MCAT Psychology & Sociology - Exam
Questions With Verified Answers
Additional data from the first study described in the passage showed that compared to patients
in the other two clusters, those in cluster 2 were younger and had obtained higher educational
levels. This difference is best described as a difference in:
A. social class.
B. demographics.
C. social institutions.
D. material culture. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Which conclusion is NOT consistent with the results of the second study?
A. Genetics and psychological processes have largely separate effects on the development of
mental disorders.
B. Social status has a significant influence on mental health.
C. Psychological factors influence the relationship between genetics and mental health.
D. Psychological, biological, and environmental factors interact to influence the development of
mental disorders. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Lack of access to health care is an example of a social and environmental factor that can
contribute to biopsychosocial case complexity. Which theoretical approach would likely be
most useful for examining differential access to healthcare between social groups due to
differing levels of power and prestige?
A. Social constructionism
B. Symbolic interactionism
C. Functionalism
D. Conflict theory - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
,A follow-up study indicated that ER patients who had been admitted multiple times in the past
year, compared to those who had not, had lower levels of cultural knowledge that facilitates
belongingness in one's social context. Compared to the other patients, those patients with
multiple hospital admissions had lower:
A. intergenerational mobility.
B. cultural capital.
C. social capital.
D. socioeconomic status. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Based on the results of the two studies described in the passage, which of the following
interventions would likely be most effective in addressing mental health problems among
emergency room patients with high biopsychosocial case complexity?
A. Improving the participants social status
B. Directing treatment only at social factors
C. Restricting treatment to interventions in biological factors
D. Carrying out psychological interventions - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
Which of the following might be expected to increase the likelihood of bullying behavior?
A. Moving a child to a higher SES school
B. Expanding the social group of the child
C. Treating bullying as a social norm
D. Eliminating residential segregation - CORRECT ANSWERS -C
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be used by the government in determining SES status
scores of a schools neighborhood?
A. Income levels
B. Education levels
C. Unemployment rates
,D. Racial composition - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
A separate study found that children from low SES families are 350% more likely than their high
SES peers to have at least one parent who was also raised in low SES conditions. These findings
are consistent with the idea of:
A. meritocracy.
B. social reproduction.
C. cultural capital.
D. social capital. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Which of the following, if true, would be LEAST likely to introduce error to the findings of the
study presented in the passage?
A. Teachers over report bullying behavior of louder students.
B. Parents are experiencing relative poverty rather than absolute poverty.
C. Parents are experiencing absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
D. School districts have been re-zoned since the government determination of status scores. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -C
Measuring which of the following would likely be LEAST helpful to researchers who want to
assess the correlation between assimilation and immigrant health?
A. English language proficiency
B. Choice of occupation
C. Change in diet
D. Exposure to psychosocial stress, including racial and anti-immigrant discrimination -
CORRECT ANSWERS -B
All of the following could be plausible explanations of the paradox of the "healthy immigrant
effect" EXCEPT:
A. U.S. culture promotes healthy behaviors compared to the native cultures of the immigrant
studied.
, B. individuals who are more healthy and resilient are more likely to migrate.
C. immigrants who are older or unhealthy are more likely to return to their home country.
D. culturally specific healthy behaviors of immigrants are more influential on health outcomes
than conventional risk factors such as low socioeconomic status. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Which statement(s) is/are supported by the study presented in the passage regarding
treatment of HIV?
I. Hispanics are disproportionately at risk for HIV infection in the U.S.
II. Hispanics are significantly more likely to enter HIV care with advanced disease than people of
other races
III. Entry into HIV care late in the disease process results in worse clinical outcomes
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Suppose a later study finds that documented and undocumented Hispanics tend to live in
separate neighborhoods, and that neighborhood location is significantly associated with access
to health care resources. Which of the following conclusions is supported by this finding?
A. Differential health outcomes are partially due to documented vs. undocumented status.
B. Undocumented immigrants experience structural barriers to accessing healthcare.
C. Hispanics in the U.S. do not experience intragroup social inequality.
D. Spatial inequality contributes to differential health outcomes among Hispanic immigrants. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -D
According to the passage, second generation immigrants are more likely than first generation
immigrants to experience all of the following EXCEPT:
A. greater prestige.
Questions With Verified Answers
Additional data from the first study described in the passage showed that compared to patients
in the other two clusters, those in cluster 2 were younger and had obtained higher educational
levels. This difference is best described as a difference in:
A. social class.
B. demographics.
C. social institutions.
D. material culture. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Which conclusion is NOT consistent with the results of the second study?
