Deck 5: Social Class and Stratification: Mobility and Status Attainment

Question 1

Intergenerational mobility compares parents' occupations to children's eventual main job.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Upward mobility into white-collar jobs is often prevented by lack of necessary skills and lack of respect for that sort of work.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Sociologist Pitirim Sorokin asserted that __________ is the main source of income and prestige in modern societies.

A) family structure
B) physical appearance
C) a job
D) ability to lie well
E) social capital

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Intragenerational social mobility refers to:

A) changes in people's occupational category during their own careers.
B) an alteration in the occupational structure of a society.
C) the study of how individuals enter specific occupations.
D) a gastrointestinal disorder, resulting in sudden weight loss.
E) an increase in people's quality of life.

Question 5

Jane's mother and father were blue-collar workers. They worked hard to send her to college, where she received a degree in sociology and later began work in a managerial position. Jane's experience is an example of what type of social mobility?

A) spiraling, out-of-control
B) upward intragenerational
C) downward intragenerational
D) upward indiscriminant
E) upward intergenerational

Question 6

Most people are occupationally stable, but a significant (although smaller) proportion are mobile.

Question 7

Most recently, sons of farmers move to the top of the prestige ladder less than 1% of the time.

Question 8

In the twentieth century, many sons of farmers have:

A) inherited the farm, and become farmers themselves.
B) become blue-collar workers.
C) moved to the city, pursued education, and become white-collar workers.
D) traveled to the city, pursued a career in the theatre, and lost all their money.
E) married later than their urban counterparts.

Question 9

The recent data (since the 1980's) on women's intergenerational mobility show that:

A) they now have occupational inheritance similar to men.
B) they now have status attainment similar to men.
C) women from blue-collar families tend to work less than those from white-collar families.
D) their mother's occupational status is a better predictor of mobility than their father's.
E) men should seriously consider improving their domestic skills.

Question 10

Widespread mobility:

A) is one of the markers of modernity
B) does not characterize most Western societies.
C) reflects the decline of our civilization.
D) cannot be measured.
E) is mostly true in Bolivia and other 3^rd world nations.

Question 11

When intergenerational mobility occurs, it typically:

A) results in a decline of quality of life.
B) results in an improvement of quality of life.
C) is an illusion; a statistical trick perpetrated by incumbent politicians.
D) happens in small steps.
E) happens to the wealthy.

Question 12

Compared to other countries, mobility rates in the U. S. are not uniquely high or low.

Question 13

Among industrialized nations, the United States has the highest rate of occupational mobility.

Question 14

The pattern of mobility in other industrialized countries is:

A) relatively similar to the United States.
B) radically lower than in the United States.
C) unknown.
D) difficult to determine because of statistical error.
E) Ten times greater than that experienced in the United States.

Question 15

Structural Mobility refers to people's upward rate of movement from their class of origin due to historical changes in the occupational structure.

Question 16

The rate of mobility in the United States reflects the impact of economic development, class differences in consumption, immigration rates, and affirmative action for white males.

Question 17

Because of industrialization, a modern class structure was created. As a result,

A) almost everyone's life chances and lifestyles have improved.
B) upward mobility was difficult to attain.
C) physical labor began to outweigh "physically clean" labor.
D) more people undertook farming occupations.
E) the educational system was significantly modified nationwide.

Question 18

The term ___________ refers to the average number of children each woman has.

A) infantile
B) index of motherhood
C) index of fertility
D) fertility rate
E) progeny

Question 19

Affirmative action

A) refers to public policies giving advantages to all members of society.
B) benefits minorities only.
C) has resulted in greater upward mobility by white males
D) has significantly decreased the job opportunities for white men.
E) enforces the unequal treatment of women that has been built into social structures.

Question 20

Circulation mobility refers to the roughly balanced upward and downward movements in social class.

Question 21

With regard to circulation mobility, long distance moves occur frequently.

Question 22

Culture of capitalism refers to

A) the spending patterns of a society.
B) the inherent beliefs found in pre-industrialized societies.
C) the ability to attain goods based solely on an individual's social class.
D) the personal beliefs and ideologies of individuals in a capitalistic society.
E) using achievement, individualism, and merit as bases for evaluating people.

Question 23

The factors that produce mobility

A) also produce the American Dream.
B) also generate both income and occupational stability across generations.
C) do not include ascription.
D) are present in the lives of all members of society; it is up to the individual to decide whether he or she will take advantage of it.
E) are available only to those who are most deserving.

