Chapter 12: Gender and Physical Health

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following changes in life expectancy over the past century is TRUE?

A. A gender gap in life expectancy favoring women remains today as it did 100 years ago.

B. Men’s life expectancy has increased by around 10 years.

C. Life expectancy peaked in the 1950s and has slowly declined since.

D. The gender gap in life expectancy is a relatively new phenomenon.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changes in Life Expectancy

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. In the United States, which of the following groups has the highest life expectancy?

A. gay, lesbian, and bisexual people

B. White people

C. Latinx people

D. Black people

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changes in Life Expectancy

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Which of the following causes of death DECREASED in prevalence from 1900 to 2015?

A. Alzheimer’s disease

B. heart disease

C. cancer

D. influenza

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. In 1900, the leading cause of death was ______.

A. accidents

B. infectious disease

C. war

D. heart disease

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. The morbidity–mortality paradox refers to what?

A. the fact that women have higher rates of sickness than men, but men tend to experience mortality (death) earlier than women

B. the inverse relationship between morbidity and mortality

C. Countries with higher life expectancies also tend to have higher rates of infectious disease.

D. Men have higher life expectancies than women after controlling for rates of sickness.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Which of the following provides a possible explanation as to why women are more likely than men to suffer from various chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, neck or back pain, and headaches?

A. Women over inflate their self-reported ill-health.

B. Women’s traditional role of caretaker contributes to their poorer health.

C. Because women are often cared for by others, they have a heightened awareness of their health needs.

D. Because men die at a younger age, fewer of them tend to suffer chronic illnesses.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. In what way does having two X chromosomes provide a health advantage for girls and women?

A. X chromosomes are less likely to carry genetic diseases.

B. X chromosomes are less susceptible to genetic mutations.

C. Having two X chromosomes triggers the production of hormones that strengthen the immune system.

D. Having two X chromosomes allows normal genes on one X chromosome to override any abnormalities on the other.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Genetic Factors

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. ______ are DNA sequences at the ends of chromosome strands that protect genetic data and allow for cells to divide.

A. Monemes

B. Vacuoles

C. Ribosomes

D. Telomeres

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Genetic Factors

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Research on telomeres reveals that they may be key in understanding sex differences in what?

A. disease susceptibility

B. aging

C. aggression

D. genetic variability

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Genetic Factors

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. In which of the following ways may higher levels of testosterone in males affect their physical health?

A. increasing levels of bad cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease

B. increasing the rate of cell division and risks of cancer

C. overworking cardiac muscles by increasing metabolism

D. inhibiting neurogenesis leading to risks of neurodegenerative disease

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hormonal Influences

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. The typically higher levels of estrogen in women than men are associated with which of the following health benefits?

A. general decreased risks of cancer

B. higher blood pressure

C. the expression of longevity associated genes

D. decreased cardiac output

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hormonal Influences

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following sex hormones is associated with suppressing the body’s immune system?

A. progesterone

B. estrogen

C. testosterone

D. prolactin

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hormonal Influences

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Which of the following is most consistent with how evolutionary theorists argue males’ adaptive strategies resulted in an earlier average age of death relative to females?

A. Males escape child-rearing responsibilities by exhibiting dangerous, unpredictable behavior.

B. Having sex with multiple partners increases exposure to sexually transmitted infections.

C. Shorter life spans lead men to better take advantage of reproductive opportunities.

D. Risky and dangerous behavior gives males a reproductive advantage.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: An Evolutionary Theory of Health and Longevity

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Evolutionary theorists propose that males’ bodies evolved to prioritize ______ and females’ bodies evolved to prioritize ______.

A. self-preservation, procreation

B. procreation, immune functioning

C. survival; signaling attractiveness

D. passing on their genes; ensuring the genes of their mates are passed on

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: An Evolutionary Theory of Health and Longevity

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. The more that ______ contributes to a given cause of death, the larger the sex differences in rates of death from that cause tend to be.

A. genetics

B. socioeconomic status

C. mental health

D. behavior

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: How Do Social Factors Contribute to Sex Disparities in Health?

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. In which of the following causes of death should sex differences be the SMALLEST?

