Quiz 22: Technology and the Global Environment
Sociology
Q 1Q 1
Brym and Lie argue that many people (including many sociologists)woke up to the fact that technological advance is not always beneficial when:
A)a series of widely publicized technological disasters took place in the 1970s and 1980s
B)the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945
C)the environmental movement became popular in the 1990s
D)global warming became a well-known danger in the 1990s
E)the atom bomb of 1945 followed by technological disasters of the 1970s and 1980s
Free
Multiple Choice
E
Q 2Q 2
In the mid-1980s,sociologist Charles Perrow coined the term:
A)risk society
B)normal accident
C)technopoly
D)technological determinism
E)environmentalism
Free
Multiple Choice
B
Q 3Q 3
A risk society is a society in which:
A)nearly all people engage in risky behavior
B)young people tend to engage in risky behavior
C)technology distributes danger among all categories of the population
D)the risks of technology outweigh the benefits
E)the benefits of technology outweigh the risks
Free
Multiple Choice
C
Q 4Q 4
Technological determinism is the view that:
A)people determine the shape and direction of technological change
B)technology determines the shape and direction of history
C)technology and people make history
D)neither technology nor people make history
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 5Q 5
The world leader in scientific research,publications,and elite achievements is:
A)Japan
B)Germany
C)Russia
D)the United States
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 6Q 6
Who first argued that technologies are invented in clusters?
A)Kropotkin
B)Vygotsky
C)Kondratiev
D)Khatchaturian
E)Fuller
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 7Q 7
Technology transforms society,but it is under human control because:
A)nowadays humans always build safeguards into new technologies
B)human needs help to shape technological growth
C)technology is based on rational rather than emotional understandings of nature
D)human interests are always weighed against ecological interests
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 8Q 8
Increasingly,technological development has come under the influence of ____.
A)great creative geniuses
B)multinational corporations
C)national governments
D)scientists
E)multinational corporations and national governments
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 9Q 9
Which of the following is the main negative consequence of technological development?
A)decreasing social inequality
B)decreasing living standards
C)growing worker autonomy
D)widespread environmental degradation
E)increasing public ignorance of science
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 10Q 10
Which of the following groups have to discover and promote environmental issues if they are to be turned into social problems?
A)policy-oriented scientists
B)the environmental movement
C)the mass media
D)respected organizations and institutions
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 11Q 11
Which groups in American society experience more environmental risks than the average?
A)the poor
B)the young
C)urban dwellers
D)rural dwellers
E)the elderly
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 12Q 12
The application of scientific principles to the improvement of human life is called:
A)the matrix
B)technology
C)normal accidents
D)social improvements
E)the risk society
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 13Q 13
Brym and Lie call the period when the great majority of people thought technology produces only progress and tangible benefits:
A)the era of naïve optimism
B)the era of rationality
C)the era of peace
D)the era of cooperation
E)the scientific era
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 14Q 14
According to Brym and Lie,during "the era of naïve optimism" people regarded scientists:
A)as having ulterior motives for their work
B)as being under the control of big corporations and big government
C)as a sort of priesthood whose objectivity allowed them to stand outside the everyday world and perform near-magical acts
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 15Q 15
The Matrix depicts a world where information technology and the representation of reality have become:
A)unimportant
B)more real than reality
C)an illusion
D)extensions of the physical world
E)extensions of the mental world
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 16Q 16
In 2000,____ of Americans agreed or felt neutral that science and technology do more good than harm.
A)20%
B)30%
C)50%
D)60%
E)70%
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 17Q 17
Which of the following events changed the way that many people look at technology and technological advancement?
A)the outbreak of "Legionnaires Disease"
B)leakage of dangerous and toxic chemicals at Love Canal
C)the Three Mile Island nuclear accident
D)the running aground of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound,Alaska
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 18Q 18
The idea that the complexities of modern technology ensure that all modern technology will inevitably fail is recognized by the term ____.
A)the matrix syndrome
B)technological determinism
C)normal accident
D)risk society
E)technopoly
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 19Q 19
The sociologist who is associated with the term "normal accidents" is:
A)Robert Oppenheimer
B)Karl Marx
C)Ulrich Beck
D)Charles Perrow
E)Neil Postman
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 20Q 20
When your computer crashes it is an illustration of:
A)the matrix syndrome
B)technological limitations
C)technological determinism
D)a normal accident
E)a risk society
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 21Q 21
The idea that contemporary society distributes risk among all categories of the population is associated with which of the following terms?
