Deck 7: Class and Stratification in the United States

Question 1

In Weber's conception of class there is a complete correlation among the three dimensions of power, prestige, and wealth.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In the United States, people over the age of 65 are the most likely to be poor.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In Wright's Marxian model of social classes, the capitalist class is made up of families with large amounts of inherited wealth.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Women's lower socioeconomic status is the primary explanation for poverty in the United States today.

Question 5

Virtually anyone can be poor, and poverty is randomly distributed throughout the population of the United States.

Question 6

Social mobility is always upward and between generations.

Question 7

Theoretically, a class system is more open than a caste system.

Question 8

Congress has not passed an increase in the federal minimum wage in 20 years.

Question 9

Max Weber was in complete disagreement with Karl Marx about the nature of class.

Question 10

Contemporary Marxist theorists agree with Marx's classification of social class in terms of whether or not one owns the means of production.

Question 11

Neither the Weberian nor the Marxian model of class in the United States describes the nature and extent of social inequality within the United States.

Question 12

Sociologists are in agreement that poverty is always harmful to society.

Question 13

The current economic situation makes it difficult to predict the future of stratification within the United States.

Question 14

The child poverty rate in the United States is higher than in any other industrialized country.

Question 15

During the economic crisis of 2007-2009, household median wealth declined for people of all races equally.

Question 16

Most people in the United States have their wealth invested in income-generating property.

Question 17

Among high-income nations, the United States has the greatest amount of income inequality.

Question 18

Although the federal minimum wage is set by the federal government, individual states are free to adopt a higher minimum wage rate if they desire.

Question 19

Weber believed that modern bureaucracies are so strong that even a workers' revolution would not lessen social inequality.

Question 20

A person's ability to succeed and his or her position in the class structure is determined largely by the stratification system of the society.

Question 21

A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in India caste was based in part on __________.

A) ​religious identification
B) ​racial classification
C) ​occupation
D) ​wealth

Question 22

According to the text, one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of __________.

A) ​authenticity
B) ​fairness
C) ​flexibility
D) ​visibility

Question 23

The open stratification system based on the ownership and control of resources, as well as the type of work people do, is termed __________.

A) ​caste
B) ​slavery
C) ​estate
D) ​class

Question 24

__________ is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources.

A) ​Bureaucracy
B) ​Ethnocentrism
C) ​Social stratification
D) ​Social layering

Question 25

In a caste system, people are allowed to marry only within their own group. This is termed __________.

A) ​endogamous
B) ​exogamous
C) ​polygamous
D) ​homogamous

Question 26

The sociological term for the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another is __________.

A) ​life chances
B) ​stratification
C) ​social mobility
D) ​meritocracy

Question 27

__________ is an extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned by others. It is a closed system in which people are treated as property and have little or no control over their lives.

A) ​League
B) ​Slavery
C) ​Class
D) ​Caste

Question 28

Caste systems and slavery are both __________.

A) ​systems where status is determined at birth
B) ​systems where persons are considered property
C) ​open systems of stratification
D) ​based on achieved, not ascribed, status

Question 29

Slavery in the United States ___________.

A) ​was not defined by law and custom prior to the Revolutionary War
B) ​was a temporary status for most slaves
C) ​was challenged by some slaves through acts of resistance and sabotage
D) ​is a thing of the past and no longer an issue

Question 30

__________ mobility refers to the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.

A) ​Intergenerational
B) ​Structural
C) ​Intragenerational
D) ​Exchange

Question 31

Camryn started her career as a high-tech factory worker and, through increased experience and taking specialized courses in her field, became an entrepreneur and started her own highly successful business. Camryn's advancement is an example of __________ mobility.

A) ​exchange
B) ​intergenerational
C) ​structural
D) ​intragenerational

Question 32

One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of flexibility. In a closed system of stratification __________.

A) ​people's positions are set by achieved statuses
B) ​there is little or no social mobility
C) ​the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies of social stratification are relatively fluid
D) ​many opportunities exist for people who are willing to work hard

Question 33

Vestiges of a caste system exist today in __________.

A) ​India and South Africa
B) ​Australia
C) ​Southeast Asia and the Philippines
D) ​many countries in South America

Question 34

Until the 1990s, white South Africans controlled the government, the police, and the military by enforcing __________, the term used in South Africa for "the separation of the races."​

A) ​alienation
B) ​apartheid
C) ​stratification
D) ​classification

Question 35

In a class system_____________________________.

A) ​status is based on access to and ownership of resources
B) ​the boundaries are more distinct than in a caste system
C) ​one's status is entirely ascribed
D) ​mobility is as closed as a caste system

Question 36

The U.S. State Department estimates that about __________ foreigners are brought to the United States and enslaved annually.

