Exam 8: Social Stratification and the Us Class System

What is the process that sets the stage for social inequality?

Although America is considered as the land of opportunity, fewer than one percent of the members of society move from the bottom to the top of the social hierarchy according to a study by Peter Blau and Otis Duncan.

Today, 5 out of 6 of the wealthiest people in the United States continue to make their fortune in the manufacturing sector.

Sam qualifies as being in the category of absolute poverty. In view of this, which of the following statements BEST describes Sam?

A condition in which people have unequal access to wealth, power, and prestige is ________.

Which of the following variables MOST distinguishes members of the upper middle class from the other social classes in America?

According to conflict theorists, the form of capitalism prominent beginning in the twentieth century is:

Boundaries between social strata are considered as being "semipermeable" meaning they can be crossed, but only with difficulty.

Popeye is nearly 50 years of age but has never held a full-time job. He lives in an area of the inner city that has been dominated by drug dealers and gangs as long as he can remember. There is no public transportation where he lives, and most people who aren't drug entrepreneurs get by doing odd jobs. Based on this scenario, which statement BEST explains Popeye's lack of a job and poor economic status?

What social class is sometimes referred to as "old money?"

In the estate system, what groups hold a monopoly of power and ownership of land?

Which set of statuses is given the greatest power and prestige in even the simplest of all societies?

A form of inequality in which categories of people are systematically ranked in a hierarchy on the basis of their access to scarce but valuable resources is ________.

Approximately what is the percentage of the American population that would be classified as upper class on the social class ladder?

A form of inequality in which categories of people are systematically ranked in a hierarchy on the basis of their access to scarce but valuable resources is social stratification.

With the exception of the upper class, the remaining four social classes are relatively equal in size, although there is a considerable difference in their incomes and lifestyles.

What is the most common length of time that families on welfare receive payments from the government?

Frank is nearly 50 years of age and has not had a job for the past 25 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering and is in good health. When he casually discusses his lack of employment with friends, he tells them "there are no jobs out there," "no one wants to pay me what I'm worth," or "I was offered a job but it's too far to travel." Based on this scenario, which statement BEST explains Frank's lack of a job?

What are the three methods sociologists use to identify social classes?

What system of stratification is employed by a society with two distinct strata, a category of people who are free and a category of people who are legally the property of others?