A)the matrix syndrome
B)technological determinism
C)normal accidents
D)technopoly
E)risk society
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 22Q 22
In a risk society,danger does not result from technological accidents alone.It is also due to increasing:
A)political threats
B)economic threats
C)environmental threats
D)criminal threats
E)terrorist threats
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 23Q 23
According to Ulrich Beck,environmental threats are more widespread,chronic,and ambiguous than technological accidents.This makes environmental threats more:
A)stressful
B)predictable
C)manageable
D)organizational
E)risky
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 24Q 24
The idea that the United States is the first country in which technology has taken control of culture is known as:
A)the matrix syndrome
B)technopoly
C)technological determinism
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 25Q 25
Who argued that the United States is the first country in which technology has taken control of culture?
A)Robert Oppenheimer
B)Karl Marx
C)Ulrich Beck
D)Charles Perrow
E)Neil Postman
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 26Q 26
Neil Postman calls a society in which people use technology instead of morality to solve all problems a ____.
A)risk society
B)technological nightmare
C)risk society
D)technopoly
E)postmodern society
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 27Q 27
The belief that technology is the major force shaping human society and history is called:
A)technopoly
B)risk society
C)normal accidents
D)technological determinism
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 28Q 28
The Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev noted that technologies are invented in clusters.Moreover,he noted that such flurries of creativity cause major economic growth spurts about ____ years later and have a lasting influence for ____ years.
A)1-2; 5-15
B)10-20; 25-35
C)30-40; 35-55
D)40-50; 40-50
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 29Q 29
The steam engine and the computer did not become major forces in society until:
A)they were mass-produced in the United States
B)they were invented
C)they were perfected
D)the Japanese mass-produced them
E)they were coupled with an urgent social need
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 30Q 30
Mass-producing cars,sending a man to the moon,and other technology feats in the 1900s required:
A)enormous capital investment
B)detailed attention to the way work is organized
C)many technical experts
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 31Q 31
Thomas Edison was able to create his inventions due to:
A)his personal genius and commitment
B)the work of expensive team efforts
C)the support of large corporations such as General Electric
D)federal government support
E)his personal genius and commitment combined with expensive team efforts
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 32Q 32
By the 1950s,most technological innovations were organized along:
A)craft lines
B)geographical divisions
C)by the interests of likeminded individuals
D)an industrial model
E)a postindustrial model
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 33Q 33
The era of big science and big technology was reached by the time:
A)the electric light bulb was created
B)the automobile came into existence
C)the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
D)the diesel engine was invented
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 34Q 34
After the 1940s,only the government and giant multinational corporations could sponsor most technological innovation because:
A)only they could afford to sustain the research efforts
B)only they had the patents to develop sophisticated technology
C)only they had the public support to create technology
D)only they had the interest in creating new products and technology
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 35Q 35
The United States had fewer than 10,000 research scientists before World War I.Today,it has:
A)less than 10,000 because of the reliance on computers
B)more than a million
C)just over 100,000
D)more than 10 million
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 36Q 36
In 1997,American research and development spending reached over $200 billion dollars,up from over $74 billion in 1960.During that same period the proportion of research and development spending by government:
A)rose from 33% of the total to 65%
B)stayed approximately the same: 33%
C)fell from 66% of the total to 33%
D)stayed approximately the same: 65%
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 37Q 37
Large multinational corporations now routinely invest enormous sums in research and development to increase their chance of being the first to bring innovations to market.Therefore,the time lag between new discoveries and technological application:
A)is shrinking
B)is increasing
C)is remaining the same
D)is unknown
E)depends on the technological application
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 38Q 38
Which ideals govern the direction of most technological research and development?
A)human improvement
B)planetary improvement
C)conflict management
D)global sustainability
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 39Q 39
What ideals govern the direction of most technological research and development?
