Deck 7: Stratification, Class, and Inequality

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an example of a caste system?

A)forcing rural women in Thailand into sex work
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)none of the above; all are examples of caste systems

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Workers picking strawberries can pick 100 baskets an hour,but it only costs the employer a value of 20 baskets to pay them their hourly wages.The income the employer collects from the extra baskets is __________,according to Karl Marx.

A)extra wages
B)surplus value
C)wage theft
D)surplus income
E)the means of production

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Today people are taken against their will and forced to work as bricklayers in Pakistan or sex workers in Thailand.These are examples of:

A)modern-day slavery
B)a caste system based on occupation
C)cheap labor in a capitalist system
D)the worst occupations in a class system
E)a caste system based on gender

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which country has a caste system based on occupation groupings?

A)India
B)the United States
C)South Africa
D)a and b only
E)b and c only

Question 5

What do sociologists call a large group of people who occupy a similar economic position in society?

A)workers
B)laborers
C)caste
D)class
E)owners

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true of all systems of social stratification?

A)People are ranked according to social categories such as race and gender.
B)A person's life chances are significantly influenced by his or her social category.
C)Ranks of social categories tend to change slowly over time.
D)If a person no longer identifies with the other members of his or her category, he or she is no longer classified at that level.
E)Social rankings reflect social inequality.

Question 7

According to Karl Marx,a class is made up of people who have the same relationship to the:

A)means of production
B)means of employment
C)means of consumption
D)government
E)status system

Question 8

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 __________.

A)capitalists; the working class
B)producers; consumers
C)merchants; consumers
D)the working class; capitalists
E)employers; employees

Question 9

In class systems,the boundaries between classes are:

A)stable and very clear-cut
B)fluid and not very clear-cut
C)determined and set at birth
D)based on religion and tradition
E)mandated by the government

Question 10

Sociologists study ________ when they are looking at the structured inequalities in a society.

A)social stratification
B)social disapproval
C)social inequity
D)strategic sociality
E)socialism

Question 11

The caste system of stratification can be best classified as:

A)an open system in which a person's intelligence and hard work determine social position
B)an open system in which individuals can move out of the social position in which they are born
C)a closed system in which all individuals stay within the social position they are born into
D)a closed system in which people are able to own other individuals as property
E)nonexistent in the modern world

Question 12

According to the textbook,what is the main reason that slavery does not exist in most societies around the world today?

A)because it is an inefficient economic system
B)because slaves are too expensive to buy
C)because human rights became an important concept in industrial societies
D)because a postindustrial society required a different economic system
E)because machines displaced slaves

Question 13

Which of the following concepts introduced by Max Weber says the idea that your probability of economic success is largely dependent on the social position you are born into?

A)caste
B)life course
C)life chances
D)status
E)relations of production

Question 14

In an industrialized society,which term is most often used to analyze stratification?

A)occupation
B)slavery
C)class
D)caste
E)status

Question 15

According to Karl Marx,the working class in industrialized countries would remain poor and live near subsistence level.Marx was right that there would be economic inequality,but he was wrong because today:

A)in most industrialized countries there are very few poor
B)most people own the means of production collectively in Western countries
C)most people in Western countries are better off than they were in Marx's time
D)most industrialized countries distribute wealth through social programs
E)none of the above

Question 16

Caste systems require that individuals marry within their social group.This is referred to as:

A)caste marriage
B)endogamy
C)social marriage
D)endomarriage
E)equal marriage

Question 17

Scholars believe that __________ has encouraged a shift to class-based systems in countries such as India that have been traditionally caste-based systems.

A)morality
B)globalization
C)the Internet
D)high divorce rate
E)spread

Question 18

A stratification system in which certain people are owned as property is known as:

A)capitalism
B)caste
C)estates
D)socialism
E)slavery

Question 19

In all systems of stratification,people are ranked by:

A)personality
B)social categories
C)intelligence
D)social capital
E)social identity

Question 20

Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty and raised by a single mother,yet today she is one of the richest women in America.Her life story demonstrates that in a class system,the social position we are born into affects our life chances,but our class position is also:

A)based on luck
B)based on looks
C)in some part achieved
D)determined in part by affirmative action for women and racial minorities
E)unpredictable

Question 21

Which of the following is a strong predictor of one's occupation,income,and wealth in later life?

