Deck 4: Foundation for Social Inequality: Concepts and Structures

Question 1

Class refers to a large category of similarly ranked people distinguished by all but which of the following?

A) occupation
B) education
C) income
D) wealth
E) race

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Social classes include all but which of the following?

A) superclass
B) poor
C) peasant
D) upper class
E) middle class

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Income includes

A) individual earnings through wage and salaries
B) all of the money you have in your bank account
C) the number of cars one owns
D) all of the homes one owns
E) all of the money you have in your wallet

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Wealth refers to all except for which of the following?

A) cars
B) education
C) income
D) economic assets
E) property

Question 5

Lifestyle refers to all but which of the following?

A) childrearing practices
B) language usage
C) innate artistic ability
D) social relations
E) consumption patterns

Question 6

The concept of legitimation is linked to

A) the belief you can become rich if you try
B) a belief in the rags to riches ideology
C) false consciousness
D) the belief that the interests of political and economic elites are our own
E) all of the above

Question 7

Features of the American ideology support the belief that

A) we should work, but not too hard
B) we should depend on our own individual achievement
C) there are better opportunities for the wealthy
D) it is our duty to support a socialist system

Question 8

Equality of opportunity is a situation where people have

A) Similar chances for success in business
B) Different chances for success in politics
C) Different chances for success in business
D) Better chances to succeed in politics

Question 9

Social mobility's myths include all but which of the following?

A) Hard work pays off
B) It's all about who you know
C) Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
D) Initiative gets you in the door

Question 10

Lobbying is done to influence government officials to support legislation or policies and according to your text includes all but which of the following?

A) corporate "fixers"
B) federal lobbying
C) class-based lobbying
D) individuals who are former politicians and public-relations specialists
E) all of the above

Question 11

PACs are

A) political action committees
B) political awareness committees
C) public association constituents
D) political association commissions

Question 12

The six mass media conglomerates and their subsidiaries produce what percentage of TV broadcasts, radio programming, books, newspapers, and magazines?

A) 25%
B) 45%
C) 75%
D) 90%
E) 100%

Question 13

Media champion corporate interests through all but one of the following

A) hype about the news
B) deck stacking
C) selective reporting
D) selective selling of advertisements during prime time
E) spin control

Question 14

Wealth refers to one's income.

Question 15

One's lifestyle can be impacted by one's wealth.

Question 16

Most Americans believe the rags to riches ideology is true.

Question 17

According to Max Weber, the protestant work ethic had a strong role in the development of socialism.

Question 18

Americans overwhelmingly support liberal socialism.

Question 19

The measure of a child's class location and that of a parent's class location is called intergenerational mobility.

Question 20

Most Americans in the U.S. believe in and expect to become upwardly mobile.

Question 21

Prospects for upward mobility have become more common in the U.S. than in many other countries.

Question 22

Like other leading democracies, the U.S. election system is based on proportional representation.

Question 23

A political action committee (PAC) is a private fund-raising group usually affiliated with a corporation, labor union, or citizen group.

Question 24

The increase in the number of media conglomerates has made it more possible for minority and dissenting viewpoints to be represented.

Question 25

The opinion-shaping strategy of the media is weak due to the increase in minority representation shaping media content.

Question 26

Why do most Americans consider themselves to be middle-class and what role does the media play in their belief?

Question 27

How is opinion-stacking accomplished through deck stacking, spin control, and selective reporting? In engaging in these activities, how is inequality maintained?

Question 28

Distinguish between the following classes: working class, working poor, and underclass. How does the American ideology promote the idea of social mobility thus making people responsible for falling into the above three classes?