Exam 1: Karl Marx (1818–1883)

A Marxist analysis would argue that factory-owners, corporations, etc. impose wage caps in order to:

Marx emphasizes that work/labor:

The use-value of labor refers to the extent to which labor power can be used to:

When forms of social organization or social processes are represented as if they are creations that are independent of humans, they are referred to as …….., or thing-like, structures.

The division of labor:

Explain the meaning/significance of 6 of the following 7 concepts/ideas/quotes. Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. Each short answer is worth 6 points for a total of 36 points.* -Alienation in the production process

According to Marx, the mystical value of commodities derives, in part, from:

Complete this sentence: "It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being but, on the contrary, their …… that determines their consciousness"

In a capitalist society, Marx argues, wage-workers:

Communist society, in Marx's vision, would be characterized by:

Explain the meaning/significance of 6 of the following 7 concepts/ideas/quotes. Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. Each short answer is worth 6 points for a total of 36 points.* -Surplus value

Marx uses the term "the proletariat" to refer to:

Marx emphasized that the division of labor that characterizes the occupational structure and the production process produces:

Marx would most likely see the US government's rescue of Wall Street financial firms as evidence of:

A focus on economic inequality permeates the writings of Karl Marx. (a) Discuss Marx's conceptualization of property relations and their implications for the reproduction of economic and social inequality. (b) How does the ideology of consumption militate against radical social change in contemporary times?

Consider these facts: • Foxconn is the largest private employer in China (with 1.4 million employees) and is the world's largest outsourced manufacturer - it is, for example, the main supplier of electronic parts to Apple for its iPods and iPhones. • In China, it costs Apple a few dollars to have an iPod assembled, which is then sold for $299 across world markets. • Many of Foxconn's workers have had work schedules that approach 100 hours per week though this is expected to change as a result of China recently passing a law limiting the work week to 49 hours. Many workers want to work at least 60 hours per week in order, they say, to support their families. • Wages are very low (though they are expected to increase to compensate workers for a reduced work schedule), and workers live in large dormitories on factory campuses with few amenities and infrastructural problems (e.g., faulty electrical wiring, lack of running water); many of the workers are migrants from distant rural areas in China. • Customers line up outside Apple stores in cities in the US, China, and elsewhere when a new Apple product is being launched for sale; indeed, in one Chinese city, Apple had to close one of its stores on the day of the release of the iPhone 5 in order to constrain the hordes of potential customers. What would Marx make of all of this? What do these facts suggest about the structure, expansion, and reproduction of capitalism? In your essay, draw in detail on core ideas in Marx's analysis of capitalism.

According to Marx, the objectives of capitalism include:

According to Marx, alienation can be seen in:

Exchange value refers to the:

According to Marx, a wage-worker's labor belongs to: