Deck 26: Systems of Stratification

Question 1

Which term was used by Karl Marx to refer to the capitalist class that owns the means of production?

A)bourgeoisie
B)proletariat
C)peasantry
D)oligarchy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

An 83-year-old woman is placed at a small table in a dark corner of a trendy nightclub and is ignored by the staff.Her shoddy treatment is probably due to her age,which is a(n)________ status.

A)ascribed
B)achieved
C)horizontal
D)structural

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A class system employs a social ranking based primarily on

A)age.
B)caste.
C)economic position.
D)religious and ethnic background.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In sociologist Daniel Rossides's model of the class system of the U.S. ,which social class contains the smallest portion of the population?

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

Question 5

A panhandler makes $15 to $20 per day on the streets.This is his

A)status.
B)prestige.
C)income.
D)wealth.

Question 6

A single mother who works in a factory sewing large sheets of canvass would be considered

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

Question 7

Which of the following terms refers to hereditary systems of rank that are relatively fixed,immobile,and generally religiously dictated?

A)tenure
B)slavery
C)castes
D)feudalism

Question 8

Karl Marx argued that social,economic,and political inequalities are dependent on

A)class differentiation.
B)achieved status.
C)the Protestant work ethic.
D)religious factors.

Question 9

Wealth is

A)all of a person's material assets,including land,stocks,and other types of property.
B)salaries and wages.
C)a term used by Max Weber to refer to people who have a similar level of income and prestige.
D)a term used by Thorstein Veblen for people who have the same lifestyle,independent of their class position.

Question 10

An ascribed status is a social position

A)attained by a person largely through his or her own effort.
B)assigned to a person without regard to the person's unique characteristics or talents.
C)based solely on income and wealth.
D)based solely on lifestyle.

Question 11

A system of stratification under which peasants were required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection is known as a(n)

A)estate system.
B)slavery system.
C)caste system.
D)feudal system.

Question 12

A system of enforced servitude in which people are legally owned by others is known as

A)feudalism.
B)slavery.
C)communism.
D)a caste system.

Question 13

Some sociologists have suggested that in the southern U.S.in the pre-civil rights era,an African American individual was born into a status that would always be subordinate to the status of all of the White members of the community.This is an example of a(n)

A)estate system.
B)class system.
C)caste system.
D)feudal system.

Question 14

A condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth,prestige,or power is called

A)socialization.
B)status.
C)social structure.
D)social inequality.

Question 15

Capitalism is an economic system in which

A)the means of production and distribution are collectively owned.
B)all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce.
C)the means of production are largely in private hands,and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profit.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 16

A well-known Hollywood actress owns a home in Beverly Hills and another one on the French Riviera.She owns her own movie production company along with a large stock portfolio.The total of the different things she owns is considered her

A)income.
B)caste.
C)esteem.
D)wealth.

Question 17

An individual's salary and wages are referred to as

A)wealth.
B)income.
C)prosperity.
D)finances.

Question 18

A woman is born into a homeless,single-parent family.She is very talented and as an adult,becomes a wealthy,world-acclaimed pianist.This scenario most closely represents which type of stratification system?

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

Question 19

Which of the following terms is used by sociologists for a structured ranking of groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in society?

A)social mobility
B)stratification
C)hypergamy
D)status

Question 20

Which of the following statements about slavery is true?

A)It is considered the most extreme form of social inequality.
B)The only recorded examples of slavery occurred in the U.S.and in ancient Greece.
C)Slavery was considered a permanent status in ancient Greece.
D)Slavery in the U.S.was considered an achieved status.

Question 21

The most extreme form of legalized social inequality for individuals or groups is a caste system.

Question 22

Every evening at a neighborhood bar,the clientele,which consists of construction workers,police officers,plumbers,and factory workers,watches sports events on the big screen television set and play pool.The people who hang out in this bar are an example of a

A)status group.
B)power group.
C)class.
D)caste.

Question 23

The owner of a major league baseball team can fire employees for not winning a pennant,have the city build him a new ballpark,and prevent companies that compete against his own team from airing advertisements during the team's televised games.In Max Weber's view,this owner would most likely be considered to have

A)power.
B)class.
C)esteem.
D)status.

Question 24

Max Weber defined ________ as the ability to exercise one's will over others.

A)control
B)status
C)class
D)power

Question 25

Which of the following terms did Karl Marx use to refer to an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect the class's objective position?