A)human improvement
B)planetary improvement
C)military considerations
D)profit making concerns
E)both military and profit making concerns
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 40Q 40
According to Brym and Lie,access to large research grants,well-paying jobs,expensive state-of-the-art equipment,and the possibility of winning patents and achieving commercial success:
A)make scientific research less complicated now than it was just a decade ago
B)have little or no effect of the kind of research that scientists do
C)help to define the kind of research that scientists do
D)are far less important than individual interests,personal creativity,and the state of a field's intellectual development in defining the kind of research that scientists do
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 41Q 41
Which of the following is an environmental side effect of technology?
A)global warming
B)industrial pollution
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)genetic pollution
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 42Q 42
The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the air allows more solar radiation to enter the atmosphere and less heat to escape.This is known as:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial pollution
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)the greenhouse effect
E)the decline of biodiversity
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 43Q 43
A gradual increase in the world's average surface temperature is known as:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial pollution
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)global warming
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 44Q 44
Many scientists believe global warming is already producing serious climate change.As temperatures rise:
A)more water evaporates
B)there is more soil erosion
C)there is less cultivable land to grow food on
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 45Q 45
The emission of various impurities into the air,water,and soil due to industrial processes are called:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial pollution
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)global warming
E)greenhouse effect
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 46Q 46
For the 17 days of the Olympics,Atlanta closed its downtown to cars and operated public transit around the clock.As a result:
A)the performance of Olympic athletes improved
B)the performance of Olympic athletes was impaired
C)asthma attacks among children in the Atlanta area plummeted
D)global warming increased
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 47Q 47
A form of precipitation whose acidity eats away at,and may eventually destroy,forests and the ecosystems of lakes is known as:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial waste
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)acid rain
E)ozone destruction
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 48Q 48
A form of oxygen that blocks ultraviolet radiation from the sun is called:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial waste
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)acid rain
E)ozone
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 49Q 49
The enormous variety of plant and animal species inhabiting the earth is called:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial waste
C)biodiversity
D)acid rain
E)ozone destruction
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 50Q 50
According to research,about ____ species are becoming extinct annually?
A)100
B)500
C)750
D)1,000
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 51Q 51
The health risks and ecological dangers that may arise from artificially splicing genes together are called:
A)genetic pollution
B)industrial waste
C)the decline of biodiversity
D)acid rain
E)ozone destruction
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 52Q 52
A technique developed by molecular biologists in the last few decades that involves joining bits of DNA from a donor to the DNA of a host is called:
A)biodiversity
B)recombinant DNA
C)reorganized DNA
D)research DNA
E)malleable DNA
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 53Q 53
When a nonnative organism enters a new environment it can:
A)adapt without a problem
B)destroy native organisms
C)revert to an older organismic form
D)destroy native organisms and revert to an older form
E)adapt without a problem and destroy native organisms
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 54Q 54
One of the serious concerns in using genetically engineered food and organisms is that:
A)we cannot predict the exact environmental consequences
B)we can predict only the positive environmental consequences
C)genetic manipulation will be too popular to keep up with demand
D)b and c
E)a and c
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 55Q 55
Because some scientists,industrial interests,and politicians dispute the existence of environmental threats:
A)members of the public usually turn to non-biased research reports
B)few members of the public hold opinions about environmental problems
C)the public began to question whether environmental issues are in fact real social problems
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 56Q 56
Global warming became a social problem when:
A)it became big news
B)the environmental movement gave new legitimacy and momentum to research on global warming
C)respected and influential scientists promoted the issue
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 57Q 57
Why do news reporters often publicize tornado disasters that strike trailer parks?
A)because the metal attracts tornados
B)because trailers usually suffer more damage than other types of dwellings and therefore make a more sensational story
C)because news reporters are drawn to stories of affirmation
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 58Q 58
When disaster strikes,economically and politically disadvantaged people tend to:
A)suffer to the same degree as advantaged people
B)rarely suffer because they have less to lose than advantaged people
C)suffer more the advantaged people because they are more vulnerable
D)avoid having their situations reported in the media
E)rush to the mass media to air their grievances
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 59Q 59
According to Brym and Lie,the advantaged often:
A)try to protect the disadvantaged in society because they are vulnerable
B)put the disadvantaged in harm's way to avoid risk themselves
C)advertise the situations of the unfortunate to mobilize support on their behalf
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 60Q 60
Oil refineries,chemical plants,toxic dumps,garbage incinerators,and other environmentally dangerous installations are most likely to be built in:
A)rich communities
B)middle-lass communities
C)poor communities
D)suburban communities
E)exurban communities
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 61Q 61
Why are environmentally dangerous installations most likely to be built in poor communities with a high percentage of African Americans and Hispanic Americans?
