CHAPTER 1
Introduction to Sexuality
TRUE/FALSE
1. Surveys show that 98% of parents feel that they communicated openly about sex with their children and 90% of teens agreed that these open discussions took place.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
2. Defining sexual normality using clinical normality standards is completely subjective because clinical standards are always constant.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
3. Sexuality is purely “biological” in nature.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach MSC: WWW
4. According to sociobiologists, women are more likely to choose younger more attractive males as potential mates.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
5. An Oedipal complex is the idea that men unconsciously want to eliminate or replace their fathers and have sex with their mothers.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
6. Behavioral psychologists believe that only behaviors can be measured and evaluated, not emotions or feelings.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
7. For most of human history, it has been an accepted fact that males contribute to the reproduction of offspring.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
8. During the middle ages, Christianity took a particularly dark view of any sexual activity not related to procreation and many restrictive rules regarding sex emerged, such as no sex allowed during daylight.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
9. Age of consent laws, although different from country to country, are the same throughout the U.S..
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
10. According to Eric Widmer and colleagues, the United States is one of the more sexually repressive Western societies.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach MSC: WWW
11. Although it is important for parents to listen to what their children have to say about the topic of sex, parents should consistently voice judgments about what their children say to make the discussion most effective.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual REF: Sexual Education
12. Section 510 of the abstinence-only education initiative teaches that marital monogamy is the expected standard of human sexuality.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual REF: Sexual Education
13. Sexual education is less important for people who are already sexually active and more important for those not yet sexually active.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual REF: Sexual Education
14. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform reported that eleven of the thirteen commonly used comprehensive sexual education (CSE) curricula under review contained false, misleading, or distorted information about contraception, abortion, or reproductive health.
ANS: F PTS: 1 DIF: Factual REF: Sexual Education
15. Texas, which spent more on abstinence-only education (AOE) than any other state, had more sexually active students than other states, and one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S..
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Factual REF: Sexual Education
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Since sexuality and sexual health have such a momentous impact on our lives and our loves, ____ communication about sexuality is vital.
a. / guarded and private / c. / restricted and preciseb. / scientifically accurate / d. / open and honest
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
2. Each day, there are ____ acts of sexual intercourse.
a. / 1 million / c. / 100 millionb. / 10 million / d. / 1 billion
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
3. Sexuality is expressed ____.
a. / globally and in a universal manner by everyoneb. / by a select few but in a universal manner by those who express it
c. / globally but everyone expresses it in different ways
d. / by a select few and in different ways by those who express it
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
4. Eileen and Kevin are first time expectant parents who have decided to wait until the birth of their child to find out the gender. When the momentous occasion finally arrives and the baby is born, an exhausted Eileen, without any hesitation, immediately asks the doctor “Is it a boy or a girl?” Our eagerness to know the gender of babies as soon as they are born supports the notion that ____.
a. / it is important to know the gender for appropriate postnatal care of the babyb. / sexuality underlies our most basic identities
c. / the gender of the baby may influence whether the parents want to give the baby up for adoption
d. / the trend for waiting until the birth of the baby to reveal the gender is on the rise despite the high accuracy of today’s ultrasounds
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Applied
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
5. The fact that many people do not openly discuss problems related to the reproductive system versus other organ systems, like the circulatory system, suggests that the reproductive system ____.
a. / is biologically more complexb. / is not as important as other organ systems
c. / elicits strong emotions
d. / is more resistant to disease
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
6. Approximately ____ men and women are infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) each year in the United States.
a. / one million / c. / nineteen millionb. / nine million / d. / twenty-nine million
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality
7. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, teens aged thirteen to fifteen report that most of their information about sexuality comes from ____.
a. / parents / c. / schoolb. / friends / d. / entertainment media
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality? MSC: WWW
8. What is one possible explanation for why the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for American teens are higher than for teens of other developed countries?
a. / American teens are more irresponsible in general.b. / Adolescents in other countries have greater access to reproductive health services.
c. / American teens have significantly more sex than teens in other countries.
d. / American teens become sexually active at a significantly earlier age.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
9. Historically, some religious authorities often mandated sexual norms by declaring sexual intercourse to be normal if performed only for the purpose of ____.
a. / procreationb. / enjoyment
c. / creating an emotional bond between a man and a woman, married or not
d. / ensuring male dominance in society
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality
10. Humans experience a wide variety of sexual expression, ____.
a. / yet in reality no sexual behavior is considered “normal”b. / yet in reality only a few sexual behaviors are considered “normal”
c. / and consistent with this a wide range of sexual behaviors are considered “normal”
d. / and consistent with this all types of sexual behaviors are considered “normal”
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
11. Megan’s favorite activities are jogging and working out at the gym. Therefore, Megan can’t understand why so many Americans are resistant to exercising since according to Megan, it is normal for people to enjoy exercising. Megan’s mind set is an example of ____ normality.
a. / cultural / c. / subjectiveb. / statistical / d. / idealistic
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Applied
REF: Why a Course on Human Sexuality?