A) ​2,500
B) ​9,500
C) ​11,500
D) ​17,500

Question 37

A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in South Africa caste was based largely on __________.

A) ​religious identification
B) ​racial classification
C) ​occupation
D) ​wealth

Question 38

Sociologist Max Weber's term __________ refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.

A) ​life chances
B) ​cultural opportunity
C) ​social stratification
D) ​social prospects

Question 39

__________ mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.

A) ​Intergenerational
B) ​Structural
C) ​Intragenerational
D) ​Exchange

Question 40

When Carlos's grandfather migrated to the United States, he had completed six years of schooling and was an agricultural worker in California. Carlos's father completed high school and worked for twenty years as a clerk in a large state agency. Through the efforts of his father and grandfather, Carlos was able to graduate from college and medical school, and he now has a thriving medical practice in southern California. Carlos's family exemplifies __________ mobility.

A) ​intragenerational
B) ​exchange
C) ​intergenerational
D) ​structural

Question 41

__________ is the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.

A) ​Power
B) ​Wealth
C) ​Prestige
D) ​Class

Question 42

Marx used the term __________ for those who own the means of production-the land and capital necessary for factories and mines.

A) ​entrepreneurs
B) ​proletariat
C) ​rentiers
D) ​bourgeoisie

Question 43

Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, Max Weber developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and __________.

A) ​income
B) ​power
C) ​occupation
D) ​race/ethnicity

Question 44

Marx described workers as alienated for a variety of reasons, including that __________.

A) ​workers are alienated from the goods they produce because they use their creativity and labor to produce them but do not own them
B) ​workers are alienated from their work because they are forced to do it for survival
C) ​workers are alienated from other workers because they live in different areas of the city
D) ​workers are alienated from God because they do not have time to worship

Question 45

Both Karl Marx and Max Weber identified ___________ as an important determinant of social inequality and social change.

A) ​religion
B) ​class
C) ​gender
D) ​race

Question 46

__________ occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class structure.

A) ​Lateral mobility
B) ​Vertical mobility
C) ​Situational mobility
D) ​Horizontal mobility

Question 47

Weber used the term __________ for the category of wealthy individuals who live off their investments and do not have to work.

A) ​entrepreneurs
B) ​rentiers
C) ​independents
D) ​consumers

Question 48

Marx used the term __________ to refer to those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive.

A) ​proletariat
B) ​rentiers
C) ​bourgeoisie
D) ​entrepreneurs

Question 49

According to Marx, the capitalist class maintains its position at the top of the class structure by control of the society's __________, which is composed of the government, schools, churches, and other social institutions.

A) ​substructure
B) ​superstructure
C) ​ecostructure
D) ​infrastructure

Question 50

Workers have not overthrown capitalism as Marx had predicted because __________.

A) ​many workers have experienced a rising standard of living
B) ​workers have lost legal protections in the form of rights and benefits
C) ​individual capitalists still own and control factories and other means of production
D) ​fewer people are engaged in the economy

Question 51

Marx used the term __________ for the feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself that he suggested resulted from continually being exploited.

A) ​accommodation
B) ​meritocracy
C) ​assimilation
D) ​alienation

Question 52

Sociologist Max Weber placed categories of people who have a similar level of wealth and income in the same class. He referred to the privileged commercial class of wealthy bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial resources as __________.

A) ​entrepreneurs
B) ​rentiers
C) ​independents
D) ​consumers

Question 53

Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, sociologist __________ developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and power.

A) ​Karl Marx
B) ​Emile Durkheim
C) ​Herbert Spencer
D) ​Max Weber

Question 54

A factory worker is promoted to the position of foreman in the factory. She receives a small increase in pay. This person has experienced __________ mobility.

A) ​situational
B) ​vertical
C) ​horizontal
D) ​structural

Question 55

Becky's mother is an architect and her father is a college professor. Becky left home at age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Becky no longer communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at a fast food restaurant, Becky resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for money. Becky's story illustrates the concept of __________.

A) ​vertical mobility
B) ​horizontal mobility
C) ​structural mobility
D) ​collateral mobility

Question 56

__________ occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure.

A) ​Horizontal mobility
B) ​Situational mobility
C) ​Vertical mobility
D) ​Structural mobility

Question 57

Marx predicted that when workers realized that capitalists were the source of their oppression, they would overthrow the capitalists and take over the government, creating a(n) __________ society.

