Deck 8: Stratification: United States and Global Perspectives

Question 1

Robinson Crusoe,Swept Away,and Titanic all illustrate issues of social inequality because they:

A)illustrate patterns of social relations that underlie and shape inequality
B)illustrate how Hollywood dramatizes social inequality
C)criticize inequality in everyday life
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to Brym and Lie,there is greater disparity in the distribution of ____ than in the distribution of ____.

A)money,jobs
B)wealth,income
C)inheritance,pay
D)income,wealth
E)race,gender

Answer 2

B

Question 3

New members of the upper-upper class are:

A)still overwhelmingly white
B)overwhelmingly non-Hispanic
C)concentrated in high-tech areas
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If a sociologist divides households into five separate and equal levels by income,this would be called:

A)income classes
B)income strata
C)wealth strata
D)stratum
E)income and wealth strata

Question 5

Sociologists divide populations into a number of equal-sized statistical categories,usually called:

A)income classes
B)income strata
C)wealth strata
D)stratum
E)income and wealth strata

Question 6

Students of social stratification often divide populations into categories of unequal size that differ in their lifestyle.These are often called:

A)income classes
B)income strata
C)wealth strata
D)stratum
E)income and wealth strata

Question 7

The assets you own and control compose your:

A)money
B)sense of self
C)social organization of everyday life
D)income
E)wealth

Question 8

The reason that sociologists know little about the distribution of wealth is because:

A)Americans hide their wealth
B)Americans all have such great wealth compared to other countries
C)Americans are not required to report their wealth
D)In America assets are always greater than debt
E)none of these choices

Question 9

Thirty-seven percent of all national wealth is owned by:

A)the government
B)Bill Gates
C)the richest 1% of Americans
D)the richest 10% of Americans
E)foreign governments

Question 10

The idea that society is organized in layers or strata is called:

A)sociology
B)social stratification
C)social organization
D)social interaction
E)social archeology

Question 11

What you are able to earn in a given period of time is known as your:

A)money
B)sense of self
C)social organization of everyday life
D)income
E)wealth

Question 12

Robinson Crusoe,Swept Away,and Titanic all illustrate how social inequality can have powerful consequences for the way we live.They do this by:

A)illustrating patterns of social relations that underlie and shape inequality
B)illustrating how Hollywood minimizes social inequality
C)criticizing inequality in everyday life
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 13

Larry Ellison,the founder and CEO of Oracle,represents a case of:

A)a patrician
B)the technological elite
C)the power elite
D)old money
E)new money

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT one of the three lessons about social stratification that is illustrated in Brym and Lie's discussion of the 1975 Italian movie,Swept Away.

A)It is possible to be rich without working hard because one can inherit wealth.
B)One can work hard without becoming rich.
C)Something about human beings leads them to love the rich and hate the poor.
D)Something about the structure of society causes inequality.
E)none of these choices

Question 15

If you were to look at American society and see people organized into different layers based on their access to resources such as money or wealth,you would be thinking about:

A)sociology
B)social stratification
C)social organization
D)social interaction
E)social archeology

Question 16

Many members of the upper-upper class ____ their wealth.

A)squander
B)inherit
C)give away all
D)hoard all
E)hide all

Question 17

A home,a car,and some appliances are all examples of:

A)money
B)sense of self
C)social organization of everyday life
D)income
E)wealth

Question 18

The upper-upper class that comprises less than one percent of the United States population was once described as:

A)patrician
B)the elite
C)the power elite
D)old money
E)new money

Question 19

The authors argue that Titanic examines:

A)the inescapable patterns of social relations that underlie and shape inequality
B)the personal determination of stratification
C)the influence of media on our understanding of the world
D)how love and crisis can overcome social stratification
E)none of these choices

Question 20

In recent decades a substantial number of people have entered the upper-upper class.These people are called:

A)patrician
B)the elite
C)the power elite
D)old money
E)new money

Question 21

Larry Ellison of Oracle achieved his position in the American stratification system based on:

A)achievement
B)luck
C)social ritual
D)ascription
E)the wealth of his parents

Question 22

At first,the Industrial Revolution that began in the 1700s:

A)eliminated stratification
B)increased the level of stratification
C)had a huge effect on stratification,in both directions
D)did little to lower the level of stratification
E)none of these choices

Question 23

A Gini index of zero indicates that:

A)every household in the country earns very different amounts of money
B)every adult in the country earns the same amount of money
C)every household in the country earns the same amount of money
D)a single household earns the entire national income
E)we cannot know how the national income is earned in a country

Question 24

In India,society was divided into ____.

