Ch.15 Exam Prep Communities, The Environment, And Health

Experience Sociology, 4e (Croteau)

Chapter 15 Communities, the Environment, and Health

1) From the perspective of sociology, health is a matter of

A) personal choice.

B) genetics, for the most part.

C) social patterns.

D) social epidemic.

2) Which combination best describes what sociologists mean by a "community"?

A) place, relationships, and identity in common

B) neighborhood, address, and social class in common

C) race, neighborhood, and food in common

D) religion, church, and belief in common

3) Which type of society produces the least economic inequality?

A) modern society

B) nomadic society

C) agrarian society

D) preindustrial society

4) What factor is responsible for the emergence and growth of economic inequality in rural settlements?

A) change in family structure

B) change in the structure of power

C) embrace of religious law

D) accumulation of material surplus

5) The increase in the built environment in preindustrial societies contributed to a higher living standard, primarily because of

A) centralization of power.

B) specialization of occupations.

C) new ideology.

D) improved communication.

6) Early urbanization brought increased prosperity but also new problems, such as

A) the spread of disease.

B) unemployment.

C) centralized oppression.

D) welfare dependency.

7) Which of the following best describes what conditions were like for the poor in early modern cities?

A) improved living standards

B) brutal and overcrowded

C) ample opportunities for advancement

D) centralized oppression

8) Sunbelt cities define the later phase of urbanization in the United States. Which of the following best describes these cities?

A) heavily centralized

B) decentralized and spread out

C) efficient public transportation networks

D) high population densities

9) The primary factor driving urbanization in the developing world is

A) the search for opportunities.

B) declining land values.

C) declining agricultural output.

D) a cultural shift.

10) Life in New York City today is an example of which form of social organization?

A) mechanical solidarity

B) urban solidarity

C) Gemeinschaft

D) Gesellschaft

11) For Ferdinand Tönnies, the term ________ refers to a social organization in which individuals are oriented to collectively shared values and traditional ties.

A) Verstehen

B) Gesellschaft

C) Gemeinschaft

D) Wissenschaft

12) ________ is typically found in small, traditional, rural communities.

A) Gemeinschaft

B) Verstehen

C) Gesellschaft

D) Wissenschaft

13) Life in a small village in Sri Lanka is an example of which type of social organization?

A) rural interdependence

B) Gemeinschaft

C) organic solidarity

D) agrarian solidarity

14) An individual sense of privacy is important in which type of social organization?

A) Gemeinschaft

B) Gesellschaft

C) mechanical solidarity

D) communal living

15) Collective goals are dominant over individual self-interest in which type of social organization?

A) large nation-states

B) Gemeinschaft

C) organic solidarity

D) Gesellschaft

16) For Ferdinand Tönnies, the term ________ refers to a social organization based on an impersonal and loosely tied community, in which individuals' focus is on the pursuit of self-interest.

A) Wissenschaft

B) mechanical solidarity

C) Gemeinschaft

D) Gesellschaft

17) ________ is a type of social organization typically found in large cities.

A) Urbanization

B) Gesellschaft

C) Democracy

D) Centralization

18) Which is typical of a Gesellschaft type of social organization?

A) social isolation and deviance

B) deep and lasting social ties

C) focus on community wellbeing

D) lack of privacy

19) According to Emile Durkheim, homogeneous rural communities typically exhibit close social ties and limited individuality. This is characteristic of ________ solidarity.

A) rural

B) social

C) organic

D) mechanical

20) According to Emile Durkheim, urban societies are based on an interdependent network of specialized social roles. This type of social cohesion is called ________ solidarity.

A) urban

B) organic

C) mechanical

D) complex

21) Hull House was known for its pioneering efforts in

A) methods for community building.

B) the systematic study of urban neighborhoods.

C) providing shelters and safe houses.

D) helping the homeless.

22) In an urban neighborhood, people feel a sense of a community because they do not live in isolation. They are not self-sufficient. They depend heavily on others for food, services, entertainment, education, healthcare, etc. This is an example of ________ solidarity.

A) urban

B) instrumental

C) organic

D) rational

23) Formal community studies have their roots in the work of

A) Emile Durkheim.

B) Jane Addams.

C) Ferdinand Tönnies.

