Deck 1: Sociology: Studying Social Problems

Question 1

Claims and counterclaims about what should and should not be defined as a social problem is a good way of describing

A)politics.
B)societal consensus.
C)coalescence.
D)philosophy.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In 2013, a survey asked people what they considered to be serious social problems. All but one of the following were on the list of serious problems. Which one was not on the list?

A)the economy
B)unemployment
C)the gap between the rich and the poor
D)global warming

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In which stage of a social movement do the people involved come together to share their concerns and make claims about the need for change?

A)coalescence
B)formalization
C)decline
D)emergence

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following has been the cause of more than 1 million accidents in the United States in recent years?

A)school shootings
B)poverty
C)cell phone use while driving
D)flu virus

Question 5

The social-constructionist approach asserts that

A)society keeps facing the same problems year after year.
B)social problems are those that are the most harmful to any population.
C)problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change.
D)the government decides what the serious problems are.

Question 6

Sociologists use which of the following concepts to refer to a statement of how and why specific facts are related?

A)model
B)correlation
C)theory
D)societal subsystem

Question 7

Thinking sociologically about a problem such as unemployment, we understand that this issue is

A)the result of bad choices by individuals.
B)inevitable.
C)a personal problem.
D)a social issue involving the operation of society.

Question 8

Which theoretical approach sees society as a system of many interrelated parts that operate together?

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

Question 9

Although there is less gender inequality today than there was a century ago, people today are more likely to view gender inequality as a social problem than people were back then. This pattern reflects the fact that

A)what we subjectively perceive always reflects what is objectively true.
B)we now expect men and women to be socially unequal.
C)we now expect men and women to be socially equal.
D)people simply don't agree on what important social problems are.

Question 10

We tend to assume people are responsible for their own troubles because our way of life in the United States emphasizes

A)collective goals.
B)individualism.
C)tradition.
D)diversity.

Question 11

Which of the following terms refers to a point of view that shows us how society affects the experiences and choices of individuals?

A)social patterns
B)sociological imagination
C)comparative perspective
D)social problems approach

Question 12

Adopting a global perspective shows us which of the following patterns?

A)Women in poor nations typically have fewer children than women in the United States.
B)People in poor nations have as much schooling as people in the United States.
C)The same problems we face in the United States also exist in other countries.
D)Poverty is more serious in much of the world than it is in the United States.

Question 13

An example of a pattern that is very harmful but not generally defined as a social problem is
A)homicide, which involves almost 15,000 deaths each year.

A)terrorism, which includes events that resulted in thousands of deaths.
B)school shootings that have resulted in several dozen deaths.
C)the use of automobiles that results in some 32,000 deaths each year.

Question 14

Because many social problems are related,

A)no social problem can be solved.
B)every social problem can be solved.
C)solving one social problem may create a new problem.
D)solving one social problem will solve all social problems.

Question 15

Which of the following concepts refers to a basic image of society that guides theory and research?

A)hypothesis
B)theoretical approach
C)correlation
D)societal subsystem

Question 16

A social problem is defined as a condition that

A)harms everyone in a society.
B)harms only the poorest people in a society.
C)harms only the most powerful people in a society.
D)harms some or all members of a society and is usually controversial.

Question 17

Wright Mills explained that by using the sociological perspective, people transform "personal troubles" into

A)social issues.
B)psychological concerns.
C)economic issues.
D)political concerns.

Question 18

The process of convincing the public and important public officials that a particular issue should be defined as a social problem is a process that sociologists call

A)subjective assessment.
B)claims making.
C)objective assessment.
D)factual analysis.

Question 19

Because social problems result from the ways in which society operates,

A)these problems cannot ever be solved.
B)people must solve their issues on their own.
C)solving social problems requires change to society itself.
D)all social problems can easily be solved.

Question 20

An organized effort to encourage or discourage social change is called a

A)social movement.
B)sociological theory.
C)social-constructionist approach.
D)subculture.

Question 21

Using which of the following methods does a researcher observe people while joining in their everyday activities?

A)survey
B)experiment
C)participant observation
D)secondary analysis

Question 22

Major spheres of social life, or societal subsystems, are organized to meet a basic human need. Sociologists call these subsystems

A)theoretical paradigms.
B)functional prerequisites.
C)social institutions.
D)subcultures.

Question 23

Compared to questionnaires, interviews offer a researcher the chance to gain greater

A)depth of understanding.
B)breadth of opinion.
C)representativeness.
D)impersonality.

Question 24

Which of the following concepts refers to the consequences of a social pattern that are intended and widely recognized?

A)manifest functions
B)latent functions
C)dysfunctions
D)eufunctions

Question 25

Sociologist Lois Benjamin engaged with 100 successful African Americans in a study of racial prejudice using which research method?

A)interview
B)field research
C)secondary analysis
D)experiment

Question 26

Which of the following concepts refers to the negative consequences of social patterns?

A)manifest functions
B)latent functions
C)dysfunctions
D)eufunctions

Question 27

If you were studying how society is divided by gender inequality, which theoretical approach would you be using?