A)social classes
B)castes
C)occupation groups
D)divisions
E)none of these choices

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the changing patterns of social stratification caused by the high-tech industry?

A)high-technology industry squeezed the middle class and encouraged downward mobility
B)high-technology industry helped to create a new division in the lower-upper class-the "poor rich"
C)high technology industry lowered the value of unskilled work
D)high-technology industry swelled the ranks of the poor
E)none of these choices

Question 26

If you do well on a sociology test because you studied and worked hard,this would illustrate a (n)____-based accomplishment.

A)achievement
B)luck
C)ritual
D)ascription
E)sociologically

Question 27

The domestication of animals is a characteristic of which form of agriculture?

A)large scale agriculture
B)pastoralism
C)horticulture
D)slash and burn agriculture
E)raiding

Question 28

A Gini index of one indicates that:

A)every household in the country earns very different amounts of money
B)every adult in the country earns the same amount of money
C)every household in the country earns the same amount of money
D)a single household earns the entire national income
E)we cannot know how the national income is earned in a country

Question 29

Variations in income and wealth between countries is known as:

A)inequity
B)global mobility
C)global inequality
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 30

Over a lifetime,an individual may experience considerable movement up or down the stratification system.Sociologists call this movement:

A)horizontal social mobility
B)energized social stratification
C)vertical social mobility
D)increasing social expectation
E)the social class consequence

Question 31

Which of the following increases during periods of economic restructuring,for example,the plant closings and layoffs the United States experienced in the 1980s and 1990s?

A)upward mobility
B)vertical mobility
C)downward mobility
D)organizational mobility
E)high-tech industry

Question 32

The use of small hand tools to cultivate plants is known as:

A)large scale agriculture
B)pastoralism
C)horticulture
D)slash and burn agriculture
E)raiding

Question 33

During the Industrial Revolution,improvements in the technology and social organization of manufacturing allowed people to produce more goods,at a lower cost per unit,thereby:

A)deskilling the populace
B)reducing quality
C)destroying "guilds"
D)creating unions
E)making a rise in living standards possible

Question 34

The construction of the first agricultural settlements were based on:

A)large scale agriculture
B)pastoralism
C)horticulture
D)slash and burn agriculture
E)raiding

Question 35

As high-tech industry came to dominate Silicon Valley,it encouraged much upward mobility.It also:

A)increased the cost of living,which hurt the middle class and the poor
B)decreased the cost of living by increasing economic opportunities
C)kept inequality level
D)increased the cost of entering technological markets,which minimized the growth of the wealthy
E)none of these choices

Question 36

____ is the measure of income inequality that ranges from zero to one,measures the level of internal stratification,and allows researchers to compare inequality between societies:

A)the strata rating
B)the Gini index
C)the Parsons theorem
D)the stratification correlation
E)none of these choices

Question 37

Which one of the following was NOT one of the factors that broke down social inequality following industrialization?

A)improvements in technology of manufacturing made it possible to produce less expensive goods
B)business required a literate,numerate,and highly trained work force
C)workers struggled to join unions
D)traditional inequality between men and women broke down as women entered the work force
E)the number of high-technology jobs increased substantially

Question 38

When sociologists study the differences in income and wealth between countries,they are studying:

A)social inequality
B)global inequality
C)gross international product
D)cross-national variations in internal stratification
E)all of these choices

Question 39

____ divide society into groups and subgroups arranged in a rigid hierarchy.

A)classes
B)castes
C)occupation groups
D)divisions
E)none of these choices

Question 40

When sociologists are studying international differences in the gap between rich and poor within countries,they are studying:

A)social inequality
B)global inequality
C)gross international product
D)cross-national variations in internal stratification
E)all of these choices

Question 41

Karl Marx argued that feudalism began to decline as manufacturing production increased.This:

A)created a need for workers
B)created a need for landowners
C)created a need for serfs to generate the raw materials for industrial production
D)created a trend toward unionization
E)none of these choices

Question 42

Marx called those who do not own the "means of production" and work for wages:

A)the haute cuisine
B)the lumpenproletariat
C)the bourgeoisie
D)the proletariat
E)the petty bourgeoisie

Question 43

Which of the following are aspects of capitalist development that Marx did NOT accurately predict?

