Deck 8: Social Stratification in the United States

Question 1

The poverty line in the United States is measured by the federal government using the following formula:

A) The median cost of rent based on one's geographic region multiplied by two
B) The cost of a nutritionally adequate food plan multiplied by three
C) The median cost of rent in one geographic region plus the standard cost for a nutritionally adequate food plan times number of people in household
D) The sum total of the average cost for the four major household expenses: transportation, housing, food, and child care

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which is more important, income or wealth?

A) Income
B) Wealth
C) They are equally important

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to one estimate, ______________ of the women in the United States are below the poverty line.

A) 5.8%
B) 13.1%
C) 15.8%
D) 25.6%

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of these is listed in the text as one of the biggest disadvantages associated with being in the lower class in the United States?

A) Limited ability to move up in an occupation
B) Increased likelihood of domestic issues
C) A shorter life expectancy
D) Hard economic times are likely to affect the poor first

Question 5

The cost of college is not a concern for brilliant students who earn scholarships or for wealthy students, but students from middle- and lower-class families face big issues with student loans. The student loan problem highlights:

A) the low stratification in the United States
B) the differences between relative and absolute poverty in the United States
C) the importance of meritocracy in the United States
D) the high stratification in the United States

Question 6

John and Mary are on a first date, and Mary tells John she is an airplane pilot. John is very impressed by this as he considers airplane pilots to have a great deal of:

A) power
B) agility
C) status
D) intensity

Question 7

Jennifer Lopez is a very wealthy television star, singer, and dancer, yet she has very little power in the political world. This is an example of:

A) status consistency
B) status stratification
C) status inconsistency
D) status incompatibility

Question 8

Income inequality in the United States looks different depending on how it is divided. Which of these comparisons has the largest disparity?

A) Comparing the bottom 99% to the top 1%
B) Comparing the bottom 90% to the top 10%
C) Comparing the bottom 90% to the top 0.1%
D) Comparing the bottom 50% to the top 50%

Question 9

Sue is a part-time teacher at a local preschool. She decides to go to school and get her teaching certificate. Eventually, she becomes a full-time math teacher. This is an example of:

A) horizontal mobility
B) structural mobility
C) occupational mobility
D) individual mobility

Question 10

Single-parent households headed by women are more likely to live in poverty compared to single-parent households headed by men. This is an example of the:

A) feminization of poverty
B) poverty-gender threshold
C) feminist poverty line
D) stratification of poverty

Question 11

The ability, or inability, to change one's place within the social classes in a society is called:

A) stratification
B) mobilization
C) social mobility
D) achievement status

Question 12

_____________________ refers to the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs, resulting in the decline of the middle class who end up in low-paying service jobs.

A) Deindustrialization
B) Industrialization
C) McDonaldization
D) Desegregation

Question 13

Although there are many paths by which any individual person may come to be wealthy, the Ritzer text implies that which of these is the most statistically likely to result in being wealthy?

A) Inventing new technology
B) Being born to wealthy people
C) Having an IQ over 150
D) Being a top-notch athlete

Question 14

What is the difference between income and wealth?

A) There is no difference; they are synonyms
B) Income is one person's earnings; wealth is a household earnings
C) Income is measured in money; wealth includes assets other than money
D) Income is measured year by year; wealth is a cumulative total

Question 15

The components of social stratification are:

A) lower, middle, and upper class
B) power, elite, mobility
C) class, status, and power
D) status, symbolism, ascription

Question 16

________________ defined social class as a division between the capitalists, who owned the means of production, and the proletariat, who lacked the means of production, thus creating a hierarchical stratification system.

A) Max Weber
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Auguste Comte
D) Karl Marx

Question 17

According to the text, poverty rates by family type in the United States over time show that _____________________ is the family type with the lowest poverty rate in the United States.

A) married-couple families
B) divorced families with shared custody
C) male householders with no wife present
D) female householders with no husband present

Question 18

Many people consider themselves to be middle class, but the book defines the middle class by the following criteria:

A) a family of four that makes between $35,000 and $100,000 per year
B) an individual who makes between $50,000 and $100,000 per year
C) a family of four that has two working parents and owns a home
D) an individual who is employed and owns assets worth $50,000 to $100,000

Question 19

In the United States, and in much of the contemporary world, which of the following is the basis of stratification?

