Deck 2: Poverty and Class Inequality

Question 1

Bob believes that there is a difference between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor and that only the "deserving" poor should receive government assistance.Bob's view best illustrates ______ theory.

A)functionalist
B)social mobility
C)social status
D)labeling

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Social mobility is best defined as ______.

A)the transition from immigrant to citizen
B)the transition from one occupation to another
C)the change that occurs when a person transitions from seeing poverty as functional to seeing it as dysfunctional
D)the movement from one social class to another

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The U.S.poverty rate for 2015was at ______.

A)5%
B)13.5%
C)25%
D)35%

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The culture of poverty thesis is very similar to ______ theory.

A)functionalist
B)labeling
C)social mobility
D)social status

Question 5

Defining poverty based on annual income is an example of a(n)______ measure of poverty.

A)absolute
B)relative
C)means-tested
D)subsidiary

Question 6

The belief that wealth can buy influence,media access,and the support of policymakers best illustrates ______.

A)functionalism
B)symbolic interactionism
C)conflict theory
D)integrative theory

Question 7

Karl Marx argued that when we care more about the things we buy than the labor necessary to create these things,we______.

A)fetishize commodities
B)alienate workers
C)engage in dialectical materialism
D)weaken the capitalist system

Question 8

According to Max Weber,social stratification is primarily based on ______.

A)income and occupation
B)a combination of class,status,and power
C)ownership of the means of production
D)a combination of wealth and status

Question 9

Joe works in an automobile assembly plant.He has no say in what types of cars are made or how the cars are made.This is an example of ______.

A)labeling theory
B)the culture of poverty
C)alienation
D)dialectical materialism

Question 10

All of the following are examples of means-tested safety net programs EXCEPT ______.

A)the Social Security Act
B)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
C)Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
D)Women,Infants,and Children Program

Question 11

According to Max Weber,all of the following would be examples of status EXCEPT ______.

A)race
B)religion
C)gender
D)income

Question 12

In 2015,approximately ______ million Americans were living in poverty.

A)1
B)23
C)43.1
D)75

Question 13

According to Karl Marx,class is primarily based on ______.

A)income and occupation
B)a combination of wealth and income
C)ownership of the means of production
D)a combination of wealth and status

Question 14

A janitor earns less than a school principal.Functionalist sociologists might argue this difference in income ______.

A)ensures that the most talented people hold the most important jobs
B)prevents the social mobility of janitors
C)creates unnecessary divisions of income and power
D)makes it more likely principals will exploit janitors

Question 15

Which of the following sociological perspectives states that social inequality is necessary and inevitable?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)feminist theory

Question 16

Ben's family was very poor growing up but was considered middle class by the time he reached the age of 18.This is an example of ______.

A)social stratification
B)social status
C)social mobility
D)social transmission

Question 17

Mary believes that she is poor because she feels inferior,powerless,and lacks work ethic.Mary's beliefs best characterize ______.

A)Lewis's culture of poverty thesis
B)Gans's ideas about the functions of the poor
C)Weber's ideas about class,status,and power
D)Moore's ideas about welfare dependency

Question 18

The belief that those in power choose to "blame the victim" rather than accept any responsibility for poverty best illustrates ______.

A)functionalism
B)symbolic interactionism
C)conflict theory
D)integrative theory

Question 19

Defining poverty by comparing a person to others in the same society is an example of a(n)______ measure of poverty.

A)absolute
B)relative
C)means-tested
D)subsidiary

Question 20

______ provides reduced-cost meals for students with incomes between 130% and 185% of the poverty line.

A)The Social Security Act
B)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
C)The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
D)The School Lunch Program

Question 21

A tax that places a greater burden on lower-income people is known as a ______.

A)progressive tax
B)regressive tax
C)distributive tax
D)disruptive tax

Question 22

Sarah is paid minimum wage as a fast-food worker.Although she has enough money for food,clothing,and shelter,her wage is significantly below the median household income for her community.Sarah can best be labeled as living in ______ poverty.

A)absolute
B)relative
C)means-tested
D)subsidiary

Question 23

______ involves the ability to understand the circumstances of the lives of others.

A)Social empathy
B)Distributive justice
C)Social inclusion
D)Social solidarity

Question 24

In the United States,those in the top 10% of income possess ______ of the country's wealth.