A)disadvantaged people are often too politically weak to oppose such facilities
B)the job opportunities afforded by such installations may appear attractive to them
C)both of these choices
D)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 62Q 62
The tendency to heap environmental dangers on disadvantaged racial minorities is called:
A)environmental dumping
B)community pollution
C)environmental racism
D)ecological prejudice
E)racist environmentalism
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 63Q 63
The 75-mile strip along the lower Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is nicknamed "Cancer Alley" because the region suffers from a disproportionately high rate of cancer.The majority of the people who like in this area are racial minorities.This is an example of:
A)environmental dumping
B)community pollution
C)environmental racism
D)ecological prejudice
E)racist environmentalism
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 64Q 64
The underprivileged countries of the world face ____ environmental dangers compared to the privileged countries.
A)more
B)less
C)the same level of
D)an unknown level of
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 65Q 65
On average,people in the less developed countries are ____ concerned about the environment than (as)people in rich countries.
A)more
B)less
C)as
D)much less
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 66Q 66
Which countries are responsible for most of the world's environmental damage?
A)poor countries
B)rich countries
C)semideveloped (semiperipheral)countries
D)all countries are equally responsible
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 67Q 67
The richest fifth of humanity now earns about ____ more than the poorest fifth.
A)20 times
B)40 times
C)60 times
D)80 times
E)100 times
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 68Q 68
The United States has less than ____% of the world's population and uses about ____% of the world's resources.
A)20%; 50%
B)15%; 40%
C)10%; 30%
D)5%; 25%
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 69Q 69
Biopiracy is the term sometimes used to refer to:
A)the use of recombinant DNA by large multinational corporations that dominate the pharmaceutical,seed,and agrochemical industries
B)genetic pollution
C)the theft of patents by environmentalists
D)the patenting of naturally occurring DNA by large multinational corporations that dominate the pharmaceutical,seed,and agrochemical industries
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 70Q 70
According to Brym and Lie,the possibility of genetically programming babies to have extraordinary intellectual and physical potential is likely to:
A)speed up and improve the slow and imperfect process of natural evolution
B)be enjoyed only by the well to do
C)introduce an era of increased social inequality and low mobility
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 71Q 71
Which of the following are among the advantages of web-based education?
A)portability
B)ease of use
C)students can learn at their own speed
D)students can learn in their own style
E)all of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 72Q 72
Some analysts believe the market and high technology will solve environmental problems.Which issues suggest that this is NOT the case?
A)the operation of imperfect price signals
B)the continuing importance of political pressure in prompting action on environmental issues
C)the slow pace of change
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 73Q 73
Which of the following are some of the disadvantages of web-based learning?
A)it makes it difficult to control the quality of education
B)dropout rates are higher for distance education courses
C)distance education is likely to spread primarily among low-cost,low-status institutions
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 74Q 74
The price of many commodities does not reflect their actual cost to society.This illustrates:
A)the operation of imperfect price signals
B)the importance of political pressure in prompting action on environmental issues
C)the slow pace of change
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 75Q 75
The ____ cost of a commodity is the total cost to produce the product and to resolve any environmental damage caused by using the product.
A)market
B)social
C)total
D)true
E)regulated
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 76Q 76
The anti-nuclear movement is an example of a movement that forced a change in government and corporate policy.Its success illustrates:
A)imperfect price signals
B)the importance of political pressure in prompting action on environmental issues
C)the slow pace of change
D)the rapid pace of change
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 77Q 77
The ability of the market and high technology to respond effectively to environmental issues is illustrated by:
A)the "green revolution" of the 1960s
B)the introduction of diesel-electric hybrid cars by General Motors and Ford
C)the decline in industrial pollution in the United States between 1990 and 1999
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 78Q 78
Surveys suggest that most members of the American public:
A)are not well aware of environmental issues
B)think they can do little about environmental problems
C)believe that governments should not pass more laws to protect the environment
D)are not willing to pay much higher taxes to protect the environment
E)are willing to pay much higher prices to protect the environment
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 79Q 79
Brym and Lie argue that:
A)most people have good strategies for surviving environmental disasters
B)most people are not prepared to make big sacrifices for remote and abstract goals
C)many serious environmental disasters may have to occur before most people wake up to the need to act on environmental problems
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 80Q 80
According to Charles Darwin,human survival depends on:
A)competition
B)cooperation
C)competition and cooperation
D)social evolution
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 81Q 81
The Russian naturalist and social thinker Petr Kropotkin emphasized which aspect of Darwin's theory?