A) The money economy
B) Symbolic exchanges
C) The ability to own the means of production
D) The prestige attached to a person's position

Question 20

The text states that wealth rather than income is where the biggest disparities exist in U.S. society. However, wealth and income are linked in which of these ways?

A) Wealth produces sources of income
B) Wealth is simply a more specific measurement of income
C) Wealth includes one's status, and status can help someone earn income
D) They are only linked by being measures of money; disparities in one don't influence inequalities in the other one

Question 21

Many actors and actresses earn millions each year and display their wealth by living in upscale mansions and driving expensive vehicles. This is an example of:

A) stratified consumption
B) conspicuous consumption
C) dangerous consumption
D) ranked consumption

Question 22

Julia is a highly paid actress who likes expensive clothing and inexpensive jewelry and reads comic books as well as best-selling books. From this example, it could be said that Julia is a:

A) cultural feeder
B) cultural omnivore
C) status offender
D) cultural dissident

Question 23

The three dimensions of social stratification are social class, income, and power.

Question 24

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY The wealthy perpetuate their wealthy by using money and influence to resist taxation that would redistribute wealth. Which of these taxes have been affected by this influence according to the text?

A) Sales tax
B) Death tax
C) Estate tax
D) Luxury tax

Question 25

New York trash collectors sometimes earn a higher income than local business owners. This would be an example of status inconsistency.

Question 26

__________________ coined the term conspicuous consumption, which refers to those of the upper class who use their wealth to demonstrate their status in society.

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Auguste Comte
D) Thorstein Veblen

Question 27

This theorist argued that elite members of society want their social class membership to be obvious to others, and they accomplish this through conspicuous consumption, and lower classes mimic them.

A) Pierre Bourdieu
B) Jean Baudrillard
C) Erving Goffman
D) Georg Simmel

Question 28

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are ways that women have been disadvantaged by occupational gender segregation?

A) They are discouraged from entering professions considered "male" occupations
B) They are often given a lower starting wage and fewer promotions
C) They confront more issues in managing a work-life balance
D) They are discouraged from presenting themselves as confident in their accomplishments in the same way as men

Question 29

A woman helps her elderly neighbor by running weekly errands for her. The neighbor helps her by keeping an eye on her house while she is at work. This is an example of symbolic exchange.

Question 30

The caste system, found among the Hindus of India, is primarily based on ___________________ characteristics.

A) achieved characteristics
B) ascribed characteristics
C) structural mobility
D) intergenerational mobility

Question 31

Which of these arguments about stratification is a structural-functional theory?

A) Stratification is needed because it ensures that people with the right abilities end up in the right positions
B) Stratification is based on power relations that are structured into society
C) Stratification is in all societies, but only becomes inequality at the face-to-face level
D) When societies are structured poorly, they have dysfunctional ways to stratify people

Question 32

Prince William and Prince Harry, sons of Prince Charles, were born into royalty and thus gained instant notoriety. This is an example of which characteristic?

A) Achievement
B) Accomplishment
C) Attainment
D) Ascription

Question 33

Many celebrities purchase large mansions and expensive vehicles. In addition, they also often purchase designer clothing and wear lavish jewelry. According to Pierre Bourdieu, this is an example of ________________.

A) status inconsistency
B) status offense
C) distinction
D) consumption

Question 34

Which of the following is associated with the feminization of poverty?

A) Women are less likely to live alone
B) More unmarried women are having children
C) Women live longer than men
D) Women earn less than men

Question 35

According to the ____________________ perspective on stratification, certain occupations, such as airplane pilots and Supreme Court judges, are occupations which require a great deal of education and therefore must be rewarded with higher salaries and extensive benefit packages.

A) conflict
B) inter/actionist
C) structural/functional
D) feminist perspective

Question 36

Theorists from the _________________ perspective tend to focus on what people do within a stratified structure, such as how they present their authority or lack of authority in their body language.

A) structural/functionalist
B) conflict
C) ethnomethodologist
D) inter/actionist

Question 37

Which of these arguments does the text present as the reasons that poverty persists?

