Deck 10: Stratification and Global Inequality

Question 1

In complex societies, families and other social groups are classified into:

A) loosely defined social complexes
B) clearly defined layers called strata.
C) social classifications.
D) equal social structures.

Answer 1

clearly defined layers called strata.

Question 2

The division of the members of a society into layers based on such attributes as wealth, power, and prestige is termed:

A) homogenization
B) social stratification
C) status differentiation
D) status sorting

Answer 2

social stratification

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT part of the concept of stratification?

A) Almost any social attribute can be a basis for stratification.
B) People are ranked hierarchically.
C) Stratification is inevitable because of biological differences among individuals.
D) The distribution of rewards in society is usually related to the society's economic system.

Answer 3

Stratification is inevitable because of biological differences among individuals.

Question 4

A stratification system in which there are rigid boundaries between social strata is:

A) a closed system
B) an open system
C) a hierarchical system
D) a traditional system

Question 5

Movement by an individual or group from one social stratum to another is termed:

A) geographic mobility
B) occupational mobility
C) social drift
D) social mobility

Question 6

Movement by an individual or group to a higher stratum is termed:

A) downward mobility
B) horizontal mobility
C) occupational mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an open stratification system?

A) Both individuals and entire groups can move from one situation to another.
B) Most statuses are achieved.
C) The boundaries between classes are fairly rigid.
D) There is both upward and downward mobility.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a closed stratification system?

A) Boundaries are fairly rigid.
B) Most statuses tend to be ascribed.
C) Statuses are hierarchically ordered.
D) There is both upward and downward mobility.

Question 9

In the nineteenth century the Jones family owned a considerable amount of land in rural Massachusetts and was respected by everyone in the community. However, as farming declined the family was forced to sell its land and move into town, where today most of the Joneses work in the local canning factory. The Joneses have experienced:

A) downward mobility
B) geographic mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 10

When James Riley arrived in this country ten years ago, he had three dollars in his pocket and had to sleep on a park bench. After many years of hard work, he owns his own factory and has investments in three apartment buildings. Riley has experienced:

A) downward mobility
B) geographic mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 11

A social stratum into which people are born and in which they must remain for life is:

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

Question 12

Social change in India has included all of the following alterations in the stratification system EXCEPT:

A) Caste relations have come to resemble class relations.
B) Everything in village life turns on caste.
C) India's feminist movement has made substantial gains in upgrading the status of women.
D) Preferential loans and scholarships are set aside for the Scheduled Caste.

Question 13

A status that is acquired at birth and cannot be changed is:

A) ascribed status
B) achieved status
C) hierarchical status
D) master status

Question 14

Slavery in the American South, the social structure of India, and the system of apartheid in South Africa are all examples of:

A) caste systems
B) class systems
C) estate systems
D) open societies

Question 15

A status that results from the actions of an individual is:

A) achieved status
B) ascribed status
C) hierarchical status
D) master status

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of an ascribed status?

A) doctor
B) Queen of England
C) president of General Motors
D) student

Question 17

The stratification system in the United States can best be classified as:

A) a caste system
B) a closed system
C) an estate system
D) an open system

Question 18

Social strata that are based primarily on economic criteria such as occupation, income and wealth are termed:

A) castes
B) classes
C) estates
D) institutions

Question 19

Groups that are defined by how much honor or prestige they receive are referred to as:

A) castes
B) estates
C) socioeconomic statuses
D) status groups

Question 20

All of the following are descriptive of status groups EXCEPT:

A) they are defined by wealth and prestige
B) they are of western European Protestant descent
C) the families earned their fortunes in honorable occupations
D) the families engage in philanthropic endeavors

Question 21

The opportunities that people will have or be denied throughout life are referred to as their:

A) life chances
B) lifestyle
C) subculture
D) world view

Question 22

The major forces that produce stratification are created by:

A) kinship structures
B) religious institutions
C) the political system
D) the ways in which people earn their living

Question 23

Most people in the non-industrial world today live:

A) in large urban centers
B) in rural villages
C) in suburbs
D) on collective farms

Question 24

In peasant societies the basic and most common productive group is the:

A) agricultural cooperative
B) commune
C) farm family
D) individual farmer

Question 25

In rural villages social divisions are based largely on:

A) education
B) land ownership
C) productivity
D) skin color

Question 26

In China before the communist revolution, the social stratum that had enough land to meet basic needs and to produce a surplus that could be converted into cash at local markets was the:

A) gentry
B) "middle peasants"
C) poor peasants
D) rich peasants

Question 27

The caste system in India:

A) is changing as a result of the women's movement
B) is more powerful than it was in the nineteenth century
C) has come to resemble a class system
D) has remained virtually unchanged for centuries

Question 28

The movement of an individual or group from one social stratum to another that is caused by the elimination of an entire class as a result of changes in the means of existence is termed:

A) cultural mobility
B) spatial mobility
C) structural mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 29

The mechanization of agriculture that coincided with the Industrial Revolution eliminated the need for small farmers and peasants. Such changes are an example of which of the following?