A)one's willingness to work hard
B)the religious background of one's parents
C)the performance of the stock market
D)one's access to technology, such as the Internet
E)one's educational attainment

Question 22

Some scholars argue that __________,not __________,is the main determinant of class position.

A)income; wealth
B)education; wealth
C)wealth; income
D)home ownership; income
E)education; not income

Question 23

__________ argued that social stratification is functional and ensures that the most talented people fill the roles they are best suited for by rewarding them accordingly.

A)Karl Marx
B)Max Weber
C)Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.Moore
D)Émile Durkheim
E)Erik Olin Wright

Question 24

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?

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)While income is influenced by race, education, and age, wealth is independent of these variables.
E)Neither wealth nor income is influenced by race, education, and age.

Question 25

In studies where individuals were asked to rank the "prestige" of an occupation,they rank jobs that required __________ as having the highest prestige.

A)the most professional clothing
B)the most work hours
C)the most education
D)the most titles
E)the most employees

Question 26

The social honor or prestige that is accorded to individuals by other members of society is referred to as:

A)status
B)reputation
C)social class
D)fame
E)pariah

Question 27

Wealth refers to:

A)the value of one's home
B)all the assets an individual owns
C)how much money one makes in a year
D)the estimated earnings over one's life
E)annual income minus annual debt

Question 28

Which of the following theorists would be most likely to argue that a medical doctor achieved the position solely based on his or her own talent and efforts?

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

Question 29

According to the text,the upper class in the United States:

A)is made up of the wealthiest 20 percent of the population
B)has a distinctive lifestyle and is politically influential
C)does not include people who get their wealth from investments
D)is accessible to all Americans with a college education
E)is racially and ethnically diverse

Question 30

Paris Hilton is a rich and famous celebrity,but she has little higher education or professional qualification.Max Weber most likely see Paris Hilton as a member of a(n):

A)capitalist group
B)uneducated class
C)contradictory class
D)deviant group
E)pariah group

Question 31

The "super-rich" in the United States were able to accumulate vast amounts of wealth partly because globalization enabled them to:

A)use low-wage labor in other countries
B)sell products to consumers in other countries
C)make investments globally
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 32

When people are asked to identify which class they belong to,most respond that they are:

A)underclass
B)poor
C)upper class
D)middle class
E)working class

Question 33

In 2009,which group had the lowest percentage for achievement of a high school diploma at 62 percent?

A)Latinos
B)African Americans
C)whites
D)Asian Americans
E)women

Question 34

The money a person gets from a wage or salary or from investments is __________; the assets an individual owns are __________.

A)wealth; property
B)income; wealth
C)wealth; income
D)income; income
E)property; property

Question 35

Max Weber argued that class divisions derive from resources such as people's:

A)surplus value
B)gender
C)qualifications
D)last name
E)income

Question 36

According to Karl Marx,because workers produce more than is actually needed to pay them,the relationship between workers and capitalists in an industrial society is:

A)motivational
B)easy to negotiate
C)equal
D)exploitative
E)hard to analyze

Question 37

Max Weber believed that __________ are equally as important as class distinctions in understanding social stratification.

A)status distinctions
B)power distinctions
C)ethnic distinctions
D)gender distinctions
E)none of the above; according to Weber, class distinctions are the only important factor

Question 38

An economy based on computer and information technology has had what effect on social stratification in recent years?

A)It has made a college education more expensive.
B)It has made a college education more accessible.
C)It has increased the importance and value of a college education in the job market.
D)It has made it more difficult to attend college.
E)It has made a college education less expensive.

Question 39

Income inequality grew dramatically in the 1970s as the income of the richest 20 percent saw its incomes rise __________,while the poorest 20 percent saw its incomes rise by __________.

A)60 percent; 15 percent
B)15 percent; 60 percent
C)100 percent; 5 percent
D)75 percent; 25 percent
E)none of the above; both groups saw their incomes decline

Question 40

Although sociologists agree that there are no clear divisions between classes in the United States,they generally identify __________ classes.

A)six
B)four
C)two
D)five
E)three

Question 41

While the average income of __________ households has been increasing,that of __________ households has been declining in the last decade.

A)black and Latino; white
B)lower class; middle class
C)white; black and Latino
D)Latino; black
E)black; Latino

Question 42

Which of the following occupations is LEAST likely to be held by a lower-middle-class individual?

