MCAT Sociology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'relative deprivation'?
- A factory worker who feels poor after moving to a wealthy neighborhood, despite earning the same income (Correct answer)
- A person who lacks clean water and sufficient food in a developing nation
- An unemployed individual who cannot afford basic necessities
- A student who performs below average compared to national standards
Correct answer: A factory worker who feels poor after moving to a wealthy neighborhood, despite earning the same income
Relative deprivation is the subjective sense of disadvantage experienced when individuals compare themselves to a reference group that has more.
Question 2: In a study on racial health disparities, researchers find that Black Americans receive less pain medication than White Americans with identical diagnoses. This is an example of:
- Institutional discrimination (Correct answer)
- Prejudice
- Stereotype threat
- Tokenism
Correct answer: Institutional discrimination
Institutional discrimination occurs when policies or practices of organizations systematically disadvantage certain groups, even without individual prejudice as the direct cause.
Question 3: George Herbert Mead's concept of the 'generalized other' refers to:
- The internalized sense of the expectations and attitudes of society as a whole (Correct answer)
- A specific significant person whose opinions shape one's self-concept
- The collective identity formed through shared cultural practices
- The imagined audience one considers when making decisions
Correct answer: The internalized sense of the expectations and attitudes of society as a whole
The generalized other represents an individual's awareness of societal norms and expectations, which are internalized through social interaction during development.
Question 4: A community health program that provides resources to all residents of a low-income neighborhood rather than targeting specific individuals reflects which health equity principle?
- Population-level intervention (Correct answer)
- Universal precaution
- Individual risk reduction
- Health determinism
Correct answer: Population-level intervention
Population-level interventions address the social and environmental determinants of health for entire communities rather than focusing on individual-level behavior change.
Question 5: The 'looking-glass self' theory developed by Charles Cooley suggests that one's self-concept is primarily shaped by:
- How one imagines others perceive and judge them (Correct answer)
- Biological drives and temperament established in infancy
- Comparison with role models in the media
- Formal education and socialization institutions
Correct answer: How one imagines others perceive and judge them
Cooley's looking-glass self proposes that individuals develop their identity based on how they think others see them, including imagining others' judgments.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'social stratification'?
- The hierarchical ranking of individuals or groups in a society based on wealth, power, or prestige (Correct answer)
- The process of geographic segregation of different income groups in cities
- The division of labor in industrial economies
- The classification of societies by their level of technological development
Correct answer: The hierarchical ranking of individuals or groups in a society based on wealth, power, or prestige
Social stratification refers to the structured ranking of social positions, creating layers of inequality that are perpetuated across generations.
Question 7: A hospital notices that patients with lower health literacy are less likely to follow discharge instructions, leading to higher readmission rates. A functionalist would most likely attribute this pattern to:
- A mismatch between institutional communication norms and patients' cultural backgrounds (Correct answer)
- Deliberate exclusion of low-literacy patients from quality care
- Individual laziness and lack of motivation to follow medical advice
- Corporate profit motives in the healthcare system
Correct answer: A mismatch between institutional communication norms and patients' cultural backgrounds
Functionalism emphasizes how different parts of the social system must work together; health literacy gaps represent a dysfunction between healthcare institutions and patient populations.
MCAT Sociology 4
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'relative deprivation'?