Question 1

Dr. Smith is an open-heart surgeon who was trained at a top-tier medical school. Which of the following theorists would be most likely to argue that Dr. Smith achieved the position solely based on her own talent and efforts?

Accepted Answer

A)   Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore
B)   Max Weber
C)   Karl Marx
D)   Charles Murray A

Question 2

Those who believe that the culture of poverty theory explains why most people are in poverty would most likely favor which of the following antipoverty programs?

Accepted Answer

A)   subsidized housing
B)   universal health care
C)   welfare-to-work programs
D)   food stamps C

Question 3

Who among the following is most likely to experience intergenerational mobility?

Accepted Answer

A)   the child of a high school teacher
B)   the child of unemployed, struggling parents
C)   the child of the CEO of a large corporation
D)   the child of a school janitor A

Question 4

According to the textbook, what is one of the reasons that slavery does not exist in most societies around the world today?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is an inefficient economic system.
B)   Slaves are too expensive to buy.
C)   The Civil War outlawed it.
D)   Around the world, slavery has always been considered immoral.

Question 5

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)   capitalists; the working class
B)   producers; consumers
C)   merchants; consumers
D)   the working class; capitalists

Question 6

According to the textbook, what factor accounts for racial disparities in wealth and income?

Accepted Answer

A)   ambition
B)   education
C)   genetics
D)   luck

Question 7

According to Karl Marx, the working class in industrialized countries would remain poor and live near subsistence level. Marx was right about the persistence of poverty in industrialized countries, but he was wrong in thinking that:

Accepted Answer

A)   there would be very few poor people in most industrialized countries.
B)   most people would own the means of production collectively in capitalist countries.
C)   the income of most of the population would remain extremely low.
D)   industrial capitalism would decrease the wealth and income gap.

Question 8

Individuals living in rural communities cut off from resources and opportunities, like individuals living in inner cities with high crime rates, are likely to experience what sociologists call:

Accepted Answer

A)   social exclusion.
B)   social deprivation.
C)   unequal education.
D)   absolute poverty.

Question 9

Eddie is a factory worker who makes about $32,000 a year. Eddie's husband, Dustin, works part time as a dental assistant and makes about $15,000. Their combined income is just enough to pay their mortgage and make ends meet. Eddie and Dustin are considered:

Accepted Answer

A)   lower middle class.
B)   upper middle class.
C)   old middle class.
D)   working class.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a caste system?

Accepted Answer

A)   forcing rural women in Thailand into sex work
B)   the racial wealth gap in the United States
C)   forcing children to accept their parents' status as their own in India
D)   high rates of child poverty in Slovenia

Question 11

One of the main differences between Marx's and Weber's understanding of social class is that:

Accepted Answer

A)   Marx emphasized one's life chances in his understanding of social class.
B)   Weber recognized that social classes also differ with respect to their power.
C)   Marx put more emphasis on how race and gender intersected with class.
D)   Weber argued that social discrimination can lead to class inequality.

Question 12

Answer the following question in three to five sentences. How has the distribution of income in the United States changed over the past thirty years? Apply one of the stratification theories discussed in the Chapter to explain the reason for this change.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Answer the following question in three to...

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of what Pierre Bourdieu refers to as cultural capital?

Accepted Answer

A)   the ability to pay for cultural events and resources such as art museums, opera companies, and symphony orchestras
B)   parents paying for school tutoring
C)   parents reading to their children and encouraging them to do well in school
D)   having an uncle who works for Goldman Sachs

Question 14

In systems of stratification, people are typically ranked by:

Accepted Answer

A)   personality.
B)   social categories.
C)   intelligence.
D)   social capital.

Question 15

According to the textbook, which phenomenon erased many of the gains in child well-being made in the past twenty years?

Accepted Answer

A)   the 2008 economic recession
B)   the war in Afghanistan
C)   student debt
D)   increases in welfare benefits

Question 16

Andrew is a twenty-something, currently unemployed Jewish male from a wealthy background. Louis is a thirty-year-old Puerto Rican man who currently works in retail. Which difference might Max Weber point to in attempting to understand their respective social statuses?

Accepted Answer

A)   status distinctions
B)   class distinctions
C)   ethnic distinctions
D)   age distinctions

Question 17

Sarah believes her neighbors are poor because they have been socialized into a set of values, beliefs, and norms that result in behavior that leads to poverty. Sarah supports which of the following theories of poverty?

Accepted Answer

A)   culture of poverty
B)   structural poverty
C)   value poverty
D)   dependency poverty

Question 18

What is meant by the phrase feminization of poverty?

Accepted Answer

A)   the fact that women are more likely not to marry until they find a rich man
B)   the fact that a majority of the poor are women
C)   the notion that women are not as likely to pursue education or other skill development and end up in lower-paying jobs
D)   the idea that women do not work as hard as men and are therefore more likely to be poor

Question 19

Wealth and income are both important determinants of social class. Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between wealth and income in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)   Income disparities between rich and poor have increased in the past three decades, whereas wealth disparities have decreased during the same time.
B)   Wealthy people almost always inherited their money; thus there is no relationship between wealth and income.
C)   The same factors that limit people's incomes also limit their ability to accumulate wealth.
D)   Whereas race, education, and age influence income, wealth is independent of these variables.

Question 20

We can conclude that one of the main differences between a society based on caste versus one based on class is that:

Accepted Answer

A)   boundaries between groups are not prevalent in systems based on class.
B)   caste societies are spreading to countries around the world.
C)   social mobility is more prevalent in class-based societies.
D)   globalization will eventually do away with class positions.

Exam 7: Stratification, Class, and Inequality