Deck 7: Social Class and Inequality in the United States

Question 1

Historically, castes have been present in which of the following countries?

A)Kenya
B)United States
C)South Africa
D)China

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A disparity in money, power, prestige, or another resource is referred to as ______.

A)social stratification
B)social inequality
C)class differences
D)class status

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is a characteristic of a class society?

A)Social level is determined largely by religion.
B)Social mobility can occur either up or down.
C)Social level is based solely on ascribed, rather than achieved, characteristics.
D)Social mobility is looked at unfavorably.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Race and sex are both ______ statuses.

A)ascribed
B)achieved
C)social
D)categorical

Question 5

Which of the following have many middle-class Americans experienced in recent decades?

A)downward social mobility
B)static social mobility
C)upward social mobility
D)volatile social mobility

Question 6

Which of the following is an achieved status?

A)race
B)sex
C)height
D)educational level

Question 7

The systematic ranking of different groups of people in a disparate hierarchy is referred to as ______.

A)social stratification
B)social inequality
C)class differences
D)class status

Question 8

The earliest human societies had little stratification because ______.

A)there were few resources to divide
B)differences within communities were very pronounced
C)the concept of a hierarchy of power did not exist
D)populations were very small

Question 9

Which shape do sociologists like Gilbert and Kahl believe the class stratification of modern capitalist societies most closely resembles?

A)rectangle
B)diamond
C)teardrop
D)pyramid

Question 10

Historically, caste systems have been present in which type of societies?

A)urban
B)suburban
C)diverse
D)agricultural

Question 11

Which of the following is an ascribed status?

A)race
B)computer skills
C)educational level
D)salary

Question 12

How do ascribed and achieved statuses differ?

A)Ascribed status is based on systemic inequality, achieved status is not.
B)Ascribed status is based on income, while achieved status is based on power.
C)Achieved status is fluid, while ascribed status is fixed.
D)Achieved status is based on parent status, ascribed status is not.

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of socially stratified systems?

A)People's opportunities and experiences are unaffected by how their social categories are ranked.
B)Individuals cannot alter their rank but the categories themselves change.
C)Modern society is less stratified than the earliest human societies.
D)The hierarchical position of social categories tends to change slowly over time.

Question 14

Which of the following refers to an individual's economic position in society?

A)life chances
B)income
C)wealth
D)class

Question 15

The lowest members of the caste system in India were known as ______.

A)enslaves
B)untouchables
C)traders
D)merchants

Question 16

In a class society, class status is ______.

A)understood to be ascribed
B)prefixed
C)relatively fluid
D)inherited

Question 17

Which of the following is a characteristic of a caste society?

A)Social levels are open.
B)Social level is determined at birth by characteristics that largely cannot be changed.
C)Social mobility is expected.
D)A caste society is based on achieved, rather than ascribed, characteristics.

Question 18

India has four categories in their caste system: priests, warriors, traders, and ______.

A)workmen
B)kings
C)slaves
D)elites

Question 19

Which of the following best defines social mobility?

A)a person's economic position in society
B)the opportunities and obstacles an individual encounters in education, social life, work, and in other critical areas
C)the upward or downward status movement of individuals or groups over time
D)the prestige associated with the rise and fall of a social position

Question 20

The United States is a ______ society.

A)class
B)caste
C)racial
D)binary

Question 21

Which group is characteristic of the working class?

A)people who work in the underground economy
B)people who perform manual labor or low-wage jobs
C)people who provide skills services of some kind and work for someone else
D)people who own or exercise significant financial control over large businesses

Question 22

Which of the following reflects the sociological definition of occupation?

A)the prestige associated with a given position
B)a person's primary vocation
C)the average household's net income
D)a salary package

Question 23

Status refers to the ______ associated with a social position.

A)wealth
B)income
C)prestige
D)power

Question 24

Which of the following is considered income?

A)stocks
B)bonds
C)tips
D)home equity

Question 25

Which of the following is true of wealth?

A)It typically goes to pay for clothes, food, and car repairs.
B)The key source of wealth in the United States is retirement assets.
C)It may be passed down from generation to generation.
D)It is a less important source of status as people rise on the income ladder.

Question 26

In the class categories used by Gilbert and Kahl, the ______ are at the very bottom of the economic ladder.

A)working poor
B)proletariat
C)working class
D)underclass

Question 27

In the United States, the key source of wealth is ______.

A)renting
B)higher education
C)home equity
D)income

Question 28

Which of the following would be considered a blue-collar occupation?

A)auto mechanic
B)business manager
C)investment banker
D)salesperson

Question 29

Income gains in the United States have been disproportionately concentrated among ______.

A)the working poor
B)the working class
C)the middle class
D)top earners

Question 30

Which of the following classes is the smallest?

A)the capitalist class
B)the working poor
C)the middle class
D)the working class

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of an illiquid asset?

