Chapter 17: Science, the Enviornment, and Society

One argument against genetically modified foods is that:

c. they may pose long-term adverse health effects.

Very few scientists disagree with:

b. Darwin's natural selection theory.

Which of the following is a potential problem with high-yield crops?

d. increased water usage

In 1942, the research project that focused on developing atomic weapons for the United States was code-named the ________ Project.

a. Manhattan

Often nonscientists—such as politicians—make decisions that affect the course of science. Which of the following is an example of this?

a. President Bush and stem cell research

Along with most ancient Greek philosophers, Ptolemy believed that the earth was at the center of the universe. Against this ancient and long-lasting tradition, Copernicus asserted the notion that the sun was at the center of the solar system. Thomas Kuhn would call this an example of:

a. a paradigm shift, as it challenged the existing paradigm of the day.

It has taken Africa longer to reap the benefits of the green revolution because of Africa's mix of crops and:

a. dependency on rain-fed crops.

The Matthew effect is essentially like:

a. getting promoted because of who you are, not on the basis of merit.

According to the controversial twin study, there is a genetic link to:

a. homosexuality

A sociologist, biologist, and psychologist are studying the causes and consequences of obesity. Their results:

a. may be complementary or conflicting.

One of the major reasons farmers genetically modify their produce is so they:

a. produce higher yields.

Sociologists worry that the Human Genome Project could position people positively or negatively based on their genetic codes and thus lead to greater:

a. stratification in society.

The introduction of high-yield crop varietals in developing countries and improvements in agricultural technologies are two trends that fall under the umbrella of:

a. the green revolution.

In considering the nature of scientific knowledge, philosopher Ian Hacking suggests that:

a. there is something legitimate in both social constructivism and scientific truth.

According to scientists, what is the number-one contributor to rising global temperatures?

b. CO2 emissions

The ________ study showed how stigmas (e.g., labels) can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

b. Pygmalion

Farmers who are thinking about future generations have committed to several issues. Which of the following is one of the issues mentioned in your text?

b. conservation of soil

Michael is in a sociology class and the teacher poses a debate: Did Ramses II die of tuberculosis? The class studies the phenomenon of "science wars," and in this war, Michael is on the team that will defend Bruno Latour's view. Michael argues that Ramses II:

b. could not have died of tuberculosis because the disease had not been discovered at the time of death.

In Ulrich Beck's description of risk society, a tornado is an example of what type of risk?

b. external

Because sociologists study people, they tend to study data out in the field using real-world settings. Natural scientists more often:

b. extract data from the natural world and bring it into the laboratory for study.

Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth documented the effect of ________ on climate temperature.

b. human activity

The Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program (later CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) was established in 1945 to:

b. improve Mexico's agricultural output.

The green revolution, by increasing new technologies requiring more skills, has resulted in:

b. increasing the value of formal schooling for women in rural areas.

The decision to develop atomic weapons during World War II was influenced by:

b. international geopolitical circumstances.

Normal science:

b. is conducted within an existing paradigm.

Risks that result from human activity are referred to as ________ risks.

b. manufactured

Organic products can lead to health stratification by income because:

b. organic products are more expensive.

According to the normative view of science, what should scientists leave at the laboratory door?

b. personal values

Because of the green revolution, food production has kept pace with:

b. population growth.

When anthropologists Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar observed Jonas Salk in his lab, they observed that some research findings receive more attention than others within the scientific community. They attributed this to:

b. power struggles within the lab hierarchy.

According to Thomas Kuhn, what is the factor responsible for important scientific advancements?

b. scientific revolutions

The green revolution has made it expensive for individual farms to survive on their own, so new collectives and cooperatives have emerged to bring together household farmers. Émile Durkheim might call this a type of:

b. social solidarity.

Some gays and lesbians may be in favor of finding a so-called gay gene, because many in the gay community believe that:

b. the controversy will move from a moral choice to a biological characteristic, so discrimination may decrease.

