Deck 6: Social Stratification

Question 1

A person's __________________ is the product of categories related to nationality, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, social class, occupation, education and other categories that humans have created and defined as significant.

A)social confidence
B)social location
C)sense of self
D)self-rating

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Sociologists use the term esteem to mean

A)the amount of wealth associated with a status.
B)the social value assigned to a status.
C)the level of respect or admiration for a status apart from any person who happens to occupy it.
D)the reputation that someone has earned.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which one of the following questions would be of least interest to a sociologist studying the world's richest and poorest peoples?

A)How does one explain the extremes of wealth and poverty in the world?
B)Why should so few in the world enjoy great wealth while so many others struggle to survive?
C)Can capitalism and globalisation correct dramatic inequalities between the world's richest and poorest peoples?
D)How might we instill a work ethic in the world's poorest peoples?

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If we describe the situation of those at the bottom in terms of a lack of access to things like cell phones, the internet and satellite television service, we are describing

A)relative poverty.
B)absolute poverty.
C)sustained poverty.
D)extreme poverty.

Question 5

_________ is a situation in which people lack the resources to satisfy the basic needs no person should be without.

A)Relative poverty
B)Life chances
C)Absolute poverty
D)Social inequality

Question 6

In an information society, owning a basic cell phone with no smart features may put someone at a disadvantage.This person may experience ______________ poverty compared to those who can afford smart phones.

A)absolute
B)relative
C)technological
D)extreme

Question 7

The systemic process by which individuals, groups, and places are ranked on a scale of social worth is

A)social stratification.
B)symbolic stratification
C)apartheid.
D)social structure.

Question 8

The richest _____________ per cent of people in the world hold 40 per cent of the total household wealth.

A)one
B)five
C)ten
D)20

Question 9

Sociologists use the term social prestige to mean

A)the amount of wealth associated with a status.
B)the social value assigned to a status.
C)the level of respect or admiration for a status apart from any person who happens to occupy it.
D)the reputation that someone has earned.

Question 10

Those who lack access to a toilet live in a state of

A)relative poverty.
B)absolute poverty.
C)social stratification.
D)sustained poverty.

Question 11

The UN has set the absolute poverty threshold in developing countries at the equivalent of ____________ per day.

A)R15
B)R20
C)R30
D)R50

Question 12

Social stratification is ________ process in which individuals, groups and places are categorised and ranked on a scale of social worth.

A)a random
B)an arbitrary
C)a systematic
D)an automatic

Question 13

________ is measured by comparing the situation of those at the bottom against the situation of those more advantaged.

A)Relative poverty
B)Absolute poverty
C)Sustained poverty
D)Social stratification

Question 14

__________ are attributes that people have at birth, develop over time, or possess through no effort or fault of their own.

A)Achieved statuses
B)Status values
C)Ascribed statuses
D)Social stratification

Question 15

________ include(s) everything from the chance to stay alive during the first year of life to the chance to go to college.

A)Social stratification
B)Life chances
C)Apartheid
D)Social status

Question 16

Extreme wealth is the most excessive form of wealth.The term applies to a minority of people, perhaps as few as the richest __________ people in the world.

A)1 200
B)100 million
C)1.2 billion
D)2.4 billion

Question 17

A situation in which valued resources and desired outcomes are distributed in such a way that people have unequal amounts and/or access to them is known as

A)the social lottery.
B)social equality.
C)social inequality.
D)life chances.

Question 18

An achieved status is an attribute that people

A)inherit at birth.
B)develop over time.
C)possess through no fault or effort of their own.
D)acquire through some combination of choice, effort, and ability.

Question 19

A person's ascribed statuses are the result of

A)chance.
B)choice.
C)ability.
D)effort.

Question 20

Which one of the following is usually considered to be an achieved status?

A)Wrinkles
B)Skin colour
C)Occupation
D)Reproductive capacity

Question 21

Ideally, in a class system of stratification,

A)life chances are inherited.
B)people rise and fall on the strength of their abilities.
C)there is no intergenerational mobility.
D)inequality is systematic.