A. Genetics and psychological processes have largely separate effects on the development of
mental disorders.
B. Social status has a significant influence on mental health.
C. Psychological factors influence the relationship between genetics and mental health.
D. Psychological, biological, and environmental factors interact to influence the development of
mental disorders. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Lack of access to health care is an example of a social and environmental factor that can
contribute to biopsychosocial case complexity. Which theoretical approach would likely be
most useful for examining differential access to healthcare between social groups due to
differing levels of power and prestige?
A. Social constructionism
B. Symbolic interactionism
C. Functionalism
D. Conflict theory - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
,A follow-up study indicated that ER patients who had been admitted multiple times in the past
year, compared to those who had not, had lower levels of cultural knowledge that facilitates
belongingness in one's social context. Compared to the other patients, those patients with
multiple hospital admissions had lower:
A. intergenerational mobility.
B. cultural capital.
C. social capital.
D. socioeconomic status. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Based on the results of the two studies described in the passage, which of the following
interventions would likely be most effective in addressing mental health problems among
emergency room patients with high biopsychosocial case complexity?
A. Improving the participants social status
B. Directing treatment only at social factors
C. Restricting treatment to interventions in biological factors
D. Carrying out psychological interventions - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
Which of the following might be expected to increase the likelihood of bullying behavior?
A. Moving a child to a higher SES school
B. Expanding the social group of the child
C. Treating bullying as a social norm
D. Eliminating residential segregation - CORRECT ANSWERS -C
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be used by the government in determining SES status
scores of a schools neighborhood?
A. Income levels
B. Education levels
C. Unemployment rates
,D. Racial composition - CORRECT ANSWERS -D
A separate study found that children from low SES families are 350% more likely than their high
SES peers to have at least one parent who was also raised in low SES conditions. These findings
are consistent with the idea of:
A. meritocracy.
B. social reproduction.
C. cultural capital.
D. social capital. - CORRECT ANSWERS -B
Which of the following, if true, would be LEAST likely to introduce error to the findings of the
study presented in the passage?
A. Teachers over report bullying behavior of louder students.
B. Parents are experiencing relative poverty rather than absolute poverty.
C. Parents are experiencing absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
D. School districts have been re-zoned since the government determination of status scores. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -C
Measuring which of the following would likely be LEAST helpful to researchers who want to
assess the correlation between assimilation and immigrant health?
A. English language proficiency
B. Choice of occupation
C. Change in diet
D. Exposure to psychosocial stress, including racial and anti-immigrant discrimination -
CORRECT ANSWERS -B
All of the following could be plausible explanations of the paradox of the "healthy immigrant
effect" EXCEPT:
A. U.S. culture promotes healthy behaviors compared to the native cultures of the immigrant
studied.
, B. individuals who are more healthy and resilient are more likely to migrate.
C. immigrants who are older or unhealthy are more likely to return to their home country.
D. culturally specific healthy behaviors of immigrants are more influential on health outcomes
than conventional risk factors such as low socioeconomic status. - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Which statement(s) is/are supported by the study presented in the passage regarding
treatment of HIV?
I. Hispanics are disproportionately at risk for HIV infection in the U.S.
II. Hispanics are significantly more likely to enter HIV care with advanced disease than people of
other races
III. Entry into HIV care late in the disease process results in worse clinical outcomes
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only - CORRECT ANSWERS -A
Suppose a later study finds that documented and undocumented Hispanics tend to live in
separate neighborhoods, and that neighborhood location is significantly associated with access
to health care resources. Which of the following conclusions is supported by this finding?
A. Differential health outcomes are partially due to documented vs. undocumented status.
B. Undocumented immigrants experience structural barriers to accessing healthcare.
C. Hispanics in the U.S. do not experience intragroup social inequality.
D. Spatial inequality contributes to differential health outcomes among Hispanic immigrants. -
CORRECT ANSWERS -D
According to the passage, second generation immigrants are more likely than first generation
immigrants to experience all of the following EXCEPT:
A. greater prestige.
