Deck 12: Aging and Inequality Based on Age

Question 1

The median age for Americans in 2010 was:

A) 30.3
B) 36.8
C) 42.5
D) 48.3

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The age at which one-half the people in a population are younger and the other half are older is referred to as the __________ age of that population.

A) mean
B) modal
C) median
D) standard

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The increase in the number of older people living in the United States and other high-income nations resulted from an increase in life expectancy (greater longevity) combined with:

A) low mortality rates
B) a decrease in birth rates
C) a stabilizing of birth rates
D) low crime rates

Answer 3

B

Question 4

As they age,men are believed to become more __________,and women are thought to become more __________.

A) distinguished; grandmotherly
B) helpless; powerful
C) active; passive
D) mentally depressed; physically active

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an American trend in aging between 1980 and 2010?

A) The population over age 85 has remained relatively stable.
B) The median age has increased by six years.
C) The number of persons age 65 and over has increased significantly.
D) More people are living longer.

Question 6

Almost __________ of the people living in the high-income countries today are expected to survive to age 65.

A) 75 percent
B) 80 percent
C) 85 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 7

If we say that all Americans who were born in the year 1954 will,on average,live to the age of 75,we are using a criterion called:

A) life chances
B) life opportunities
C) life projection
D) life expectancy

Question 8

When people say "Act your age," they are referring to __________ age- a person's age based on date of birth.

A) functional
B) normative
C) chronological
D) sequential

Question 9

__________ refers to observable individual attributes,such as physical appearance,mobility,strength,coordination,and mental capacity,that are used to assign people to age categories.

A) Sequential age
B) Chronological age
C) Normative age
D) Functional age

Question 10

Based on the death rates in the year of birth,life expectancy shows the average length of life of a(n) __________-a group of people born within a specified period of time.

A) associate
B) consociate
C) cohort
D) partisan

Question 11

If we say that somebody is getting gray hair,wrinkled skin,and is becoming forgetful,we are using which age criterion?

A) chronological
B) functional
C) sequential
D) normative

Question 12

__________ is/are the average number of years that a group of people born in the same year could expect to live.

A) Life projection
B) Life opportunities
C) Life expectancy
D) Life chances

Question 13

The text defines aging as:

A) the social process of becoming elderly
B) the physical, psychological, and social processes associated with growing older
C) the physical aspects of getting old
D) the psychosocial aspects of getting old

Question 14

For the cohort born in 2010,life expectancy at birth was __________ years for the overall U.S.population.

A) 78.1
B) 60.3
C) 87.8
D) 90.9

Question 15

When feminist scholars state that functional age is subjective for men and women,they mean that:

A) women and men age in a similar fashion
B) women and men are evaluated differently
C) men and women are defined about evenly
D) society evaluates men and women using the same standards

Question 16

People born between 1946 and 1964 are commonly referred to as:

A) World War II baby products
B) Baby Boomers
C) Cold War baby explosion
D) population dynamics

Question 17

If we say that someone turns 40 years of age on August 21st,we are using which age criterion?

A) normative
B) functional
C) chronological
D) sequential

Question 18

There are significant racial-ethnic and sex differences in life expectancy.The average life expectancy in 2000 for white males is __________ as compared to black males,which is __________.

A) 74.8; 68.9
B) 60.4; 75.6
C) 50.5; 67.9
D) 67.9; 74.2

Question 19

In low-income countries such as Zambia,Uganda,and Rwanda,nearly half of the total population in each nation is not expected to survive to age __________.

A) 40
B) 50
C) 60
D) 70

Question 20

Visible characteristics,such as youthful appearance or gray hair and wrinkled skin,may become our criteria for determining whether someone is "young" or "old." According to historian Lois Banner,"__________,more than any other factor,has occasioned the objectification of aging."

A) mental capacity
B) mobility
C) coordination
D) appearance

Question 21

The age pyramid that depicts the current distribution of the U.S.population can best be described as:

A) a perfect pyramid
B) a pyramid that is too large at the base because of an increase in birth rates
C) a pyramid that bulges in the middle because of the Baby Boomers and is smaller at the base because of declining birth rates among post?Baby Boomers
D) an inverse pyramid that is larger at the top than at the bottom

Question 22

__________ is the study of the nonphysical aspects of aging,including such topics as the societal consequences of an aging population and the personal experience of aging.

A) Social gerontology
B) Cultural gerontology
C) Community gerontology
D) Associate gerontology

Question 23

There are significant racial-ethnic and sex differences in life expectancy.The average life expectancy in 2000 for white females is __________ as compared to black females,which is __________.

