Question 1

Describe the state of intergenerational social mobility in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Accepted Answer

Intergenerational social mobility slowed in the Age of Growing Inequality. The decline was most evident among younger workers. They were less likely to surpass the income or occupational status of their parents than were earlier generations. Nonetheless, even among younger workers, upward occupational mobility is still more common than downward mobility. And even at the extremes of the class structure, position is not fixed at birth. For example, most young adults who were poor at birth are no longer poor (though their incomes typically remain below average). Remarkably, an increasing proportion of superrich Americans on the Forbes 400 list did not inherit significant wealth. In short, in the Age of Growing Inequality, it's harder to get ahead, but upward mobility is not uncommon. At the same time, international comparisons undermine our notion of the United States as a uniquely open society. The United States is among the wealthy countries with the tightest correlation between the incomes of fathers and sons.

Question 2

Members of the working class have high rates of political participation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

The working poor are highly involved in the political process.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

Although intergenerational upward social mobility is still pretty common, it has slowed in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Low-income households with limited participation in the labor force form the underclass.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Since the early 1970s, wages have more or less stagnated and the distribution of wages has become increasingly unequal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The largest proportion of Americans belongs to what class?

Accepted Answer

A)  capitalist 
B)  upper-middle 
C)  middle 
D)  working 
A)  capitalist 
B)  upper-middle 
C)  middle 
D)  working

Question 8

The poor are more likely to be over 65 and less likely to be under 18 than they were in 1960.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

What is not one of the three basic sources of income available to households in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  capitalist wealth 
B)  job earnings 
C)  tax refunds 
D)  government transfers 
A)  capitalist wealth 
B)  job earnings 
C)  tax refunds 
D)  government transfers

Question 10

There has been an appreciable reduction in the poverty rate since the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

According to Gilbert, limited and erratic work histories, lack of skills, and incomplete education make finding full-time employment difficult for members of the ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  lower class 
B)  lower upper class 
C)  working-poor class 
D)  underclass 
A)  lower class 
B)  lower upper class 
C)  working-poor class 
D)  underclass

Question 12

By most definitions, the middle class is large and diverse.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Those at the middle and bottom of the class structure have seen their incomes grow at a much slower rate than during the Age of ______, whereas those at the top have seen their incomes soar.

Accepted Answer

A)  Growing Inequality 
B)  Social Mobility 
C)  Shared Prosperity 
D)  Income Inequity 
A)  Growing Inequality 
B)  Social Mobility 
C)  Shared Prosperity 
D)  Income Inequity

Question 14

In Bourdieu's terms, what is not a vital part of inheritance transmission?

Accepted Answer

A)  economic capital 
B)  cultural capital 
C)  social capital 
D)  emotional capital 
A)  economic capital 
B)  cultural capital 
C)  social capital 
D)  emotional capital

Question 15

The ever-increasing purchasing power of this class is making it more influential, and their lifestyles are becoming increasingly normative for the whole of American society. Which of the following classes fits this description?

Accepted Answer

A)  upper-upper class 
B)  capitalist class 
C)  middle class 
D)  upper-middle class 
A)  upper-upper class 
B)  capitalist class 
C)  middle class 
D)  upper-middle class

Question 16

In developed countries, which group is in demand?

Accepted Answer

A)  crafts workers 
B)  operatives 
C)  technicians 
D)  laborers 
A)  crafts workers 
B)  operatives 
C)  technicians 
D)  laborers

Question 17

Although the economic resources of the Capitalist Class enable them to operate within the world of politics in ways that reinforce their structural position, they are unable to operate in a similar fashion within the world of media.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Manufacturing is still an important part of the U.S. economy, but computers and robots have decreased the need for unskilled labor.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The author's model of the American class structure emphasizes ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  source of income 
B)  amount of income 
C)  amount of wealth 
D)  amount of education 
A)  source of income 
B)  amount of income 
C)  amount of wealth 
D)  amount of education

Question 20

The Gilbert model of the American class structure emphasizes amount of income.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Describe the state of intergenerational social mobility in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Members of the working class have high rates of political participation.