A)police officer
B)nurse
C)school teacher
D)upper-level manager
E)sales person

Question 43

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

A)the child of a high school teacher
B)the child of two university professors
C)the child of the CEO of a large corporation
D)the child of a school janitor
E)the child of a university groundskeeper

Question 44

Inequality and the gap between rich and poor have been steadily growing in the United States.The richest 20 percent has __________ of the total income,while the poorest 20 percent has __________ of the total income.

A)50 percent; 3 percent
B)3 percent; 50 percent
C)25 percent; 25 percent
D)30 percent; 30 percent
E)20 percent; 20 percent

Question 45

Researchers of social mobility,including Peter Blau and Otis Dudley Duncan in the 1960s and William Sewell and Robert Hauser in the 1980s,have shown that:

A)educational attainment has a great deal to do with ultimate social status
B)the family's social status has little to do with social mobility
C)social position is not inherited, but solely achieved
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 46

Intergenerational mobility is best described as when:

A)a person achieves a different class position than the one he or she was born into
B)a person maintains the same class position as his or her parents or grandparents
C)a person has a different class position from that of his or her parents or grandparents
D)a person achieves a different class position than his or her siblings
E)none of the above

Question 47

Eddie is a factory worker who makes about $32,000 a year.Eddie's wife,Joan,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 Joan are considered to be:

A)lower middle class
B)upper middle class
C)old middle class
D)new middle class
E)working class

Question 48

People in blue-collar occupations,such as plumbers and hotel workers,make up the:

A)lower middle class
B)working class
C)old middle class
D)new middle class
E)upper middle class

Question 49

Workers in dead-end jobs that pay low wages are most likely found in the:

A)lower class
B)working class
C)lower middle class
D)upper middle class
E)any class, since there are many jobs like this in the United States

Question 50

A farmer with a high school diploma who makes $115,000 a year,lives in a large home,and drives an expensive car is most likely to be in which class category?

A)upper middle class
B)lower middle class
C)upper class
D)middle class
E)working class

Question 51

When sociologists examine how far an individual moves up or down the socioeconomic scale in his or her lifetime,they are studying:

A)optimal mobility
B)intergenerational mobility
C)life change
D)intragenerational mobility
E)pangenerational mobility

Question 52

Working-class children are most likely to do which of the following after graduating from high school?

A)travel around Europe
B)attend a four-year college
C)attend a two-year college
D)immediately start working
E)take the summer off to relax

Question 53

What factor accounts for racial disparities in wealth and income?

A)lower social and cultural capital
B)education
C)discrimination
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 54

Members of the lower middle class today:

A)work at primarily white-collar jobs
B)make up about 50 percent of American households
C)are racially and ethnically diverse
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 55

According to sociological studies,the biggest determinant of a person's social mobility is:

A)personality
B)intelligence
C)wealth
D)education
E)income

Question 56

Today,the gap between rich and poor in the United States is the largest it has been since:

A)1929 after the stock market crash
B)1970 when the United States started to outsource jobs
C)1947 when the United States started to measure the gap
D)Never; the gap has been getting smaller
E)1990 when technology become an important part of the economy

Question 57

In the U.S.class system,the "poorest of the poor," who are structurally disadvantaged and are least likely to move out of their class position,are called the:

A)poor class
B)lower class
C)left-behind class
D)inner-city class
E)underclass

Question 58

Which of the following best explains why Latino household income has stagnated and fallen far behind that of white households?

A)a culture of poverty among Latinos that discourages achievement and saving money
B)the large number of immigrants from Mexico and Latin America that are in low-wage jobs
C)high unemployment among Latinos
D)high divorce rate among Latinos
E)none of the above; there is no income gap

Question 59

Social mobility refers to:

A)the movement of individuals and groups between class positions
B)the migration of people from the countryside to town
C)the movement of people between caste positions
D)the change in racial/ethnic identification when individuals intermarry
E)the transportation system of a society

Question 60

The lower class has a higher percentage of __________ than any other class in the United States.