A)industrial societies did not polarize into two oppressed classes
B)a large and heterogeneous middle-class developed
C)investment in technologies increased the wages of workers
D)Communism took root and developed in industrially developed countries

Question 44

In Weber's view,the possession of goods,opportunities for income,level of education,and degree of technical skill comprise one's:

A)ownership of the "means of production"
B)ownership of land
C)parties
D)market situation
E)status groups

Question 45

Marx believed that workers would ultimately see themselves as belonging to the same exploited class.He called this growing awareness:

A)class exploitation
B)class-consciousness
C)bourgeois identification
D)proletarian identification
E)revolutionary unconsciousness

Question 46

Marx called members of the class that own the "means of production," such as factories,land,and tools:

A)the dumplenproletariat
B)das "uberman"
C)the bourgeoisie
D)the proletariat
E)the petty bourgeoisie

Question 47

According to Marx,the distinguishing factor in determining what class people are in is:

A)the amount of income and wealth they possess
B)the community in which they reside
C)their level of influence in society
D)their prestige
E)the source of their income

Question 48

The idea that one can head a military,scientific,or other bureaucracy without being rich,just as one can be rich and still have to endure low prestige,illustrates the importance of ____:

A)social classes
B)status groups
C)parties
D)white-collar employees and professionals
E)intellectual workers

Question 49

In medieval Western Europe,peasants worked small plots of land owned by landlords.The peasants were legally obliged to give their landlords a set amount of the harvest from the land and to continue to work for them under any circumstances.In return,the landlord protected the peasants and provided storehouses and fed the peasants in the event of crop failure.This economic system is known as:

A)capitalism
B)feudalism
C)industrialism
D)agrarianism
E)none of these choices

Question 50

Marx argued that as the capitalist economy matured:

A)the number of capitalists increased as business opportunities grew
B)the number of workers decreased as the antagonism between workers and capitalists grew
C)the capitalist class grew smaller and richer,while the working class grew larger and poorer
D)the new working class became far wealthier than they had been as serfs
E)none of these choices

Question 51

Class position in a stratification system is determined by ____,according to Max Weber.

A)ownership of the "means of production"
B)ownership of land
C)parties
D)market situation
E)status groups

Question 52

The trend most responsible for the gap between the rich and poor increasing for the past fifty years is:

A)the rise in high technology jobs
B)the increase in connectivity
C)the creation of the Internet
D)the increase in middle level management jobs
E)declining inflation

Question 53

According to Marx,what is determined by someone's "relationship to the means of production?"

A)class exploitation
B)class consciousness
C)bourgeoisie
D)proletariat
E)class

Question 54

____ are not just political groups but,more generally,organizations that seek to impose their will on others.

A)social classes
B)status groups
C)parties
D)white-collar employees and professionals
E)intellectual workers

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT one of the four main social classes for Weber?

A)large property owners
B)small property owners
C)relatively highly educated and well-paid employees who do not own property
D)members of the intellectual elite,such as college professors
E)manual workers who do not own property

Question 56

A class of small-scale capitalists who own "means of production" but employ only a few workers or none at all are called:

A)the haute kapital
B)the nomenklatura
C)the bourgeoisie
D)the proletariat
E)the petty bourgeoisie

Question 57

According to Marx,a person's ____ is determined by the source of his or her income or their "relationship to the means of production."

A)exploitation
B)class consciousness
C)bourgeoisie
D)proletariat
E)class

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of Weber's "market situation?"

A)possession of goods
B)opportunities for income
C)level of education
D)degree of technical skills
E)level of social honor

Question 59

The idea that a judge's work contributes more to society than the work of a janitor is an illustration of which theory of stratification?

A)Marxist
B)Weberian
C)functionalist
D)conflict
E)symbolic interactionist

Question 60

Groups of people that differ from one another in the prestige or social honor they enjoy and in their style of life are called:

A)social classes
B)status groups
C)parties
D)white-collar employees and professionals
E)social celebrities

Question 61

Some of Blau and Duncan's critics suggest that it is insufficient to examine only the characteristics of individuals (such as years of education completed)when trying to explain status attainment.They state that it is also important to examine the characteristics of:

A)all family members
B)all classes
C)groups
D)the community
E)all of these choices

Question 62

According to Wright,the basic distinction in class analysis is between property owners and non-owners.He also distinguishes between large,medium,and small owners based on how they:

