Chapter Seventeen: Human Agency: Individuals and Groups in Society Changing Social Structures
As Naples noted in 1998, “In communities across the country, _____ fight against the abuse of women, against
corporate poisoning of their neighborhoods, against homophobia and racism, and for people-oriented economic
development, immigrants’ rights, educational equity, and adequate wages.”
a. women
b. women and men
c. men
d. women and children
Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Know the general history of feminist movements in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Feminist Movements in the United States
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.3.30
Female athletes, especially those involved in sports requiring strength and aggression, continue to battle
stereotypes, because they do not conform to the
a. same rules for their sports as men do.
b. social requirements that all athletes should be individual stars.
c. dominant cultural definitions of femininity.
d. social requirements that all athletes should be team players.
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.4.31
In 1915, Emma Goldman became the first political activist to
a. sign the Seneca Falls declaration of women’s suffrage.
b. refuse to give up her seat to a White man on a bus in Alabama.
c. speak publicly in favor of gay and lesbian rights.
d. organize protests against sweatshops.
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.32
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
The precipitating event for gay and lesbian unity was the _____, which occurred on June 28, 1969, in response
to a police raid.
a. homosexual suffrage conference
b. civil rights movement
c. Seneca Falls conference
d. Stonewall riot
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.33
Which organization promotes accurate and positive images of gays in television, films, and advertising?
a. Lambda Legal
b. Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
c. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
d. Human Rights Campaign
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.34
The election of Ronald Reagan and a surge of _____ in the early 1980s briefly inhibited the gay rights
movement.
a. feminism
b. affirmative action
c. Christian fundamentalism
d. progressivism
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.4.35
What pushed the gay rights movement forward in the late 1980s, based on the realization that government needed to
act quickly?
a. Stonewall riot
b. Christian Coalition
c. Election of Ronald Reagan
d. AIDS epidemic
Chapter Seventeen: Human Agency: Individuals and Groups in Society Changing Social Structures
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.36
On October 11, 1987, the Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke at a protest in Washington, DC, that drew about a quarter of
a million people in support of
a. gay rights.
b. Title IX.
c. feminism.
d. the Equal Rights Amendment.
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.37
At the time of Stonewall, 48 states had sodomy laws meant to outlaw homosexual sex. In 2003
a. all 50 states had such laws.
b. those laws were overturned.
c. only half the states still had such laws.
d. only 13 states still had such laws.
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.38
Thanks to a groundbreaking decision in 1998, the Supreme Court ensured that _____ applies to all employees,
regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
a. equal pay for equal work
b. Title IX
c. sexual harassment policy
d. separate but equal
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.4.39
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute, there are _____ openly LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender) appointed and elected officials across the United States.
a. almost 500
b. over 1,000
c. nearly 100,000
d. millions of
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.4.40
In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage. As of June, 2015, same-sex marriage is legal
in _____ states.
a. all 50
b. 37
c. 25
d. 13
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q17.5.41
More than 100 years ago, the _____ movement began as a reaction to unchecked capitalism, the robber barons,
economic exploitation, and political corruption.
a. Civil Rights
b. Feminist
c. Progressive
d. Gay Rights
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.42
Chapter Seventeen: Human Agency: Individuals and Groups in Society Changing Social Structures
Which Republican president led an activist government that addressed workplace problems such as safety
regulations, child labor, and disability compensation?
a. Ronald Reagan
b. Gerald Ford
c. Franklin D. Roosevelt
d. Theodore Roosevelt
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q17.5.43
Which of the following is a populist movement that is libertarian, antigovernment, and follows the teachings of Ayn
Rand?
a. Tea Party
b. Conservative Coalition
c. Republican Party
d. Progressive Movement
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.44
Recently, extreme social inequality, high unemployment especially among the young, and continuing poverty have
provided the conditions for
a. greater apathy.
b. social unrest.
c. social complacency.
d. religious reform.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.45
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Recent events in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East reveal how the powerless
a. effect change through individual responsbility.
b. can turn to their governments when times are hard.
c. gain power through social movements.