Question 22

___________ mobility is a loss of rank, such as when an accountant becomes unemployed.

A)Downward
B)Intergenerational
C)Horizontal
D)Upward

Question 23

For sociologists, one important dimension of any stratification system is the extent to which people 'are treated as members of a category, irrespective of their individual merits'.This statement suggests that sociologists are particularly interested in how _____________ are viewed and treated.

A)achieved statuses
B)class systems of stratification
C)ascribed characteristics
D)status value

Question 24

People assign ______________ when they regard some features of a characteristic as more valuable or worthy than other features.

A)life chances
B)status value
C)social class
D)social stratification

Question 25

Poor people purchase goods and services that would otherwise go unused, such as day-old bread, used cars, and second-hand clothes.Such purchases speak to

A)functional uniqueness.
B)comparable worth.
C)the functions of poverty.
D)status consciousness.

Question 26

Class systems of stratification are characterised as

A)rigid.
B)closed.
C)restricted.
D)fluid.

Question 27

According to the functionalist perspective, the unequal distribution of rewards is necessary in order to

A)ensure that the most functionally important occupations are filled by the best-qualified people.
B)make the least functionally important occupations attractive to the masses.
C)justify denying some people the opportunity to achieve functionally important occupations.
D)make the system as democratic as possible.

Question 28

Caste systems of stratification are characterised by all but one of the following adjectives.

A)Rigid
B)Closed
C)Restricted
D)Fluid

Question 29

In analysing social stratification, functionalists ask

A)who benefits from social stratification and at whose expense?
B)how do people of different social statuses interact?
C)why are some positions in society more valued than other positions?
D)why do disadvantaged people lack the work ethic needed to advance?

Question 30

Within a class system, movement from one social class to another is termed

A)social stratification.
B)social mobility.
C)social location.
D)class consciousness.

Question 31

In comparison to class systems, caste systems of stratification

A)are extremely rigid.
B)rank people on their basis of achievements.
C)have few barriers to social interaction among people from different strata.
D)allow marriage between people of different strata.

Question 32

When a son or daughter goes into an occupation that is higher or lower in rank and prestige than a parent's occupation, sociologists label that mobility is considered

A)intragenerational.
B)intergenerational.
C)downward.
D)upward.

Question 33

Scott, a volunteer from Britain working in Mauritania writes, 'the girls are hard to get a handle on.Because of culture restrictions on men and women interacting, I really can't get close enough to any of them to know them'.Scott is describing

A)class system.
B)caste system.
C)achieved status.
D)vertical mobility

Question 34

In a caste system of social stratification

A)inequality is not systematic.
B)there is a systematic connection between ascribed characteristics and life chances.
C)people can change their class position through hard work.
D)talent, merit, and ability determine a person's life chances.

Question 35

Class and caste systems of stratification differ with regard to all but one of the following?

A)Ease of mobility
B)Relative importance of achieved and ascribed status
C)Restrictions placed on interaction between people considered equal
D)Ascribed statuses determine life chances

Question 36

Sociologists are particularly interested in situations in which ______________ are used to explain certain abilities.

A)achieved statuses
B)eye colours
C)roles
D)ascribed statuses

Question 37

Mary worked as a cleaner for 25 years.Her daughter Njabulo works as a teacher.The difference in status speaks to

A)intergenerational mobility.
B)intragenerational mobility.
C)horizontal mobility.
D)status mobility.

Question 38

A person who changes his or her class position through marriage, graduation, inheritance or job promotion is experiencing

A)vertical mobility.
B)horizontal mobility.
C)caste mobility.
D)downward mobility.

Question 39

Davis and Moore argue that the more functionally unique an occupation, the greater it's functional importance.Functionally unique means that

A)few other people can perform the same occupation.
B)just about anyone can do the job.
C)the occupation has an unusual name.
D)few people want to do the job.

Question 40

Intragenerational mobility is movement

A)that results in a loss of rank or mobility.
B)that cannot be anticipated early.
C)upward or downward during an individual's lifetime.
D)upward or downward over two or more generations.

Question 41

According to W.W.Rostow, modernisation involves a transformation of cultural beliefs and values that support all but which one of the following?

