Deck 10: The Architecture of Stratification: Social Class and Inequality

Question 1

Social mobility refers to

A)the movement of people from one social class to another.
B)immigration of people from different societies.
C)the interaction between people of various socioeconomic backgrounds.
D)migration of people from one region to another.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to some economists,it often takes ___ generations to erase the advantages or disadvantages of a person's economic origins.

A)two to three
B)three to four
C)four to five
D)five to six

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which statement about income distribution in the United States is true?

A)The income gap between the richest and the poorest segments of the population has declined over the past 20 years.
B)The income gap between the richest and poorest segments of the population has increased over the past 20 years.
C)The income distribution gap has not been measured.
D)The income gap had been increasing,but has declined over the past decade.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A stratification system based on slavery is one in which.

A)extragenerational social mobility is supported by religious doctrine.
B)high-status groups own land and have power based on noble birth.
C)status is based on achievement,with little movement allowed across strata.
D)some people are the legal property of others.

Question 5

A feudal system is synonymous with a(n)_____ system.

A)caste
B)estate
C)slave
D)social class

Question 6

According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,those who own the means of production are called the

A)workers.
B)entrepreneurs.
C)capitalists.
D)proletariat.

Question 7

According to Marx,under capitalism,the _______ work with the means of production to earn wages.

A)bourgeoisie
B)proletariat
C)serfs
D)landowners

Question 8

All of the following are criticisms of the functionalist perspective on stratification EXCEPT

A)it is difficult to assess differences in the importance of occupations.
B)the perspective ignores how much conflict is caused by stratification.
C)stratification leads to improved efficiency and productivity
D)rewards are not always consistent with the importance of occupations

Question 9

Stratification refers to

A)a specific form of inequality in which some people are the legal property of others.
B)the ranking of groups according to race,gender,or class.
C)hereditary determination of one's lifestyle,prestige,and occupational choices.
D)a specific system of authority based on noble birth and land ownership.

Question 10

The United States has ____ social mobility than comparable nations.

A)less 284
B)more
C)about the same
D)indifferent

Question 11

Where can one find remnants of an estate system?

A)among the Dalits in India
B)Parliament's House of Lords in Great Britain
C)wealthy suburbs in New York
D)in labor unions of Saudi Arabia

Question 12

According to Marx,under capitalism,the _______ own the means of production.

A)proletariat
B)bourgeoisie
C)landowners
D)serfs

Question 13

A_______ is a group of people who share a similar economic position in society based on their wealth and income.

A)caste aggregate
B)caste
C)social class
D)feudal aggregate

Question 14

According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,modern societies

A)are divided into classes with conflicting interests.
B)have relatively low conflict.
C)are divided into distinct castes based on education.
D)are divided into distinct castes based on Papal authority.

Question 15

A caste system is one in which

A)members can be divided into the bourgeoisie and proletariat.
B)education is the most important determinant of one's position.
C)status is based on heredity,with little movement allowed across strata.
D)some people are the legal property of others.

Question 16

What is false consciousness?

A)a belief system that protects the lower classes from unemployment and exploitation
B)a flawed belief system that harms the lower classes and protects the powerful classes from protest and revolution 287
C)beliefs that are considered irrational or deviant in one's society
D)the belief that "birth is destiny"

Question 17

In a caste system,one's place in the stratification system is

A)ascribed.
B)achieved.
C)assumed.
D)ambiguous.

Question 18

Which term refers to the relative honor and regard afforded to individuals?

A)prestige
B)nomenclature
C)microinteraction
D)wealth

Question 19

Socioeconomic status is

A)the same as a person's class position.
B)the relative prestige and lifestyle associated with different positions or groups in society.
C)not related to race,ethnicity,or gender.
D)based exclusively on income.

Question 20

Birth,military defeat,debt,and capture are all means of becoming

A)chaste.
B)a bureaucrat.
C)wealthy.
D)a slave.

Question 21

What did Mike Rose find when he observed working-class occupations?

A)The occupations he studied require a high level of skill and intelligence.
B)The occupations he studied are mindless and predictable.
C)The occupations he studied are highly regimented and routinized.
D)The occupations he studied bring little,if any,personal satisfaction to employees.