A. accidents

B. homicides

C. neurodegenerative disease

D. suicides

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: How Do Social Factors Contribute to Sex Disparities in Health?

Difficulty Level: Hard

17. Adult women exhibit riskier behavior in which of the following categories?

A. driving

B. sexual behavior

C. leisure activities

D. in the workplace

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Accidents and Risky Sex

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Studies of HIV/AIDS among various populations in the United States reveal which of the following?

A. White people live in networks with higher concentrations of HIV-infected partners.

B. HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects heterosexual people in the United States.

C. Ethnic disparities in HIV infection rates are caused by differences in risky sexual behaviors.

D. Transwomen are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Accidents and Risky Sex

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. In what way have highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAARTs) been shown to sometimes backfire in reducing the impact of HIV?

A. It may actually increase the ease in which HIV spreads.

B. Knowledge of its availability may cause people to be less concerned about risky sexual behaviors.

C. It gives people the false impression that they can no longer infect others with HIV.

D. It increases the suicide rate among HIV-positive patients.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Accidents and Risky Sex

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. Which of the following trends likely contributed to a decrease in the size of the sex difference in longevity over the past few decades?

A. increased standards of living

B. decreases in the tendency to overwork

C. women becoming more likely to be targeted with violence

D. the declining sex difference in smoking

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Diet

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. ______ is associated with eating fruits, vegetables, and fish, which likely explains a portion of sex differences in healthy diets.

A. Social support

B. Erectile dysfunction

C. Femininity

D. Estrogen production

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Diet

Difficulty Level: Easy

22. Which of the following healthy activities should you predict women to be less likely to engage in relative to men?

A. buckling their seatbelts

B. eating large portions of vegetables with every meal

C. avoiding cigarettes

D. being physically active each day

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Physical Activity and Exercise

Difficulty Level: Hard

23. Which of the following shares a positive relationship with physical inactivity?

A. the average income or wealth of a country

B. being male

C. youth/being young

D. working in an office

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Physical Activity and Exercise

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Which of the following traits is associated with better adjustment to illness?

A. cooperativeness

B. competitiveness

C. warmth

D. nurturance

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. ______ trait negatively impacts physical health by creating interpersonal conflicts, eroding social support, and increases behaviors such as smoking and drinking.

A. Competitiveness

B. Unmitigated communion

C. Unmitigated agency

D. Nurturance

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Easy

26. ______ trait negatively impacts physical health by leading people to be overly intrusive and to exert great deals of energy to support others.

A. Competitiveness

B. Unmitigated communion

C. Unmitigated agency

D. Nurturance

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. People’s levels of ______ may explain sex differences in depression.

A. competitiveness

B. unmitigated communion

C. unmitigated agency

D. nurturance

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Suppose you know a man who endorses very traditional beliefs about masculinity. How might you predict this to affect his behaviors relevant to seeking health care?

A. He will be more likely to seek female doctors.

B. He will communicate more openly with doctors.

C. He will be especially likely to postpone seeking medical help.

D. He won’t hesitate to ask friends about his physical problems.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Seeking Health Care

Difficulty Level: Hard

29. Which of the following groups of people in the United States will be least likely to have a doctor or health care provider they visit regularly?

A. Latinx men

B. Latinx women

C. white women

D. white men

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Seeking Health Care

Difficulty Level: Medium

30. Which of the following factors is especially likely to discourage Black men, relative to White men, from seeking health care?

A. masculinity norms

B. mistrust of the health care industry

C. religious beliefs

D. reliance upon local communities

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Seeking Health Care

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. What event offers insight into the mistrust of the health care industry among Black Americans?

A. the Tuskegee syphilis study

B. the Milgram experiments

C. the Kligman dermatology experiments

D. the Skid Row cancer studies

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Seeking Health Care

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Imagine Linda and Bob both come into a doctor’s office complaining of stress, lack of appetite, and fatigue. Doctors diagnose Linda with depression and Bob with overwork. Which of the following phenomena likely helps explain the different diagnoses despite identical symptoms?

A. explicit physician expertise

B. pluralistic ignorance

C. cognitive dissonance

D. implicit physician biases

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Receiving Health Care

Difficulty Level: Hard

33. Among groups that have similar roles for women and men, such as the Israeli Kibbutz societies, what impacts upon sex differences in mortality and morbidity do these egalitarian gender roles have?

A. Sex differences in health status or illness tend to be reduced or disappear entirely.

B. Sex differences in longevity disappear but differences in illness remain.

C. Meta-analyses of gender-egalitarian cultures find no impact on longevity or illness.

D. Sex differences in life expectancy become larger in such cultures.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender-Egalitarian Communities and Health

Difficulty Level: Easy

34. Out of the following groups, in which group do sex differences in mortality tend to be the largest?

A. Israeli Kibbutz societies

B. ethnic minorities

C. nuns and monks

D. Seventh-day Adventists

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender-Egalitarian Communities and Health

Difficulty Level: Easy

35. The fact that women still outlive men even in gender-egalitarian cultures suggests that ______ also influence sex differences in health and longevity.

A. biological factors

B. social norms

C. personal values

D. social support

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Gender-Egalitarian Communities and Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. In the United States, which of the following groups has the lowest life expectancy?

A. white people

B. Asian people

C. women

D. Native American people

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

37. People of color in the United States are more likely to live in ______, making it more difficult for them to have access to fresh and healthy food.

A. food deserts

B. high crime areas

C. shared housing

D. urban environments

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

38. Men around the world are more likely to be ______, and women are more likely to be ______.

A. overweight; obese

B. obese; underweight

C. healthy weight; overweight

D. underweight; obese

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

39. A Black woman experiences racial discrimination. In response the stress of discrimination, she overeats and gains weight, which increases her likelihood of being diagnosed with diabetes and/or heart disease. This example aligns with which of the following?

A. implicit physician bias

B. minority stress theory

C. unmitigated agency

D. gender role theory

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Hard

40. ______ posit(s) that belonging to a stigmatized group creates unique stressors, such as harassment, abuse, and employment discrimination, that combine to increase minority individuals’ vulnerability to all types of health problems regardless of their SES.

A. Minority stress theory

B. Stereotype threat

C. Intersectional theories

D. Implicit biases

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

41. How does low SES tend to relate to physical health?

A. It predicts higher morbidity but not higher mortality.

B. It predicts lower mortality but not lower morbidity.

C. It predicts both higher mortality and higher morbidity.

D. It predicts neither mortality nor morbidity.

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

42. The feminization of poverty refers to ______.

A. the global tendency for women to experience disproportionate rates of poverty

B. stereotypes describing women as more impoverished

C. the phenomenon that feminine traits tend to promote poverty

D. norms dictating that women should not strive to have high incomes

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

43. Which of the following factors might help disrupt the cycle that contributes to the feminization of poverty?

A. abstinence-only sex education

B. stricter limits on their behaviors

C. limiting discussions about puberty and sexual health

D. more open communication with parental figures about sexual and reproductive health

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

44. Williams and Fredrikson-Goldsen (2014) found that same-sex couples who lived in ______ experience better health outcomes.

A. northern states

B. places that legally recognized their relationships

C. more affluent regions

D. environments with more racial and ethnic diversity

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Difficulty Level: Easy

45. When doctors know the sexual orientation and gender identity status of patients, it often increases the likelihood of ______.

A. poorer health outcomes

B. open doctor–patient communication that improves health outcomes

C. patients lying about their underlying conditions

D. doctors prescribing the wrong medications to their patients

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Difficulty Level: Easy

46. The branch of medicine that studies male health focusing on sexual/reproductive organs and urinary system is referred to as ______.

A. androgyny

B. gynecology

C. andrology

D. mastectomy

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex-Specific Medical Conditions

Difficulty Level: Easy

47. ______ is a genetic disorder that appears to be female-specific but actually affects both female and male embryos. Male embryos with the disease die in utero.

A. Fibroid disease

B. Rett’s syndrome

C. Gender dysphoria

D. Premenstrual syndrome

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex-Specific Medical Conditions

Difficulty Level: Easy

48. The medicalization of which of the following most directly contributes to views of women’s bodies as being regularly sick?