A)40%
B)55%
C)75%
D)90%

Question 25

______ is concerned with the relationship between perceptions of inequality and principles of fairness.

A)Social empathy
B)Distributive justice
C)Social inclusion
D)Social solidarity

Question 26

The ______ is the belief that anyone can rise from humble beginnings to become wealthy and successful simply by applying oneself.

A)culture of poverty thesis
B)redistributive justice principle
C)self-made man myth
D)social mobility principle

Question 27

______ looks at how being marginalized and stigmatized affects interconnections with others.

A)Social empathy
B)Distributive justice
C)Social inclusion
D)Social solidarity

Question 28

Since the 1980s,the tax burden on the wealthiest Americans has ______.

A)greatly increased
B)slightly increased
C)remained about the same
D)been greatly reduced

Question 29

The wealthiest 1% in the nation possess ______of the wealth.

A)36%
B)19%
C)21%
D)29%

Question 30

All of the following theorists have continued to argue that social inequality is necessary and inevitable for the maintenance of any society EXCEPT ______.

A)Lawrence Mead
B)George Gilbert
C)Charles Murray
D)Karl Marx

Question 31

A flat tax is an example of a(n)______ tax.

A)progressive
B)regressive
C)distributive
D)disruptive

Question 32

______ is a person's social position relative to the economic sector,such as renter,proprietor,or wage laborer.

A)Social status
B)Social power
C)Inequality
D)Class

Question 33

Which best describes the contradictions in an existing economic and social order that create a push for change,which eventually leads to new economic conditions and social relations?

A)alienation
B)dialectical materialism
C)conflict theory
D)symbolic interactionism

Question 34

Which best describes the aspect of a social structure related to political affiliations and connections?

A)social status
B)power
C)inequality
D)class

Question 35

Paco is a child living in Haiti.Both of his parents are unemployed,his family is homeless,and they do not have enough money to buy regular meals.Paco would be considered to be living in ______ poverty.

A)absolute
B)relative
C)means-tested
D)subsidiary

Question 36

The likelihood of being imprisoned in the United States is directly related to ______ and ______.

A)socioeconomic class;race
B)ethnicity;socioeconomic class
C)race;ethnicity
D)race;socioeconomic class

Question 37

It was not until poverty emerged as a national concern in the ______ that a second period of expansion in federal programs occurred.

A)1920s
B)1940s
C)1950s
D)1960s

Question 38

In 2016,the poverty threshold was ______ for a four-person household with two children under age 18.

A)$18,000
B)$24,339
C)$32,000
D)$44,000

Question 39

While African American men make up approximately ______ of the U.S.population,they make up ______ of the total prison population.

A)12%;34%
B)14%;26%
C)11%;39%
D)12%;41%

Question 40

______ sees societies as complex systems whose various institutions and organizations work together to maintain a level of cohesion and stability.

A)Conflict theory
B)Dialectical materialism
C)Inequality
D)Functionalist theory

Question 41

Describe two different ways poverty is defined and explain how they are similar and different.What is the main criticism of each definition of poverty?

Question 42

Medicare is an example of a means-tested program.

Question 43

Describe the general functional perspective on poverty and inequality.Then discuss three potential functions poverty can serve for a society.Finally,what is one important criticism of the functional perspective on poverty?

Question 44

Compare and contrast Karl Marx's and Max Weber's views of stratification.Which of these views is most closely related to the conceptualization of socioeconomic status (SES)used today?

Question 45

Black men are 5.6 times more likely to be incarcerated than White men.

Question 46

Discuss distributive justice in regard to social and economic resources.What are some of the arguments of proponents of distributive justice? Would you agree or disagree with distributive justice from a functionalist perspective? Why?

Question 47

Lower-income workers are just as likely as higher-income workers to be underinsured.

Question 48

The social safety net in the United States can be traced back to the Social Security Act of 1935.

Question 49

Karl Marx believed there were three primary classes,all determined based on ownership to the means of production.

Question 50

Household income has stagnated or declined during the past decade.

Question 51

The poverty rate for female-headed households is higher than the poverty rate for male-headed households.

Question 52

Social mobility in the United States has increased over the past three decades.

Question 53

Social empathy is the insight that individuals have about their own lives that allows them to understand the circumstances and realities of other people's living conditions.

Question 54

Functionalists argue some poverty is inevitable.

Question 55

Discuss symbolic interactionism as it pertains to poverty and inequality.What are some of the applications of symbolic interactionism to social policy? How does this relate to the policy implications of the general functional perspective?