Deck 16: The Economy and Work

Question 1

The Information Revolution requires workers to gain literacy skills in contrast to the mechanical skills that were important during the Industrial Revolution.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Although there are many privately-owned companies in the United States,most of the U.S.economy is owned and operated by the government.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Less than 2 percent of today's U.S.labor force works in agriculture.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Taken together,local,state,and federal governments are the U.S.'s largest single employer.

Question 5

Combining a market-based economy with an extensive social welfare program yields what is called "welfare capitalism."

Question 6

Adam Smith's idea was that,in a capitalist system,government tells businesses what to produce and consumers what to buy.

Question 7

Socialist economies create greater economic equality than capitalist economies,but with a lower overall living standard.

Question 8

Capitalism is more economically productive than socialism,and capitalism also creates greater economic inequality.

Question 9

The economy organizes the production,distribution,and consumption of goods and services.

Question 10

The Information Revolution has concentrated workers in offices,drawing people from a wide region into dense,central cities.

Question 11

Compared to agricultural work,industrial jobs involve less specialization.

Question 12

The economy did not emerge as a distinct social institution until the Industrial Revolution.

Question 13

Socialism has spread around the world to the point that,today,a majority of the world's nations have a socialist economic system.

Question 14

One key to industrialization was creating new sources of energy.

Question 15

The concept "state capitalism" refers all productive enterprises in a country being owned by the government.

Question 16

The concepts "primary sector," "secondary sector," and "tertiary sector" refer only to how productive a sector is in terms of economic value.

Question 17

Socialism is correctly described as a "laissez-faire" economic system.

Question 18

Agricultural production is part of the primary sector of the economy.

Question 19

The operation of the global economy pays little regard to national borders.

Question 20

The invention of the corporation is correctly understood as the point at which a postindustrial society emerged.

Question 21

One effect of computer technology is giving workers greater power over their employers.

Question 22

Prostitution and selling illegal drugs are typically part of the underground economy.

Question 23

The concept "paraprofessional" refers to work that requires skills,but typically lacks a broad theoretical knowledge of a field.

Question 24

A corporation is an organization with a legal existence apart from that of its members.

Question 25

Most people with jobs in the primary labor market would probably rather have jobs in the secondary labor market.

Question 26

Conglomerates are giant corporations composed of many smaller corporations.

Question 27

As a social institution,the economy

A)produces goods and services.
B)guides the consumption of goods and services.
C)distributes goods and services.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 28

Over time,the share of the U.S.workforce made up of people who are "white" has increased,even as immigration rates have increased.

Question 29

The use of computers by workers tends to limit workplace interaction.

Question 30

Most self-employed persons are professionals.

Question 31

The self-employed are more likely to have blue-collar jobs than white-collar jobs.

Question 32

Denmark is an example of a European nation with a system of welfare capitalism in which high taxes pay for extensive government-provided benefits.

Question 33

In the United States,the share of workers who are members of labor unions is higher today than ever before.

Question 34

Which social institution do most sociologists claim has the greatest effect on society as a whole?

A)the family
B)the economy
C)the political system
D)religion

Question 35

In recent years,the lowest unemployment rates in the United States have been among teenagers.

Question 36

Over the course of human history,revolutionary changes in which of the following have brought great transformation to the economy?

A)production technology
B)family structure
C)population size
D)natural resources

Question 37

Large corporations dominate many markets in the global economy.

Question 38

A recent trend in the United States is a steady rise in the share of small businesses owned by women.

Question 39

Monopoly refers to a corporation that operates within a single sector of the economy.

Question 40

Oligopoly refers to any company that operates in more than one country.

Question 41

Which sector of the economy generates raw materials directly from the natural environment?

A)primary sector
B)secondary sector
C)tertiary sector
D)None of the other responses is correct.

Question 42

The text describes three technological revolutions that transformed all of social life.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)the Agricultural Revolution
B)the Industrial Revolution
C)the Immigration Revolution
D)the Information Revolution

Question 43

Capitalism is an economic system in which there is

A)government control of production.
B)private ownership of property.
C)pursuit of collective goals.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 44

In the United States,about what percentage of the labor force performs tertiary sector work?

A)15 percent
B)35 percent
C)55 percent
D)85 percent

Question 45

Globalization of the economy means that

A)world regions specialize in one sector of economic activity.
B)more and more products pass through several nations.
C)a small number of businesses represent a huge share of global economic output.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 46

The development of agriculture was set in motion by

A)changes in the church.
B)using animals to pull the plow.
C)the discovery of writing.
D)the discovery of oil.

Question 47

The expansion of office work marks the growth of the economy's

A)primary sector.
B)secondary sector.
C)tertiary sector.
D)None of the other responses is correct.

Question 48

Turning metals into automobiles is work that falls within the

A)primary sector.
B)secondary sector.
C)tertiary sector.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 49

The Industrial Revolution was based on

A)the spread of cottage industry.
B)people beginning to work in their homes.
C)a decrease in productive specialization.
D)new sources of energy.

Question 50

Which of the following new sources of energy launched the Industrial Revolution?

A)the gasoline engine
B)the steam engine
C)wind power
D)electricity

Question 51

Which of the following statements about the Information Revolution is NOT correct?

