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
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.
An organized effort to encourage or discourage social change is called a
a. social movement.
b. sociological theory.
c. social-constructionist approach.
d. subculture.
An example of a pattern that is very harmful but not generally defined as a social problem is
a. terrorism, which includes events that resulted in thousands of deaths.
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. homicide, which involves almost 15,000 deaths each year.
The social-constructionist approach asserts that
a. society keeps facing the same problems year after year.
b. social problems are those that are the most harmful to any population.
c. problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change.
d. the government decides what the serious problems are.
In 2013, a survey asked people what they considered to be serious social problems. All but one of the following were on the list of serious problems. Which one was not on the list?
a. the economy
b. unemployment
c. the gap between the rich and the poor
d. global warming
A social problem is defined as a condition that
a. harms everyone in a society.
b. harms only the poorest people in a society.
c. harms only the most powerful people in a society.
d. harms some or all members of a society and is usually controversial.
C. Wright Mills explained that by using the sociological perspective, people transform personal troubles into
a. social issues.
b. psychological concerns.
c. economic issues.
d. political concerns.
We tend to assume people are responsible for their own troubles because our way of life in the United States emphasizes
a. collective goals.
b. individualism.
c. tradition.
d. diversity.
Thinking sociologically about a problem such as unemployment, we understand that this issue is
a. the result of bad choices by individuals.
b. inevitable.
c. a personal problem.
d. a social issue involving the operation of society.
Which of the following terms refers to a point of view that shows us how society affects the experiences and choices of individuals?
a. social patterns
b. sociological imagination
c. comparative perspective
d. social problems approach
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