Deck 7: Social Stratification in the United States and Globally

Question 1

According to the ______ perspective, certain occupations, such as airplane pilots and Supreme Court judges, require a great deal of education and must be rewarded with higher salaries and extensive benefit packages.

A) conflict
B) inter/actionist
C) structural/functional
D) feminist perspective

Answer 1

C

Question 2

How are wealth and income linked?

A) Wealth produces sources of income.
B) Wealth is simply a more specific measurement of income.
C) Wealth includes one's status, and status can help someone earn income.
D) They are only linked by being measures of money; disparities in one don't influence inequalities in the other one.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Mary is a real estate agent who makes $100,000 a year. The economy takes a downturn and she loses her job, then her home, and her vehicle. She becomes homeless. This is an example of ______.

A) upward mobility
B) relative poverty
C) intergenerational mobility
D) downward mobility

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of these arguments about stratification is a structural-functional theory?

A) Stratification is needed because it ensures that people with the right abilities end up in the right positions.
B) Stratification is based on power relations that are structured into society.
C) Stratification is in all societies, but only becomes inequality at the face-to-face level.
D) When societies are structured poorly, they have dysfunctional ways to stratify people.

Question 5

Walt Rostow was an adviser to President John F. Kennedy. Rostow's use of modernization theory had a major influence on U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. This theory is derived from the ______ school of thought.

A) structural/functionalist
B) conflict/critical
C) interactionist
D) ethnomethodological

Question 6

On average, women make ______ earnings when compared with male counterparts.

A) lower
B) higher
C) similar
D) the same

Question 7

Theories from the ______ approach examine the relationship of dependency between wealthy countries and their transnational corporations that exploit poor countries.

A) structural/functionalist
B) conflict/critical
C) interactionist
D) ethnomethodological

Question 8

______ defined social class as a division between the capitalists, who owned the means of production, and the proletariat, who lacked the means of production, thus creating a hierarchical stratification system.

A) Max Weber
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Auguste Comte
D) Karl Marx

Question 9

Theorists from the ______ perspective focus on what people do within a stratified structure, such as how they present their authority or lack of authority in their body language.

A) structural/functionalist
B) conflict
C) ethnomethodologist
D) inter/actionist

Question 10

______ refers to the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs, resulting in the decline of the middle class who end up in low-paying service jobs.

A) Deindustrialization
B) Industrialization
C) McDonaldization
D) Desegregation

Question 11

______ argues that technological and cultural differences between countries are important for explaining both economic and social development.

A) Stratification
B) Neomodernization
C) Technological maturity
D) World-systems theory

Question 12

The top 10 percent of the United States owns ______percent of the nation's wealth, while the bottom 50 percent own ______percent of the nation's wealth.

A) 99; 1
B) 75; 25
C) 75; 2
D) 50; 10

Question 13

According to ______, some areas, such as some Middle Eastern countries, parts of Asia, and much of Africa, are dependent upon and exploited by core nation-states.

A) neocolonialism
B) imperialism
C) colonialism
D) world-systems theory

Question 14

One of the greatest advantages of the wealthy is their ability to maintain their social class across ______.

A) relationships
B) generations
C) time
D) place

Question 15

Joe is the CEO of a major corporation and earns a salary of $500,000. He has earned a great deal of respect in his position and he is an active member of the community in which he resides. Joe is an example of ______.

A) status inconsistency
B) status consistency
C) status-power compatibility
D) status cohesion

Question 16

Critics of modernization theory feel that it focuses too narrowly on what?

A) consumption
B) politics
C) technology
D) the economy

Question 17

Many people consider themselves to be middle class, but the text defines the middle class by the following criteria: ______.

A) a family of four that makes between $35,000 and $100,000 per year
B) an individual who makes between $50,000 and $100,000 per year
C) a family of four that has two working parents and owns a home
D) an individual who is employed and owns assets worth $50,000 to $100,000

Question 18

______ theorists advocate for narrowing the income gap between the very rich and the very poor.

A) Structural/functional
B) Conflict/critical
C) Inter/action
D) Feminist

Question 19

The ability, or inability, to change one's place within the social classes in a society is called ______.

A) stratification
B) mobilization
C) social mobility
D) achievement status

Question 20

Class, status, and power are components of ______.

A) meritocracy
B) conspicuous consumption
C) social stratification
D) social ascription

Question 21

______ economies are in countries that are home to many of the world's poorest people and have very little of the world's wealth.

A) Third World
B) Low-income
C) Impoverished
D) Stratified

Question 22

How many countries in the world are categorized as "high-income countries"?

A) 9
B) 19
C) 59
D) 79

Question 23

In global stratification, the ______ has dominated, controlled, exploited, and oppressed the ______.

