Deck 11: Social Class in the United States

Question 1

A good example of a person in the upper-upper class is:

A) J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books.
B) Elizabeth II, the queen of England.
C) anyone who is part of the "working rich."
D) All of the above are correct.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

About _____ of the richest people in the United States gained at least some of their fortune from inheritance.

A) one-eighth
B) one-fourth
C) one-third
D) two-thirds

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The richest 5 percent of U.S. families own about what percentage of privately owned property?

A) 6 percent
B) 16 percent
C) 36 percent
D) 60 percent

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following concepts refers to earnings from work or any investments?

A) income
B) personal property
C) wealth
D) power

Question 5

The total amount of financial assets, minus any debts, is referred to as:

A) income.
B) personal property.
C) wealth.
D) power.

Question 6

The wealthiest 1 percent of U.S. families (the "super-rich") controls about _____ of the nation's privately held wealth.

A) 24 percent
B) 35 percent
C) 64 percent
D) 84 percent

Question 7

If you were looking for data supporting the claim that U.S. society is very stratified, you would make the strongest case by pointing to which of the following factors?

A) occupational prestige
B) education
C) income
D) wealth

Question 8

In 2009, the median income for U.S. families was about:

A) $16,000.
B) $36,000.
C) $60,088
D) $76,000.

Question 9

Being in the upper-upper class is usually the result of _____ being in the lower-upper class is more a matter of _____.

A) birth achievement
B) business success birth
C) gender birth
D) high-income low-income

Question 10

In the United States, the median income for African American families is about _____ as much as that for a non-Hispanic, white family.

A) 36 percent
B) 57 percent
C) 76 percent
D) 96 percent

Question 11

Today, the wealth of the average U.S. family is about:

A) $33,100.
B) $53,100.
C) $100,000.
D) $203,100.

Question 12

About what percentage of all U.S. families have little or no wealth?

A) 10 percent
B) 40 percent
C) 70 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 13

Many people in this country think of the United States as a more-or-less "middle-class" society because:

A) we have no history of nobility, as in Europe.
B) U.S. culture celebrates individual effort.
C) most people interact with others with similar social standing.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

Recent data from the U.S. government shows that median wealth for non-Hispanic, white families was about $142,700. For African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics, the figure was:

A) $87,750 or about 62 percent as much.
B) $47,500 or about 33 percent as much.
C) $27,100 or about 19 percent as much.
D) $7,500 or about 5 percent as much.

Question 15

In 2009, about _____ of U. S. adults over the age of 25 were college graduates.

A) 10 percent
B) 30 percent
C) 45 percent
D) 77 percent

Question 16

Which of the following factors affect social position in the United States?

A) the family we a person is born into
B) a person's race
C) a person's gender
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 17

The family of actor Will Smith and actress Jada Pinkett Smith would best be described as:

A) working class.
B) middle class.
C) "old money."
D) lower-upper class.

Question 18

If you followed the lead of Max Weber, you would think of social stratification in terms of:

A) a multidimensional status hierarchy.
B) two major social classes.
C) a middle-class society.
D) six different social classes.

Question 19

Based on statistics in the textbook, it is correct to say that the richest 20 percent of the population earn about _____ times as much as the poorest 20 percent.

A) two
B) twelve
C) twenty-five
D) one hundred

Question 20

Based on what you know about occupational prestige, which of the following statements is correct?

A) Most of the highest-ranked occupations in the United States are dominated by women.
B) Occupational rankings are much the same in all high-income nations.
C) White-collar work and blue-collar work have about the same social prestige.
D) In the United States, occupation has little to do with social standing.

Question 21

The concept "conspicuous consumption" refers to:

A) buying things that are popular with the most people.
B) buying more than what you need for the moment.
C) the practice of buying things to make a statement about one's social position.
D) acting as if one had a lower social position than is really the case.

Question 22

In general, people of low-class position:

A) live in less safe and more stressful environments.
B) are less likely to describe their own health as "excellent."
C) live fewer years overall.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 23

According to Karl Marx, which class forms the core of the industrial proletariat?

