Deck 1: Exploring Gender: A Multi-Dimensional Approach

Question 1

To the greatest extent, our gendered selves are fundamentally shaped by:

A) the social world in which we live and interact
B) biological drives
C) chromosomes
D) it depends on our personalities

Answer 1

the social world in which we live and interact

Question 2

An individual's choice to curl her/his hair, pierce her/his ears or wear lipstick is primarily influenced by:

A) body type
B) societal expectations
C) personality type
D) parents

Answer 2

societal expectations

Question 3

Compared with initiation rites around the world, the Canadian practice of dividing children's clothing into "pink" and "blue" can be considered:

A) innocuous
B) equally powerful and potentially damaging
C) abusive
D) irrational

Answer 3

equally powerful and potentially damaging

Question 4

What is being highlighted when we use the term "gender" rather than "sex"?

A) the irrelevance of biological differences between human beings
B) the biological basis for the division of labour
C) the impossibility of challenging the subordinate position of women in society
D) the reality that many obstacles that women and men face result from cultural constraints

Question 5

Approximately what percent of human beings are born with genitalia rendering the determination of their "sex" problematic and/or ambiguous?

A) 0%
B) 1%
C) 4%
D) 24%

Question 6

What is the term for a person with ambiguous genitalia and/or who does not fit neatly into the categories of male or female?

A) intersexed
B) multi-sexed
C) androgynous
D) anatomically ambiguous

Question 7

The classic case of David Reimer offers evidence that

A) people's true biological sex is often at war with their assigned gender identity
B) nature always trumps nurture
C) nurture always trumps nature
D) we still do not fully understand the various contributions of nature and nurture to a person's gendered self

Question 8

In reference to a multi-dimensional approach to the study of gender, the authors of the text use an approach known as the _______ perspective.

A) interactional
B) socio-cultural
C) gender
D) institutional

Question 9

Which of the terms below stands for a society that is hierarchically organized, with males disproportionately dominating major social institutions?

A) apartheid
B) patriarchal
C) male-centric
D) male-identified

Question 10

__________________ is the name for the system in which some races of people are considered superior to others, and are afforded specific privileges.

A) Apartheid
B) Subliminal racism
C) Patriarchy
D) Heteronormativity

Question 11

In his book The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy, sociologist Allan Johnson argues that patriarchy is built on the ideology of male supremacy. What are the two core values that accompany and support such a system?

A) control and domination
B) vulnerability and fear
C) courage and valor
D) pride and prejudice

Question 12

When male anatomy is treated as the standard in medical discussions of the human body or when the term "reasonable man" is used in legal discourse in reference to any person, _______________ is being revealed.

A) male-identification
B) male-dominance
C) the masculine mystique
D) heteronormativity

Question 13

What is a parent doing when s/he raises a daughter to nurture others and a son to strive for success?

A) supporting what comes naturally
B) reproducing heteronormativity
C) recreating conventional gender patterns
D) challenging nurture

Question 14

How do contemporary sociologists generally view an individual's gender identity?

A) as a source of oppression and domination
B) as something that is determined by chromosomes
C) as something static and permanent
D) as something that is fluid and relational

Question 15

What widely accepted belief about gender was challenged in Joseph Pleck's classic text The Myth of Masculinity (1981)?

A) successful men and women develop appropriate sex role identities
B) successful men and women challenge social conventions
C) the masculine sex role identity is contradictory
D) gender is determined by sex

Question 16

In Am I a Woman? A Skeptic's Guide to Gender (2003), Cynthia Eller suggests that most of us:

A) live up to society's gender expectations
B) overtly challenge society's gender expectations
C) do not, in fact, live up to society's gender expectations
D) are indifferent about society's gender expectations

Question 17

When are we engaged in "doing" gender?

A) only during highly gendered activities
B) when we interact in mixed-gender company only
C) it depends upon the individual
D) every time we interact with other human beings

Question 18

The Canadian sociologist David Cheal (1989) conducted research on the gendered nature of the interactions that takes place during this type of social event:

A) traditional bridal showers
B) wedding ceremonies
C) sporting events
D) dinner parties

Question 19

What is the name for the form of masculinity that is performed by dominant cultural leaders and which oppresses those who do not conform to its standard?

A) tyrannical masculinity
B) hegemonic masculinity
C) domineering masculinity
D) denigrator masculinity

Question 20

The combination of features within this educational institution that create, maintain, and/or undermine specific gendered practices is its _________.

A) gender bias
B) gender ideology
C) gender regime
D) militarized gender system

Question 21

Briefly discuss how a gender perspective challenges the belief that "anatomy is destiny" .

Question 22

To what does the phrase "the social construction of gender" draw attention? .

Question 23

What can we learn about the social construction of sex and gender through responses to the phenomenon of "intersexuality"?

Question 24

Based on the case study, identify three aspects of David Reimer's young life as Brenda Reimer that likely contributed to the powerful feeling that there was something "wrong" with him .

Question 25

What are three major premise of the "gender perspective" paradigm?

Question 26

The case of Bruce Reimer "was a terrible example of what can result from a misunderstanding of sex and gender" . Develop an essay in which you critically discuss the statement above. Consider what we can learn about sex and gender, as a society, from this particular case.

Question 27

Some people would argue that the formal protection of persons from discrimination based on sex means that patriarchy does not exist in 21^st century Canada . Critically examine such a claim, drawing upon examples of formal leadership in one of the following institutional realms: religion, government, educational institutions, or business corporations.

Question 28

Develop an essay in which you discuss the advantages of a multi-dimensional approach to the study of single-sex schooling . Identify the advantages and disadvantages underlying such an approach.