Deck 2: Culture

Question 1

In Weber's conception of class, there is a complete correlation among the three dimensions of power, prestige, and wealth.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Sociologists are in agreement that poverty is always harmful to society.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Although the federal minimum wage is set by the federal government, individual states are free to adopt a higher minimum wage rate if they desire.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Neither the Weberian nor the Marxian model of class in the United States describes the nature and extent of social inequality within the United States.

Question 5

The child poverty rate in the United States is higher than in any other industrialized country.

Question 6

In the United States, wealth is more unevenly distributed than income.

Question 7

Contemporary Marxist theorists agree with Marx's classification of social class in terms of whether or not one owns the means of production.

Question 8

Theoretically, a class system is more open than a caste system.

Question 9

Social mobility is always upward and between generations.

Question 10

Dennis Gilbert's model of social classes is based on two elements: education and family income.

Question 11

Weber believed that modern bureaucracies are so strong that even a workers' revolution would not lessen social inequality.

Question 12

In the United States, people over the age of 65 are the most likely to be poor.

Question 13

Virtually anyone can be poor, and poverty is randomly distributed throughout the population of the United States.

Question 14

All societies distinguish among people by age.

Question 15

Max Weber was in complete disagreement with Karl Marx about the nature of class.

Question 16

Women's lower socioeconomic status is the primary explanation for poverty in the United States today.

Question 17

Among high-income nations, the United States has the greatest amount of income inequality.

Question 18

Since the late 1980s, the wealth gap between African Americans and whites has closed significantly.

Question 19

In Wright's Marxian model of social classes, the capitalist class is made up strictly of families with large amounts of inherited wealth.

Question 20

The current economic situation makes it difficult to predict the future of stratification within the United States.

Question 21

Camryn started her career as a high-tech factory worker and, through increased experience and taking specialized courses in her field, became an entrepreneur and started her own highly successful business. Camryn's advancement is an example of mobility.

A) exchange
B) intergenerational
C) structural
D) intragenerational

Question 22

One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of flexibility. In a closed system of stratification .

A) people's positions are set by achieved statuses
B) there is little or no social mobility
C) the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies of social stratification are relatively fluid
D) many opportunities exist for people who are willing to work hard

Question 23

The sociological term for the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another is __________.

A) life chances
B) stratification
C) social mobility
D) meritocracy

Question 24

A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in South Africa caste was based largely on .

A) religious identification
B) racial classification
C) occupation
D) wealth

Question 25

mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.

A) Intergenerational
B) Structural
C) Intragenerational
D) Exchange

Question 26

Sociologist Max Weber's term refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.

A) life chances
B) cultural opportunity
C) social stratification
D) social prospects

Question 27

According to the text, one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of __________.

A) authenticity
B) fairness
C) flexibility
D) visibility

Question 28

is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources.

A) Bureaucracy
B) Ethnocentrism
C) Social stratification
D) Social layering

Question 29

The open stratification system based on the ownership and control of resources, as well as the type of work people do, is termed .

A) caste
B) slavery
C) estate
D) class

Question 30

is an extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned by others. It is a closed system in which people are treated as property and have little or no control over their lives.

A) League
B) Slavery
C) Class
D) Caste

Question 31

Anything valued in a society, such as money, property, and education, is called _.

A) the means of production
B) a benefit
C) a resource
D) a commodity

Question 32

A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in India caste was based in part on _.

A) religious identification
B) racial classification
C) occupation
D) wealth

Question 33

Until the 1990s, white South Africans controlled the government, the police, and the military by enforcing , the term used in South Africa for "the separation of the races."

A) alienation
B) apartheid
C) stratification
D) classification

Question 34

Which of the following statements about the class system is incorrect?

A) Status is based on access to and ownership of resources.
B) The boundaries are more distinct than in a caste system.
C) In part, the type of work one does determines one's class.
D) Status comes at least partly through achievement.

Question 35

Caste systems and slavery are both .

A) systems where status is determined at birth
B) systems where persons are considered property
C) open systems of stratification
D) based on achieved, not ascribed, status

Question 36

Vestiges of a caste system exist today in .

