Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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 problems we face in the United States are exactly the same in other countries.
D)  Poverty is more serious in much of the world than it is in the United States. D

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

Marx predicted that, over time, capitalism would

Accepted Answer

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 10

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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)  expanding rights for transgender people

Question 12

An example of a pattern that is very harmful but not generally defined as a social problem is

Accepted Answer

A)  homicide, which involves more than 14,000 deaths each year.
B)  school shootings that have resulted in several dozen deaths.
C)  the use of automobiles that results in some 32,000 deaths each year.
D)  terrorism, which includes events that resulted in thousands of deaths.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

A)  collective goals.
B)  individualism.
C)  tradition.
D)  relying on luck.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 1: Sociology: Studying Social Problems