A) ​class
B) ​caste
C) ​egalitarian
D) ​stratified

Question 58

Sociologist Karl Marx believed that the workers are exploited as capitalists maximize    their profit by paying the workers less than the resale values of what they produce. Marx believed that this resulted in a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement that he called __________.

A) ​anomie
B) ​alienation
C) ​stratification
D) ​verstehen

Question 59

Marx's theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example,________________.

A) ​the economic basis of class systems
B) ​despite economic differences, classes share values and beliefs
C) ​different classes work together for the well-being of a society
D) ​values and beliefs are more important than the material wealth one holds

Question 60

Weber defined social class using ___________ as a major contributor.

A) ​religion
B) ​ethnicity
C) ​race
D) ​power

Question 61

An estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population is __________, which includes occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in factories and people in the service sector, such as clerks and salespeople.

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

Question 62

Members of the __________ have earned most of their money during their own lifetime. This class includes entrepreneurs, presidents of major corporations, sports or entertainment celebrities, and top-level professionals.

A) ​middle-upper class
B) ​upper-upper class
C) ​upper-middle class
D) ​lower-upper class

Question 63

About __________ of the U.S. population is included in the underclass.

A) ​1 to 2 percent
B) ​3 to 5 percent
C) ​8 to 10 percent
D) ​15 percent

Question 64

About 20 percent of the U.S. population lives from just above to just below the poverty line. These people typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, and lower-paid factory and service jobs and are termed the __________.

A) ​working class
B) ​underclass
C) ​middle class
D) ​working poor

Question 65

A combination of three factors qualifies people for the __________ class: university degrees, authority and independence on the job, and high income.

A) ​upper-upper
B) ​middle-middle
C) ​lower-middle
D) ​upper-middle

Question 66

In the model of American social classes based on Weber's theory, the __________ is made up of prominent families that have held great wealth for several generations.

A) ​lower-upper
B) ​new money
C) ​upper-upper
D) ​upper-middle

Question 67

Weber called the class consisting of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers the __________.

A) ​entrepreneurial class
B) ​working class
C) ​upper class
D) ​middle class

Question 68

The model of the American class system based on the work of __________ is based on three elements: education, occupation of family head, and family income.

A) ​C. Wright Mills
B) ​Karl Marx
C) ​Max Weber
D) ​George Simmel

Question 69

Sociologists often use the term __________ to refer to a classification that reflects a combination of factors such as income, occupation, and education.

A) ​power status
B) ​socioeconomic status
C) ​prestige status
D) ​wealth status

Question 70

According to sociologist Max Weber's system of stratification, __________ is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

A) ​wealth
B) ​power
C) ​status
D) ​prestige

Question 71

Social critic and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrated that people in the __________ use strategies like help from relatives and continually changing residences in order to survive.

A) ​working class
B) ​underclass
C) ​middle class
D) ​working poor

Question 72

The upper-middle class is comprised of highly educated professionals, such as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, and corporate managers, which make up about __________ of the population.

A) ​3 percent
B) ​8 percent
C) ​14 percent
D) ​30 percent

Question 73

The dimension of Weber's system of stratification that helps determine one's class consists of the respect or regard that a person is given by others, and is called __________.

A) ​wealth
B) ​power
C) ​status
D) ​prestige

Question 74

Working single mothers and their children and African Americans are overrepresented among the __________.

A) ​middle class
B) ​working poor
C) ​upper class
D) ​working class

Question 75

The minimum wage_____________________________.

A) ​is determined by the federal government for all states
B) ​is set by the federal government, but individual states may adopt a higher rate
C) ​is suggested by the federal government, but individual states are free to adopt one that is higher or lower
D) ​is set on a state-by-state basis with no involvement of the federal government

Question 76

The term pink-collar refers to_____________________________.

A) ​women workers, regardless of their type of profession or occupation
B) ​women in working-class positions, including machine operators and factory workers
C) ​semiskilled positions that are low paying, are not manual labor, and are primarily held by women
D) ​any type of occupation or position in which emotional labor is the dominant feature

Question 77

According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, and based on the theory of Weber, the upper (capitalist) class of the United States includes about __________ of the population.

A) ​1 percent
B) ​3 percent
C) 8 percent
D) ​12 percent

Question 78

Of the two categories of people who work for wages, Weber called the white-collar workers, public officials, managers, and professionals the __________.

A) ​entrepreneurial class
B) ​working class
C) ​upper class
D) ​middle class

Question 79

The term __________ refers to those who are poor, are seldom employed, and experience long-term deprivation.

A) ​working class
B) ​underclass
C) ​middle class
D) ​working poor

Question 80

Occupations such as medical technicians, teachers, and nurses pertain to the __________, which makes up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population.

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