A) cultural mobility
B) spatial mobility
C) structural mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 30

The movement of an individual or group from one location or community to another is termed:

A) geodesic mobility
B) spatial mobility
C) structural mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 31

The migration of Blacks in the United States from the South to the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and the Far West is an example of:

A) lateral mobility
B) spatial mobility
C) structural mobility
D) upward mobility

Question 32

All of the following increased in importance as a result of the Industrial Revolution EXCEPT:

A) corporations
B) governments
C) local communities
D) markets

Question 33

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in England, many small farmers and peasants were forced off the land and into the cities to work in factories. A shift of this nature is referred to as:

A) geodesic mobility
B) horizontal mobility
C) spatial mobility
D) vertical mobility

Question 34

The main factor determining one's position in the stratification system in the United States is:

A) one's place of residence
B) one's religion
C) the size of one's family
D) the way one earns her/his living

Question 35

Ideologies socialize new generations to believe that existing patterns of inequality are:

A) discriminatory
B) irrelevant
C) legitimate
D) obsolete

Question 36

The statements given below are possible explanations for why people accept their "place" in a stratification system. Which of these is NOT true?

A) Socialization teaches them to accept their position.
B) They are assigned to their position through the democratic process and recognize the right of the majority vote to determine social station.
C) They believe their position is justified by their own inadequacies.
D) They lack the power to change their situation.

Question 37

A set of beliefs that justifies stratification and socializes new generations to believe that existing patterns of inequality are legitimate is:

A) cognitive map
B) ideology
C) rationalization
D) world view

Question 38

In the United States, the major function of the Horatio Alger myth is to:

A) eliminate the need for formal education
B) legitimize the current patterns of inequality
C) make the class system more open
D) motivate the poor to work harder

Question 39

The ideology of American capitalism teaches that:

A) pay and conditions of work should not be challenged by the worker
B) profit-making is a form of exploitation
C) the pursuit of individual gain is disadvantageous to society
D) workers are free to sell their labor as individuals to the highest bidder

Question 40

Which of the following often serve as the ideologies of civilizations, explaining and justifying the stratification systems associated with them?

A) political values
B) religious teachings
C) scientific theories
D) artistic principles

Question 41

The ideology of ________________ guided the people of China to accept their place in society.

A) Mao
B) Confucius
C) Zen
D) Dao

Question 42

Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the institutionalization of Christianity in the Middle Ages?

A) It allowed the church to eliminate all stratification systems.
B) It became the official ideology of the Middle Ages.
C) It resulted in the execution of heretics who challenged Christian views.
D) Its teachings were incorporated into church doctrine and organization.

Question 43

Material objects or behaviors that indicate social status or prestige are:

A) deference patterns
B) identity markers
C) status indicators
D) status symbols

Question 44

All of the following are micro level factors in social stratification EXCEPT:

A) deference
B) demeanor
C) religious ideologies
D) status symbols

Question 45

Which of the following statements about deference is NOT true?

A) It entails indicating respect and esteem to another individual.
B) It is part of the micro level of analysis.
C) It is structured by a set of norms and values.
D) It is usually a one-way process in which lower status individuals pay their respects to higher status individuals.

Question 46

Which of the following terms refers to the ways in which individuals present themselves to others through body language, dress, speech, and manners?

A) charisma
B) deference
C) demeanor
D) lifestyle

Question 47

When children of upper middle class families are taught to sit straight and not slouch, to address Men older than themselves as "sir,"And to look the person they are addressing directly in the eye, they are learning aspects of:

A) charisma
B) deference
C) demeanor
D) lifestyle

Question 48

Deference and demeanor function in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

A) affirm acceptance of the stratification system
B) avoid socially incorrect behavior
C) express our acknowledgement of the natural, innate superiority of social superiors
D) reinforce our sense of correctness of social relationships

Question 49

Deference and demeanor are examples of the stratification system at the:

A) class level
B) global level
C) macro level of daily life
D) micro level

Question 50

Which of the following terms is used by Max Weber to refer to "the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance"?

A) authority
B) coercion
C) force
D) power

Question 51

Power that is considered legitimate both by those who exercise it and by those who are affected by it is:

A) authority
B) charisma
C) coercion
D) legal power

Question 52

A major reason peasants in pre-revolutionary France did not rebel was that:

A) they accepted the system of stratification as legitimate
B) they knew they had no chance of succeeding
C) they were economically well off
D) they were too few in number

Question 53

The rise of feudalism is associated with the:

A) agrarian revolution
B) Copernican revolution
C) industrial revolution
D) spread of Christianity

Question 54

The French Revolution occurred largely as a result of:

A) change in the stratification system
B) the corruption of the church
C) the greed of the peasantry
D) the inefficiency of the nobility

Question 55

Which of the following contributed to the French Revolution?