A) India and South Africa
B) Australia
C) Southeast Asia and the Philippines
D) many countries in South America

Question 37

Which of the following was not one of the primary characteristics of slavery as it was practiced in the United States?

A) Slavery was lifelong and inherited.
B) Slaves were considered property, not human beings.
C) Slaves had only minimal civil rights protections.
D) Coercion was used to keep slaves "in their place."

Question 38

In a caste system, marriage is , meaning that people are allowed to marry only within their own group.

A) endogamous
B) exogamous
C) polygamous
D) homogenous

Question 39

The U.S. State Department estimates that about foreigners are brought to the United States and enslaved annually.

A) 6,000
B) 12,000
C) 17,500
D) 25,000

Question 40

When Carlos's grandfather migrated to the United States, he had completed six years of schooling and was an agricultural worker in California. Carlos's father completed high school and worked for twenty years as a clerk in a large state agency. Through the efforts of his father and grandfather, Carlos was able to graduate from college and medical school, and he now has a thriving medical practice in southern California. Carlos's family exemplifies mobility.

A) intragenerational
B) exchange
C) intergenerational
D) structural

Question 41

Marx believed that the exploitation of workers by the capitalist class would ultimately lead to , or the struggle between the capitalist and working classes.

A) wealth distribution
B) class envy
C) civil war
D) class conflict

Question 42

Marx's theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example, he recognized .

A) the economic basis of class systems
B) that despite economic differences, classes share values and beliefs
C) that different classes work together for the well-being of a society
D) that values and beliefs are more important than the material wealth one holds

Question 43

Workers have not overthrown capitalism as Marx predicted because .

A) many workers have experienced a rising standard of living
B) workers have lost legal protections in the form of rights and benefits
C) individual capitalists still own and control factories and other means of production
D) fewer people are engaged in the economy

Question 44

Weber used the term have to work.

A) entrepreneurs
B) rentiers
C) bourgeoisie
D) capitalists

Question 45

A factory worker is promoted to the position of foreman in the factory. She receives a small increase in pay. This person has experienced mobility.

A) situational
B) vertical
C) horizontal
D) structural

Question 46

Marx used the term to refer to those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive.

A) proletariat
B) rentier
C) bourgeoisie
D) entrepreneur

Question 47

Lijuan's mother is an architect, and her father is a college professor. Lijuan left home at age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Lijuan no longer communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at a fast-food restaurant, Lijuan resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for money. Lijuan's story illustrates the concept of .

A) vertical mobility
B) horizontal mobility
C) structural mobility
D) collateral mobility

Question 48

Both Karl Marx and Max Weber identified as an important determinant of social inequality and social change.

A) religion
B) class
C) gender
D) race

Question 49

occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure.

A) Horizontal mobility
B) Situational mobility
C) Vertical mobility
D) Structural mobility

Question 50

Marx used the term for those who own the means of production-the land and capital necessary for factories and mines.

A) entrepreneur
B) proletariat
C) rentier
D) bourgeoisie

Question 51

Weber defined social class using as a major contributor.

A) religion
B) ethnicity
C) race
D) power

Question 52

occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class structure.

A) Lateral mobility
B) Vertical mobility
C) Situational mobility
D) Horizontal mobility

Question 53

Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, sociologist developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and power.

A) Karl Marx
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Herbert Spencer
D) Max Weber

Question 54

is the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.

A) Power
B) Wealth
C) Prestige
D) Class

Question 55

Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, Max Weber developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and .

A) income
B) power
C) occupation
D) race/ethnicity

Question 56

Sociologist Karl Marx believed that workers are exploited as capitalists maximize their profit by paying the workers less than the resale values of what they produce. Marx believed that this resulted in a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement that he called .

A) anomie
B) alienation
C) stratification
D) verstehen

Question 57

According to Marx, the capitalist class maintains its position at the top of the class structure by control of the society's , which is composed of the government, schools, churches, and other social institutions.