D) Max Weber.

24) Community studies typically employ which research technique?

A) direct observation

B) survey research

C) direct sampling

D) None of these answers is correct.

25) Why did (and do) city newcomers typically gravitate toward ethnic enclaves?

A) They faced ethnic bias.

B) They faced housing segregation.

C) They faced economic discrimination.

D) They sought support and cohesion.

26) The study of the interaction between the physical environment and social life is called

A) environmentalism.

B) the green revolution.

C) human ecology.

D) local studies.

27) The perspective of human ecology holds that the physical environment impacts social life on which level?

A) micro level

B) meso level

C) macro level

D) The impact takes place on all levels.

28) From the perspective of human ecology, the development of cities

A) is random.

B) depends on the physical environment.

C) depends on the founders' preferences.

D) depends upon the availability of funding.

29) From the perspective of human ecology, the built environment in cities reflects and reinforces cultural values. Which of the following is an example of this perspective?

A) Skyscrapers symbolize the power of business.

B) Hospitals care for the sick.

C) The homeless symbolize lack of compassion.

D) Churches symbolize Christianity.

30) From the perspective of human ecology, the analysis of distinct urban areas focuses on their

A) formal boundaries.

B) function.

C) district political affiliation.

D) dominant ethnicity.

31) The built environment of cities can reflect and reinforce broader cultural values. This is a ________ analysis of the physical environment.

A) macro level

B) functionalist

C) meso level

D) community studies

32) People find dilapidated buildings unappealing and choose to live in areas that are well-maintained. This is an example of which level of analysis of the physical environment?

A) macro level

B) micro level

C) meso level

D) psychology

33) The patterns of urban growth reflect

A) the structure of class inequality.

B) political district divisions.

C) urban cultural attitudes.

D) rational analysis.

34) The approach that studies urban environments with an emphasis on the role of politics, economics, and power is called

A) environmental sociology.

B) structural perspective.

C) the Chicago School.

D) new urban sociology.

35) The fact that urban infrastructure and amenities are typically of a much higher standard in the more prosperous areas of the city reflects the fact that ________ plays a major role in urban development.

A) corruption

B) misguided policies

C) class inequality

D) rational calculation

36) When powerful business and political interests work together to promote urban development, often at the expense of the poor and those without a political voice, sociologists refer to this urban phenomenon as

A) hyper development.

B) a boondoggle.

C) urban renewal.

D) growth machines.

37) The growth machine is driven primarily by

A) the pursuit of profit.

B) rational planning.

C) cultural attitudes.

D) the war on poverty.

38) The growth machine benefits developers at the expense of

A) business development.

B) local residents.

C) tax revenue.

D) public projects.

39) Efforts to rehabilitate and upgrade a declining neighborhood for the purposes of attracting higher-income residents is referred to as

A) urban upgrade.

B) gentrification.

C) urban investment.

D) beautification.

40) Gentrification raises property values and the overall attractiveness of the community. This is both positive and negative. Which of the following is a major problem with gentrification?

A) a housing bubble

B) too many vacant units

C) the displacement of low-income residents

D) the unintended increase in burglary cases

41) W. E. B. Du Bois pioneered a systematic study of

A) Hispanic communities.

B) black urban life.

C) urban poverty and homelessness.

D) urban class structures.

42) Race-based discrimination in real estate practices is called

A) institutional segregation.

B) segregation.

C) color-coding.

D) redlining.

43) Mortgage brokers sometimes deny mortgages and real estate agents may decline to show a house to a prospective buyer on the basis of the person's race. These discriminatory practices are best described as

A) institutional discrimination.

B) functionalism.

C) gentrification.

D) human ecology.

44) When unscrupulous lenders targeted poor and minority home buyers in the run-up to the recent housing bubble, they engaged in the practice of

A) discrimination.

B) reverse redlining.

C) ethnic targeting.

D) class warfare.

45) Globalization concentrated business into a few dominant players' hands. How has this aspect of globalization contributed to urban blight in some neighborhoods?

A) increased unemployment

B) reduced the viability of small businesses

C) opened up immigration

D) increased poverty

46) Which of the following contributed to the massive migration into the suburbs in the post-World War II period?

