Deck 6: Public Reaction

Question 1

Why is studying folklore useful to those interested in social problems?

A)It lets us learn about what people's worst fears are.
B)It lets us see how people construct issues when they are not self-conscious about being observed.
C)It lets us learn from the wisdom of our elders.
D)It lets us learn from the past.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Focus groups reveal that people draw on __________ when discussing social problems.

A)personal experience,common sense,and media reports
B)common sense,expert advice,and media reports
C)expert advice,personal experience,and common sense
D)media reports,educational background,and expert advice

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Variants on stories are used to

A)tailor the claim to the audience.
B)make tracing the claim more difficult.
C)keep people from thinking critically about the plausibility of the claim.
D)prevent the media from exploiting the claim.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Contemporary legends typically involve claims

A)related to the supernatural.
B)about the dangers of technology.
C)that the world is more dangerous than we think.
D)about how problems should be solved.

Question 5

Focus groups often reveal that people

A)lie to researchers who are conducting surveys.
B)often feel conflicted or ambivalent about issues.
C)are reluctant to talk about societal problems in social situations.
D)are not aware of many social problems.

Question 6

The quality of focus group data is dependent on

A)how representative the sample is.
B)how skilled the moderator is.
C)whether a random sample is used.
D)both a and b

Question 7

Obtaining a representative sample can be difficult because

A)of new technology like cell phones and caller ID.
B)the way some questions are written can be misleading.
C)it is seen as a discriminatory practice.
D)claimsmakers prefer nonrepresentative samples.

Question 8

Contemporary legends about malls often remind us that

A)consumerism is bad for us.
B)we should not trust strangers even in seemingly safe circumstances.
C)globalization is making products less safe.
D)the world is becoming less safe over time.

Question 9

It is suggested in your text that one reason people make jokes about troubling situations such as disasters is that

A)jokes are easier to remember than factual claims.
B)disasters are inherently funny.
C)they can express opinions through humor that they would be uncomfortable expressing in other ways.
D)humor is a way for everyday people to respond to more formal claims.

Question 10

Rumors differ from legends in that rumors are

A)more specific.
B)short-lived.
C)closely tied to a specific location.
D)all of the above

Question 11

Noting that answering a survey is a social situation reminds us that

A)respondents are likely to be distracted and not think carefully about their answers.
B)respondents might answer on the basis of how they think the researcher wants them to respond.
C)it is important to make the research atmosphere pleasant.
D)having too much diversity can make people feel shy or intimidated.

Question 12

Research indicates that when the media report on crime,

A)people become desensitized to crime.
B)people have more fear of crime.
C)crime rates fall.
D)there is less coverage of other issues.

Question 13

Claimsmakers typically use public opinion polls to

A)determine whether their claims are effective.
B)help educate the public about their issue.
C)determine how large a problem really is.
D)make counterclaims.

Question 14

When folklorists talk about a friend-of-a-friend attribution,they are referring to

A)people who spread rumors.
B)someone close enough to the teller to make the story interesting but far enough away to make tracing it hard.
C)an activist starting a rumor to try to sway public opinion.

Question 15

Research on diversity and social problems indicates that,typically,people from diverse backgrounds

A)are reluctant to participate in focus groups.
B)see problems in much the same way.
C)construct problems in very different ways.
D)both b and c

Question 16

In a representative sample,

A)every member of a population is surveyed.
B)every member of the population has an equal probability of being selected to be surveyed.
C)the method of selecting the sample ensures that it includes a representative from each of the key groups in the population.
D)representatives from the major groups in the population help select the sample.

Question 17

When it is stated in your text that "the media are probably more effective at agenda setting than at communicating particular messages," it means that the media

A)can attract viewers but not necessarily change those viewers' opinions.
B)can change opinions about things people are already interested in but cannot call attention to new issues.
C)tend to call attention to particular issues more than shape people's opinions about the issues.
D)can convince people that an issue is a problem but not to act on that belief.

Question 18

It is difficult to interpret the role of the general public in the social problems process because

A)people respond to claims differently.
B)people are not always open about their feelings regarding a claim.
C)others involved in the process typically see the public as uninformed and thus unimportant.
D)both a and b

Question 19

Politicians often view poll results as

A)attempts by activists to manipulate lawmakers.
B)overly scientific and not relevant to real-life problems.
C)an indication of what the public wants them to do.
D)inappropriate sources of information for their decision making.

Question 20

Research on public opinion polls shows that subtle differences in the way questions are worded

A)make the public suspicious of pollsters' motives.
B)do not influence survey results.
C)can have a small influence on survey results.
D)can have a large influence on survey results.

Question 21

Discuss how contemporary legends reflect underlying conflicts and concerns in the modern world.Be sure to give examples.

Question 22

When it comes to our ability to understand what the public really believes about social problems,it is argued in your text that

A)it is impossible to ever know because our research methods are not good enough.
B)survey research offers superior results to focus group research.
C)we can best tell what people think by watching changes in actual behavior over time.
D)all of the above

Question 23

Discuss two ways in which the results of polls affect the social problems process.

Question 24

You are a claimsmaker trying to convince others that student loans should be easier to obtain.You want to find out about public opinion on the issue but only have enough money to pay for either surveys or focus groups.Which would you choose and why?

Question 25

Two widespread contemporary folklore stories that spread after 9/11 involved

A)ethnic tension and connections between people.
B)human evil and rumors.
C)connections between people and the dangers of premarital sex.
D)ethnic tension and religion.

Question 26

Describe and discuss four major challenges to understanding public opinion through public opinion polls.

Question 27

Joke cycles after 9/11 indicate that

A)Americans were unable to find any humor in the event.
B)Europeans had an easier time seeing humor in the situation than Americans.
C)there was little humor related to the event anywhere outside of the Arab world.
D)people made efforts to stifle humor related to the tragedy.