A)cash
B)ownership in a private company
C)checking account funds
D)savings account funds

Question 32

Which of the following would be considered a white-collar occupation?

A)a fry cook at a fast-food chain
B)an investment broker
C)a salesclerk
D)a truck driver

Question 33

Wealth is defined by the value of everything a person owns minus the value of ______.

A)everything a person owes
B)a person's net financial assets
C)everything a person's earns
D)a person's illiquid assets

Question 34

Which of the following is the best sociological definition of income?

A)an individual's yearly salary
B)wages, tips, and other compensation
C)household earnings over a set period of time
D)the value of everything a person owns, minus the value of everything he or she owes

Question 35

Most Americans describe themselves in surveys as ______.

A)working poor
B)working class
C)middle class
D)capitalist class

Question 36

Which of the following statements reflects the fluid quality of income?

A)It is very difficult to quantify.
B)It flows in the form of paychecks and flows out as bills are paid and daily expenses are met.
C)U.S.household incomes have largely stagnated over the past decades.
D)It is illiquid, meaning that it is logistically difficult to transform into cash.

Question 37

The term gold collar was introduced in the 1990s to categorize which of the following?

A)the top 1% of earners
B)singers, rappers, and musicians
C)CEOs of multinational corporations
D)young tech professionals with high salaries and high-up positions

Question 38

What has been the trend in U.S.household incomes over the past decades?

A)U.S.household incomes have plummeted over the past decades.
B)U.S.household incomes have stagnated over the past decades.
C)U.S.household incomes have risen significantly over the past decades.
D)It is unclear, as income data are very difficult to collect.

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of net financial assets?

A)cars
B)homes
C)apartments
D)stocks

Question 40

Which of the following is most important for getting ahead in the system of stratification?

A)wealth
B)income
C)status
D)occupation

Question 41

In which of the following areas has the modern U.S.economy produced the largest number of jobs?

A)manufacturing
B)agriculture
C)container shipping
D)production of knowledge and information

Question 42

Workers who are not making full use of their skills or are working part time when they would like to be working full time are ______.

A)unemployed
B)underemployed
C)gainfully employed
D)overemployed

Question 43

Which of the following is a goal of the Affordable Care Act?

A)to increase spending on health care
B)to expand health insurance coverage for the working poor
C)to protect insurance companies against arbitrary actions by claimants
D)to penalize uninsured Americans

Question 44

What percentage of Americans were uninsured before the Affordable Care Act?

A)1.9%
B)80%
C)57%
D)12%

Question 45

In the United States, which percentage of wealth is held by the top quintile of earners?

A)50%
B)90%
C)75%
D)60%

Question 46

Which of the following is a government health insurance program that primarily serves the poor?

A)supplemental security income
B)welfare
C)Medicare
D)Medicaid

Question 47

Which of the following is a results of the transition to a postindustrial economy in the United States?

A)Workers with less education have become more highly valued.
B)Workers with more education have become more highly valued.
C)Outsourcing has become less highly valued.
D)Production workers have become more highly valued.

Question 48

Which of the following is characteristic of service sector occupations?

A)They have increasingly replaced manufacturing jobs as the primary employment for those with less education.
B)They are more likely to offer benefits such as medical or dental insurance.
C)They typically offer a "living wage" rather than just a minimum wage.
D)They offer a solid means of achieving middle-class status.

Question 49

Which of the following is true of wealth inequality in the United States?

A)The distribution of wealth is less unequal than the distribution of income in the United States.
B)If we exclude the ownership of cars and homes, the distribution of wealth is less unequal than the distribution of income in the United States.
C)The distribution of wealth is about the same as the distribution of income in the United States.
D)The distribution of wealth is more unequal than the distribution of income in the United States.

Question 50

Which of the following is characteristic of food deserts?

A)fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat
B)lower prices for food
C)lower quality stores
D)more neighborhood food options to choose from

Question 51

Each year the U.S.Census Bureau calculates how much income is distributed across the population of earners.All households are ranked by annual income and then categorized into which of the following?

A)thirds
B)fifths
C)eighths
D)tenths

Question 52

Which of the following is true of the jobs created in the 1980s and 1990s?

A)Most of the jobs created were manufacturing jobs.
B)The quality of jobs created was lower than the quality of jobs lost due to automation and outsourcing.
C)Health-care coverage for workers in the bottom quintile rose dramatically.
D)The quantity of new jobs decreased.

Question 53

What has been the general trend in inequality over the past few three decades?

A)Inequality has reached its lowest levels.
B)Inequality is declining.
C)Inequality is stagnating.
D)Inequality is rising.

Question 54

In Mills's view, the political power of the masses is ______.

A)greater than most people understand
B)less than most people understand
C)growing over time
D)difficult to study sociologically

Question 55

In the United States, which percentage of wealth is held by the bottom quintile of earners?