A)false consciousness
B)bourgeoisie consciousness
C)class consciousness
D)proletariat consciousness

Question 26

What term did Thorstein Veblen use to refer to the behavior of those at the top of the social hierarchy when they engage in such activities as jetting off to a remote destination for dinner?

A)consumption flow
B)inconspicuous ridicule
C)conspicuous consumption
D)consumptive frivolity

Question 27

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to argue that most talented people would not go to school for many years to become biochemists if they could make as much money and gain as much respect working as elevator operators?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 28

Which sociological perspective argues that competition for scarce resources results in significant political,economic,and social inequality?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 29

One shortcoming of Karl Marx's work is that he failed to anticipate the

A)end of feudalism.
B)extent to which political liberties and relative prosperity could contribute to a false consciousness.
C)effects of alienated labor on the working class.
D)conflict between various capitalist nations.

Question 30

In Karl Marx's view of class conscious workers in revolt,who will guide the working class in its struggle?

A)bourgeoisie
B)revolutionary leaders
C)proletariat
D)peasantry

Question 31

Karl Marx used the term proletariat to refer to the

A)capitalist class.
B)owners of the means of production.
C)working class.
D)middle class.

Question 32

In Karl Marx's view,social relations during any period of history depend on who controls the

A)mass media.
B)primary mode of economic production.
C)legislature.
D)most powerful religious organizations.

Question 33

Thorstein Veblen suggested persons at the top of the social hierarchy convert wealth into conspicuous consumption while the behavior of the lower classes is often subjected to ridicule.Veblen's views are from the

A)functionalist perspective.
B)conflict perspective.
C)interactionist perspective.
D)feminist perspective.

Question 34

Status group refers to

A)people who share a similar level of wealth and income.
B)people who share the same prestige or lifestyle,independent of their class position.
C)members of a class who have a subjective awareness regarding their common vested interests and need for collective political action to bring about social change.
D)a feudal class.

Question 35

In Max Weber's view,

A)people hold three distinct ranks in society.
B)our position in a stratification system reflects some combination of class,stigma,and power.
C)our rank in society is determined by four separate variables.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 36

Max Weber uses the term class to refer to people who share a similar level of

A)culture.
B)wealth and income.
C)power.
D)esteem.

Question 37

Karl Marx used the concept of class consciousness to refer to

A)an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect its objective position.
B)the reputation that a particular individual has within an occupation.
C)a subjective awareness held by members of a class regarding their common vested interests and the need for collective political action to bring about social change.
D)the respect and admiration with which an occupation is regarded by society.

Question 38

Which of the following did Max Weber suggest were analytically distinct components of stratification?

A)conformity,deviance,and social control
B)class,status,and power
C)class,caste,and age
D)class,prestige,and esteem

Question 39

In Karl Marx's view,a worker who identifies with the wealthy and believes that she can achieve great wealth through hard work is likely to have developed a

A)bourgeoisie consciousness.
B)class consciousness.
C)false consciousness.
D)caste consciousness.

Question 40

Gerhard Lenski argues that social inequality may have once served the overall purposes of society,but the degree of social and economic inequality that now exists far exceeds the need to provide for goods and services.This facet of Lenski's analysis is consistent with which perspective?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 41

According to Karl Marx,a worker with class consciousness may feel that he or she is being treated fairly by the bourgeoisie,and a worker with false consciousness realizes that all workers are being exploited by the bourgeoisie and have a common stake in revolution.

Question 42

Conflict sociologists argue that stratification will inevitably lead to instability and to social change.

Question 43

Even if stratification is inevitable,the functionalist explanation for differential rewards does not explain the wide disparity between the rich and the poor.

Question 44

Describe the differences between ascribed status and achieved status.Give examples to support your answer.

Question 45

Stratification is universal,in that all societies maintain some form of social inequality among members.

Question 46

Peasants required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services is referred to as a caste system.

Question 47

Max Weber argued that the actions of individuals and groups can be understood solely in economic terms.

Question 48

Compare and contrast the functionalist and conflict views of social stratification.Give examples of each view to support your answer.

Question 49

Varnas refers to the major castes in India.

Question 50

Discuss Karl Marx's view on class differentiation.Define the terms bourgeoisie and proletariat.Describe what Marx termed a false consciousness,and give an example to support your answer.

Question 51

Describe how Lenski's view of stratification can represent a synthesis of the conflict and functionalist views of stratification and poverty.