A)competition
B)cooperation
C)survival of the fittest
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 82Q 82
The bombing of Hiroshima by the United States on August 6,1945,is believed to have divided the 20th century into two distinct periods.According to the textbook,the first period may be called:
A)the era of mass destruction
B)the era of naïve optimism
C)the era of technological optimism
D)the new dark age of industry
E)the new renaissance of technological wonder
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 83Q 83
J.Robert Oppenheimer,the "father" of the atom bomb:
A)supported the development of the nuclear bomb after witnessing the dominance of the United States following Hiroshima.
B)directly organized one of the largest technological projects in the former Soviet Union toward developing their nuclear arsenal.
C)wanted the United States and the Soviet Union to halt thermonuclear research and development of the hydrogen bomb.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 84Q 84
In 2000,____ of Americans agreed that science and technology do more good than harm.
A)70%
B)93%
C)about 50%
D)30%
E)12%
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 85Q 85
Which is an example of technological determinism?
A)the steam engine
B)the internal combustion engine
C)the computer
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 86Q 86
Which two forms of environmental degradation are scientifically most closely related?
A)species extinction and genetic engineering
B)genetic pollution and depletion of the ozone layer
C)the greenhouse effect and global warming
D)radiation and toxic waste
E)carbon dioxide and CFCs
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 87Q 87
Which is NOT a benefit of recombinant DNA?
A)It is possible to design what some people regard as more useful animals and plants and superior humans.
B)Hereditary propensities to a range of diseases can be detected and eliminated.
C)Farmers could grow disease-and frost-resistant crops with higher yields.
D)Companies could grow plants that produce cheap biodegradable plastic and microorganisms that consume oil spills and absorb radioactivity.
E)All of the above are benefits of recombinant DNA.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 88Q 88
Oil refineries,chemical plants,toxic dumps,and garbage incinerators are more likely built:
A)in middle-class industrial communities.
B)in poor communities.
C)near maximum correction facilities.
D)near beaches,lakes,and streams.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 89Q 89
The idea of people inventing machines that destroy their creators:
A)is a new idea.
B)is a unique idea portrayed in The Matrix and The Terminator movies.
C)first surfaced in the 1950s.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 90Q 90
Accidents that occur inevitably due to the very complexity of modern technologies is referred to as:
A)spurious accidents.
B)normal accidents.
C)risk accidents.
D)technological accidents.
E)environmental accidents.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 91Q 91
As in the case of an early computer called "ORDVAC," developed at the University of Illinois,technology typically advances when there is:
A)an urgent social need.
B)economic crisis.
C)economic and political prosperity.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 92Q 92
Since its invention,which technological commodity penetrated the market most sharply and dramatically?
A)VCR
B)cell phone
C)World Wide Web
D)Microwave
E)PC
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 93Q 93
Even in the late 1980s,nearly ____ of the biotechnology scientists who belonged to the prestigious National Academy of Science had industry affiliations?
A)75%
B)40%
C)25%
D)10%
E)90%
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 94Q 94
Worldwide,what year did "natural" disasters take its greatest toll in terms of monetary damage in billions of dollars?
A)1978
B)1998
C)2004
D)1992
E)2003
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 95Q 95
The precipitation whose acidity destroys forests and the ecosystems of lakes is referred to as:
A)biodiversity.
B)ozone depletion.
C)cid rain
D)environmental racism.
E)the greenhouse effect.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 96Q 96
In terms of genetic pollution,the potential of ecological catastrophe has:
A)multiplied.
B)declined.
C)remained relatively constant over that last 50 years.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 97Q 97
Petrochemical plants between New Orleans and Baton Rouge form what local residents call:
A)"Exxonville."
B)"the Oily Way."
C)"Cancer Alley."
D)"The Black Gold Coast."
E)"Poison Point."