A) West; East
B) bigger continents; smaller continents
C) Global South; Global North
D) Global North; Global South

Question 24

What is the difference between income and wealth?

A) There is no difference; they are synonyms.
B) Income is one person's earnings; wealth is household earnings.
C) Income is measured in money; wealth includes assets other than money.
D) Income is measured year by year; wealth is a cumulative total.

Question 25

Where do the clear majority (70%) of those in the bottom billion live?

A) North America
B) Europe
C) Africa
D) Australia

Question 26

Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is estimated to be worth $48 billion. Today, it is estimated that there are 14 million Americans who are homeless. This disparity between social classes is an example of ______.

A) social differences
B) social stratification
C) social status
D) social equality

Question 27

Many celebrities purchase large mansions and expensive vehicles. In addition, they also often purchase designer clothing and wear lavish jewelry. According to Pierre Bourdieu, this is an example of ______.

A) status inconsistency
B) status offense
C) distinction
D) consumption

Question 28

Stratification at the global level is a divide of Global North and South. What do North and South indicate?

A) the North and South poles of the globe as indicators of top and bottom
B) North and South America
C) Northern and Southern Hemispheres
D) core and periphery

Question 29

The recent Ebola outbreak illustrated global health issues in what way?

A) Low-income countries with low population density were less likely to be affected.
B) Once someone contracted the disease, they were likely to die regardless of where they were treated.
C) Those treated in the Global North recovered at much higher rates than those in the Global South.
D) Diseases like Ebola, which spreads through casual contact, can quickly be spread around the world in the current global age.

Question 30

When nations or firms progressively undertake more complex, higher-value production activities, it is called ______.

A) winning the race to the bottom
B) industrial upgrading
C) technologizing
D) manufacturing the economy

Question 31

Julia is a highly paid actress who likes expensive clothing and inexpensive jewelry and reads comic books as well as best-selling books. From this example, it could be said that Julia is a ______.

A) cultural feeder
B) cultural omnivore
C) status offender
D) cultural dissident

Question 32

______ coined the term conspicuous consumption, which refers to those of the upper class who use their wealth to demonstrate their status in society.

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Auguste Comte
D) Thorstein Veblen

Question 33

Theories from the ______ approach examine the relationship of dependency between wealthy countries and their transnational corporations that exploit poor countries.

A) structural/functionalist
B) conflict/critical
C) interactionist
D) ethnomethodological

Question 34

Which income category contains the largest number of countries according to the ranking by the World Bank?

A) high-income economies
B) middle-income economies
C) low-income economies
D) The World Bank divided countries equally among these categories.

Question 35

Which theorist argued that elite members of society want their social class membership to be obvious to others, and they accomplish this through conspicuous consumption?

A) Pierre Bourdieu
B) Jean Baudrillard
C) Erving Goffman
D) Thorstein Veblen

Question 36

When a lower-class person buys an imitation item of the upper class to imitate the upper-class position, this is known as ______.

A) imitative stratification
B) conspicuous consumption
C) a cultural omnivore
D) stratified consumption

Question 37

During the ______ stage, institutions and societal values become more oriented toward production and consumption, with individualism trumping traditional values and norms.

A) Traditional
B) Takeoff
C) high mass-consumption
D) drive to technological maturity

Question 38

Many actors and actresses earn millions each year and display their wealth by living in upscale mansions and driving expensive vehicles. This is an example of ______.

A) stratified consumption
B) conspicuous consumption
C) dangerous consumption
D) ranked consumption

Question 39

What development has helped to narrow the digital divide?

A) the introduction of laptops with long battery times
B) the introduction of more solar power options
C) the spread of the use of "smart" mobile phones
D) the social philanthropy of technology billionaires, who are building the necessary infrastructure in the Global South

Question 40

In the ______ economy, instead of buying or renting in the usual ways, we share goods and services at low cost and free of charge.

A) capitalist
B) low-income
C) stratified
D) sharing

Question 41

A woman helps her elderly neighbor by running weekly errands for her. The neighbor helps her by keeping an eye on her house while she is at work. This is an example of symbolic exchange.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT an argument the text presents as a reason that poverty persists?

A) the structure of capitalism
B) lack of individual motivation
C) groups limiting access to opportunities and resources
D) failure of the public or elected representatives to support initiatives to address poverty

Question 43

The three dimensions of social stratification are social class, income, and power.

Question 44

Mike owns a collection business and is very strict with his employees. He sees his employees in a very subservient way and expects them to adhere to all his rules. This would be an example of an inter/actionist theory as it pertains to social stratification.

Question 45

Recent research suggests that people on both the low and the high levels of the stratification system greatly overestimate the amount of upward mobility experienced by people in the United States.

Question 46

Which of the following factors is associated with the feminization of poverty?

