about

A)globalization.
B)deindustrialization.
C)the Information Revolution.
D)the secondary sector of the economy.

Question 21

According to government statistics, who had an unemployment rate three times higher than those with college degrees?

A)high school graduates
B)high school dropouts
C)those with graduate degrees
D)those in skilled trades

Question 22

Copy edit this question

A)2.6 percent
B)5.9 percent
C)8.6 percent
D)12.6 percent

Question 23

Max Weber understood alienation as the

A)experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness in the workplace.
B)depersonalization of the workplace and society due to modern society's rational focus on efficiency.
C)self-estrangement resulting from lack of satisfactory relationships with significant others.
D)gradual loss of economic security over time.

Question 24

In 2012, the median income for men working full time was

A)$19,398
B)$29,398
C)$39,398
D)$49,398

Question 25

A century ago, workers needed to develop the manual, industrial skills required for making things; today, workers in the postindustrial economy must develop the

A)intellectual skills required to manipulate symbols.
B)scientific skills required to work with the natural environment.
C)technical skills required to operate heavy machinery.
D)personal skills required to carry out lonely jobs in forests or at sea.

Question 26

Universities make use of adjunct faculty to fill about what share of teaching positions?

A)one-eighth
B)one-fifth
C)one-fourth
D)one-third

Question 27

Many states have "right to work" laws which, among other things,

A)limit the power of corporations to engage in worker lock-outs.
B)guarantee jobs to every citizen of the state.
C)require union membership for all state employees.
D)limit the power of unions to require membership as a condition of hiring.

Question 28

Which term refers to a barrier-often involving institutional discrimination-that prevents women and other minorities from moving up in the workplace?

A)pink-collar ghetto
B)glass ceiling
C)McDonaldization effect
D)workplace segregation

Question 29

Andy has been out of work for three years. At first, he registered at the unemployment office and actively sought work, but with no results to show for it, he just doesn't bother anymore. Andy is now in the category of

A)temporary workers
B)adjunct workers
C)discouraged workers
D)McJob workers

Question 30

In the recent debate over the pay and benefits of public sector employees, Ohio's Governor John Kasich and Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker claimed that

A)all workers should be part of the private sector.
B)states should require all public workers to belong to a union.
C)past public union agreements were causing their states to experience huge budget deficits.
D)unions have no right to exist.

Question 31

If your job has the quality of McDonaldization, which of the following would you NOT expect to find?

A)efficiency
B)uniformity
C)predictability
D)creativity

Question 32

In 2013, what percentage of the nonfarm U.S. labor force was unionized?

A)11 percent
B)21 percent
C)31 percent
D)41 percent

Question 33

Max Weber saw the Industrial Revolution as one expression of what larger historical process?

A)the rationalization of society
B)increasing workplace alienation
C)increasing social inequality
D)globalization

Question 34

One reason for the "jobless recovery" that this nation has experienced in recent years is

A)computer technology, which allowsmore people to do less work.
B)fewer temporary workers are needed compared to regular employees
C)U.S.workers are too expensive to compete in the global economy.
D)Large investments are being made in education and job training by U.S.companies.

Question 35

What organizations seek to improve wages and working conditions through various strategies, including collective bargaining and strikes?

A)volunteer associations
B)work teams
C)labor unions
D)factory workers

Question 36

Who was an important figure in developing the strength of labor unions in the United States?

A)Stanley Milgram
B)John Hope Franklin
C)W.E.B.Du Bois
D)Eugene Debs

Question 37

Women make up what percentage of the full-time U.S. labor force?

A)42 percent
B)52 percent
C)62 percent
D)72 percent

Question 38

Which term refers to bias built into the operation of the economy, education, and other social institutions?

A)the glass ceiling
B)McDonaldization
C)institutional discrimination
D)workplace segregation

Question 39

Including people working in temporary jobs and part-timers, about what percentage of the U.S. labor force works without at least some of the benefits most full-time workers count on, including retirement plans, sick leave, health insurance, and job security?

A)1 percent
B)11 percent
C)21 percent
D)41 percent

Question 40

Which term refers to shaping work in terms of the principles of efficiency, predictability, uniformity, and automation?

A)the temping of the workplace
B)Marxist alienation
C)McDonaldization
D)worker competence

Question 41

From which political point of view would you place great trust in the working of the market?

A)liberal
B)conservative
C)radical left
D)Marxist

Question 42

A basic principle of the structural-functional approach is that all social institutions are

A)in conflict.
B)operating separately.
C)interrelated.
D)symbolic.

Question 43

The structural-functional approach highlights how technological change

A)creates conflict between competing businesses.
B)has reduced the importance of science.
C)eliminates some old jobs as it creates new ones.
D)has halted the Industrial Revolution.

Question 44

The social-conflict approach understands work by

A)focusing on how people construct the reality of their lives.
B)treating society as a system that can rebound from disruptions caused by workplace changes.
C)emphasizing social inequality.
D)providing insights about how real people feel about their jobs.

Question 45

Telecommuting has what major disadvantage for workers?

A)Long drive times to and from the office.
B)Less time to care for small children or aging parents.
C)It blurs the line between home and work.
D)It greatly lowers personal income.

Question 46

If you claim that basic change is needed to our economic system in order to solve our current problems, from which political point of view are you speaking?

A)conservative
B)radical-right
C)radical-left
D)liberal

Question 47

Which theoretical approach highlights the meaning that people attach to the jobs they hold and the work they perform?

A)structural functional
B)symbolic interaction
C)social conflict
D)feminist

Question 48

What share of U.S. workers spends at least some work time at home during each week.?

A)one in three
B)one in five
C)one in seven
D)one in ten

Question 49

Why is alienation a common workplace experience? Explain how Karl Marx and Max Weber answered this question somewhat differently. In your mind, which thinker makes a more convincing case? Why?

Question 50

The structural-functional approach, which suggests that technological change ends up improving society, can be criticized for being too

A)optimistic.
B)pessimistic.
C)radical.
D)micro-level.

Question 51

What are the essential insights about work that we derive from structural-functional analysis, social-conflict analysis, symbolic-interaction analysis, and feminist analysis? What can we learn from each approach that would help this country build a better working and workplace environment?

Question 52

What is deindustrialization? How is deindustrialization linked to the Information Revolution? Point to several specific ways in which these processes affected the U.S. economy.

Question 53

What is McDonaldization? What are its defining characteristics? Give several examples of how this process shapes work.

Question 54

If you claim that people, especially the disadvantaged, look to the government to meet their needs, you are speaking as a

A)liberal.
B)radical on the left.
C)radical on the right.
D)conservative.

Question 55

How do these three political viewpoints-radical left, liberal, and conservative-see different problems involving work and the workplace? Focus on the importance that each gives to the market and government in the economic life of our nation.