SOCIAL PROBLEMS, 8TH EDITION
MOONEY
CHAPTER ONE TEST BANK
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
All questions with a W are included on the website.
1. The objective element of a social problem
a. is the only thing social scientists are concerned with
b. refers to the existence of a social condition
c. is the only part that can be measured
d. is unimportant
ANS: b PG: 2 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup
2. Which of the following best illustrates the subjective element of a social problem?
a. U. S. Census statistics that show the percentage of the United States population who live
in poverty
b. reports that show the percentage of people who have lost their jobs due to the closing of
factories in the United States
c. the percentage of Americans who believe availability of child pornography on the Internet is
harmful to society
d. World Health Organization estimates of the number of people in the world who have died of
the AIDS virus in the last five years
e. news footage that shows injuries, deaths, and property damage from a terrorist bomb
ANS: c PG: 3 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
3. A social problem is a social condition that
a. interferes with the functioning of society.
b. results in conflict among various population segments of a society.
c. a segment of society views as harmful to members of society and in need of remedy.
d. everyone in a society agrees is problematic for the society.
ANS: c PG: 3 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
W 4. Definitions of social problems
a. are objectively defined.
b. vary across societies and over time.
c. are determined only by social structure.
d. are determined only by culture.
ANS: b PG: 3 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
5. Society’s structure is made up of
a. beliefs, values, statuses, and roles.
, .
b. institutions, social groups, norms, and symbols.
c. beliefs, values, norms, and symbols.
d. institutions, social groups, statuses, and roles.
ANS: d PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
6. Which of the following illustrates part of the social structure of a society?
a. the public educational system
b. the belief in God
c. the value of education
d. the belief that abortion should be illegal
ANS: a PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
7. Sociologists define an institution as
a. a general idea about what is important or desirable.
b. a building where people with special needs live and are cared for.
c. a collection of people who have something in common.
d. an established and enduring social pattern of social relationships.
ANS: d PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
8. Modern society includes the of science and technology, mass media, medicine, sports and the military.
a. social groups
b. institutions
c. statuses
d. roles
ANS: b PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
9. Which of the following is a group, according to the definition in your text?
a. all of the people in your favorite shopping mall at noon Saturday
b. people who usually watch NBC nightly news
c. your college sociology class
d. fans of the Yankee baseball team
ANS: c PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
10. Which of the following is more likely to be found in primary rather than secondary groups? a. task-
oriented actions
b. impersonal interaction
c. intimate relationships
d. formal statuses and roles
, ANS: c PG: 4 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
11. Which of the following illustrates a primary group?
a. a husband, wife, and child
b. your sociology class
c. the college or university you are attending