SOCIAL PROBLEMS FINAL EXAM
200 pts.
Choose the most
appropriate answer. Each question is worth 2 point unless otherwise specified.
1. _____ The process of constructing a problem is guided by two elementary aspects of societal knowledge. That is, social reality is perceived along two different continuums. What are these?
a. Common sense – journalism; journalism – sociology
b. Scope of awareness; degree of generality
c. Micro-macro; concrete-abstract
d. Private-public; theory-method
e. Both b and c are correct
2. _____ The micro-macro dimension of social knowledge distinguishes between private affairs and public issues.
a. True
b. False
3. Knowledge expressed as a story is likely to be _________ in nature. While an abstract assessment of a social issue is labeled __________. (4 pts.)
4. _____ Rather than looking to the individual, a sociologist looks where to explain social issues?
a. Religion
b. Social roles
c. Research
d. Social structure or organization
5. Without drawing on an example used in the readings per se, illustrate each of the four types of social knowledge: (8 pts.)
a. Micro-concrete –
b. Micro-abstract –
c. Macro-concrete –
d. Macro-abstract –
6. ___________ __________ is the assessment of the logical and empirical adequacy of a non-fictional statement.
7. _____ Before one can determine the adequacy of statements that define social problems, one must be able to clearly identify the
a. Problem itself
b. Supporting evidence
c. Cast of moral entrepreneurs
d. Value assertions
8. Clearly distinguish between the two different types of evidence found in social problems essays. (4 pts.)
a. Primary
b. Secondary
9. Concerning statements about the evidence of a social problem, illustrate/give an example of, the inadequacy of hasty and sweeping generalizations. Make sure your example(s) clearly distinguish these two types of generalizations. (4 pts.)
10. _____ A __________ cause is a condition that by itself will bring about the effect.
a. Necessary
b. Sufficient
c. Necessary and sufficient
d. Contributory
11. _____ When A is a necessary condition for B, then if A does not occur, B
a. will occur
b. cannot occur
c. will always occur
d. will be caused by something else
12. _____ Readers must be wary of any commentary on a social problem that reduces the explanation to a single cause.
a. True b. False
13. _____ After courts ordered the integration of public schools in some cities through special busing plans, some social analysts, observing white families leaving the central cities for the suburbs, concluded that busing caused “white flight.” Critics of the white-flight thesis noted that whites had been leaving central cities for many years for a variety of reasons. This example is an illustration of what common fallacy of causation?
a. Oversimplification
b. Sequencing
c. Confusion of coincidence and cause
d. Probability error
14. Using examples from your readings, clearly distinguish between the three kinds of statements: empirical, conceptual and evaluative. (6 pts.)
15. _____ Students of social problems cannot escape contradictory values, but must face them squarely with the tools of rationality.
a. True
b. False
16. _____ In order for an argument about a social problem to have logical consistency, any conclusions drawn about how to solve it must be compatible with
a. values of the authors
b. cause-effect relationships
c. previous assertions made by the author about the nature of the problem
d. descriptive analysis
17. _____ Which of the following is an attempt at a real solution, as opposed to a pseudo solution, to the problem of public education.
a. Privatization
b. Improve fiscal efficiency
c. Motivate students to work harder
d. Motivate teachers to improve
18. _____ Identify the propaganda technique used in the following critique. H. Joachim Maitre denounces the alleged liberality of NPR. He cites as an example NPR’s correspondent at the Supreme Court, Nina Totenberg, for her “stubborn effort to prevent Clarence Thomas from being confirmed as a justice of the Court.”
a. Generalization
b. Appeals to envy
c. Slogans
d. Name-calling
19. Briefly, what is the intent (social and political implications) of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (4 pts.)
20. _____
Rothman and Black’s study of American Elites in the 1990s found that white
males still dominate the major leadership groups in the
a. True
b. False
21. What is the family values conundrum discussed by several of your authors? Discuss this in relation to a conflict between old and new values. In this sense then, how is it a social problem? (4 pts.)
22. _____ According to Jeff Grabmeier, the primary burden women bear that leads to their “greater suffering” is
a. greater emotionality
b. biological weakness
c. economic independence
d. balancing work and family demands
23. _____ Faludi, in “Stiffed: the betrayal of the American Man,” argues that men should mount their own rebellion and create a new paradigm for human progress that will open doors for both sexes.
a. True
b. False
24. _____ In Virtually Normal Andrew Sullivan argues that “all public discrimination against homosexuals be ended…and that is all.” The two key areas where this change is necessary are _______ and ________.
a. Marriage law and the workplace
b. The workplace and health care
c. Health care and the military
d. Marriage law and the military
25. What value judgments are evident in James Q. Wilson’s argument against homosexual marriages? (4 pts.)
26. Briefly compare and contrast communitarian and expressive individualism. (6 pts.)
27. _____ Stephanie Coontz argues in “The way we never were” that most analyses of today’s family imbalances are misreading family history and misdirecting future family policy. She says what is actually out of balance is the relationship between
a. work and mothering
b. women and men
c. market activities and nonmarket ones
d. goods and services
28. _____ Danzinger and Reed, “Winners and Losers,” and DeMuth, “The new wealth of nations,” differ in their respective arguments about inequality. Primarily their difference is located in
a. their choice of economic indicators to measure inequality
b. their definition of stratification
c. the measurement of wealth vs. income
d. political rhetoric
29. In debating
the impact of the underclass on American ideals, Murray and Schwartz differ
drastically.
