Deck 7: Stratification: Rich and Famousor Rags and Famine

Question 1

Which of the following is a key assumption of a conflict theorist's view of social stratification?

A) Differential rewards must be offered to motivate talented individuals into difficult positions.
B) Stratification is the outcome of struggles for dominance amid scarce resources.
C) Stratification is the outcome of values, speech patterns, consumption habits, appropriate group memberships, and self-concepts learned through socialization.
D) Customs and traditions in a society often prevail over rational criteria in determining the distribution of scarce resources.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of social capital?

A) professional licensure
B) country club membership
C) postdoctoral training
D) playing the piano

Answer 2

B

Question 3

All of the following are main assumptions of stratification EXCEPT that:

A) wealth is the most important resource.
B) people are divided into ranked categories.
C) there is an unequal distribution of desired resources.
D) each society determines what it considers to be valued resources.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The statement, "After the minimum survival needs of both individuals and the society are met, power determines who gets the surplus," most closely reflects ______.

A) conflict theory
B) symbolic interaction theory
C) structural-functional theory
D) evolutionary theory

Question 5

______ refers to the extent and direction of individual movement in the social stratification system.

A) Social inequality
B) Social mobility
C) Zone mobility
D) Social stratification

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of cultural capital?

A) parents' coworkers
B) relationship with college mentor
C) college degree
D) relationship with a neighbor

Question 7

Which of the following is a meso-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) sense of humor
B) political affiliation
C) wearing cool clothing
D) society's level of technology

Question 8

Lindsey needs a car to get back and forth from her home in the city to her university, which are 4 miles apart. When shopping for a car, Lindsey decides to buy a Hummer H3 because she wants a car that her peers will notice and respect. Through this purchase, Lindsey exhibits ______.

A) status inconsistency
B) social capital
C) conspicuous consumption
D) branding

Question 9

Which type of stratification system allows movement between classes?

A) ascribed
B) closed
C) open
D) vertical

Question 10

According to Karl Marx, which of the following is a characteristic of the proletariat?

A) They could create a classless society if they develop a class consciousness.
B) They control the means of production.
C) They control the norms and values of society.
D) They hold the power in society.

Question 11

An estimated ______ people, mostly women and children from poor families in poor countries, are slaves.

A) 10 million
B) 50 million
C) 30 million
D) 80 million

Question 12

First-generation college graduates who become physicians reflect ______.

A) intragenerational mobility
B) intergenerational mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) open mobility

Question 13

The majority of people who are victims of human trafficking are from ______.

A) the United States
B) Mexico
C) South America
D) Asia and the Pacific

Question 14

Which theorist(s) is(are) most strongly associated with the structural-functionalist view of social stratification?

A) Karl Marx
B) Gerhard Lenski and Melvin Tumin
C) Max Weber
D) Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore

Question 15

Jason is writing a paper on social stratification. The basic argument of his paper is that the job of "college professor" is extremely important to the creation of knowledge and production of culture. Due to this importance, college professors deserve a pay increase to attract the smartest and most capable individuals to fill this important role. Jason is arguing the ______ theory of stratification.

A) feminist
B) structural-functional
C) conflict
D) evolution

Question 16

Which of the following best describes the observed relationship between religion and social class?

A) Religious beliefs are more strongly affiliated with geographic location than social class in the United States.
B) Lower-class individuals in the United States are disproportionately represented in fundamentalist religions.
C) Upper-class individuals in the United States are disproportionately represented in fundamentalist religions.
D) Social stratification in the United States is not seen in observable religious differences.

Question 17

______ refers to how individuals are layered or ranked in society according to how many valued resources they possess.

A) Social differentiation
B) Social stratification
C) Social capital
D) Social status

Question 18

The historical event that largely shaped conflict theorists' view of social stratification was the:

A) rise of communism in Russia and China.
B) social inequality created in the post-World War II United States.
C) shift from the feudal system to urban industrialism.
D) end of slavery in the United States.

Question 19

Which of the following is a macro-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) the economic position of a society in the world
B) the amount of education a person has
C) the occupational prestige of an individual
D) the local community's influence on schools

Question 20

Which of the following is a micro-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) religious affiliation
B) access to health care
C) physical attractiveness
D) occupational structure

Question 21

The gap between those with access to information technology and those without is known as the ______.

A) digitally illiterate
B) technobarrier
C) digital divide
D) none of these

Question 22

Emily works and makes a modest salary. However, she is unable to provide new clothes or a two-bedroom apartment for her and her children. Emily is experiencing ______.

A) vertical mobility
B) absolute poverty
C) relative poverty
D) status inconsistency

Question 23

A nation's geographic location has little impact on the opportunities available to individuals in that nation.

Question 24

Since 1969, the middle class in the United States has ______.

A) shrunk
B) grown
C) stayed the same
D) become the elite class

Question 25

Although she works 30 hours a week, Natalie is unable to earn enough money to bring her and her sons out of the poverty line, according to the income requirement set by the federal government. Natalie and her family are experiencing ______.

A) relative poverty
B) being in the underclass
C) vertical mobility
D) absolute poverty

Question 26

In ______ stratification systems, individuals are allowed to earn positions through their abilities and efforts.

A) ascribed
B) closed
C) achieved
D) mobile

Question 27

Terry, a sociology major, decides that his senior project will be to explain to lower-class people how they are being exploited by those who control the means of production. In terms of social stratification, Terry is most likely a(n) ______.

A) feminist
B) conflict theorist
C) symbolic interactionist
D) evolutionary anthropologist

Question 28

According to structural-functionalists, the unequal distribution of status and wealth in society provides societies with individuals to fill necessary positions.

