Question 1

The child most likely to experience intergenerational mobility is the child of:

Accepted Answer

A)  a university president 
B)  a university groundskeeper 
C)  two university professors 
D)  a school cafeteria worker 
E)  a high school teacher

Question 2

An example of a caste system is:

Accepted Answer

A)  requiring Jewish families to live in a separate part of European cities, known as a ghetto 
B)  giving political and economic rights in South Africa only to people who were genetically completely white 
C)  forcing children to accept their parents' status as their own in India 
D)  denying all civil rights to blacks in the United States 
E)  all of the above

Question 3

The emergence of the "new urban poor" in the past quarter of a century was precipitated by:

Accepted Answer

A)  economic globalization, which led to high unemployment among the unskilled sectors of the lower class 
B)  racial discrimination in hiring for the remaining low-skilled jobs in urban centers 
C)  changes in government policies that cut back or eliminated welfare programs 
D)  the cycle of poverty that is reinforced among the poor 
E)  all of the above

Question 4

Compare and contrast Marx's theory of stratification with that of Weber.Which theory do you think best explains stratification in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast Marx's theory of stratification...

Question 5

How important is cultural capital in determining class status? Support your conclusion with examples.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How important is cultural capital in determining...

Question 6

During the twentieth century,the real income of blue-collar workers in Western societies _______________ overall,although it has _______________ in the past 20 years.

Accepted Answer

A)  stayed the same; dropped significantly 
B)  increased significantly; dropped 
C)  increased significantly; increased only slightly 
D)  decreased significantly; increased 
E)  decreased slightly; increased significantly

Question 7

Karl Marx called those who own the means of production _______________ and those who make their living by selling their own labor power for a wage _______________.

Accepted Answer

A)  status groups; pariahs 
B)  sellers; buyers 
C)  producers; consumers 
D)  merchants; peddlers 
E)  capitalists; the working class

Question 8

Which of the following is true of ALL systems of social stratification?

Accepted Answer

A)  If a person no longer identifies with the other members of his category, he is no longer classified at that level. 
B)  A person's life chances are significantly influenced by her position. 
C)  Ranks tend to fluctuate rapidly and significantly over time. 
D)  Upward mobility is a norm that is valued in all societies. 
E)  Wealthy people are always ranked higher than poorer ones.

Question 9

Which of the following best explains why the wealth gap is greater than the income gap between blacks and whites?

Accepted Answer

A)  A culture of poverty among African Americans discourages achievement and saving money. 
B)  The legacy of discrimination provided little or no opportunity to accumulate wealth. 
C)  The African American family is "disorganized." 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above; there is no wealth gap

Question 10

Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.Moore provided a functionalist explanation of stratification,arguing that it has beneficial consequences for society.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Research by Seymour Martin Lipset and Reinhard Bendix found that the United States has more upward mobility than other Western societies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Mean household income has grown the most since 1974 for which part of the income distribution?

Accepted Answer

A)  all income levels equally. 
B)  bottom 20% 
C)  highest 20% 
D)  middle 60% 
E)  top 5%

Question 13

Compare and contrast the "blame the victim" explanation of poverty with the "blame the system" explanation.Which explanation seems to best explain povertythe prevalence of working poor in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast the "blame the victim"...

Question 14

Lower-class households typically have an annual household income below:

Accepted Answer

A)  $20,000 
B)  $38,000 
C)  $60,000 
D)  $100,000 
E)  $180,000

Question 15

According to Pierre Bourdieu,economic capital is much more important than cultural capital when it comes to determining class.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

It is much easier for a person to experience social mobility in a class system than in a caste system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Describe Erik Olin Wright's concept of contradictory class locations.Think about an occupation to which you aspire that this is relevant to.How helpful is this concept in understanding the class location of that occupation?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe Erik Olin Wright's concept of contradictory...

Question 18

Which of the following statements about class systems is NOT accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)  The boundaries between classes are very clear cut. 
B)  Class systems are fluid. 
C)  Class positions are in some part achieved. 
D)  Class is economically based. 
E)  Class systems are impersonal.

Question 19

Consumerism and consumption have blurred class differences to some extent in our society.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Which of the following is a characteristic of the concerted cultivation model of parenting according to Annette Lareau in Unequal Childhoods?

Accepted Answer

A)  Children learn to be assertive with adults. 
B)  Children feel a sense of constraint when operating in institutions. 
C)  How free time is spent is up to the child. 
D)  It fails to provide children with skills needed for success in school. 
E)  Parents allow children to deal with problems at school on their own.

Exam 8: Stratification, class, and Inequality

The child most likely to experience intergenerational mobility is the child of:

An example of a caste system is:

The emergence of the "new urban poor" in the past quarter of a century was precipitated by:

Compare and contrast Marx's theory of stratification with that of Weber.Which theory do you think best explains stratification in the United States?

How important is cultural capital in determining class status? Support your conclusion with examples.

During the twentieth century,the real income of blue-collar workers in Western societies _ overall,although it has _ in the past 20 years.

Karl Marx called those who own the means of production _ and those who make their living by selling their own labor power for a wage _.

Which of the following is true of ALL systems of social stratification?

Which of the following best explains why the wealth gap is greater than the income gap between blacks and whites?

Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.Moore provided a functionalist explanation of stratification,arguing that it has beneficial consequences for society.

Research by Seymour Martin Lipset and Reinhard Bendix found that the United States has more upward mobility than other Western societies.

Mean household income has grown the most since 1974 for which part of the income distribution?

Compare and contrast the "blame the victim" explanation of poverty with the "blame the system" explanation.Which explanation seems to best explain povertythe prevalence of working poor in the United States?

Lower-class households typically have an annual household income below:

According to Pierre Bourdieu,economic capital is much more important than cultural capital when it comes to determining class.

It is much easier for a person to experience social mobility in a class system than in a caste system.

Describe Erik Olin Wright's concept of contradictory class locations.Think about an occupation to which you aspire that this is relevant to.How helpful is this concept in understanding the class location of that occupation?

Which of the following statements about class systems is NOT accurate?

Consumerism and consumption have blurred class differences to some extent in our society.

Which of the following is a characteristic of the concerted cultivation model of parenting according to Annette Lareau in Unequal Childhoods?