A) the upper-middle class
B) the middle class
C) the upper class
D) the working class

Question 24

Which of the following concepts refers to change in social position during a person's lifetime?

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

Question 25

In the United States, people of _____ are most likely to vote.

A) low social position
B) high social position
C) average social position
D) Social position has nothing to do with how likely people are to vote.

Question 26

Wealthy African Americans differ from wealthy whites in a number of ways. Which of the following four statements is True?

A) Affluent African Americans are even richer than their white counterparts.
B) Affluent African Americans are more likely than rich whites to earn their money from more than one person's income.
C) Affluent African American women are more likely than white women to earn more than $100,000 annually.
D) Affluent African Americans are more likely than rich whites to receive most of their money from investments.

Question 27

Working class people might also be described as _____.

A) lower-middle class
B) lower-upper class
C) lower-class
D) upper-middle class

Question 28

The concept of "intergenerational social mobility" refers to change in social position:

A) over a person's lifetime
B) when moving from one type of job to another.
C) in a downward direction.
D) by children in relation to their parents.

Question 29

Which of the following categories of people are most likely to be liberal on social issues (say, by supporting feminism)?

A) rich, highly-educated people
B) average, middle class people
C) less-educated working class people
D) All these categories are equally likely to be liberal on social issues.

Question 30

People of low social position are more liberal on _____ issues and more conservative on _____ issues.

A) social economic
B) economic social
C) very few almost all
D) almost all almost no

Question 31

In 2009, how many people were counted by the U.S. government as having income below the official poverty line?

A) 370,000
B) 3 million
C) 44 million
D) 370 million

Question 32

The highest concentration of high-income people is found:

A) in small towns of the Midwest.
B) near large metropolitan areas, especially on the East and West Coasts.
C) in the Southwest.
D) in the deep South.

Question 33

In 2009, about what share of the U.S. population was officially counted as poor?

A) 1.6 percent
B) 14.3 percent
C) 32.6 percent
C) 52.6 percent

Question 34

During the last three decades, the real income of African American families in the United States has:

A) gone down a lot.
B) kept pace with the gains made by whites.
C) gone up a lot.
D) changed very little.

Question 35

Which of the following class levels contains the least amount of racial and ethnic diversity?

A) the upper-upper class
B) the middle class
C) the working class
D) All class levels have the same level of racial and ethnic diversity.

Question 36

Read the statements below about social mobility in the United States. Which of the statements is True?

A) For many workers, income has stalled.
B) More people are now working two jobs.
C) More of today's jobs offer low pay.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 37

Relative poverty:

A) is found everywhere.
B) is life threatening.
C) is not found in the United States.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 38

Roughly 40 to 45 percent of the U.S. population falls within the:

A) upper class.
B) middle class.
C) lower class.
D) poor.

Question 39

Which of the following factors tends to raise your social standing?

A) divorce
B) leave school to get a job
C) marry and stay married
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 40

During the last twenty years, which category of the U.S. population has experienced the largest gains in average income?

A) the lowest-paid 20 percent
B) the middle 20 percent
C) the highest-paid 20 percent
D) All income categories have experienced about the same level of upward social mobility.

Question 41

Typically, a family's wealth is greater than the family's income.

Question 42

In terms of absolute numbers, most poor people in the United States are:

A) African American.
B) Asian American.
C) Hispanic.
D) non-Hispanic whites.

Question 43

In 2009, median family income in the United States was $60,088.

Question 44

The richest 20 percent of U.S. families earn 48 percent of all income, while the bottom 20 percent earn only about 4 percent.

Question 45

In 2009, the percentage of all poor families in the United States headed by single women was:

A) 13 percent.
B) 33 percent.
C) 48 percent.
D) 73 percent.