30. _____ Williams’ argument against affirmative action is based in his belief that ___________, while Jenkins’ argument is that abandoning affirmative action will result in _________.
a. Affirmative action has failed; greater employment for minorities
b. Sufficient social change has occurred such that continuance of these programs would result in discrimination against whites; a perpetuation of racial injustice.
c. Economic inequality does not exist; greater economic inequality.
d. Minorities no longer need assistance; racial warfare.
31. _____ In its strongest version, pluralism holds that
a. power is rooted in a wide range of well-organized “interest groups”
b. public opinion and voting have only a minimal or indirect influence
c. power is found in a liberal-labor coalition
d. power is held by the general public through the pressure that public opinion and voting put on elected officials.
32. _____ Domhoff’s argument is that the power elite builds on the ideas developed in the policy-formation process and its success in the electoral arena to dominate the federal government.
a. True
b. False
33. _____ In
contrast to
a. lobbyists
b. the federal government
c. citizen interest groups
d. foreign investors
34. _____ In arguing that the government should intervene in a capitalist economy, Erber includes all but which of the following negative side effects?
a. The market flies blindly – including a destruction of the natural environment
b. Growth becomes destructive of communitarian values
c. The market’s work ethic becomes exploitation, even for children
d. Reduces the cost of production but triggers inflation
e. He includes all of the above
f. B and d only
35. _____ Houppert, in her argument that welfare reform has not benefited the poor, relies on which of the following knowledge statements?
a. Macro abstract
b. Macro concrete
c. Micro abstract
d. Micro concrete
36. _____ Rosen and Shanker both agree that public schools are in trouble and something must be done. Rosen suggests that privatization and vouchers for private schools will correct the deficiencies particularly by establishing competition that will improve public schools. Shanker argues that this logic is faulty because
a. monitoring and evaluation of private contractors will be very costly to the public, perhaps outweighing any public cost benefit
b. studies have found only weak and inconsistent evidence for the proposition that competition among schools increases efficiency
c. private schools are only desired by the wealthy white population
d. private schools are not required to meet the same standards as public schools
e. a and b only
f. c and d only
37. Given your reading of the arguments for and against the claim that “economic inequality is a serious problem,” how might you respond to the following statements (Friedman and Friedman)? “Everywhere is the world there are gross inequities of income and wealth…a myth has grown up that free market capitalism…increases such inequalities…[but] nowhere is the gap between rich and poor wider, nowhere are the rich richer and the poor poorer, than in those societies that do not permit the free market to operate.” (4 pts.)
38. Compare and contrast the kinds of evidence used by Dilulio and Reiman in making their arguments for which is more harmful, street crime or white collar crime. (4 pts.)
39. “Legalization madness” (Inciardi and Saum) draws on what propaganda techniques? (2 pts.)
40. Identify the appeals used by Lee and Freedman in making their cases for or against capital punishment. (4 pts.)
41. _____ According to Pimentel and Pimentel, strategies for global food security must be based on
a. conservation
b. more efficient and environmentally sound agricultural technologies
c. a changed approach to our stewardship of world resources
d. population controls
e. all of the above
f. a, b, and c only
g. c and d only
42. Name one positive and one negative consequence of the global economy reaching Ladakh. (4 pts.)
a. Positive –
b. negative –
43. _____ Homogenizing global culture in general refers to
a. expanding cultural diversity
b. minimizing cultural diversity
c. deregulating the global media
d. sending western TV programs to undeveloped countries
44. _____ In “The politics of the real world:…” Jacobs suggests that the dominant model of economic development is working but that the model is fraught with endemic problems, therefore the more successful the model, the worse the problems.
a. True
b. False
45. _____ Which of the following are considered part of the immigration dilemmas as discussed by Richard Rothstein?
a. When labor markets are tight, we welcome immigrant workers. But then it is difficult to send these workers “home” when they are no longer needed.
b. Despite some local governments being burdened by immigrant services, our national budget, particularly in respect to funding pensions, is becoming more dependent upon immigrant taxes.
c. The garment industry, many upper middle-class amenities, and horticulture is dependent upon immigrant labor.
d. All of the above
e. A and c only
46. As discussed in the article, give at least two reasons why FGM continues to be practiced and accepted by many. (4 pts.)