A) backlash against the cultural revolution

B) growing racism and decline in social cohesion

C) mass marketing and a shift in housing style

D) relative prosperity and housing policy

47) The media's role in suburbanization can be seen in their portrayal of the city primarily as a place of

A) declining property values.

B) aging and unattractive housing.

C) race riots and violence.

D) crowded and unhealthy living environments.

48) In the 1970s and 1980s, the primary force behind suburbanization was

A) housing decline in urban areas.

B) increased racial animosity and violence.

C) the wholesale export of jobs overseas.

D) the mortgage crisis.

49) What proportion of the U.S. population now lives in the suburbs?

A) one-third

B) one-half

C) two-thirds

D) four-fifths

50) What percentage of the American population uses public transportation for their daily commute to work?

A) about 5 percent

B) about 10 percent

C) about 15 percent

D) about 20 percent

51) Which combination best reflects the main problems caused by today's suburban sprawl?

A) housing and mortgage crisis

B) declining property values and water depletion

C) destruction of agricultural land and traffic congestion

D) declining standard of living and high housing prices

52) Why are property taxes in the suburbs typically high?

A) The cost of infrastructure is high in low-density communities.

B) Better schools demand more tax-based funding.

C) There is high demand for new housing.

D) Residents have higher incomes.

53) Low population density and the privacy-oriented style of housing in the suburbs contribute to which phenomenon?

A) higher standard of living

B) social isolation

C) satisfaction and happiness

D) interconnectedness

54) Long commutes typical of the American suburbs have contributed to which phenomenon?

A) increase in automobile accidents

B) road fatigue

C) low civic engagement

D) demand for fuel-efficient vehicles

55) Contemporary American rural communities are typically

A) increasing in diversity.

B) homogeneous and exclusionary.

C) opposed to change.

D) resisting new technology.

56) According to Dunlap and Marshall, environmental problems are caused by

A) natural climate cycles.

B) human social behavior.

C) unknown factors.

D) a combination of natural factors.

57) The way human beings interact with the natural environment in which they live is the focus of

A) the sociology of nature.

B) the natural-interaction perspective.

C) environmental sociology.

D) the biosociological perspective.

58) The balance between the availability and protection of natural resources and their continued consumption is referred to as

A) the green movement.

B) environmentalism.

C) capitalism.

D) sustainability.

59) Some areas in the Southwest require residents to install water-saving toilets in new homes. This is an example of

A) greenwashing.

B) attempting sustainability.

C) civil rights violation.

D) a boondoggle.

60) Who is affected by environmental degradation?

A) the poor much more than the rich

B) everyone about equally

C) men more than women

D) the young more than the old

61) The capitalist economic system is predicated on a continually increased consumption of resources to produce growth. As such, the very principle of a capitalist economy is

A) irrational.

B) unsustainable.

C) inventive.

D) constructive.

62) Even in the face of overwhelming evidence and a broad consensus by the world scientific community, some influential people still insist on denying climate change and have attracted a considerable following. This example illustrates that

A) the evidence is not conclusive.

B) there is a broad conspiracy.

C) the problem is not significant.

D) all problems are socially constructed.

63) Efforts to prevent illegal practices of exposing people of low status, resources, and political voice to undue environmental hazards are called

A) legal action.

B) environmental justice.

C) environmentalism.

D) the green movement.

64) In spite of their apparent physical presence, environmental issues have only relatively recently been recognized as genuine problems. Before issues become problems, they must first ________ to become publicly recognized as reality.

A) be researched

B) be confirmed by evidence

C) be framed as such

D) undergo public scrutiny

65) With less than 5 percent of the world's population, the United States contributes to what proportion of the world's waste?

A) less than 10 percent

B) about 15 percent

C) about 30 percent

D) over 35 percent

66) Which of the following strategies is considered to be the most recent effort to protect the environment?

A) international environmental governance

B) corporate-based solutions

C) marketing of eco-friendly products

D) environmental activism

67) In the United States, people tend to ________ environmental threats. As a result, the wealthy are able to protect themselves, but no comprehensive effort exists to protect everyone, particularly the poor.

A) ignore

B) use an individualized approach to

C) overreact to

D) use an aggressive approach to

68) The individualized approach to environmental threats has ________ environmental problems.