A)bilingual speakers
B)educators
C)men
D)nonwhites
E)children

Question 61

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

A)subsidized housing
B)universal healthcare
C)welfare-to-work programs
D)food stamps
E)direct cash aid

Question 62

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

A)the ability to pay for cultural events such as art museums, opera companies, and symphony orchestras that charge for admission
B)parents paying for school tutoring
C)parents reading to their children and encouraging them to do well in school
D)learning more than one language
E)none of the above

Question 63

According to the sociologist Charles Murray,there are groups among the poor that do not enter the labor market and rely on government interventions,which undermines self-help and personal ambition.He says that these poor are part of:

A)the unambitious culture
B)the dependency culture
C)the least-motivated poor
D)the poverty problem
E)the structural poor

Question 64

In addition to Social Security,__________ has/have helped to lift many of the elderly out of poverty.

A)food banks
B)Meals on Wheels
C)unemployment
D)Medicare
E)none of the above

Question 65

Although official estimates show that relatively few elderly people live in poverty,these statistics may not be accurate because:

A)they do not consider the large number of elderly people who go hungry
B)they do not consider the large number of elderly people who live alone
C)they do not consider the high cost of medical care
D)they do not consider the high cost of rent
E)they do not consider the high number of social services used by the elderly

Question 66

Those who believe that poverty results from structural factors beyond the control of individuals would see which of the following as a source of poverty?

A)unequal distribution of educational resources
B)lack of universal healthcare
C)growing income inequality
D)all of the above
E)none of the above.

Question 67

Of those who are currently in poverty in the United States,how many are working?

A)50 percent
B)25 percent
C)90 percent
D)none
E)5 percent

Question 68

What is meant by the phrase "feminization of poverty"?

A)the fact that women are more likely to not 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
E)none of the above

Question 69

If a person believes that people are poor because they have been socialized into a set of values,beliefs,and norms that result in behavior that leads to poverty,then that person is said to believe which of the following theories of poverty?

A)culture of poverty
B)structural poverty
C)value poverty
D)dependency poverty
E)poverty of the mind

Question 70

When a person moves from one position in a class structure to a nearly identical position,the person is said to experience:

A)short-range downward mobility
B)long-range downward mobility
C)declining mobility
D)across-position mobility
E)bi-position mobility

Question 71

Child poverty rates in the United States are:

A)relative to the poverty rates of men
B)the highest in the world
C)the lowest in the industrialized world
D)the highest in the industrialized world
E)almost nonexistent

Question 72

At the beginning of her sophomore year of high school,Janis's family cannot afford to buy her new clothes and shoes or enough supplies for school.Janis feels poor compared to her classmates who can afford these things.Janis experiences:

A)absolute poverty
B)relative poverty
C)downward mobility
D)exchange mobility
E)upward mobility

Question 73

When a person does not have adequate resources to maintain his or her health,such as enough food to eat,the person is said to be in:

A)absolute poverty
B)relative poverty
C)downward mobility
D)exchange mobility
E)the poverty line

Question 74

In the United States,the largest concentrations of poverty are found in:

A)rural areas
B)inner cities
C)the South and Southwest
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 75

About one-third of children in poverty live in:

A)households headed by single fathers
B)households headed by single mothers
C)rural areas
D)urban areas
E)households with three or more children

Question 76

According to Pierre Bourdieu,working-class parents are just as interested in their children's education as middle- and upper-class parents,but they lack the __________ to help their children experience social mobility.

A)social capital
B)cultural capital
C)tuition capital
D)educational capital
E)language capital

Question 77

Downward mobility is when:

A)retired people stop receiving Social Security
B)the whole economy declines and all people see a decline in their income
C)when a person chooses a lower occupation than they are qualified for
D)when a person's income, wealth, or status is lower than his or her parents
E)all of the above

Question 78

How does the government determine the poverty line?

A)It multiplies the cost of an adequate, nutritious diet by three.
B)It multiplies the cost of an average household's rent by three.
C)It calculates the average cost of living in each of four regions of the United States and divides that number by the average cost of rent in those places.
D)Since the cost of living varies across the country, it calculates the cost of living in each region and determines a poverty line for each U.S.region.
E)It is based on how much a person would make per year if the person made the federal minimum wage.

Question 79

The income of most elderly people is dependent on:

A)their part-time jobs
B)money from their children
C)pensions
D)Social Security
E)none of the above

Question 80

In which of the following countries is the poverty rate the highest?

A)Germany
B)Norway
C)United States
D)Sweden
E)Japan