Question 29

Symbolic interaction theorists focus on the role of cultural capital in producing social stratification.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about social classes in the United States is true?

A) Upper-middle-class families compose over 30% of the population.
B) Wages and salaries for the upper classes have risen.
C) The lower middle class is largely unemployable.
D) When given a choice, most American describe themselves as upper class.

Question 31

Educational organizations are found to treat children differently according to their social status.

Question 32

______ theorists argue that poor women in capitalistic economic systems are used as a reserve labor force that can be called and dismissed as needed.

A) Structural-functionalist
B) Conflict
C) Symbolic interaction
D) Exchange

Question 33

All of the following are predetermined in caste stratification systems EXCEPT:

A) occupational position.
B) marriage partners.
C) where one will live.
D) how many children an individual will have.

Question 34

The Hindu religion holds that individuals are born into one of four varnas or into a fifth group below the caste system, known as the ______.

A) Brahmans
B) Sudras
C) Dalits
D) Rajputs

Question 35

Which of the following statements about social mobility in the United States is false?

A) There is a high level of occupation inheritance.
B) The higher the father's occupation level, the better the son's chance for occupational achievement.
C) Sons are more likely to move up than down.
D) The mobility of women reflects the occupational achievements of their mothers.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the middle class in the United States is false?

A) The middle class makes up about 30% of the population.
B) Wages and salaries in the middle classes have increased since the 1980s.
C) Most people identify as middle class.
D) Most social scientists measure social class by looking at the income, education, and profession of respondents.

Question 37

Which is the highest social caste in India's caste system?

A) Kshatriyas
B) Rajputs
C) Dalits
D) Brahmans

Question 38

Structural-functional theorists believe that stratification is avoidable in modern societies.

Question 39

The ______ model of power argues that power is shared among many power centers, each of which has its own self-interests to protect.

A) pluralist
B) power elite
C) evolutionary
D) estate

Question 40

In ______ stratification systems, the characteristics individuals are born with determine their positions in society.

A) ascribed
B) achieved
C) open
D) mobile

Question 41

According to the text, lifestyle is a simple matter of having money.

Question 42

Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the developing world.

Question 43

The concept of status inconsistency is associated with Marx.

Question 44

Evolutionary theory borrows assumptions from both conflict and symbolic interaction theories.

Question 45

An individual can experience both intergenerational and vertical mobility.

Question 46

In the United States, access to higher education is greater than in many other countries because of the Internet.

Question 47

If you begin your career as a teacher's aide and end it as a school superintendent, this would represent intergenerational mobility.

Question 48

Karl Marx focused primarily on economic relations in describing social stratification.

Question 49

The petty bourgeoisie includes those with virtually no property, power, or prestige.

Question 50

Children from higher social classes learn primarily commands and short, directive sentences, whereas children from the lower social classes learn nuances in language.

Question 51

In the United States, members of the lower class tend to vote liberal on economic issues.

Question 52

Karl Marx assumes that power, property, and prestige are the determining factors of one's location in a society.

Question 53

Annual income correlates with life expectancy.

Question 54

Marx used the term "proletariat" to describe a shared awareness of poor status in relation to the means of production.

Question 55

According to the text, 10% of the world's population has a college degree.

Question 56

According to evolutionary theorists, the amount of inequality differs in societies because of different levels of technological development.

Question 57

If you are the first in your family to go to college, and you become a computer programmer, this would represent intergenerational mobility.

Question 58

The poorest countries in the world are in Latin America.

Question 59

According to the sociologist Dennis Gilbert, when given a choice that includes working class, 45% of Americans describe themselves as middle class, and another 45% define themselves as working class.

Question 60

Max Weber is considered the father of conflict theory.

Question 61

Caste systems are typically based on achieved statuses.

Question 62

Describe how one's social class affects educational opportunities in the United States.

Question 63

Describe at least three of the five basic ideas of evolutionary theory presented in the text.

Question 64

Compare and contrast the structural-functional and conflict views of social stratification. In your discussion, detail the key assumptions from each theory. Finally, show how evolutionary theory draws from both structural-functional theory and conflict theory in its understanding of social stratification. Which theory do you find most accurate, and why?

Question 65

What are the three key arguments of the Davis and Moore thesis of social stratification? What is one social position in society that supports their argument? What is one social position in a society that refutes their argument?

Question 66

Compare and contrast intergenerational and intragenerational mobility. Provide examples.

Question 67

Compare and contrast the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Give one example of each. Explain how the two roles affect each other and how the proletariat may overthrow the bourgeoisie.

Question 68

What are two ways that the digital divide impacts social stratification? What is something that can be done by the United States or the United Nations that could address the problems you detail?

Question 69

Compare and contrast ascribed and achieved stratification systems. Provide examples.

Question 70

Describe how one's social class affects political preferences in the United States.

Question 71

Name one function of poverty described in the text and briefly discuss how the poor in the world and the poor in the United States serve that function.

Question 72

Age and race are most important in open class systems.

Question 73

An individual's background accounts for nearly half of the factors affecting occupational attainment.

Question 74

Compare and contrast caste and estate systems of stratification. Provide examples.

Question 75

African Americans tend to remain poor or fall from the middle class more often than people in other racial groups.

Question 76

The growing use of cell phones has helped shrink the digital divide more than anything else.

Question 77

Estate systems are based on achieved statuses, such as land ownership.

Question 78

Sociologists generally agree that the middle class has been shrinking in recent decades.

Question 79

Compare and contrast cultural capital and conspicuous consumption. Provide examples.

Question 80

According to pluralist theorists, as societies become more complex, the number of groups with political power increases.