One of the concerns with the Human Genome Project is that once your genetic structure is known:

b. you may be labeled in such a way that a self-fulfilling prophecy takes place.

How does genetic testing relate to race?

c. Definitive genetic markers for race do not exist.

Compared to organic megafarms, why are small organic farms at a disadvantage?

c. Maintaining USDA certification is expensive.

What is one of the risks genetic modification may pose to the environment?

c. an ecological chain reaction

Sociologists who study scientists in the laboratory do so typically because they:

c. are interested in how scientific facts are socially constructed.

We face the risk of car accidents because, as a society, we have developed automobile and road technologies and invested in them heavily. Thinking from the perspective of Charles Perrow, we should make choices that might influence the manufactured risk of car accidents in what way?

c. attempt to reduce the prevalence and severity of accidents

Two scientists argue at a conference about human origins. Dr. Leo argues that the journal Nature portrays legitimate science with its article on African origins. Dr. Wertz argues that the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, portrays the real facts of human history. In response, Dr. Leo says that the Creation Museum "facts" aren't facts at all. This debate portrays scientists engaged in:

c. boundary work.

One scientist hoped to solve health and nutritional problems for children in developing countries by the genetic modification of rice with:

c. high levels of vitamin A.

In the Dover, Pennsylvania, school district, what theory was presented as an alternative to Darwin's theory of natural selection?

c. intelligent design

Sometimes meat and poultry aren't labeled organic even though they come from free-range animals raised without growth hormones or antibiotics. This is because:

c. maintaining an organic farm with U.S. Department of Agriculture certification is expensive; many farmers can't comply because of this.

A hypothetical nation decides to make population policy based on the fictional film Gattaca. After watching this film, policy makers would most likely decide to:

c. perform genetic testing at birth and select the best for survival.

Which of the following is one of the concerns mentioned by your textbook that has come about from the Human Genome Project?

c. privacy

In opposition to the sociology of science researcher Bruno Latour, many scientists assert that ________ are not made but rather preexist in objective reality waiting to be discovered.

c. scientific facts

Which of the following is one of the benefits of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?

d. better ability to resist insects

If a sociologist is trying to determine why poverty rates are higher in the inner city, he or she might look at the lack of jobs in the area. If a psychologist is looking at the same thing, he or she may look more at levels of depression in the residents of an inner city. This difference is often called:

d. boundary work.

Vandana Shiva agrees that the green revolution has increased agricultural output and household incomes, but she is concerned about the:

d. cultural, economic, and environmental costs of such changes.

Thomas Kuhn referred to normal science as science conducted within an existing paradigm. Which of the following is an example of normal science?

d. discovering an effective treatment for AIDS, using the biomedical view of disease

Which of the following is something scientists predict will result from a continued rise in global temperatures?

d. migration from coastal communities

Debates over whether scientific facts are discovered or socially constructed have been referred to as:

d. science wars.

When a scientific paradigm shifts, this indicates that:

d. scientific anomalies have amassed to a level that challenges the validity of an existing paradigm.

Sociologically speaking, the BRCA1 gene mutation is a good example of how:

d. social practices can change the effects of genes.

James Paris and Emily Hoffman work together to develop new knowledge in physics. Hoffman is a well-established scholar with a strong reputation, and Paris is a little-known scholar. Over time, their physics discovery becomes known as the Hoffman Arc. Paris's contribution goes unacknowledged. This dynamic is common, and sociologists call it:

d. the Matthew effect.

A sociologist and an environmental scientist are each interested in global climate change. The sociologist prioritizes human choices that influence climate. The environmental scientist finds biological factors that influence climate. When the sociologist and environmental scientist dialogue, they may find that their apparent disagreement is actually due to the fact that:

d. they are working through different frameworks.

Since the late 1990s, a large portion of Asia has been:

d. using high-yield rice seeds.