A) single women marry at a younger age than single men
B) fewer children are being born to unmarried women
C) divorced women are more likely to marry than divorced men
D) women have lower average earnings than men

Question 47

Which of the following relates to the concept of income?

A) vehicles
B) property
C) rent on real estate
D) pets

Question 48

A second-grade teacher who fills in as a fourth-grade teacher the following year is an example of horizontal mobility.

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT a major area of global inequality according to the text?

A) the digital divide in internet access
B) global health inequalities
C) global transportation inequalities
D) the global stratification of garbage disposal

Question 50

Government efforts in the wake of the recession (e.g., bailing out banks and investment companies) greatly aided the lower class, but did little or nothing for the middle class.

Question 51

Cindi is a bus driver who eventually becomes a special education teacher. This is an example of structural mobility.

Question 52

A hospital pays higher salaries to doctors who specialize in multiple areas. This is an example of the conflict theory as it relates to social stratification.

Question 53

The OECD specifies that foreign aid must meet which of the following standards?

A) The aid must be paid in Bitcoin.
B) It must have an interest rate that is at least 25 percent below market rate.
C) It must turn a profit.
D) The United States must be involved in lending.

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a way that women have been disadvantaged by occupational gender segregation?

A) They are discouraged from entering professions considered "female" occupations.
B) They are often given a lower starting wage and fewer promotions.
C) They confront more issues in managing a work-life balance.
D) They are discouraged from presenting themselves as confident in their accomplishments in the same way as men.

Question 55

New York trash collectors sometimes earn a higher income than local business owners. This would be an example of status inconsistency.

Question 56

Deindustrialization is related to the increase in income inequality in the United States.

Question 57

Which of the following statements is NOT true for health in the Global South compared with the Global North?

A) The Global South carries a disproportionate share of the disease burden.
B) The Global South has a disproportionate share of mortality and morbidity.
C) The Global South receives a disproportionate share of medical care.
D) The Global South has a disproportionate share of hunger and malnutrition.

Question 58

Which of the following is a major reason for the decline in the middle class between 1967 and 2013?

A) a higher minimum wage
B) fewer unionized jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector
C) more mothers entering the workplace
D) student loans and credit card debt

Question 59

The bottom billion face ______ at higher rates than other countries.

A) lower life expectancy
B) diabetes
C) higher crime rates
D) obesity

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT a stage in Walt Rostow's modernization theory?

A) the traditional stage
B) the production stage
C) the takeoff stage
D) the high mass consumption stage

Question 61

Most internet sites are in 10 languages, and this disadvantages those in the Global South who do not typically speak these languages.

Question 62

Discuss the three main dimensions of social stratification. Give an example of how each dimension shapes one's position within the stratified system.

Question 63

Poverty is built into the capitalist system.

Question 64

Cultural omnivores are people in the elite class who enjoy culture and consumption from across a wide range of available offerings.

Question 65

It may be tempting to blame the poor for the existence of poverty, but a sociological perspective notes the larger social forces that create and perpetuate poverty.

Question 66

The key difference between Georg Simmel and Thorstein Veblen's theories of stratified consumption is that Simmel thinks the lower classes invent their own fashionable styles, while Veblen thinks they simply mimic the taste of the upper class.

Question 67

Identify and discuss three basic reasons that poverty persists according to sociological research.

Question 68

Discuss one trend and one criticism related to the use of foreign aid to address global economic inequality.

Question 69

China and Japan are part of the Global South.

Question 70

How is the poverty line set in the United States? What purpose does a poverty line serve? Discuss one criticism of the current method for setting the poverty line.

Question 71

How does world-systems theory view the world? Describe the categories that the world-systems theory uses to divide up the world. Further, how do core nations benefit from the periphery?

Question 72

Define both income and wealth. Describe and explain their distribution in the United States (equal/unequal), and how that distribution has varied over time.

Question 73

Globalization is associated with narrowed global disparities in life span and health outcomes.

Question 74

Do you think gaining status is more important in our society than gaining power? Would you rather have high status, or high power? Please explain your answer.

Question 75

Discuss the similarities and differences between absolute poverty and relative poverty. What are the consequences of living in each type of poverty?

Question 76

Countries that industrialized relatively recently are commonly found in the middle-income category range.

Question 77

What was the purpose of the first foreign aid given in the contemporary era of foreign aid? Who gave foreign aid, under what plan, and to whom?

Question 78

A society's position in the larger global stratification system has a significant effect on the stratification that is found within that society.

Question 79

Walt Rostow's version of modernization theory was used during the Cold War to describe what progression? What are the four stages of modernization theory that countries must go through according to Rostow's model?

Question 80

Social institutions, such as higher education systems, cannot be stratified.