47. _____ Carrier refers to ethnocentrism as
a. acceptance of cultural diversity
b. judging “human nature” by the standards of one’s own culture
c. accepting “human nature” as ethnically defined
d. judging diverse cultural practices as morally inferior than those of another cultures
48. A number of socio-cultural factors help explain variations of homosexual behavior between societies. Name two of these. (4 pts.)
49. _____ Coontz argues that the “traditional family” of the 1950s was a myth. She contends that people (including academics) believe the myth because they have failed to examine the family in what context?
a. Historical
b. Economic
c. Social
d. Complex socioeconomic and historical
50. Both the Swedish and the American forms of government assistance amount to “hand-outs.” That is, they come from the government and they are paid for by the citizen’s taxes. These countries differ in that most of the Swedish hand-outs go to __________, while most American hand-outs go to _______________.
51. _____
According to Parenti most of the
a. the
b. the
c. colonies
d. the
e.
52. _____ Parenti called “underdevelopment”
a. neoimperialism
b. the absence of colonialization
c. a set of social relations that has been forcefully imposed on countries
d. a country lacking transnational corporate investment
53. In
discussing children and poverty in
54. According to McQuaig and the editor of your text, Heiner, who is most likely to benefit and who is most likely to lose from passage of NAFTA, WTO, and the EU? What is the evidence used to make their case – name one piece of evidence. (6 pts.)
a. Who benefits?
b. Who loses?
c. Evidence?
55. Ransby (“The black poor and the politics of expendability”) argues that the “crux of the problem with the so-called welfare reform programs is the underlying assumption that the problem lies with the culture, behavior and morality of the poor, rather than with __________.”
56. _____ Which of the following is representative of Rhode’s stance toward affirmative action?
a. Without affirmative action, policies may be color-blind, but people are not.
b. It is a system of rigid quotas that incorporates the very biases society should be seeking to eliminate.
c. Neutrality in formal policy corrects for bias in social practices.
d. It is the primary cause of employment problems for white, lower-class males.
57. _____ The implication of the McDonalization of society is that ___________ will be the most valued commodity in the world of work.
a. Rationalization
b. Discretion
c. Creativity
d. Efficiency
58. _____ The maquiladora is
a. a
revolution in
b. a
factory that produces and/or assembles goods for export mostly to
c. a labor intensive, import business
d. a
revolutionary industry that will lead
59. _____ “A
global new deal” suggests that in order to protect jobs in the
a. raise 3rd World labor costs
b. lower 3rd World labor costs
c. exploit 3rd World workers
d. hire more domestic labor
60. _____ The debate over welfare has included four major assaults on poor women and AFDC. Which of the following was NOT listed as one of those four assaults?
a. Women’s childbearing choices
b. Women and children's health care packages
c. AFDC’s growth and costs
d. Women’s work behavior
e. Entitlement status and the government’s role in administration of these entitlements
61. _____ What is the Achilles Heel of welfare reform?
a. AFDC recipients
b. Job availability
c. Unemployment
d. Racial discrimination
62. List one strength and one weakness of the Japanese elementary school system. (4 pts.)
63. _____ Although the applicability of what is done in Germany is questionably relevant to the US, what is the problem that German schools hope to solve, and whose solution may be of value to us?
a. High school dropouts
b. Developing a social conscience
c. Adequate preparation of students for the workplace
d. Privatization of schools
64. What is the solution that German schools are attempting? (4 pts.)
65. _____ Given
the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, it is reasonable to
conclude that the causes of crime have more to do with social structure and
culture than with the failure of the criminal justice system per se. Therefore
it is worthwhile to compare our country with
a. Power
b. Presumption
c. Propriety
d. Pride
66. _____ The United States’ reputation for having a significant crime problem is caused in part by the entertainment industry’s depiction of violent crime.
a. True
b. False
67. _____ A60 Minutes report on a drug program in
a. Addicts cannot be stabilized despite medical supervision of use.
b. Illegality of certain drugs causes their debilitating effects.
c. Treatment is more effective than punishment of drug users.
d. Punishment is more effective than treatment of drug users.
68. As
practiced, is capital punishment in the
69. _____ According to Maybury-Lewis, the reason why science has proven less successful in dealing with the environment lies in the belief that human beings are ___________________________.
70. Vandermeer
and Perfecto discuss two models for saving the rain forests in
71. _____
Weinberg’s contention that claiming overpopulation is a propaganda technique
implies that the “real” reasons for crises in
a. Manipulative birth control programs
b. US funded militarization of the region
c. Downplaying the need for land redistribution
d. All of the above
72. _____ Smith
argues that
a. Establishing a radical democratization of economic decision-making
b. Turning over economic decision making to profit-seeking capitalists
c. Making
d. Establishing a benevolent dictatorship which negotiates all economic decisions