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 98Q 98
Environmental racism tends to endanger:
A)racial minorities exclusively.
B)factory workers in particular.
C)racial minority factory workers specifically.
D)the disadvantaged,especially disadvantaged racial minorities.
E)women across the social class hierarchy.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 99Q 99
The first long-term nuclear waste repository in the United States,located ____,is scheduled to open in 2010,but delays are expected due to numerous regulatory and legal battles.
A)deep inside Nevada's Yucca Mountain
B)in the Alaskan wilderness
C)in offshore containment rigs in the Gulf of Mexico
D)on remote federal land in Tennessee
E)in a series of deep,interconnected tunnels in North Dakota
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 100Q 100
According to the textbook,what is the final and perhaps most powerful source of resistance to the cooperative alternative to cleaning up the environment?
A)Political and economic enemies of the United States.
B)powerful U.S.interest groups in the oil and automobile industries.
C)physical scientists.
D)social scientists.
E)the masses.
Free
Multiple Choice
Q 101Q 101
If policy-oriented scientists,the environmental movement,the mass media,and respected organizations discover and promote environmental issues,this is enough for an environmental issue to be turned into a social problem.
Free
True False
Q 102Q 102
By a wide margin,the United States is the world leader in scientific research,publications,and elite achievements.
Free
True False
Q 103Q 103
"Normal accidents" refer to the idea that technology will not fail if human subjectivity can be removed from its implementation and operation.
Free
True False
Q 104Q 104
Brym and Lie contend that market and technological solutions are insufficient by themselves to overcome the dangers of environmental degradation caused by technology.
Free
True False
Q 105Q 105
To turn scientific principles into technological innovations there only needs to be attention to detail,commitment,and genius.
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Q 106Q 106
There is a strong relationship between the topics chosen for scientific research and the degree to which certain topics are funded by big corporations and national governments.
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True False
Q 107Q 107
Data from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies show that the world's annual average surface air temperature is decreasing.
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True False
Q 108Q 108
Most pollutants released into the environment are especially concentrated in the West and East coasts of the United States.
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True False
Q 109Q 109
Because each species of animal and plant has unique properties,scientists lose those unique properties when the species becomes extinct.This is significant because about a quarter of all prescription drugs include compounds first found in wild organisms.
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True False
Q 110Q 110
The seriousness of an environmental threat alone shapes our understanding and response to it.
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True False
Q 111Q 111
The advantaged in a society often consciously put the disadvantaged in harm's way to avoid risk themselves.
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True False
Q 112Q 112
Currently poor countries do the most environmental damage because of their attempts to modernize.
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True False
Q 113Q 113
The people in the Northern Hemisphere cause a disproportionately large share of the world's environmental problems,enjoy the benefits of technology,and live with fewer environmental risks than people in the Southern Hemisphere.
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True False
Q 114Q 114
The possibility of having children genetically altered would free all children,regardless of class or social standing,from the possibility of inherited diseases and physical abnormalities.It would also put all children of the future on an equal footing.
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True False
Q 115Q 115
Because of the need to bioengineer and use biotechnology to make good food for everyone,large multinational companies share their patents and information.
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True False
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Q 125Q 125
What role can sociology play in helping people deal with environmental and other important social problems?
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Q 126Q 126
What has led some scientists and others to see technology as a "monster run amok?" How convincing is their view?
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Q 127Q 127
The Matrix poses a classic sociological question about technology: Is technology always a means of improving human life or is it sometimes antagonistic to human values? Based on your readings,answer this question.
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Q 129Q 129
The Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev noticed that technologies are invented in clusters.Based on that observation he argued that flurries of creativity cause major economic growth spurts beginning 10-20 years after a cluster of major inventions and have a lasting influence for 15-35 years.Does Kondratiev's argument suggest that culture is defined and shaped by technology?
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Q 130Q 130
How did "High Tech" become "Big Tech?" What does this say about the creation and diffusion of technology?
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Q 131Q 131
Who is responsible for the creation of most technological innovations? Is this a beneficial arrangement for most of humanity?
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Q 133Q 133
Explain how the social construction of environmental problems shapes the way we perceive them.
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Q 135Q 135
Construct your own question drawing on relevant course materials for your answer.Points will be awarded for both the question and the answer.
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