Question 22

According to the _____ perspective,multinational corporations perpetuate global stratification.

A)conflict
B)symbolic interactionist
C)dramaturgy
D)structural functionalist

Question 23

This term is used to describe a situation wherein an individual occupies a position that places her between two classes and so may find it tough to identify with one class or the other.

A)relative poverty
B)affluenza
C)culture of poverty thesis
D)contradictory class location

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true about the near poor?

A)They are the focus of much public attention.
B)They defy stereotypes of poor people.
C)They are clearly identifiable in our culture.
D)They are exclusive to rural areas.

Question 25

Which industrialized country has the greatest income disparity between poor and wealthy citizens?

A)the United States
B)Japan
C)France
D)Sweden

Question 26

The land,commercial enterprises,factories,and wealth that combine to form the economic foundation of a class-based society,are referred to as the

A)means of production.
B)bourgeois.
C)proletariat.
D)untouchables.

Question 27

Which of the following health problems is an illustration of the global health imbalance?

A)diabetes
B)drug addiction
C)HIV/AIDS
D)epilepsy

Question 28

When one's standard of living is lower,by comparison,to that of society's majority,we refer to this as

A)absolute poverty.
B)comparative poverty.
C)relative poverty.
D)social poverty.

Question 29

What is the underlying assumption of welfare reform?

A)Requiring aid recipients to work will improve their values and habits.
B)Jobs should pay a living wage.
C)Families do not want to be dependent on aid.
D)Marriage is essential to the well-being of children.

Question 30

The poverty rate is defined as

A)individuals or families whose earnings are between 100% and 125% of the poverty line.
B)an individual's economic position compared with the living standards of the majority in the society.
C)the percentage of people whose income falls below the official poverty line.
D)the amount of yearly income a family requires to meet its basic needs.

Question 31

What is the culture-of-poverty thesis?

A)the belief that those who succeed in society are those who work the hardest and have the best abilities
B)the idea that the process of expanding economic markets is the only way to sustain the growth of capitalism
C)the belief that true poverty does not exist in the United States
D)the belief that poor people develop a unique value structure and set of orientations to deal with the likelihood that they will never achieve conventional success

Question 32

Absolute poverty is defined as

A)the process of expanding economic markets by invading and establishing control over a weaker country and its people.
B)the inability to afford the basic necessities of life.
C)the belief that poor people develop a unique value structure to deal with their lack of success.
D)one's economic position as compared with the majority of one's society.

Question 33

According to the text,homelessness in the United States can be traced to ______ problems.

A)individual
B)linguistic
C)institutional
D)self-imposed

Question 34

What happens to a near-poor family when it experiences an unexpected financial crisis?

A)It breaks up.
B)It becomes a dual-earner household.
C)It may descend into poverty.
D)It is forced to become upwardly mobile.

Question 35

What is the structural-functionalist view of stratification?

A)The working class and the capitalist class struggle over resources.
B)Society would work better if resources were equally distributed.
C)Society works better when people compete for desirable positions.
D)Multinational corporations shift jobs from high-wage societies to low-wage societies.

Question 36

What problem arises when the poverty line is set too low?

A)Many families with incomes that put them just below poverty line may have a lower standard of living because a certain amount of earned income is required in order to receive any form assistance.
B)Many families with incomes that put them just above the poverty line may have a lower standard of living than those with incomes that place them below the poverty line because the former do not qualify for the assistance (e.g. ,health care,housing)they need.
C)The median annual income for those in the middle class declines.
D)Internal migration stagnates.

Question 37

The McCalls are a family of five living in a rented,two-bedroom house.They have enough to eat and adequate clothing and furnishings,though most of what they have was purchased secondhand.Most families in their community own their own homes and can afford to shop at an upscale mall.The McCalls's condition is an example of

A)relative poverty.
B)absolute poverty.
C)absolute deprivation.
D)the culture of poverty.

Question 38

According to the culture-of-poverty thesis,the principal cause of poverty is

A)immediate lack of material resources (e.g. ,wealth and income).
B)capitalism.
C)a mindset that is "present oriented" and so unconcerned with the future.
D)urbanization.