A)the structural functional approach
B)the feminist approach
C)the symbolic interaction approach
D)the social Darwinist approach

Question 28

Which theory would you be using if you studied how social problems arise when rapid change overwhelms society's institutions?

A)social conflict theory
B)social disorganization theory
C)symbolic interaction theory
D)social Darwinist theory

Question 29

People who actively seek social equality for women and men would closely identify with which of the following?

A)feminism
B)multiculturalism
C)social pathology theory
D)social disorganization theory

Question 30

The difference between a "social drinker" and a "problem drinker" would probably be of greatest interest to someone using which theoretical approach?

A)symbolic-interaction approach
B)structural-functional approach
C)social-conflict approach
D)social-disorganization approach

Question 31

Marx predicted that, over time, capitalism would

A)steadily raise living standards for everyone.
B)bring about its own destruction.
C)become less and less productive.
D)meet all human needs.

Question 32

What research method did Elijah Anderson use to study families and life on the streets in some of Philadelphia's poor African American neighborhoods?

A)the experiment
B)the survey
C)field research
D)secondary analysis

Question 33

According to Marxist theory, social problems such as poverty result from

A)an evil human nature.
B)advanced technology.
C)the operation of a capitalist economy.
D)the high rate of immigration.

Question 34

If a researcher wishes to present a series of written items to subjects for their response, which of the following methods would the researcher select?

A)experiment
B)interview
C)questionnaire
D)secondary analysis

Question 35

Karl Marx referred to industrial workers as

A)the bourgeoisie.
B)proletarians.
C)the cause of most problems.
D)middle-class.

Question 36

A research project that uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau is an example of which of the following research methods?

A)survey analysis
B)field research
C)secondary analysis
D)experimental research

Question 37

Which early English sociologist made the statement that poverty and related problems were created by people who lacked ability and personal discipline?

A)Herbert Spencer
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Max Weber
D)Karl Marx

Question 38

Which method has researchers investigate cause-and-effect relationships under highly controlled conditions?

A)the experiment
B)the survey
C)participant observation
D)secondary analysis

Question 39

If you focus on social problems involving racial and ethnic inequality, you are probably using which of the following theories?

A)social disorganization theory
B)class conflict theory
C)multicultural theory
D)feminist theory

Question 40

Class-conflict theory is an explanation of social problems guided by the thinking of

A)Herbert Spencer.
B)the Chicago School.
C)Emile Durkheim.
D)Karl Marx.

Question 41

Review the major research methods employed by sociologists in studying social problems. Explain why a researcher would choose one method over another.

Question 42

Which of the following positions would have the support of social liberals?

A)the "pro-life" side of the abortion controversy
B)closing our country's borders to immigrants
C)the use of the death penalty
D)legal marriage for gay and lesbian people

Question 43

In evaluating any social policy, it is important to remember that

A)there is only one way to define a policy's level of "success."
B)there is more than one way to measure a policy's level of "success."
C)policies have little or nothing to do with people's politics.
D)the public generally does not care if programs work or not.

Question 44

What is the sociological imagination? Explain the statement by C. Wright Mills that the sociological imagination transforms personal troubles into social issues.

Question 45

The term "radical" is derived from the Latin, meaning

A)"change."
B)"breaking down."
C)"of the root."
D)"follower."

Question 46

What is a social problem? What does it mean to say that social problems are constructed? How do politics guide the process of constructing problems and defining solutions?

Question 47

For German sociologist Max Weber, the main goal of sociology was to

A)discover truth.
B)engage in political debate.
C)promote social change.
D)avoid the illusion of objectivity.

Question 48

In general, economic liberals favor

A)government having a small role in the economy.
B)a lower minimum wage.
C)keeping taxes low.
D)government policies that will reduce economic inequality.

Question 49

What is the political spectrum? Describe how attitudes fall on the political spectrum. What defines conservative, liberal, and left-radical positions? How do social issues differ from economic issues? Finally, what types of people tend to be on the left and right of each type of issue?

Question 50

According to national surveys carried out in 2012, about what percentage of people consider themselves to be slightly liberal, liberal, or extremely liberal?

A)7 percent
B)27 percent
C)47 percent
D)67 percent

Question 51

Which of the following would have the support of social conservatives?

A) the "pro-choice" side of the abortion controversy
B)use of the death penalty to punish the most serious crimes
C)various "alternative lifestyles"
D)encouraging immigration across our borders

Question 52

What are sociology's three major theoretical approaches? Describe each one. Apply each to a problem of your choice and show the type of insights each approach provides.

Question 53

If you were a conservative, you would look for guidance about how to live by keeping in mind the lessons of

A)science.
B)the past.
C)the latest thinking on the issue.
D)sociology.

Question 54

The continuum representing a range of political attitudes is called

A)a global perspective.
B)a research agenda.
C)the political spectrum.
D)the social constructionist approach.

Question 55

Liberal is derived from the Latin word for

A)"library."
B)"literate."
C)"radical."
D)"free."