A) new technologies for waging war
B) the King's increasing dependence on the bourgeoisie for funds
C) the increasing productivity of peasant farmers
D) the spread of new kinds of diseases

Question 56

The new ideology of the French revolution included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) equality
B) fraternity
C) liberty
D) enmity

Question 57

Karl Polanyi refers to the Industrial Revolution as "the great transformation." By this he means that:

A) it led to the rise of individualism
B) it resulted in an increase in the number of wars
C) the market became the dominant institution in society
D) the number of labor unions increased rapidly

Question 58

The social order called capitalism includes all of the following principles EXCEPT:

A) possession of land as a family birthright
B) the freedom of workers to sell the labor to highest bidder
C) the private ownership and control of the means of production
D) the value of individual rights

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of what Karl Polanyi calls "the great transformation"?

A) Displaced from the land, rural people began to sell their labor for wages.
B) Relationships based on ascribed statuses were replaced with relationships based on contracts.
C) The family was replaced by the business firm as the dominant economic institution.
D) Stratification systems became more rigid.

Question 60

The basic relationship of feudalism is in the exchange of

A) independence for protection
B) goods for services
C) safety for services
D) freedom for protection

Question 61

Karl Marx identified all of the following as major classes in capitalist society EXCEPT:

A) landowners
B) owners of capital
C) owners of labor-power
D) the clergy

Question 62

In Marx's analysis of capitalism, which of the following is the largest class?

A) capitalists
B) landowners
C) small businessmen
D) workers

Question 63

According to Marx, membership in a social class is defined by:

A) how much money one earns
B) how much power one has
C) one's relationship to the productive forces of society
D) whether one lives in rural or urban areas

Question 64

Which of the following terms was used by Karl Marx in referring to the class of wage earners in a capitalist society?

A) bourgeoisie
B) lumpenproletariat
C) petite bourgeoisie
D) proletariat

Question 65

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a capitalist society?

A) The bourgeoisie control the political system.
B) The corporation is the dominant economic institution.
C) The family is the key social institution.
D) The means of production are privately controlled.

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT an element of Marx's theory of stratification?

A) Eventually a welfare state would arise to meet the needs of the industrial reserve army.
B) Eventually the masses would unite and rebel against the owners of capital.
C) Monopolies would arise that would control prices and wages.
D) Workers would always be impoverished under capitalism.

Question 67

In Marx's theory of stratification, a social class that has a visible, specific relationship to the means of production is

A) a closed class
B) an objective class
C) an open class
D) a subjective class

Question 68

Marx argued that in a capitalist society there would always be a "reserve army." By this he meant that

A) a pool of unemployed people would work for lower wages than those who already had jobs
B) capitalism creates categories of workers who can concentrate on producing surplus
C) military force would have to be used to get people to work
D) war is an inevitable feature of capitalism

Question 69

In Marx's theory of stratification, the way in which members of a given social class perceive their situation as a class is termed:

A) class position
B) economic class
C) objective class
D) subjective class

Question 70

Marx argued that as long as workers remain unaware of their situation they are not:

A) a closed class
B) an open class
C) an objective class
D) a subjective class

Question 71

A group's shared awareness of its objective situation as a class is termed:

A) class conflict
B) class consciousness
C) class hegemony
D) class location

Question 72

In his analysis of the French peasants, Marx doubted that they could become a subjective class because:

A) reform movements improved the conditions under which they lived
B) the nobility had no difficulty repressing their political demands
C) they were not aware of their situation as a class
D) they were not severely exploited

Question 73

According to Marx, a socialist society would be a classless society because:

A) governments would assure equal opportunity for everyone
B) individual differences would no longer be important
C) people would no longer be interested in material things
D) the institutions that produced inequality would be eliminated

Question 74

All of the following are key elements in Max Weber's analysis of inequality in capitalist societies EXCEPT:

A) economic resources
B) individual talent
C) political power
D) social status

Question 75

A change in the social class of an individual within his or her own lifetime is termed:

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

Question 76

David Green began as a clerk in a bank, but by working hard and going to school at night, he has become its president. Mr. Green's career is an example of what may be called:

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

Question 77

-As shown in the study chart below (Marx and Weber on Stratification), in what ways in addition to wealth are individuals stratified according to Max Weber?

A) gender and age
B) income and occupation
C) power and prestige
D) race and ethnicity

Question 78

According to Max Weber all of the following are dimensions of stratification EXCEPT:

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

Question 79

A change in the social class of family members from one generation to the next is called:

A) intergenerational mobility
B) intragenerational mobility
C) spatial mobility
D) structural mobility

Question 80

Although his father worked on the assembly line in an automobile factory, Lee Iacocca became president of Chrysler Corporation. Iacocca's climb up the corporate ladder is an example of:

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