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Academic Reading and Writing Directions

question 65

Multiple Choice

Academic Reading and Writing Directions:
Use your knowledge of the reading-writing process to answer these questions about the following passage adapted from Kornblum, Sociology in a Changing World , 9^th ed., 2012, pp. 558-560.
Social and Natural Disasters
¹Riots, epidemics, earthquakes, terrorist bombings, wars, floods, oil spills, tornadoes, and hurricanes are among the many kinds of disasters that may strike densely populated human settlements. Of course, there are important differences in the causes and outcomes of purely social disasters like riots and purely natural ones like earthquakes. From a sociological vantage point, however, social and natural disasters have a great deal in common . Moreover , because we can expect both natural and social disasters to occur with increasing frequency on our urbanizing planet, the study of disasters is a thriving area of sociological theory and research.
²Recent sociological research on disasters has focused on the longer-term consequences for the victims. In this area of research, the work of sociologist Kai Erikson is particularly noteworthy. Erikson's powerful descriptions of responses to disasters and his development of the sociological theory of trauma are having significant and positive impacts on victims' lives. In several precedent-setting cases, Erikson has convinced juries and judges that victims have suffered sociological damage, especially in the form of loss of community .
A New Species of Trouble
³Erikson's recent work on social disasters focuses on the consequences of what he calls "a new species of trouble" that is particularly common in urban industrial societies. The trouble may take the form of toxic spills, nuclear accidents, mercury poisoning, or many other disasters attributable to human negligence, greed, or combinations of both. The result is often an abrupt and shattering loss of community . Erikson and other sociologists who do similar research point out that disasters, especially those caused by negligence or criminal behavior of corporations, are not distributed randomly across societies. On the contrary, they occur with far greater frequency in low-income and minority communities because dangerous facilities, dump sites, and tank farms are often located on the boundaries of those communities. This ecological pattern has been labeled environmental racism .
⁴ Erickson and other sociologists who study disasters hope that as a consequence of their research-and their successes in court-there will be more safeguards against negligence and more emphasis on anticipating the risks of natural disasters. In the near term, however, Erikson fears that the balance of power is shifting toward corporations and other powerful actors, to the disadvantage of the victims or potential victims of community disasters.
Which sentence reveals the thesis statement of this essay?

Definitions:

Prenatal Development

The developmental journey within the womb starting at conception and culminating in birth.

Chronosystem

A component of the ecological systems theory that emphasizes the role of time and historical context in human development.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States and leading to widespread unemployment and poverty.

Multi-Directional Development

The concept that human development occurs in various directions, indicating gains, losses, growth, and decline across the lifespan.