Question 1

Oscar Lewis's concept of a culture of poverty suggests that a fatalistic and resigned attitude exists among the poor,which leads them to accept their social status.Discuss some of the major criticisms of this controversial point of view.

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Question 2

According to Max Weber,the traditional source of wealth,owning the means of production,is not the only factor in determining social status.How does Weber conceptualize power and prestige? Why does he argue that power and prestige,in addition to material wealth,are important factors in determining a person's social status?

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Question 3

Half of all children grow up to have the same socioeconomic class as their parents.Discuss the ways in which Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital influences this phenomenon.

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Question 4

In the 1960s,many sociologists noticed that economic obstacles alone were insufficient in explaining disparities in the educational attainment of children from different social classes.Which concept was introduced to explain these disparities?

Accepted Answer

A)  the American Dream 
B)  cultural capital 
C)  status inconsistency 
D)  class consciousness

Question 5

In House of Yes,a play by Wendy MacLeod,the character Marty brings his fiancée Lesly to meet his family.She comes from a different social class,which leads to miscommunication and difficult interactions among Lesly,Marty,and Marty's two siblings.According to Pierre Bourdieu,Lesly not having enough ________ could cause the strained relations.

Accepted Answer

A)  wealth 
B)  cultural capital 
C)  intersectionality 
D)  ideology

Question 6

The sociologist Susan Mayer studied poverty and welfare.She concluded that character traits in parents like "diligence,honesty,good health,and reliability" led to increased achievement in children.Which theory do her conclusions support?

Accepted Answer

A)  conflict theory 
B)  structural functionalism 
C)  feminist theory 
D)  the culture of poverty

Question 7

What do sociologists call it when large numbers of people move up or down the social class ladder as a result of changes to society as a whole?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

A social stratification system exists in every society.Discuss the characteristics that all social stratification systems share.

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Question 9

Which of the following is one of the basic principles of social stratification?

Accepted Answer

A)  Low-level groups often have basic access to the rewards and privileges of
Higher-level groups. 
B)  Families' social positions start anew with each new generation. 
C)  All societies stratify according to wealth accumulation. 
D)  It is maintained through beliefs that are widely shared in a society.

Question 10

Although they make very little money,priests,ministers,rabbis,imams,and clergy are often prestigious members of their communities.Which social theorist first suggested that this is an important element of class status?

Accepted Answer

A)  Karl Marx 
B)  Émile Durkheim 
C)  Pierre Bourdieu 
D)  Max Weber

Question 11

Homogamy is the practice of choosing a romantic partner based on similarities in background and group membership.Why do so many people choose life partners with racial,religious,and class backgrounds similar to their own?

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Question 12

An accountant with a college degree and a license from the state accounting board works for the Department of Defense as a senior auditor.He makes about $100,000 a year and will soon retire with benefits and a pension.To what class would you expect him to belong?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Manohla Dargis called the movie The Pursuit of Happyness "the same old bootstraps story,an American Dream artfully told,skillfully sold.How you respond to this man's moving story may depend on whether you find Mr.Smith's and his son's performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices,and success the result of heroic toil and dreams." What idea is being expressed here?

Accepted Answer

A)  The American Dream is an ideology. 
B)  America is a largely class-free society. 
C)  Poverty is absolute, not relative. 
D)  Most Americans will inherit their parents' class status.

Question 14

Contrary to popular myth,most people living in poverty are employed.Explain how the current minimum wage contributes to someone being part of the working poor.

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Question 15

It is often said that you can always tell a millionaire by her shoes.She may dress like a slob in every other respect,but someone from the upper class is bound to have expensive,custom-made footwear.Whether this is true or not,it helps demonstrate the way we

Accepted Answer

A)  try to "better ourselves" by increasing the amount of cultural capital we possess. 
B)  allow relative levels of prestige to determine our class status. 
C)  make split-second judgments about who people are and what social statuses they occupy based on their appearances. 
D)  surrender to the impersonal forces of the market.

Question 16

The folk-pop singer Jewel is famous for having lived in her van when she first moved to San Diego and started performing in a coffee shop.Soon after Atlantic Records signed her,her advance allowed her to rent a house and buy a new car.Of what class-based phenomenon is this an example?

Accepted Answer

A)  socioeconomic status and life chances 
B)  apartheid 
C)  the culture of poverty 
D)  social mobility

Question 17

The tendency to choose romantic partners based on similarities in background and group membership is called

Accepted Answer

A)  homogamy. 
B)  background knowledge. 
C)  reflexivity. 
D)  heteronormativity.

Question 18

How is Max Weber's idea of social class different from Karl Marx's?

Accepted Answer

A)  Weber did not believe owning the means of production mattered in any way. 
B)  Weber believed class status was inherited and that it was an extension of the old feudal system. 
C)  Weber believed wealth was the only factor that mattered regardless of how that wealth was acquired. 
D)  Weber believed that wealth, power, and prestige could all affect a person's social class.

Question 19

José has been working hard for the past ten years,but most of the wealth he has is the result of inherited properties.Erin has also been working hard for the past ten years,but since she is paid the federal minimum wage and also supports her elderly mother,Erin is below the federal poverty line.José and Erin demonstrate

Accepted Answer

A)  the just-world hypothesis. 
B)  the wealth gap. 
C)  hegemony. 
D)  meritocracy.

Question 20

What general predictions can sociologists make about a person's life prospects if all that is known is the person's social class?

Accepted Answer

A)  the level of education he or she will receive 
B)  his or her college major 
C)  if he or she will be a "dog person" or a "cat person" 
D)  whether he or she will have everyday class consciousness

Exam 7: Social Class: The Structure of Inequalit