Exam 5: Social Class and Inequality in the United States

Explore the relationships between class position at birth,social mobility,and life chances.

Which type of society is most likely to feature social mobility?

According to Herbert Gans,poverty can only be eliminated when it becomes dysfunctional for the affluent and powerful,rather than just dysfunctional for the poor.

Which of the following is characteristic of the official U.S.poverty line?

The official poverty threshold for a family of four in 2013 was about ______.

Explain the difference between social inequality and social stratification and why this difference is important.

Income gains in the United States have been disproportionately concentrated among top earners.

A disparity in income,wealth,power,prestige,or another resource is referred to as ______.

In 2013,median net worth of White households was nearly $142,000 while Black household net worth was $11,000,and Hispanic household wealth was nearly $14,000.

C.Wright Mills believed that power in the United States was concentrated in the hands of a small power elite rather than run through a fluid,competitive political system,as advocated by the ______ perspective.

Herbert Gans argued that the "functions" served by the poor have ______;that is,they could be fulfilled by other means than poverty.

Which of the following is NOT considered income?

Data show that those with greater income and education are less likely than their less well-off peers to have and die of heart disease,diabetes,and many types of cancer.

______ status refers to a social position linked to one's acquisition of socially valued credentials or skills,whereas ascribed status refers to a social position linked to characteristics that are socially significant but cannot be altered.

Theories influenced by Marx's ideas have fallen out of popularity,as there are no longer struggles between workers and owners.

Explain the relationship between power and class.In other words,what role do political power and voice play in the reproduction of class differences?

In the United States,there are few barriers to upward social mobility.As long as someone works hard enough,they can achieve middle- or upper-class status.

The ability to exercise influence on political institutions and/or actors to realize personal or group interests is referred to as ______.

In the postindustrial economy of today,the United States manufactures more of the goods it consumes.

According to most measures,income inequality has steadily decreased since the 1970s.