A) 80.4; 75.6
B) 75.6; 80.4
C) 74.2; 79.9
D) 68.9; 67.9

Question 24

In __________ societies,farming makes it possible for more people to live to adulthood and to more advanced years.In these societies,the proportion of older people living with other family members is extremely high,with few elderly living alone.

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural
C) pastoral
D) agrarian

Question 25

__________ is the number of persons of each age level within the society.

A) Age structure
B) Role structure
C) Age stratification
D) Role differentiation

Question 26

Middle adulthood refers to people between the ages of:

A) 30 and 50
B) 40 and 55
C) 40 and 65
D) 55 and 70

Question 27

__________ refers to inequalities,differences,segregation,or conflict between age groups.

A) Social stratification
B) Gerontology
C) Age socialization
D) Age stratification

Question 28

In the past it was widely assumed that older people in Japan were respected and revered; changes in the culture are evident when looking at living arrangements.Among individuals age 65 and over,the number of three-generation households has declined from 70 percent in 1980 to __________ in 2008.

A) 65
B) 20
C) 50
D) 44

Question 29

Young adulthood follows adolescence and lasts to about age:

A) 25
B) 30
C) 39
D) 45

Question 30

During middle adulthood,women undergo __________-the cessation of the menstrual cycle caused by a gradual decline in the body's production of the "female" hormones of estrogen and progesterone.

A) menarche
B) menopause
C) menstrual projection
D) climacteric

Question 31

__________ is the number and type of positions available to a specific age level of people within a society.

A) Age structure
B) Role differentiation
C) Age stratification
D) Role structure

Question 32

In the eyes of contemporary western society,children are often:

A) an economic liability
B) lacking in necessary skills for many roles of society
C) required to stay in school to learn the necessary skills for future employment
D) all of the above

Question 33

As people progress through middle adulthood,they experience __________ (primary aging) in the form of molecular and cellular changes in the body.Wrinkles and gray hair are visible signs and less visible signs include arthritis and a gradual dulling of the senses of taste,smell,touch,and vision.

A) incongruence
B) senescence
C) incontinence
D) elderliness

Question 34

Which of the following statements regarding age in historical perspective is TRUE?

A) The concept of "childhood" has remained largely unchanged over the past two hundred years.
B) Young people are considered to be "little adults" in societies that need their physical labor.
C) In the United States, older individuals always have been devalued because they were unable to help with the work.
D) For several centuries, the age continuum has been divided into infants and toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults.

Question 35

The text points out that young adulthood in the U.S.is the time when:

A) people are expected to marry, get a job, and have children
B) people are expected to marry, but continue their education
C) people experience great bodily change
D) chronic illness sets in

Question 36

During middle adulthood,men undergo a __________,in which the production of the "male" hormone testosterone decreases.

A) menopause
B) spermarche
C) pinnacle
D) climacteric

Question 37

The text points out that,in modern western societies,adolescence:

A) is a period in which the individual is still allowed to act "childish"
B) is a time when young people are expected to continue their education and perhaps hold a part-time job
C) is a time when young men and women are not expected to hold a job while they go to school
D) is a period in which the individual is accorded adult status

Question 38

One of the fastest growing segments of the U.S.population is made up of __________.This cohort is expected to almost double in size between 2000 and 2025.

A) teenagers
B) those between ages 25-35
C) those between ages 45-55
D) those age 85 and over

Question 39

The older population in Japan increased significantly over the past 40 years,and people age 65 and over now make up over one-fifth of the population.If the present trend continues in Japan,about ____________ of the total population will be age 65 and over by 2030.

A) one-half
B) one-third
C) one-fourth
D) two-quarters

Question 40

As a result of changing population trends,research on aging has grown dramatically in the past 50 years.__________ is the study of aging and older people.

A) Ethnomethodology
B) Gerontology
C) Ethnology
D) Anthropology

Question 41

Based on your text,which of the following statements regarding ageism and stereotypes is FALSE?

A) Ageism is reinforced by stereotypes that present one?sided and exaggerated images of older people.
B) The media recently have made significant contributions toward positive images of older persons.
C) Most older persons who appear on television are male.
D) Women often are stereotyped as "old" 10 or 15 years sooner than men.

Question 42

__________ are certain benefit payments paid by the government,which include Social Security,Supplemental Social Income (SSI),Medicare,Medicaid,and civil service pensions,which are the primary source of income for many persons over age 65.

A) Transfer payments
B) Entitlements
C) Government handouts
D) Deficit programs

Question 43

Joyce has been the evening news anchor at the local television station for the past 10 years; recently,she was transferred to another,less visible position.Although station executives deny that there is any connection,Joyce believes that she was transferred because of her advancing age.Her experience best illustrates:

A) elderism
B) ageism
C) age stratification
D) age differentiation

Question 44

Social security is especially important for women,who constitute __________ percent of Social Security beneficiaries age 62 and older and __________ percent of beneficiaries age 85 and older.

A) 10; 20
B) 56; 68
C) 75; 95
D) 15; 25

Question 45

In regard to older persons,which of the following was NOT mentioned in your text?

A) An estimated 5.2 million people age 65 and over have Alzheimer's disease.
B) Women account for almost two-thirds of all people living with Alzheimer's in the U.S.
C) About 65 percent of people over 65 live in nursing homes.
D) Although older people experience some decline in strength and other physical capabilities, much of that decline does not result from the aging process.

Question 46

About 55 percent of all organic mental disorders in the older population are caused by:

A) Alzheimer's disease
B) functional psychoses
C) senility
D) neurotic antecedents

Question 47

According to the text's discussion of wealth,poverty,and aging:

A) older persons are getting richer at the expense of younger persons
B) older persons tend to have less wealth but more income than younger people
C) older persons tend to have more wealth but less income than younger people
D) about 30 percent of all persons over age 65 live in poverty

Question 48

All of the following are categories into which gerontologists subdivide late adulthood EXCEPT:

A) the "young-old"
B) the "middle-old"
C) the "old-old"
D) the "oldest-old"

Question 49

There are differences in age,gender,and inequality.According to your text:

A) there are several cultural factors that have led women over the age of 70 to be at greater risk for poverty
B) women have a lower risk of poverty in their later years
C) women tend to marry men who are younger than themselves
D) race/ethnicity is more directly related to poverty in older persons than was gender

Question 50

On a positive note,__________ for some people represents the time during which they have the highest levels of income and prestige.

A) young adulthood
B) middle adulthood
C) late adulthood
D) late?late adulthood

Question 51

Late adulthood is generally considered to begin at age:

A) 50
B) 60
C) 65
D) 75

Question 52

The physical and psychological changes that come with increasing age can cause stress.According to psychologist Erik Erikson,older people must resolve a tension of "__________."

A) age versus beauty
B) integrity versus despair
C) accomplishment versus disappointment
D) activity versus disengagement

Question 53

Stereotypes regarding older persons reinforce __________,which is the prejudice and discrimination against people on the basis of age,particularly against older persons.

A) age stratification
B) elderism
C) ageism
D) age differentiation

Question 54

Among older persons,a wider range of assets and income is seen than in other age categories.On the other hand,almost __________ percent of all people over 65 live in poverty.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20

Question 55

Many older people resist ageism by continuing to view themselves as being in middle adulthood long after their chronological age would suggest otherwise.In a study of people age 60 and over,__________ percent of the respondents stated that they thought of themselves as middle-aged and only 10 percent viewed themselves as being old.

A) 50
B) 75
C) 25
D) 15

Question 56

Many older people resist ageism by continuing to view themselves as being in middle adulthood long after their chronological age would suggest otherwise.Even at age 80:

A) one out of four men and one out of five women said that the word old did not apply to them
B) achieving inner harmony requires refusing to accept past disappointments and living as if you were 20 years younger
C) the individual's own reaction to aging is the primary factor in age discrimination
D) most refuse to stop driving

Question 57

Older people must accept that the life cycle is inevitable; that their lives are nearing an end,and that achieving inner harmony requires accepting both one's past accomplishments and past disappointments.This is reflective of psychologist Erik Erikson's stage of:

A) age versus beauty
B) activity versus disengagement
C) stagnation versus autonomy
D) integrity versus despair

Question 58

According to the text,retirement:

A) involves the institutionalized separation of a person from an occupational position
B) means the end of all income other than entitlement programs such as Social Security
C) is a very positive status for most people who seldom refer to their former occupational status
D) generally occurs at about age 55

Question 59

__________ of all people over age 65 in the United States draw Social Security benefits.

A) Seventy-five percent
B) Eighty percent
C) Eighty-five percent
D) Ninety percent

Question 60

When social scientist William Levin showed photographs of the same man (disguised to appear as ages 25,52,and 73 in various photos) to a group of college students and asked them to evaluate these (apparently different) men for employment,many of the students viewed the:

A) "25?year?old" as less competent, less intelligent, and less reliable
B) "52?year?old" as less competent, less intelligent, and less reliable
C) "73?year?old" as less competent, less intelligent, and less reliable
D) study as unacceptable because they knew that competence, intelligence and reliability could not be measured by age

Question 61

Some studies have found that about __________ percent of all older
Native Americans live in poverty.

A) 20
B) 30
C) 40
D) 50

Question 62

Without Social Security benefits,almost __________ of all elderly Americans (13 million people) would fall below the official poverty line.

A) one-tenth
B) one-third
C) half
D) one-fifth

Question 63

There are about 16,000 nursing homes that operate in the United States,with a total of more than __________ million beds and __________ million residents.