A)Individualism
B)Collective orientation
C)Work ethic
D)Future-orientation

Question 42

Dependency theory holds that, for the most part, poor countries are poor because they

A)are products of a colonial past.
B)resist free-market principles.
C)lack the work ethic to thrive in the modern economy.
D)have few natural resources.

Question 43

___________ seek to understand the experience of inequality - how it is communicated and how that inequality is conveyed.

A)Functionalists
B)Conflict theorists
C)Symbolic interactionists
D)Modernisation theorists

Question 44

Which one of the following questions do conflict theorists ask to highlight the problems with the functional perspective of social stratification?

A)How can we attract the best qualified people to fill the most functionally important positions?
B)Will the most qualified people be attracted to the less functionally important occupations?
C)How much inequality in salary is really necessary to ensure that people choose the most important positions in society?
D)Why do the disadvantaged lack the motivation to acquire the training needed to fill the most important positions in society?

Question 45

W.W.Rostow, a modernisation theorist, proposed a five-stage model of modernisation.The modernisation process begins with

A)western countries establishing policies to jump start modernisation.
B)mass consumption.
C)a tradition-oriented way of life.
D)government reforms that push modernisation.

Question 46

Comparable worth means

A)that when men and women work in the same firms in the same occupation, they must not be paid differently.
B)that when occupational categories are agreed to be equivalently valuable within a firm, the compensation must be equivalent across those categories.
C)male and female dominated occupations should be valued equally.
D)men and women can be paid differently, even if they are in the same occupation.

Question 47

Conflict theorists argue that the functionalist theory of social stratification falls short because

A)one must assume that social stratification exists in all societies.
B)workers who perform the same jobs tend to receive equal pay regardless of their race or sex.
C)salary reflects an occupation's contribution to society.
D)it is difficult to determine the functional importance of an occupation.

Question 48

If the people believe that the range of options open to children will be what they were for them and were for those child's grandparents that society is

A)tradition oriented.
B)modern.
C)industrial.
D)post-modern.

Question 49

Many businesses, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organisations exist to serve poor people or to monitor their behaviour.This arrangement is an example of

A)functional uniqueness.
B)comparable worth.
C)the functions of poverty.
D)status consciousness.

Question 50

______________ is a form of domination in which a foreign power uses its superior military force to impose its political, economic, social, and cultural institutions on an indigenous population with the aim of dominating their resources, labour and markets.

A)Neocolonialism
B)Social stratification
C)Conflict
D)Colonialism

Question 51

A process of economic, social, and cultural transformation in which a country 'evolves' from a pre-industrial or underdeveloped status to a modern society is known as

A)industrialisation.
B)urbanisation.
C)neocolonialism.
D)modernisation.

Question 52

The process of undoing colonisation is known as

A)imperialism.
B)decolonisation.
C)recolonisation.
D)insurgency.

Question 53

A country is considered modern if it possesses at least eight characteristics.Which one of the following is not one of those eight?

A)A high proportion of the population lives in and around cities.
B)Energy to produce food, goods and services revolves around physical exertion.
C)People have a voice in economics and political affairs.
D)Literacy is widespread.

Question 54

W.W.Rostow, a modernisation theorist, proposed a five-stage model of modernisation.The modernisation process is completed when

A)western societies intervene to jump start modernisation.
B)the society is characterised by technological maturity and high mass consumption.
C)tradition and modern co-exist.
D)the government of a developing country institutes reform that push modernisation.

Question 55

A former colony consigned to an economic role in which it produces primary products for what were once colonising countries is an illustration of which one of the following?

A)Neocolonialism
B)Colonialism
C)Decolonisation
D)Retrocolonisation

Question 56

The question 'Why should full-time workers at a child care centre (a traditionally female occupation) receive a a lower weekly salary than while a person working as an auto mechanic (a traditionally male occupation)?' relates to issues of

A)pay equity.
B)comparable worth.
C)functional uniqueness.
D)status consciousness.

Question 57

Modernisation theorists hold that poor countries are poor because they have yet to develop into modern economies and that their failure to do so is largely the result of

A)internal factors such as a country's resistance to free market principles.
B)the absence of a motivated workforce.
C)where the country is located in the world.
D)long standing racial and ethnic conflicts.