A) substructure
B) superstructure
C) ecostructure
D) infrastructure

Question 58

Sociologist Max Weber placed categories of people who have a similar level of wealth and income in the same class. He referred to the privileged commercial class of wealthy bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial resources as .

A) entrepreneurs
B) rentiers
C) capitalists
D) proletariats

Question 59

Marx predicted that when workers realized that capitalists were the source of their oppression, they would overthrow the capitalists and take over the government, creating a(n) society.

A) class
B) caste
C) egalitarian
D) stratified

Question 60

Marx described workers as alienated for a variety of reasons, including that .

A) workers are alienated from the goods they produce because they use their creativity and labor to produce them but do not own them
B) workers are alienated from their work because they are forced to do it for survival
C) workers are alienated from other workers because they live in different areas of the city
D) workers are alienated from God because they do not have time to worship

Question 61

Occupations such as medical technicians, teachers, and nurses pertain to the , which makes up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population.

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

Question 62

About 13 percent of the U.S. population lives from just above to just below the poverty line. These people typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, and lower-paid factory and service jobs and are termed the __________.

A) working class
B) underclass
C) middle class
D) working poor

Question 63

According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, and based on the theory of Weber, the upper (capitalist) class of the United States includes about of the population.

A) 1 percent
B) 3 percent
C) 8 percent
D) 12 percent

Question 64

Wealthy and successful sports figures such as LeBron James or Venus Williams would most accurately be placed in which social class?

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

Question 65

The dimension of Weber's system of stratification that helps determine one's class consists of the respect or regard that a person is given by others and is called .

A) wealth
B) power
C) status
D) prestige

Question 66

Social critic and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrated that people in the use strategies like help from relatives and continually changing residences in order to survive.

A) working class
B) underclass
C) middle class
D) working poor

Question 67

According to sociologist Max Weber's system of stratification, is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

A) wealth
B) power
C) status
D) prestige

Question 68

Weber called the class consisting of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers the .

A) entrepreneurial class
B) working class
C) upper class
D) middle class

Question 69

An estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population is , which includes occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in factories and people in the service sector, such as clerks and salespeople.

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

Question 70

In the model of American social classes based on Weber's theory, the is made up of prominent families that have held great wealth for several generations.

A) lower-upper
B) new money
C) upper-upper
D) upper-middle

Question 71

A combination of three factors qualifies people for the class: university degrees, authority and independence on the job, and high income.

A) upper-upper
B) middle-middle
C) lower-middle
D) upper-middle

Question 72

Working single mothers and their children and African Americans are overrepresented among the .

A) middle class
B) working poor
C) upper class
D) working class

Question 73

Sociologists often use the term to refer to a classification that reflects a combination of factors such as income, occupation, and education.

A) power status
B) socioeconomic status
C) prestige status
D) wealth status

Question 74

The upper-middle class is comprised of highly educated professionals, such as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, and corporate managers, which make up about of the population.

A) 3 percent
B) 8 percent
C) 14 percent
D) 30 percent

Question 75

The model of the American class system based on the work of is based on three elements: education, occupation of family head, and family income.

A) C. Wright Mills
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Georg Simmel

Question 76

The term refers to those who are poor, are seldom employed, and experience long-term deprivation.

A) working class
B) underclass
C) middle class
D) working poor

Question 77

The minimum wage is _.

A) determined by the federal government for all states
B) set by the federal government, but individual states may adopt a higher rate
C) suggested by the federal government, but individual states are free to adopt one that is higher or lower
D) set on a state-by-state basis with no involvement of the federal government

Question 78

Of the two categories of people who work for wages, Weber called the white-collar workers, public officials, managers, and professionals the .

A) entrepreneurial class
B) working class
C) upper class
D) middle class

Question 79

The annual income for people in the underclass is in the range.

A) $15,000
B) $25,000
C) $40,000
D) $70,000

Question 80

The term pink-collar refers to _.

A) women workers, regardless of their type of profession or occupation
B) women in working-class positions, including machine operators and factory workers
C) semiskilled positions that are low paying, are not manual labor, and are primarily held by women
D) any type of occupation or position in which emotional labor is the dominant feature