Question 24

Status attainment is the process by which individuals gain wealth

Question 25

Status attainment is a complex process, influenced by a number of factors such as a person's family, education, and psychology.

Question 26

Status attainment refers to:

A) the process by which people become wealthy.
B) changes in people's occupation.
C) ceremonies and other social rituals, such as college graduation.
D) the study of how individuals enter specific occupations.
E) the process by which people learn culture and adopt social norms

Question 27

Achievement at each stage of the life cycle affects every subsequent stage of the status attainment process.

Question 28

The social class of a child's family of origin decisively and directly affects __________ stage of status attainment.

A) the main
B) the first
C) the last
D) every
E) no

Question 29

The term ___________ refers to people who are emotionally important to individuals and, hence, especially influential on their status attainment.

A) family
B) significant others
C) spouse
D) college professors
E) Peers

Question 30

All of the following are elements of the status attainment process except:

A) academic performance
B) education
C) class of origin
D) ability
E) alienation

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true?

A) In the model of status attainment, educational attainment strongly influences occupational attainment
B) In the model of status attainment, the most important predictor of occupational attainment is class of origin
C) In the model of status attainment, the most important predictor of ability is occupational attainment
D) The model of the status attainment process summarizes the study of mobility
E) In the model of status attainment, achieved factors influence ascribed factors

Question 32

Cross-national studies show that family background does not significantly affect status attainment in other economically developed nations.

Question 33

Cross-national studies show that educational attainment significantly affects status attainment in all economically developed nations.

Question 34

The process of status attainment

A) appears to be similar in all Western industrial nations
B) appears to be quite different in the U.S., compared to other Western industrial nations
C) resembles the process of social mobility
D) shows how hard it is to learn to be sophisticated and cultured
E) appears to have affected the civil rights movement

Question 35

The higher the family income (especially in early childhood), the greater the achievement of children.

Question 36

Social capital refers to the relationships one has with others located in specific areas of the class structure; these relationships provide connections to the larger society and possibly opportunities for success.

Question 37

The more knowledge and self-confidence parents have, the less likely they are to see themselves as the status equal of teachers.

Question 38

The lower the family income, the greater the economic pressures and the greater the stress between parents - which leads to harsher parent-child interaction. It follows that

A) the children of these families will never be seen by society as 'successful'.
B) the harsher the interaction, the lower the children's self-confidence and achievement.
C) these parents are often reported to child protective services.
D) the introduction of wealth will ameliorate the harsh parent-child interactions.
E) with luck and hard work, the children will go on to achieve great success.

Question 39

Familiarity with the dominant culture - possessing an awareness of beliefs, customs, and ways of life - is described as:

A) social capital.
B) culture of capitalism.
C) assimilation.
D) cultural capital.
E) selling out.

Question 40

________________ and __________________ by class are important because they constitute mechanisms by which children are constrained to meet and socialize with others like themselves.

A) Housing, school segregation
B) Income, religious beliefs
C) Appearance, gender
D) Childcare, personal interests
E) Income, childcare

Question 41

The paradox of modernity refers to

A) the influx of individuals working in pre-industrialized occupations.
B) the existence of inequality and opportunity concurrently.
C) the continuation of blatant racial discrimination in a modern society.
D) increased occupational opportunities for individuals overseas.
E) the increase in communication which is seemingly becoming more impersonal.

Question 42

Although the findings in the study of mobility and status attainment occur at the same levels of analysis, structural and individual, they mirror each other.

Question 43

Modern societies are anomic because opportunity exists but is restricted at the same time.

Question 44

Curbing the competition is the essence of class conflict and one key to understanding

A) why modern societies are anomic.
B) how people attain wealth.
C) the facts of life.
D) circulation mobility.
E) protective legislation.

Question 45

Class conflict is difficult to see at the individual level because

A) each case is unique.
B) it involves parents giving advantages and disadvantages to their children.
C) individuals in society are selfish and do not focus on others.
D) it does not exist at an individual level.
E) the conflict is often settled once it reaches the individual.

Question 46

Increased opportunity

A) occurs only for already privileged individuals.
B) is the marker of modernity.
C) for mobility occurs at higher rates for individuals at the bottom of the social structure.
D) allows all members of society to attain the American Dream.
E) occurred more frequently prior to industrialization.