The working poor are highly involved in the political process.

Although intergenerational upward social mobility is still pretty common, it has slowed in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Low-income households with limited participation in the labor force form the underclass.

Since the early 1970s, wages have more or less stagnated and the distribution of wages has become increasingly unequal.

The largest proportion of Americans belongs to what class?

The poor are more likely to be over 65 and less likely to be under 18 than they were in 1960.

What is not one of the three basic sources of income available to households in the United States?

There has been an appreciable reduction in the poverty rate since the 1960s.

According to Gilbert, limited and erratic work histories, lack of skills, and incomplete education make finding full-time employment difficult for members of the ______.

By most definitions, the middle class is large and diverse.

Those at the middle and bottom of the class structure have seen their incomes grow at a much slower rate than during the Age of ______, whereas those at the top have seen their incomes soar.

In Bourdieu's terms, what is not a vital part of inheritance transmission?

The ever-increasing purchasing power of this class is making it more influential, and their lifestyles are becoming increasingly normative for the whole of American society. Which of the following classes fits this description?

In developed countries, which group is in demand?

Although the economic resources of the Capitalist Class enable them to operate within the world of politics in ways that reinforce their structural position, they are unable to operate in a similar fashion within the world of media.

Manufacturing is still an important part of the U.S. economy, but computers and robots have decreased the need for unskilled labor.

The author's model of the American class structure emphasizes ______.

The Gilbert model of the American class structure emphasizes amount of income.

Social Class in America

Position and Prestige

Social Class, Occupation, and Social Change

Wealth and Income

Socialization, Association, Lifestyles, and Values

Social Mobility: The Societal Context

Family, Education, and Career

Elites, the Capitalist Class, and Political Power

Class Consciousness and Class Conflict

Poverty and Public Policy

Filters

Exam 11: The American Class Structure and Growing Inequality

Describe the state of intergenerational social mobility in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Members of the working class have high rates of political participation.

The working poor are highly involved in the political process.

Although intergenerational upward social mobility is still pretty common, it has slowed in the Age of Growing Inequality.

Low-income households with limited participation in the labor force form the underclass.

Since the early 1970s, wages have more or less stagnated and the distribution of wages has become increasingly unequal.

The largest proportion of Americans belongs to what class?

The poor are more likely to be over 65 and less likely to be under 18 than they were in 1960.

What is not one of the three basic sources of income available to households in the United States?

There has been an appreciable reduction in the poverty rate since the 1960s.

According to Gilbert, limited and erratic work histories, lack of skills, and incomplete education make finding full-time employment difficult for members of the ______.

By most definitions, the middle class is large and diverse.

Those at the middle and bottom of the class structure have seen their incomes grow at a much slower rate than during the Age of ______, whereas those at the top have seen their incomes soar.

In Bourdieu's terms, what is not a vital part of inheritance transmission?

The ever-increasing purchasing power of this class is making it more influential, and their lifestyles are becoming increasingly normative for the whole of American society. Which of the following classes fits this description?

In developed countries, which group is in demand?

Although the economic resources of the Capitalist Class enable them to operate within the world of politics in ways that reinforce their structural position, they are unable to operate in a similar fashion within the world of media.

Manufacturing is still an important part of the U.S. economy, but computers and robots have decreased the need for unskilled labor.

The author's model of the American class structure emphasizes ______.

The Gilbert model of the American class structure emphasizes amount of income.

Social Class in America

Position and Prestige

Social Class, Occupation, and Social Change

Wealth and Income

Socialization, Association, Lifestyles, and Values

Social Mobility: The Societal Context

Family, Education, and Career

Elites, the Capitalist Class, and Political Power

Class Consciousness and Class Conflict

Poverty and Public Policy

Filters