Question 58

____________ is the term for continuing economic dependence on former colonial powers.

A)Neocolonialism
B)Social stratification
C)Conflict
D)Colonialism

Question 59

From a functionalist perspective, social inequality

A)causes people in the entry-level jobs to work harder.
B)ensures that the best-qualified people will fill the most demanding positions.
C)increases the motivation level of all workers.
D)guarantees that incompetent people will not seek the most important jobs.

Question 60

A country is considered modern if it possesses at least eight characteristics.Which one of the following is not one of those eight?

A)A system of mass media and communication is in place.
B)People feel a sense of loyalty to a country.
C)Energy to produce food, goods, and services revolves around the use of oil and electricity.
D)People feel a sense of loyalty to an extended family.

Question 61

Body builders are a _______________ in that they have developed a lifestyle around maximising the size and appearance of muscles.

A)status group
B)negatively privileged property class
C)political party
D)proletariat

Question 62

_______________ is the largest donor of foreign aid when measured in absolute dollars.

A)Canada
B)The United States
C)France
D)China

Question 63

Most people in developed countries are considered 'extremely wealthy'.

Question 64

A(n)_________________ is an amorphous group of persons held together by virtue of a lifestyle and the level of social esteem and honour others accord them.

A)primary group
B)in-group
C)status group
D)functionally unique group

Question 65

_____________ is the flow of the most educated people from poor to rich economies.

A)Subsidised education
B)Out-migration
C)In-migration
D)Brain drain

Question 66

The 1.2 billion people that live on the equivalent of R20 per day represent the

A)negatively privileged property class.
B)semi-peripheral class.
C)functionally unique.
D)positively privileged property class.

Question 67

The United Nations set the absolute poverty threshold in developing countries at the equivalent of US$10 a day.

Question 68

'As leaders, we have a duty … to all the world's people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs.' These words reflect the spirit of which global initiative?

A)Holt International
B)USAID
C)the Millennium Development Project
D)Micro-lending

Question 69

About one-third of the world's people do not have a decent place to use as a bathroom.

Question 70

___________per cent of the African continent was once controlled by colonial power.

A)25
B)50
C)75
D)90

Question 71

The negatively privileged property classes include all but one of the following:

A)Completely unskilled persons
B)Those dependent on seasonal employment
C)Those at the bottom of the class system
D)The bourgeoisie

Question 72

Which one the following is considered a structural response to reducing global inequality?

A)Transferring wealth through foreign aid and fair trade policies
B)Inviting skilled workers from poor countries to work in the United States
C)Building fences between the world's richest and poorest countries
D)Sending missionaries to the world's poorest countries

Question 73

For the UN Millennium Declaration to be successful the world's richest countries must agree to do all but one of the following.

A)Increases foreign aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP
B)Eliminate subsidies to agriculture
C)Eliminate tariffs on products imported from the poorest economies
D)Eliminate foreign aid to make poor countries solve their problem

Question 74

The bulk of U.S.foreign assistance to the world's poorest countries goes toward all but one of the following.

A)Development
B)Crisis intervention
C)Military training and financing
D)Narcotics control

Question 75

____________ depends on many factors, including relationship to the means of production, source of income, access to consumer goods, status group, and marketable abilities.

A)Brain drain
B)Social class
C)Neocolonialism
D)Global migration

Question 76

Lack of access to clean drinking water would be an example of relative poverty.

Question 77

According to Max Weber, persons completely unskilled, lacking property, and dependent on seasonal or sporadic employment constitute the

A)negatively privileged property class.
B)ascribed property class.
C)marketing class.
D)negatively privileged status group

Question 78

The Millennium Project set 20 targets and 60 measures of success to be reached by 2015.Which of the following is not one of these?

A)Halve the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.
B)Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
C)Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio.
D)Reduce the amount of development aid from the richest countries by one-third.

Question 79

Karl Marx believed that ____________ was the most important engine of change.

A)technology
B)societal need
C)class struggle
D)ideology

Question 80

The richest 8.3 million people in the world represent the

A)negatively privileged property class.
B)semi-peripheral class.
C)functionally unique.
D)positively privileged property class.