A. menstruation

B. childbirth

C. menopause

D. pregnancy

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Medicalization of Reproductive Health

Difficulty Level: Easy

49. Cesarean births (compared to vaginal births) are associated with which of the following?

A. increased interactions with their infants upon returning home

B. higher satisfaction with the birth experience

C. increased time required to bond with the infant

D. increased likelihood to breastfeed

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Medicalization of Reproductive Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

50. The fact that women experience more chronic physical health conditions than men, and men experience more life-threatening health conditions than women can be partially explained by what?

A. sex differences in political ideology

B. women’s tendency to lie about their health conditions

C. men’s lack of care for their physical health

D. sex differences in psychological disorders

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Medicalization of Reproductive Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Women outlive men in every country in the world.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender and Physical Health

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The gender gap in life expectancy has grown over the past century.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changes in Life Expectancy

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. The more that behavior contributes to a cause of death, the smaller the sex difference in rates of death from that cause.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: How Do Social Factors Contribute to Sex Disparities in Health?

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. The availability of treatments that greatly reduce the risk of dying from HIV-related causes may sometimes cause people to engage in riskier sex behaviors.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Accidents and Risky Sex

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. In most countries around the world, girls and women tend to be more physically active.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Physical Activity and Exercise

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. People who are more assertive tend to have fewer physical symptoms and better adjustment to illnesses than those who are lower in agency.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. In the United States, men and women are equally likely to seek medical care.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Accessing Health Care

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Women still outlive men even in gender-egalitarian cultures.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender-Egalitarian Communities and Health

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Well educated Black men are still more likely to die from homicide than the least educated White men.

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. For every one of the top causes of death in 2015 except Alzheimer’s disease, men died at higher rates than women.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Increased testosterone leads to more robust immune system responses.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hormonal Influences

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Actual health care–related discrimination is rare according to the experiences reported by transgender people seeking medical care.

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Research on telomeres, or DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, reveal that males’ telomeres shorten more quickly than females’ telomeres.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Genetic Factors

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. People of color in the United States are disproportionately likely to live in neighborhoods that lack accessible grocery stores.

Learning Objective: 12.3: Analyze the roles of race, social class, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality in physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. In the United States, women are more likely than men to be diagnosed and die from cancer.

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sex-Specific Medical Conditions

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Describe how having two X chromosomes may provide a healthy advantage to girls and women.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Genetic Factors

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Describe how implicit physician biases may impact women’s health specifically in the context of heart disease.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Receiving Health Care

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Briefly explain one physical health correlate for higher levels of estrogen and one for higher levels of testosterone.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hormonal Influences

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. How might norms related to masculinity affect the diets of men and women and what effects might this have upon physical health?

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Diet

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. How do communal and agentic traits relate to physical health? Provide examples of personality traits that have health benefits.

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Why might living in a gender-egalitarian society erase or reduce sex differences in longevity? To what extent is this actually the case?

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Gender-Egalitarian Communities and Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. What is meant by the “medicalization” of reproductive health? Describe how one aspect of women’s reproductive health may be impacted by medicalization.

Learning Objective: 12.4: Explain sex-specific health conditions and describe some of the consequences of medicalizing reproductive health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Medicalization of Reproductive Health

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. What is meant by the morbidity–mortality paradox and how we know it exists? Describe how both errors in self-report and gender role ideologies may or may not explain this paradox.

Learning Objective: 12.1: Describe the major causes of mortality for men and women and how they have changed over time.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Mortality (Death) and Morbidity (Sickness)

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Identify two sets of personality traits that research shows and predict physical health outcomes and discuss their outcomes. Describe how extreme versions of each of these sets of traits play a central role in physical health and how they contribute to health outcomes. To what extent do sex differences exist for extreme versions of these traits?

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Health-Relevant Traits: Ways That People Are

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Identify one genetic factor and one social factor that contribute toward sex differences in physical health. Describe evidence to support the influence of each factor that you identify. Overall, what conclusions can you draw about the relative contributions of biological and social factors to sex disparities in health?

Learning Objective: 12.2: Explain biological and social causes for sex differences in health and longevity.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: How Do Biological Factors Shape Sex Differences in Health? | How Do Social Factors Contribute to Sex Disparities in Health?

Difficulty Level: Medium