Question 39

The Green family lives in a home that does not provide adequate protection from the weather.They are often unable to eat more than twice a day and suffer from chronic malnutrition.The Greens live in _____ poverty.

A)relative
B)absolute
C)near
D)common

Question 40

Which class suffers disproportionately from downturns in the U.S.economy?

A)the upper class
B)the upper-middle class
C)the working class
D)the middle class

Question 41

Caste systems can no longer be found in any society.

Question 42

Differences in standardized test scores between rich and poor students have disappeared over the past 50 years.

Question 43

Gans enumerates the functions poverty serves in the United States.

Question 44

The most publicly visible consequence of poverty is homelessness.

Question 45

What is false consciousness,as defined by Marx? How,according to Marx,does it help maintain the capitalist system?

Question 46

Which international organization advised the Zimbabwean government to shift production supports from food crops to tobacco,resulting in increased malnutrition and infant mortality in that country?

A)the World Trade Organization
B)the International Monetary Fund
C)the U.S.Network for Global Economic Justice
D)the World Bank

Question 47

Which international financial organization funds reconstruction and development projects in poor countries through investments and loans?

A)the World Trade Organization
B)the International Monetary Fund
C)the U.S.Network for Global Economic Justice
D)the World Bank

Question 48

Compare and contrast the conflict and functionalist perspectives' respective explanations for the existence of stratification.

Question 49

According to Herbert Gans,in the United States,poverty serves certain social functions.

Question 50

Which category of workers would most likely experience the problem of contradictory class locations?

A)bank presidents
B)mid-level managers
C)pediatricians
D)homemakers

Question 51

In order to be classified as poor,individuals must receive some type of public assistance.

Question 52

Being poor affects one's physical,emotional,and intellectual well-being.

Question 53

Most working class individuals earn

A)a salary.
B)a pension.
C)an hourly wage.
D)below the minimum wage.

Question 54

Authority refers to having some status or quality that compels others to follow one's directives .

Question 55

In the United States,when rich people are asked why some people are poor,they tend to put the blame on

A)structural factors,like the economy.
B)personal attributes of poor people.
C)bad luck.
D)psychometrics.

Question 56

Some of the largest multinational corporations hire very few American workers.

Question 57

What is the definition of competitive individualism?

A)the belief that those who succeed in society are those who work the hardest and have the best abilities
B)the process of expanding economic markets by invading and establishing control over a weaker country and its people
C)the inability to afford the minimal requirements for sustaining a reasonably healthy existence
D)the belief that poor people develop a unique value structure to deal with their lack of success

Question 58

According to Herbert Gans,which of the following is NOT a function of poverty?

A)Poor people serve as visible reminders of structural level problems.
B)Poverty creates the need for services and occupations that serve or deal with people who are poor.
C)Poor people provide a market for goods and services that would otherwise go unused.
D)Poor people provide a pool of low-wage workers who will do unpleasant jobs.

Question 59

What does the World Trade Organization do?

A)It funds reconstruction and development in poor countries through investments and loans.
B)It fosters economic growth in poor countries through financial and technical assistance.
C)It is involved with making and enforcing rules for the international movement of goods and services.
D)It inspects nuclear facilities.

Question 60

Competitive individualism assumes that the powerful and privileged have more opportunities than poor individuals.

Question 61

How does poverty affect the education system in the United States? Compare the educational experiences of a poor child to those of a wealthy child.How do these increase or decrease the likelihood a child will attend college?

Question 62

Describe the traditional pattern of social mobility in the United States.Will today's young people most likely experience this pattern of social mobility? Why or why not?

Question 63

Discuss the functions of poverty as outlined by Herbert Gans.How do these functions relate to the author's assertion that "poverty will eliminated only when it becomes dysfunctional for people who aren't poor"?

Question 64

How does the U.S.government determine the official poverty line? How are families affected by a poverty line that is set too low?

Question 65

Compare and contrast the situations of "the poor" and "the near-poor" in the United States.

Question 66

Discuss the culture-of-poverty thesis in relation to welfare reform.What are the criticisms of this approach to welfare reform?

Question 67

Explain the global health gap.What role do wealthy countries play in maintaining this gap?

Question 68

Identify the institutional causes of homelessness.Include potential solutions to the problem.