A)3%
B)7%
C)11%
D)20%

Question 56

Which of the following best represents an occupation with high prestige or status but lower income?

A)firefighter
B)doctor
C)lawyer
D)stockbroker

Question 57

Karen graduated with her bachelor's degree but cannot find a job in her field.So she takes a job at the mall.This is an example of which of the following?

A)social status
B)lack of wealth
C)working class
D)underemployment

Question 58

Which of the following is an accurate representation of the relationship between health outcomes and class?

A)Poor people may be more physically active because they have less access to transportation to get them to and from work.
B)Grocery stores are available in almost all neighborhoods; middle-class people are just more educated about which food choices are the healthiest.
C)Less affluent people are more likely to die from cancer because they may lack access to health insurance or clinics that offer health screenings.
D)Hospitalization rates for asthma for African American children are lower than for White children because they are not as prone to breathing problems.

Question 59

Which of the following best explains the decline in health insurance coverage for workers in the bottom quintile of earners from the 1980s to the 1990s?

A)the increase in the population of children under age 18
B)the growth of service sector jobs that have been increasingly unlikely to offer employer benefits
C)lack of access to healthy food
D)higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and many types of cancer

Question 60

Wage gains for women have particularly been driven by ______.

A)women who work in pink-collar jobs
B)college-educated women
C)Ivy League-educated women
D)working-class women

Question 61

In the United States, there are few barriers to upward social mobility.As long as someone works hard enough, they can achieve middle- or upper-class status.

Question 62

Social inequality is the systematic ranking of different groups of people in a hierarchy of inequality.

Question 63

Herbert Gans posed which of the following questions?

A)How does stratification limit the discovery of talent in society?
B)How is poverty functional?
C)For whom is poverty functional?
D)How does the conflict perspective illuminate the issue of poverty?

Question 64

Why is caution suggested when looking at the annual poverty rate?

A)It does not include people who have a total income under the poverty threshold.
B)The rate is inflated based on individuals who have been below the poverty line for years.
C)People who are below the poverty line for 1 or 2 months are not included.
D)Too many households are below the poverty line permanently.

Question 65

According to functionalists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore, the United States is which of the following?

A)A society in which personal success is based on geographic location.
B)A society in which personal success is based on gender.
C)A society in which personal success is based on one's place in the stratification system.
D)A society in which personal success is based on talent and individual effort.

Question 66

High-poverty areas are those in which ______ or more households are impoverished.

A)10%
B)20%
C)40 %
D)50%

Question 67

Which of the following does the annual poverty rate capture?

A)the number of households who dropped into poverty
B)the number of households whose total income over a 12-month period fell below the poverty line
C)the number of households who climbed out of poverty
D)the number of households who fell into poverty for at least 2 months in a 12-month period

Question 68

What does Herbert Gans suggest about those who are better off in society?

A)They are in favor of poverty.
B)They are not motivated to fight poverty because it is functional for them.
C)They are motivated to fight poverty for altruistic reasons.
D)They cannot envision an egalitarian society.

Question 69

According to the text, how does the government determine who is "nonpoor?"

A)those who are able to pay their bills each month
B)those with pretax earnings of at least one cent over the poverty line
C)those who are able to pay rent and buy food
D)those with minimum wage earnings and above

Question 70

Poverty areas are those in which ______ or more households are impoverished.

A)10%
B)20%
C)30%
D)50%

Question 71

Which of the following is true of poverty areas?

A)A declining proportion of Americans reside in poverty areas.
B)A poverty area is one in which 10% or more households are impoverished.
C)Poverty areas can be rural, suburban, or urban.
D)Male-headed households are more likely than other family types to live in poverty areas.

Question 72

Herbert Gans argues that the functions served by the poor have ______ alternatives.

A)no
B)functional
C)dysfunctional
D)obvious

Question 73

Income gains in the United States are much higher for top earners.

Question 74

The ______ is the dollar amount set by the government as the minimum necessary to meet the needs of a family.

A)poverty line
B)poverty rate
C)living wage
D)minimum wage

Question 75

Most Americans describe themselves in surveys as working class.

Question 76

In a caste society, social status is the outcome of achieved characteristics.

Question 77

Which of the following has become a common theme in political discourse?

A)the growth of manufacturing
B)the disappearing service industry
C)the disappearing middle class
D)the growth of the middle class

Question 78

The conflict perspective views poverty as ______.

A)dysfunctional
B)functional
C)democratic
D)inevitable

Question 79

India today is moving closer to a class system.

Question 80

Which of the following is one of the weaknesses of the social conflict explanation of poverty?

A)It doesn't account for the fact that people are often discriminated against because of race, sex, and other ascribed statuses.
B)It doesn't account for power dynamics between workers and capitalists.
C)It doesn't account for the competing interests of workers and capitalists.
D)It overlooks more democratic aspects of modern capitalist businesses.