A)There was a shift from making tangible products to generating ideas.
B)There was a shift from mechanical skills to literacy skills.
C)There was a shift from farming to turning raw materials into finished products.
D)There was a shift from working in factories to working almost anywhere.

Question 52

The concept of "global economy" refers to

A)economic activity that moves across national borders.
B)the fact that only a few countries now contribute to the global economy.
C)the fact that economic output is under the control of global political leadership.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 53

Which of the following concepts refers to an economy based on computer technology?

A)postindustrial economy
B)industrial economy
C)technological economy
D)agrarian economy

Question 54

As societies industrialize,a smaller share of the population works in which of the following locations?

A)farms
B)factories
C)assembly lines
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 55

Early factories in New England,where the Industrial Revolution first developed in the United States

A)employed women for half the wages paid to men.
B)manufactured textiles.
C)discouraged any worker organizations.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 56

The postindustrial economy is defined by

A)the spread of factories.
B)mass production of goods and services.
C)manufacturing of raw materials.
D)service work largely based on computer technology.

Question 57

The social thinker whose ideas supported the operation of a free-market economy most was

A)Thorstein Veblen.
B)Adam Smith.
C)Karl Marx.
D)Max Weber.

Question 58

Looking at economies around the world,the primary sector is the largest in

A)high-income nations.
B)middle-income nations.
C)low-income nations.
D)It is the same size in all nations.

Question 59

In a capitalist economic system,"justice" amounts to

A)doing what is best for society's poorest members.
B)everyone being more or less economically equal.
C)freedom of the marketplace allowing people to follow their self-interest.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 60

The economy first became a distinct social institution during which historical stage of technological development?

A)hunting and gathering societies
B)agrarian societies
C)industrial societies
D)postindustrial societies

Question 61

Contrasted to socialist economic systems,capitalist economic systems are typically

A)equally productive.
B)more productive.
C)less productive.
D)not concerned with productivity.

Question 62

The United States is a mostly capitalist nation because

A)the vast majority of productive businesses are privately owned.
B)we have a system of free elections.
C)of our high living standards.
D)of the extensive government control of the economy.

Question 63

In recent decades,union membership

A)has risen in the United States and other high-income nations.
B)has risen in the United States,but not in other high-income nations.
C)has declined in the United States,but not in other high-income nations.
D)has declined in the United States and other high-income nations.

Question 64

Read the four descriptions below.Which of them DOES NOT apply to a profession?

A)having theoretical knowledge of a field
B)working for a large,well-established company
C)having authority over clients
D)professing a community,rather than an individual,orientation

Question 65

Which of the following DOES NOT describe the operation of a socialist economy?

A)collective orientation
B)government control of production
C)laissez-faire economy
D)command economy

Question 66

Which of the following concepts refers to a political and economic system that combines a mostly market-based economy with extensive social welfare programs?

A)capitalism
B)socialism
C)welfare capitalism
D)communism

Question 67

What is the hypothetical economic and political system in which all people in society are socially equal?

A)capitalism
B)socialism
C)welfare capitalism
D)communism

Question 68

The concept "primary labor market" refers to jobs that

A)provide extensive benefits to workers.
B)are typically taken by teenagers.
C)require no particular training or experience.
D)offer little pay and low security.

Question 69

In the United States,yesterday's family farms have given way to

A)importing most foods from abroad.
B)collectively-run farming communes.
C)corporate agribusinesses.
D)smaller,individually-run farms.

Question 70

By the early 1960s,most of the people in the U.S.labor force had which type of job?

A)white-collar
B)blue-collar
C)pink-collar
D)farming

Question 71

In a socialist economic system,"justice" amounts to

A)trying to meet the basic needs of all in a equal manner.
B)doing whatever helps boost company earnings.
C)freedom of the marketplace.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 72

Concerning the issue of personal freedom,capitalist systems emphasize people's _____,while socialist systems emphasize people's _____.

A)collective needs; personal needs
B)freedom from basic want; freedom to pursue their self-interest
C)freedom to pursue their self-interest; freedom from basic want
D)social needs; material needs

Question 73

Socialism is an economic system in which there is

A)collective control of production.
B)private ownership of property.
C)pursuit of individual profit.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 74

Over the course of the last century,the number of people involved in agricultural work

A)has remained about the same.
B)has declined steadily.
C)has increased dramatically.
D)has stayed the same,although a larger share of workers are immigrants.

Question 75

The concept "state capitalism" refers to a system in which

A)the government owns and operates most economic enterprises.
B)privately-owned companies cooperate closely with the government.
C)the government owns but does not operate most economic enterprises.
D)large businesses control the government.

Question 76

Which of the following countries best exemplifies a system of state capitalism?

A)the United States
B)Great Britain
C)Australia
D)Japan

Question 77

Contrasted to socialist economic systems,capitalist economic systems typically

A)generate more economic inequality.
B)generate less economic inequality.
C)generate about the same level of inequality.
D)do not generate any social equality.

Question 78

In the United States about what share of the population aged sixteen and older is in the paid labor force?

A)19 percent
B)39 percent
C)59 percent
D)79 percent

Question 79

An example of a European country with a mostly private economy and extensive social welfare programs is

A)Germany.
B)Sweden.
C)Spain.
D)All of these responses are correct.

Question 80

What percentage of today's U.S.workers are self-employed?

A)6.8 percent
B)26.8 percent
C)46.8 percent
D)66.8 percent