d. are helpless to effect real change.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.46
What do the civil rights movement and the effort to pass Title IX have in common?
a. Both are examples of change that was effected from the bottom up.
b. Both are examples of change that was effected from the top down..
c. Both were motivated by a desire to improve the lives of African Americans.
d. Both were motivated by a desire to make college education more affordable for all.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q17.5.47
The chapter notes two important implications for each member of our society. The first is that we do not have
to be
a. passive actors who accept society’s institutional imperatives as inevitable.
b. politically involved to effect change.
c. employed to enjoy the full benefits of U.S. citizenship.
d. feminists to believe in the concept of equal pay for equal work.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.48
Jim believes that feminism makes life better for everyone. He therefore makes sure he does half the household
chores, so his wife is not doing all of it when she gets home from work. This is an example of politics at the _____
level.
a. macro
b. micro
c. extreme
d. institutional
Chapter Seventeen: Human Agency: Individuals and Groups in Society Changing Social Structures
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q17.5.49
The chapter notes that at the _____ level, the most important struggles involve overturning existing structures of
exploitation and domination.
a. spiritual
b. personal
c. macro political
d. micro political
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q17.5.50
The chapter concludes that human beings can be agents of change
a. when their overlords allow them to be.
b. when they suffer from false consciousness.
c. and protectors of the status quo.
d. if they choose to be.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Essay Questions
TB_Q17.1.51
Discuss the predictable stages of a social movement.
Learning Objective: LO 17.1: Understand the types and life course of social movements.
Topic/Concept: Social Movements
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
TB_Q17.2.52
Describe some of the means that Whites in the South used to continue to keep Blacks in a “slave” role after the
Empancipation Proclamation and the Civil War technically freed them?
Feedback:One form of oppression—slavery—was lifted, only to be replaced by other modes of oppression—economic slavery
through low-wage jobs and sharecropping arrangements with landowners, and being treated as inferiors by Whites. In
the 1880s, Black farmworkers were usually paid in orders, not money, which could only be used at a store controlled
by the landowner. The sharecropper had to borrow from the store to get the seed to plant the crop. “When everything
was added up at the end of the year he was in debt, so his crop was constantly owed to someone, and he was tied to the
land, with the records kept by the planter and storekeeper so that the Negroes are swindled and kept forever in debt”
(Zinn, 1980). Local vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan used raids, lynchings, and beatings to intimidate Blacks.
Courts were more likely to sentence Blacks to prison, which operated as another form of slavery. Black Codes were
passed to keep Blacks from achieving equality and to remain controlled by Whites. Later, Jim Crow laws were passed
to keep public facilities segregated.
Learning Objective: LO 17.2: Know the general history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Learning Objective: LO 17.3: Know the general history of feminist movements in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Feminist Movements in the United States
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q17.4.54
Chapter Seventeen: Human Agency: Individuals and Groups in Society Changing Social Structures
Discuss the significance of the events at the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969.
Learning Objective: LO 17.4: Know the general history of the gay rights movement in the United States.
Topic/Concept: Human Agency: Gay Rights
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q17.5.55
Compare and contrast top-down and bottom-up solutions to social problems.
Feedback:An examination of U.S. history reveals many examples of the federal government acting boldly and with public
support to overcome serious social problems. In effect, progressive change occurred from the top down.The problem
with top-down solutions is that they rely on the powerful to give up some of their power, and they allow people to be
relatively passive, waiting for a leader to inspire and lead. The chapter argues that a more positive solution lies with an
active citizenry pushing for change from the bottom up. There are many examples of times when oppressed and
aroused Americans organized to change the system with success, most notably the women’s suffrage movement,
various labor struggles and strikes that resulted in major advances for workers in safety, wages, and benefits, and the
civil rights movement that brought positive changes for racial/ethnic minorities, women, and gays. Today, a bottom-up
change would require (1) social unrest, (2) massive public outrage over the unjust system, and (3) a precipitating event
that brings people together in a social movement.
Learning Objective: LO 17.5: Reflect on what you have learned from this book about the sociological perspective.
Topic/Concept: Thinking About the Future
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It