Question 1

In low-income, less-developed nations, infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death; in some areas, mortality rates are increasing rapidly as a result of HIV/AIDS. Children under age 15 constitute a growing number of those who are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death in low-income, less-developed nations, and mortality rates are increasing rapidly due to HIV/AIDS, particularly among children under the age of 15.

Question 2

One measure of population composition is the sex ratio. In the United States, the estimated sex ratio for 2006 was 97.1, which means there were about 97 females per 100 males.

Accepted Answer

The statement is false. The estimated sex ratio for the United States in 2006 was actually 96.7, meaning there were about 97 males per 100 females.

Question 3

An important relationship exists between population size and the availability of food, water, energy, and housing. Population size, composition, and distribution are also connected to issues such as poverty, racial and ethnic diversity, and shifts in the age structure of society, and concerns about environmental degradation.

Accepted Answer

Population size and demographics have a significant impact on various aspects of society and the environment, including the availability of resources, poverty, diversity, age structure, and environmental degradation. This relationship is widely acknowledged by scholars and policymakers.

Question 4

Sociologist Emile Durkheim applied natural ecology to his analysis of organic solidarity, characterized by a simple division of labor and shared religious beliefs such as those found in small, agrarian societies; and mechanical solidarity, characterized by interdependence based on the elaborate division of labor found in large, urban societies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sociologist Emile Durkheim applied natural ecology to...

Question 5

Immigration is the movement of people into a geographic area to take up residency, whereas emigration is the movement of people out of a geographic area to take up residency elsewhere.

Accepted Answer

Immigration and emigration are indeed defined by movements of people into and out of a geographic area, respectively.

Question 6

Undocumented immigrant workers are over-represented in occupational groupings such as farming, cleaning, construction, and food preparation.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Studies have shown that undocumented immigrant workers are over-represented in these specific occupational groupings due to the lack of legal protections and low wages often associated with these jobs.

Question 7

In the late 19ᵗʰ and early 20ᵗʰ centuries, a major population shift occurred in the United States as thousands of people moved from rural to urban areas. This illustrates the international form of migration.

Accepted Answer

The movement described is internal migration, as it involves people relocating within the same country, not across international borders.

Question 8

Economist Thomas Malthus stated that the elimination of the existing population might be averted by either positive or preventive checks on population. Preventive checks are mortality risks such as famine, disease, and war, compared with positive checks which are limits on fertility. For Malthus, the only acceptable positive check was moral restraint.

Accepted Answer

Malthus referred to positive checks as factors that increase mortality (like famine, disease, and war) and preventive checks as measures that limit fertility (like moral restraint).

Question 9

In his book on immigration, sociologist Robert Crosnoe argues that recent immigrants to the U.S. should not be seen as a threat but as a potential resource for our nation.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately represents the argument made by Robert Crosnoe in his book on immigration.

Question 10

The most basic measure of fertility is the cultivated birth rate-the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year. In 2006, the cultivated birth rate in the United States was 14.1 per 1,000.

Accepted Answer

The correct term is "crude birth rate," not "cultivated birth rate." The crude birth rate measures the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.

Question 11

The age distribution of a population has a direct bearing on the demand for schooling, health, employment, housing, and pensions. The current distribution of a population can be depicted in a population pyramid, which is a graphic representation of the distribution of a population by sex and age.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The age distribution of a population is important to consider when planning for various needs of the population. Population pyramids are useful graphical representations to show the distribution of age and sex within a population.

Question 12

Human ecology is the study of the relationship between people and their physical environment. According to sociologist Robert Park, economic competition produces certain regularities in land-use patterns and population distributions.

Accepted Answer

According to the statement, Robert Park believed that economic competition influences land-use patterns and population distributions, indicating a connection between human and physical environments which is studied in human ecology.

Question 13

Episodic framing refers to news writing that focuses on the human interest side of a story and shows that the individuals involved are caring people.

Accepted Answer

Episodic framing refers to news coverage that focuses on specific events or instances, often highlighting individual cases or stories, rather than providing broader context or analysis.

Question 14

Cancer is the number one killer in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., followed by cancer.

Question 15

Since the 1950s, postindustrial cities have emerged in nations such as the United States as their economies have gradually shifted from secondary (manufacturing) production to tertiary (service and information processing) production.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true.

Question 16

Gentrification is the process by which members of the middle and upper-middle classes, especially whites, move into the central-city area and renovate existing properties.

Accepted Answer

This is a correct definition of gentrification.

Question 17

An important ecological process in the concentric zone model, succession is the process by which a new category of people or type of land use arrives in an area previously occupied by another group or type of land use.

Accepted Answer

This statement is incorrect. Succession refers to the natural process of vegetation growth and change over time, not the arrival of a new category of people or land use.

Question 18

According to sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies, Gesellschaft is a society in which social relationships are based on personal bonds of friendship and kinship and on intergenerational stability, such that people have a commitment to the entire group and feel a sense of togetherness.

Accepted Answer

According to Ferdinand Tonnies, Gesellschaft is a society in which social relationships are based on impersonal associations, individual achievement, and self-interest rather than on personal bonds. In Gesellschaft, people have weak social ties and feel a sense of isolation rather than togetherness.

Question 19

According to the demographic transition theory, in stage 3-advanced industrialization and urbanization very little population growth occurs because both birth rates and death rates are low. The birth rate declines as couple control their fertility through contraceptives and become less likely to adhere to religious directives against their use.

Accepted Answer

According to the demographic transition theory, in stage 3, advanced industrialization and urbanization lead to a decline in both birth rates and death rates, resulting in very little population growth. This decline in birth rates is due in part to the use of contraceptives and a decrease in adherence to religious ideologies that discourage their use.

Question 20

Undocumented male workers are often older than legal immigrants.

Accepted Answer

Studies and data often show that undocumented workers tend to be younger than legal immigrants, as younger individuals are more likely to migrate for work opportunities.

Quiz 15: Population and Urbanization.