A) Poverty is built into capitalist economies
B) There are always people who are lazy or exhibit terrible judgment
C) Some groups will always limit opportunities and resources available to others
D) Government benefits may not offer enough to reduce or eliminate poverty because they are not supported by the public or elected representatives as an appropriate solution

Question 38

Groups from different social classes tend to distinguish themselves by purchasing different fashions in clothing, although lower classes may get imitation items of the latest fashions. This is an example of:

A) imitative stratification
B) conspicuous consumption
C) a cultural omnivore
D) stratified consumption

Question 39

_______________ theorists advocate for narrowing the income gap between the very rich and the very poor.

A) Structural/functional
B) Conflict
C) Interaction
D) Feminist

Question 40

Which of the following is an advantage of having a great degree of wealth?

A) Being able to invest in stocks and bonds
B) Receiving more scrutiny for following laws
C) Being able to pass on wealth to future generations
D) Being able to retire at an early age and enjoy a life of leisure

Question 41

Cindi is a bus driver who eventually becomes a special education teacher. This is an example of structural mobility.

Question 42

A third-grade teacher who fills in as a second-grade teacher the following year is an example of horizontal mobility.

Question 43

There are two ways that poverty is seen as a moral problem. Some believe that the poor are disreputable and create a moral stain on society, while others think the moral problem is tied to the way poverty hurts the economy because the poor are unable to consume very much.

Question 44

Mike owns a collection business and is very strict with his employees. He sees his employees in a very subservient way and expects them to adhere to all of his rules. This would be an example of an inter/actionist theory as it pertains to social stratification.

Question 45

Discuss the three main dimensions of social stratification. Give an example of how each dimension shapes one's position within the stratified system.

Question 46

Cultural omnivores are people in the elite class who enjoy culture and consumption from across a wide range of available offerings.

Question 47

Wealth is an economic measure, but it usually aligns with one's other dimensions within the system of stratification in the United States. However, there are times when these things do not match. Describe the term that is used for this mismatch in dimensions of stratification, and provide an example of a person who fits this category.

Question 48

Recent research suggests that people on both the low and the high levels of the stratification system greatly overestimate the amount of upward mobility experienced by people in the United States.

Question 49

A cashier at Walmart who eventually becomes the district regional manager would be an example of horizontal mobility.

Question 50

An example of stratified consumption would be actresses who wear expensive diamonds and pearl necklaces to award shows.

Question 51

A hospital pays higher salaries to doctors who specialize in multiple areas. This is an example of the conflict theory as it relates to social stratification.

Question 52

Define both income and wealth. Are both of these elements distributed equally in the United States? Which is more unevenly distributed within the United States? Is that difference becoming smaller or greater?

Question 53

John's father is unemployed and living on welfare, whereas John is the president of his company, an auto parts warehouse. This is an example of intergenerational mobility.

Question 54

Wealth is a key indicator that helps people buy or otherwise acquire high status and power.

Question 55

Wealth refers to money earned from wages and rents, whereas income refers to assets.

Question 56

Deindustrialization is related to the increase in income inequality in the United States.

Question 57

The key difference between Georg Simmel and Thorstein Veblen's theories of stratified consumption is that Simmel thinks the lower classes invent their own fashionable styles, while Veblen thinks they simply mimic the taste of the upper class.

Question 58

According to the conflict perspective, waiters and waitresses are just as valuable as the restaurant manager, as each position has value and performs necessary functions.

Question 59

The major reason for the decline of the middle class is the decline of middle-income jobs, often as a result of technological change.

Question 60

According to the structural-functional theory of stratification, brain surgeons should be offered greater rewards, such as higher salaries and lucrative stock options, than doctors who work in family practices.

Question 61

Discuss the similarities and differences between absolute poverty and relative poverty. What are the consequences of living in each type of poverty?

Question 62

Discuss the theories of Simmel, Veblen, Bourdieu, and the cultural omnivore theory on stratified consumption, addressing what each theory says elites are expressing through consumption. How would each of these theories describe how elites would consume music in contrast with the music consumption of those in other social classes?

Question 63

Select two different types of social mobility and define each type. Give an example of each one.

Question 64

Discuss the structural/functional theory of stratification. How does conflict/critical theory agree or disagree with this theory?

Question 65

How is the poverty line set in the United States? What purpose does a poverty line serve? Discuss one criticism of the current method for setting the poverty line. What is one strategy that families use to manage poverty?

Question 66

Discuss the three basic reasons that poverty persists according to sociological research. In a few sentences, explain why each factor contributes to the perpetuation of poverty.

Question 67

Define the terms ascription and achievement. Give an example of a characteristic that fits with each one.