Question 46

People backing the 1996 welfare reform claim that the earlier system:

A) encouraged welfare dependency.
B) discouraged women from marrying.
C) encouraged unmarried women to have children.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 47

By 2006, the welfare reforms enacted in 1996 had:

A) cut the number of people receiving assistance by about half.
B) done little to reduce the poverty rate.
C) moved many people from public assistance to low-wage work.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 48

Which of the following statements about homelessness is True?

A) Most homeless adults are mentally ill.
B) Most homeless adults are substance abusers.
C) The elderly are the fastest-growing category of the homeless.
D) One-third of all homeless people are entire families.

Question 49

In the United States, which age category has the highest poverty rate?

A) children
B) people in their twenties
C) middle-aged persons about forty years of age
D) seniors over age sixty-five

Question 50

If you believe that people living in central cities are likely to be poor because there are few jobs available in these areas, you are in agreement with:

A) Oscar Lewis
B) William Julius Wilson
C) Davis and Moore
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 51

In the United States, an increasing percentage of the poor are:

A) single women and their children.
B) married couples with children.
C) single men.
D) working people.

Question 52

Critics of the 1996 welfare reforms claim the new system:

A) has done little to reduce poverty in the United States.
B) has strengthened families in the United States.
C) encourages welfare dependency.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 53

Sociologist William Julius Wilson suggests the cause of poverty lies in:

A) a lower-class culture of poverty.
B) lack of government action.
C) too few available jobs.
D) bad public schools.

Question 54

One study found that about how many people in the United States were homeless for some time during 2005?

A) 10,000 or fewer
B) 154,000
C) 540,000, although the real number could be half this amount.
D) 754,000, although the real number could be several times higher.

Question 55

In 2009, what percentage of the heads of poor U.S. families did not work at all or had only a part-time job?

A) 12 percent
B) 32 percent
C) 52 percent
D) 86 percent

Question 56

Which area of the United States has the highest rate of poverty?

A) rural areas
B) central cities
C) suburbs
D) All of the above have the same poverty rate.

Question 57

The concept "feminization of poverty" refers to the fact that, in the United States:

A) more and more women are becoming poor.
B) today's women have fewer legal rights.
C) women make up an increasing percentage of the poor.
D) fewer women now work for income.

Question 58

U.S society is not highly stratified.

Question 59

The 1996 welfare reforms created which program?

A) Assistance for Dependent Children (AFDC)
B) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
C) food stamps
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 60

The anthropologist Oscar Lewis suggested the cause of poverty lies in:

A) a lower-class culture of poverty.
B) lack of government action.
C) too few available jobs.
D) bad public schools.

Question 61

People in the lower-upper class are sometimes said to have "old money."

Question 62

As surprising as it may seem, in the United States, poor people typically have better health than rich people.

Question 63

In the United States, there are many more people in the upper class than in the lower class.

Question 64

Hispanic families, on average, lag behind non-Hispanic white families in both income and wealth.

Question 65

The expansion of the global economy has helped create more high-paying jobs in manufacturing in the United States.

Question 66

Since 1980 in the United States, the most dramatic gains in income have been made by the richest people.

Question 67

In the United States, white people are more likely to own their own homes than African Americans.

Question 68

About 40 percent of U.S. families have little or no wealth.

Question 69

Jobs typically performed by women carry more prestige than those typically performed by men.

Question 70

Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in social position within an individual's lifetime.

Question 71

The working class is sometimes called the "lower-middle class."

Question 72

Today, on average, African American families have about the same income and wealth as white families.

Question 73

In 2009, U.S. women working full time earned 77 percent as much as comparable men.

Question 74

In general, white-collar occupations have more prestige than blue-collar occupations.

Question 75

Because education is a right in the United States, there is very little inequality in schooling.

Question 76

In the United States, about 44 million people are officially counted among the poor.

Question 77

People who marry and stay married accumulate only half as much wealth as people who remain single.

Question 78

The wealth of rich people is not only greater, but more of it is in the form of investments that typically increase in value and generate income.

Question 79

When people talk about realizing the "American Dream, they mean making enough money to join the ranks of the lower-upper class.

Question 80

In the United States, wealth is distributed more equally than income.