Pearson Revel - Chapter 1

Which of the following statements would a person-blamer make to explain why children living in poor communities consistently fail in school?

"Their parents are uneducated."

Which of the following statements highlights how the 2010 and 2014 U.S. Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance have shaped and will continue to shape the U.S. political landscape?

By removing limitations on corporate contributions to a politician, the wealthy will have significant influence on public policy.

Which of the following is a myth related to Social Darwinism?

Individuals can control their fate by using their abilities and exerting some effort.

Which of the following is a danger in defining social problems objectively?

Subjectivity is always present.

Dr. Day is writing a research proposal to study patterns of prostitution in Thailand and in the United Kingdom. What type of sociological question is Dr. Day interested in answering?

a comparative question

As the world's population increases, the threat of nuclear proliferation is likely to be __________.

at a higher level than today

The income inequality gap is currently __________.

at a record high

The world's supply of natural resources will __________ as the population expands.

decrease

Actions that violate the norms of a social organization are known as __________.

deviant behaviors

Which of the following research methods is the most difficult for sociologists to use?

experiments

Increasing __________ has resulted in a transformation in the United States economy, reducing the number of manufacturing jobs.

globalization

Which of the following actors was most likely responsible for defining the use of marijuana as a social problem?

high-level law enforcement agencies

"How has the age of first marriage changed for women in the United States since the 1970s?" is an example of what type of sociological question?

historical

Sociologists might argue that the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor will ___________.

likely lead to social problems

Viewing counseling and/or behavior modification as the way to solve delinquency exemplifies which of the following perspectives?

person-blame

One danger of the system-blame approach is that it __________.

presents a tightly deterministic explanation of social problems

In the sociological perspective, widespread unemployment is not a __________, but a __________.

private trouble; public issue

One reason the system-blame perspective is useful to sociologists is that the subject matter of sociology is not the individual but __________.

society

The main purpose of using sociological research methods is to help researchers __________.

stay objective

Debate over environmental pollution is an example of the __________.

subjective nature of social problems

Defining illegal drugs in the United States is a good example of __________.

the subjective nature of social problems

There is considerable debate in the sociological community as to whether or not research can be entirely __________.

value neutral