A)differ from one another in political activism to advocate their economic interests
B)differ from one another in terms of how much status they possess
C)differ from one another in terms of power
D)differ from one another in terms of how much property they own and how many employees they have
E)none of these choices

Question 63

According to Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore,society needs to create incentives to motivate the most talented people to train for the most important jobs.This is an aspect of ____:

A)Marxist Theory
B)Weberian Theory
C)functionalism
D)conflict Theory
E)a sociological theory

Question 64

Erik Olin Wright's basic distinction in class analysis is between:

A)status categories and parties
B)different levels of SES
C)intellectual,physical,and service work
D)modern and postmodern work
E)none of these choices

Question 65

The approach to studying social stratification that focuses on the effects of family background and educational level on occupational achievement is called the:

A)status attainment model
B)stratification model
C)socioeconomic index of occupational status (SEI)
D)social status score (SSS)
E)socioeconomic status (SES)

Question 66

For Wright,"organizational assets" refer to:

A)decision-making authority
B)the financial resources of an organization
C)the political influence of a property owner
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 67

Social mobility within a single generation is called:

A)intergenerational mobility
B)intragenerational mobility
C)structural mobility
D)organizational mobility
E)individual mobility

Question 68

To explain occupational achievement,Blau and Duncan used survey data.They concluded that:

A)the respondent's own achievements had little influence on their occupational status
B)the respondent's own achievements had much more influence on their occupational status than ascribed characteristics
C)there were no clear patterns
D)mother's social status and education were more influential than previously thought
E)father's job and formal education were more influential than previously thought

Question 69

According to Blau and Duncan,stratification in America is based mainly on:

A)inheritance
B)individual achievement
C)luck
D)social networks
E)none of these choices

Question 70

Once people attain high-class standing they use their power to maintain their position and promote the interests of their families regardless of how talented their children are.For example,inheritance allows parents to transfer wealth to children regardless of their talent.This:

A)poses a problem for the Marxist theory of stratification
B)poses a problem for the Weberian theory of stratification
C)poses a problem for the functional theory of stratification
D)all of these choices
E)none of these choices

Question 71

Mobility for men over more than one generation can be substantial and is called:

A)intergenerational mobility
B)intragenerational mobility
C)structural mobility
D)organizational mobility
E)individual mobility

Question 72

An adequate theory of class stratification must specify a small number of distinct classes because the larger the number of classes specified by the theory:

A)the more complicated and less useful the explanation
B)the greater the sampling problems
C)the more the bias
D)the less it will capture class differences
E)none of these choices

Question 73

The average earnings and average years of education of men employed full time in various occupations is known as:

A)a wealth score
B)an income score
C)the socioeconomic index of occupational status (SEI)
D)the social status score (SSS)
E)socioeconomic status (SES)

Question 74

In Wright's theory,non-propertied people who have high skill and credential levels combined with no organizational assets are called:

A)managers
B)organizational activists
C)expert managers
D)semi-credentialed mangers
E)expert non-managers

Question 75

While research has shown that the rate of social mobility for men in the United States is high and that most mobility has been upward,since the early 1970s:

A)social mobility for men has increased geometrically
B)social mobility for women has increased faster than men
C)social mobility has decreased substantially
D)social mobility has leveled off
E)none of these choices

Question 76

Which of the following was NOT one of the criticisms made of Blau and Duncan's study of social stratification?

A)They did not sample part-time and unemployed workers
B)They underrepresented members of the working class
C)They underrepresented African and Hispanic Americans
D)Women were excluded from their research
E)Younger workers were underrepresented

Question 77

One of the most dramatic changes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the decline in agriculture and the rise of manufacturing.This caused a big drop in the numbers of farmers and a corresponding surge in the number of factory workers.Mobility due to such changes in jobs is called:

A)intergenerational mobility
B)intragenerational mobility
C)structural mobility
D)organizational mobility
E)individual mobility

Question 78

Blau and Duncan's study of social stratification has been criticized from many perspectives.However,most of the criticisms agree that:

A)it is time bound
B)it ignores the degree to which mobility is limited by gender,race,and class
C)it is too international in scope
D)it is too American in scope
E)none of these choices

Question 79

Researchers combined income,education,and occupational prestige data to construct a(n):

A)index of wealth
B)index of income
C)socioeconomic index of occupational status (SEI)
D)social status score (SSS)
E)index of socioeconomic status (SES)

Question 80

Researchers have found that mobility for men within a single generation is:

A)decreasing
B)increasing
C)always higher
D)always lower
E)generally modest