A) alleviated most

B) solved some

C) contributed to more

D) had no impact on

69) Some sociologists argue that corporations could play an important role in solving environmental problems by adopting "green" technologies to increase profits. This perspective is

A) widely accepted.

B) controversial.

C) scientifically proven.

D) gaining in popularity.

70) A consumer goods company's formula for its economy window cleaner is white vinegar, water, and a little corn starch. In an effort to market this product as environmentally friendly it labels the product "all natural," even though it did not change any components of the product. This type of promotion is best described as

A) greenwashing.

B) corporate environmentalism.

C) fraudulent.

D) guerrilla marketing.

71) Is the consumer switch to more eco-friendly products an answer to environmental problems?

A) Yes; the consumer drives demand.

B) Yes; safer products benefit the environment.

C) No; corporate interests decide what is on the market.

D) No; corporations oppose green products.

72) From the sociological perspective, social change, which includes environmental change, happens when ________ change.

A) social structures, not individuals

B) policy, not politicians

C) the economic system, not economic policy

D) individuals, not governments

73) From the sociological perspective, health and illness are understood as issues concerning

A) the individual.

B) a broader social structure.

C) the body.

D) the physical environment.

74) Which of the following best describes most people's opinions of medical doctors in nineteenth-century America?

A) pillars of the community

B) educated and well-paid

C) generally unskilled

D) trusted, though not paid well

75) By the early twentieth century in the United States, medical doctors generally had gained the power to

A) improve patient care.

B) influence the insurance industry.

C) establish independent practices.

D) make other medical practitioners illegitimate.

76) Recent research suggests that doctors' authority in the medical field is

A) weakening.

B) growing stronger.

C) being redefined.

D) rebuilding.

77) Which of the following has the greatest impact on health outcomes?

A) health behaviors

B) physical environment

C) clinical care

D) social and economic factors

78) From 1930 to 1950, health practitioners in the United States emphasized ________ as the best way to improve health outcomes.

A) sanitation and environmental health

B) health care

C) health behavior

D) social and economic factors

79) The pattern of health and disease among the population is not equal, and it is not random. Patterns of health distribution are related to

A) religious affiliation.

B) class and education.

C) political affiliation.

D) ethnicity.

80) Health disparities among the population are primarily linked to

A) ethnicity.

B) genetics.

C) socioeconomic status.

D) bad choices.

81) People with low socioeconomic status

A) suffer less stress.

B) are less likely to be isolated.

C) die sooner.

D) suffer fewer mental health issues.

82) The primary cause of childhood asthma is

A) city air pollution.

B) genetic disposition.

C) lack of exercise.

D) environmental factors linked to housing.

83) Death rates associated with diabetes are highest in

A) rural areas.

B) women.

C) the poorest households.

D) the working class.

84) How does education play a role in health disparity?

A) More education leads to greater access to information, which promotes a healthy lifestyle.

B) More education leads to greater access to information, which leads increasingly to distrust in the medical profession.

C) The better-educated typically lead more sedentary lifestyles.

D) Less education leads to less stress in a person's daily life.

85) Environmental factors disproportionately influence the health of

A) urban populations.

B) the poor.

C) women.

D) the elderly.

86) Today, industrialization and urbanization are global phenomena.

87) Gesellschaft as form of social organization is characteristic of little emphasis on anonymity and privacy.

88) Emile Durkheim believed that urbanization eroded social solidarity, leaving cities with little social cohesion.

89) Gesellschaft and organic solidarity both describe the characteristics of a modern urban social organization. The two concepts are virtually the same.

90) Human ecologists draw upon functionalist theories.

91) Gentrification benefits residents of all class backgrounds by increasing property values.

92) Urbanization today must be understood in the context of global dynamics.

93) Besides agriculture, rural communities have lost their relevance in today's economic environment.

94) It is a common practice for wealthy nations to ship their toxic waste to poor countries.

95) There has been a decline in government support for doctors in private practice.

96) The persistent patterns of inequality in health are referred to as health disparities.

97) The type of work you do can impact the type of health problems you experience.

98) Housing does not influence health.

99) The relationship between community and health is limited to disadvantaged neighborhoods.

100) Medical doctors are now generally so revered in the United States that people often consult them about nonmedical issues.