Question 1

What is meant by the term "life expectancy"?

Accepted Answer

the number of years people can expect to live, varying among cultures (from barely 30 years to more than 80 years) due to geographic location, diet, technology, etc.

Question 2

Describe the three functionalist theories of disengagement, activity, and continuity. Note how each focuses on the adjustments that occur between elderly people and others in society.

Accepted Answer

Functionalists focus on why retirement is beneficial for society and how individuals adjust to retirement.
(1) Disengagement theory explains retirement as a mechanism for ensuring that the society's positions of responsibility are passed smoothly from one generation to the next. The individual starts to disengage during middle age by beginning to reassign priorities to goals and tasks and continuing this process as time goes on.
(2) Activity theory looks at how retired people replace their usual activities with other activities. The hypothesis is that the more activities the elderly engage in, the more satisfaction they will have in life.
(3) Continuity theory stresses that in retirement, people adjust to old age by continuing ties with their past. When they retire, people take up new roles similar to the ones they gave up. Research shows that people who are used to handling multiple roles and those who are more financially prepared adjust better to retirement.

Question 3

Of the following groups of Americans, which one has the lowest median age?

Accepted Answer

A)  Asian Americans 
B)  African Americans 
C)  Latinos 
D)  Native Americans 
A)  Asian Americans 
B)  African Americans 
C)  Latinos 
D)  Native Americans C

Question 4

Which organization has 20,000 members who work toward opposing ageism and supporting the welfare of both the old and the young?

Accepted Answer

A)  Social Security Association 
B)  ACLU 
C)  AARP 
D)  Gray Panthers 
A)  Social Security Association 
B)  ACLU 
C)  AARP 
D)  Gray Panthers

Question 5

What is the major criticism of disengagement theory as an explanation for the ways in which the elderly adjust to retirement?

Accepted Answer

that it is biased against olde

Question 6

The Townsend Plan was America's first national retirement system, enacted about thirty years prior to the more economically stable Social Security plan, which replaced it in 1934.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

How does a Ponzi scheme work?

Accepted Answer

A)  It places the money in reserve as a part of the Federal Reserve System. 
B)  It sets the money aside in a fund that cannot be touched except for Social Security payments. 
C)  It pretends there are funds where there really are none. 
D)  It uses the money to leverage loans from the World Bank. 
A)  It places the money in reserve as a part of the Federal Reserve System. 
B)  It sets the money aside in a fund that cannot be touched except for Social Security payments. 
C)  It pretends there are funds where there really are none. 
D)  It uses the money to leverage loans from the World Bank.

Question 8

The terms "life span" and "life expectancy" are interchangeable and virtually mean the same thing.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Ralph, age 45, has decided to stop putting in overtime at work and stop going to Chamber of Commerce meetings in order to spend more time with his family and friends. According to Elaine Cumming and William Henry, what is transpiring in Ralph's life?

Accepted Answer

A)  He is experiencing a mid-life crisis. 
B)  He is becoming more conscious of his social roles. 
C)  He is in the early stages of disengagement theory. 
D)  He is losing his motivation to succeed. 
A)  He is experiencing a mid-life crisis. 
B)  He is becoming more conscious of his social roles. 
C)  He is in the early stages of disengagement theory. 
D)  He is losing his motivation to succeed.

Question 10

What is the basic premise of activity theory?

Accepted Answer

that satisfaction in old age i

Question 11

What is the micro-level goal of the Gray Panthers?

Accepted Answer

A)  to lower the retirement age to 55 or less 
B)  to increase Social Security payments to all retired Americans 
C)  to establish a national health care plan for the elderly 
D)  to fight attempts to pit people against one another based on age factors 
A)  to lower the retirement age to 55 or less 
B)  to increase Social Security payments to all retired Americans 
C)  to establish a national health care plan for the elderly 
D)  to fight attempts to pit people against one another based on age factors

Question 12

Under the Townsend Plan, what was the monthly stipend to be paid to all Americans 65 years of age and older (in 1930 dollars)?

Accepted Answer

A)  $125 
B)  $200 
C)  $350 
D)  $500 
A)  $125 
B)  $200 
C)  $350 
D)  $500

Question 13

Francis has recently been told that he has a terminal disease and can expect to live for only a short time. He has made a will, paid all his bills, and given instructions to his children. According to Kübler-Ross, Francis is in the stage of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  acceptance 
B)  negotiation 
C)  depression 
D)  denial 
A)  acceptance 
B)  negotiation 
C)  depression 
D)  denial

Question 14

Of the following countries, in which one do the citizens have the shortest life expectancy?