12. The word “sex” is derived from the Latin word secare, which means “____.”
a. / to unite / c. / to conquerb. / to engage / d. / to divide
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
13. The fact that achieving an orgasm is dependent on several factors, such as biological, cultural, emotional, and health status, best reflects the fact that sexuality is influenced by ____.
a. / nature and nurture working together / c. / nature onlyb. / nature and nurture working separately / d. / nurture only
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
14. Charlene has been selected by the local school board to head a task committee in charge of creating a sexual education curriculum for a new charter school. One of the first things that Charlene does is to find experts in several fields, including biology, psychology, law, religion, culture, and history, to help prepare the curriculum. The fact that Charlene is recruiting experts from such diverse fields suggests that it is important to ____.
a. / gain the political support of as many groups as possible in order to secure fundingb. / please all faculty members so that they will be supportive of sexual education
c. / investigate several branches of knowledge to understand which has the most influence on sexuality
d. / consider many different branches of knowledge to fully understand sexuality
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Applied
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multi-disciplinary Approach
MSC: WWW
15. The largest organ to influence sexual behavior is ____.
a. / male or female external genitalia / c. / the heartb. / the liver / d. / the brain
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
16. The term “opposites attract” best reflects the concept that ____.
a. / sexual reproduction is a driving force for genetic similarityb. / asexual reproduction is a driving force for genetic similarity
c. / sexual reproduction is a driving force for genetic variability
d. / asexual reproduction is a driving force for genetic variability
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
17. Sociobiology is the study of how ____ forces affect our behavior.
a. / personal / c. / culturalb. / familial / d. / evolutionary
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach MSC: WWW
18. According to sociobiologists, it is most adaptive for women to be highly ____ when choosing a mate.
a. / submissive / c. / selectiveb. / promiscuous / d. / spontaneous
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
19. Biological aspects of sexuality include anatomy and physiology, hormones, and ____.
a. / emotions / c. / the lymphatic systemb. / genetics / d. / spirituality
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
20. ____ describes when better-adapted members are more likely to survive to reproduce and pass their genes to the next generation.
a. / Penetrating genetic forces / c. / Natural selectionb. / Pervasive reproduction / d. / Adaptive dominance
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
21. The term “sperm are cheap” best describes which sociobiological theory?
a. / A promiscuous man more readily passes on his genes by depositing sperm in many women and staying with those women to ensure the survival of his offspring.b. / A selective man more readily passes on his genes by depositing sperm in a single female and not staying around to ensure the survival of his offspring.
c. / A promiscuous man more readily passes on his genes by depositing sperm in many women but not staying around to ensure the survival of his offspring.
d. / A selective man more readily passes on his genes by depositing sperm in a single female and staying with that woman to ensure the survival of his offspring.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Conceptual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
22. Four-year old Sarah pretends she is a princess and says that she will someday marry her “daddy,” whom she calls her prince. According to Freud’s psychoanalytical theory, Sarah is displaying signs of an ____.
a. / Electra complex / c. / Id complexb. / Oedipus complex / d. / Ego complex
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Applied
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
23. Jane has had a crush on a boy named Mike for several months. She finally gets up the courage to ask Mike out on a date. When Mike turns Jane down, she is hurt and embarrassed. Jane decides she will never ask anyone out on a date again. Jane’s hesitation to repeat her behavior is an example of ____.
a. / destructive fulfillment / c. / self-fulfilling prophecyb. / avoidance preconditioning / d. / operant conditioning
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Applied
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
24. The goal of behavior modification is to change ____ behaviors.
a. / subjective / c. / fear-basedb. / risky / d. / maladaptive
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Factual
REF: Perspectives of Sexuality: A Multidisciplinary Approach
25. Candace observes her older brother Charlie interact with the neighborhood kids and notices that Charlie receives a lot of positive attention from others when he acts goofy and attempts risky tricks on his skateboard. Candace herself begins to act silly with her friends and shows off with risky gymnastic routines. Candace’s actions are consistent with ____ learning theory.