A) 8; 2
B) 4; 1
C) 1.7; 1.4
D) 5.2; 5.1

Question 64

In regard to age,race/ethnicity,and poverty,the text notes that in 2010:

A) a higher percentage of Latino/as reported poverty?level incomes than did African Americans or whites
B) a higher percentage of whites (non?Latino/as) reported poverty?level incomes than did African Americans
C) a higher percentage of whites (non?Latino/as) reported poverty?level incomes than did Latino/as
D) a higher percentage of African Americans reported poverty?level incomes than did whites (non?Latino/as) or Latino/as

Question 65

Elder abuse includes all of the following types EXCEPT:

A) psychological abuse
B) financial abuse
C) psychic abuse
D) physical abuse

Question 66

According to the text's discussion of aging in the future,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Some analysts suggest that entitlement benefits for older persons and others will leave the government with no money for anything else.
B) The increasing U.S. birth rate will help the older population because there will be more taxpayers to support persons who are retired and living on Social Security benefits.
C) Many issues of interest to older persons will be the topics of political debates that continue into the twenty-first century.
D) Women may face triple workdays if they attempt to combine working full-time with caring for their children and assisting older relatives or persons with disabilities.

Question 67

Poverty rates are elevated for Latino elderly groups in the United States.Even though this population only makes up seven percent of the population,they account for __________ percent of older Americans in poverty.

A) 19
B) 65
C) 7
D) 10

Question 68

Which of the following statements regarding elder abuse is FALSE?

A) Dependency on the part of the older person often leads to elder abuse.
B) Abusers tend to be dependent on the older person for financial support and housing.
C) Elder abuse tends to be concentrated among those over age 75
D) Most victims of elder abuse are white, middle? to lower?middle class Protestant women who suffer from some form of impairment.

Question 69

Some older adults remain in the residence where they have lived for many
Years,a process that gerontologists refer to as __________.Remaining
In a person's customary residence is a symbol that he or she is able to
Maintain independence and preserve ties to his or her neighborhood and
Surrounding community.

A) aging in time
B) aging in space
C) aging in residence
D) aging in place

Question 70

The primary reason for the lower income status of many older African Americans can be traced to all the following factors EXCEPT:

A) patterns of limited employment opportunities
B) concentration in secondary-sector jobs
C) concentration in jobs that have few benefits and not covered by Social Security prior to the 1950s
D) concentration in primary-sector jobs

Question 71

Although African Americans constitute only about 9 percent of the population age 65 and over,they account for __________ of the low-income older population.

A) 13 percent
B) 18 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 37 percent

Question 72

Research findings regarding the mental health of older Native Americans indicate:

A) low rates of depression
B) high rates of alcoholism and other drug abuse
C) average suicide rates
D) high rates of chronic diseases

Question 73

According to the text,the reason that many Asian Americans,particularly Chinese American elders,do not exploit physical and mental health services that are available to them is/are:

A) traditional healing practices
B) their ethnic background prevents them from taking advantage of them
C) they have their own mutual aid and benevolent societies
D) all of the above are reasons that many Asians do not exploit available health services

Question 74

According to your text,poverty among older African Americans may be attributed to:

A) lack of support from children and grandchildren
B) a lack of earning power brought about by segregated schools and overt patterns of job discrimination in their early years
C) cuts in government assistance programs
D) spending patterns in young? and middle?adulthood

Question 75

A 66-year-old woman is exploited financially by a bogus company purporting to replace the siding on her home.According to the text,the actions by this company may best be characterized as:

A) a misdemeanor
B) elder abuse
C) embezzlement
D) corporate crime

Question 76

According to the text,nursing homes:

A) are the most restrictive environment for older persons
B) have been set up to care for younger persons with disabilities such as head and spinal cord injuries as well as frail, older persons
C) typically have more male residents than female residents because men can better afford such facilities
D) have few residents with chronic illnesses

Question 77

Rural elders,as compared with older urban residents,typically have:

A) higher incomes
B) a higher rate of poverty
C) more years of schooling
D) better overall health

Question 78

High rates of poverty among older Latino/as are associated with:

A) poor health conditions
B) lack of regular care by a physician
C) fewer trips to the hospital for medical treatment
D) all of the above

Question 79

Medicare is a nationwide health care program for persons age 65 and older who are covered by Social Security or:
A) who are widowed

A) women and children that fall under the poverty line
B) under 65 but unemployed
D) who are eligible to "buy into" the program by paying a monthly premium

Question 80

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse,as many as __________ older people in the United States are the victims of physical or mental abuse each year.

A) 1.6 million
B) 3.5 million
C) 7.3 million
D) 9.7 million