Accepted Answer

A)  South Korea 
B)  Afghanistan 
C)  South Africa 
D)  Zimbabwe 
A)  South Korea 
B)  Afghanistan 
C)  South Africa 
D)  Zimbabwe

Question 15

Based on the work of Elaine Cumming and William Henry, when does disengagement begin?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is a gradual process that begins in middle age and continues over several decades. 
B)  It begins when a person experiences his or her first age-related illness. 
C)  It starts at retirement and continues until death. 
D)  It occurs as a person approaches the final years of life, usually at about age 75 or 80. 
A)  It is a gradual process that begins in middle age and continues over several decades. 
B)  It begins when a person experiences his or her first age-related illness. 
C)  It starts at retirement and continues until death. 
D)  It occurs as a person approaches the final years of life, usually at about age 75 or 80.

Question 16

Explain why industrialization influences the life expectancy of people in a society.

Accepted Answer

Industrialization results in a higher st

Question 17

In U.S. society, men with graying hair and wrinkles are seen as mature, while women with the same features are seen as old. This is referred to as ________ age.

Accepted Answer

A)  biological 
B)  gender 
C)  gerotranscendent 
D)  societal 
A)  biological 
B)  gender 
C)  gerotranscendent 
D)  societal

Question 18

In an attempt to provide holistic treatment to their patients, a nursing home in England hired prostitutions to attend the sexual needs of their male patients who had been groping the female staff.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

All of the following statements regarding the "graying of America" are accurate EXCEPT for which one?

Accepted Answer

A)  The American life expectancy in 1910 was about 50. 
B)  About 13 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older today. 
C)  The median age of Americans has almost doubled since 1950. 
D)  Today, the number of elderly is higher than the number of teenagers. 
A)  The American life expectancy in 1910 was about 50. 
B)  About 13 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older today. 
C)  The median age of Americans has almost doubled since 1950. 
D)  Today, the number of elderly is higher than the number of teenagers.

Question 20

________ was the physician who started a movement in 1930 to levy a 2 percent national sales tax to support the elderly.

Accepted Answer

A)  Alan Scarsdale 
B)  Jonas Salk 
C)  C. Everett Koop 
D)  Francis Townsend 
A)  Alan Scarsdale 
B)  Jonas Salk 
C)  C. Everett Koop 
D)  Francis Townsend

Exam 13: The Elderly

What is meant by the term "life expectancy"?

Describe the three functionalist theories of disengagement, activity, and continuity. Note how each focuses on the adjustments that occur between elderly people and others in society.

Of the following groups of Americans, which one has the lowest median age?

Which organization has 20,000 members who work toward opposing ageism and supporting the welfare of both the old and the young?

What is the major criticism of disengagement theory as an explanation for the ways in which the elderly adjust to retirement?

The Townsend Plan was America's first national retirement system, enacted about thirty years prior to the more economically stable Social Security plan, which replaced it in 1934.

How does a Ponzi scheme work?

The terms "life span" and "life expectancy" are interchangeable and virtually mean the same thing.

Ralph, age 45, has decided to stop putting in overtime at work and stop going to Chamber of Commerce meetings in order to spend more time with his family and friends. According to Elaine Cumming and William Henry, what is transpiring in Ralph's life?

What is the basic premise of activity theory?

What is the micro-level goal of the Gray Panthers?

Under the Townsend Plan, what was the monthly stipend to be paid to all Americans 65 years of age and older (in 1930 dollars)?

Francis has recently been told that he has a terminal disease and can expect to live for only a short time. He has made a will, paid all his bills, and given instructions to his children. According to Kübler-Ross, Francis is in the stage of ________.

Of the following countries, in which one do the citizens have the shortest life expectancy?

Based on the work of Elaine Cumming and William Henry, when does disengagement begin?

Explain why industrialization influences the life expectancy of people in a society.

In U.S. society, men with graying hair and wrinkles are seen as mature, while women with the same features are seen as old. This is referred to as ________ age.

In an attempt to provide holistic treatment to their patients, a nursing home in England hired prostitutions to attend the sexual needs of their male patients who had been groping the female staff.

All of the following statements regarding the "graying of America" are accurate EXCEPT for which one?

________ was the physician who started a movement in 1930 to levy a 2 percent national sales tax to support the elderly.

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