Deck 7: Stratification: Rich and Famous or Rages and Famine

Question 1

__________ refers to how individuals are layered or ranked in society according to how many valued resources they possess.

A) Social differentiation
B) Social stratification
C) Social capital
D) Social status

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The historical event that largely shaped conflict theorists' view of social stratification was the:

A) Rise of communism in Russia and China
B) Social inequality created in post-World War II United States
C) Shift from the feudal system to urban industrialism
D) End of slavery in the United States

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of cultural capital?

A) Parents' coworkers
B) Relationship with college mentor
C) College degree
D) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which type of stratification system allows movement between classes?

A) Ascribed
B) Closed
C) Open
D) Vertical

Question 5

Lindsey needs a car to get back and forth from her home in the city to her university, which are four miles apart. When shopping for a car, Lindsey decides to buy a Hummer H3 because she wants a car that her peers will notice and respect. Through this purchase, Lindsey exhibits:

A) Status inconsistency
B) Social capital
C) Conspicuous consumption
D) Branding

Question 6

First-generation college graduates who become physicians reflect:

A) Intragenerational mobility
B) Intergenerational mobility
C) Horizontal mobility
D) Open mobility

Question 7

The statement, "After the minimum survival needs of both individuals and the society are met, power determines who gets the surplus" most closely reflects:

A) Conflict theory
B) Symbolic interaction theory
C) Structural-functional theory
D) Evolutionary theory

Question 8

All of the following are main assumptions of stratification except:

A) Wealth is the most important resource.
B) People are divided into ranked categories.
C) There is an unequal distribution of desired resources.
D) Each society determines what it considers to be valued resources.

Question 9

Which of the following is a macro-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) The economic position of a society in the world
B) The amount of education a person has
C) The occupational prestige of an individual
D) The local community's influence on schools

Question 10

Jason is writing a paper on social stratification. The basic argument of his paper is that the job of "college professor" is extremely important to the creation of knowledge and production of culture. Due to this importance, college professors deserve a pay increase to attract the smartest and most capable individuals to fill this important role. Jason is arguing the ________ theory of stratification.

A) feminist
B) structural-functional
C) conflict
D) evolution

Question 11

Which theorist(s) is (are) most strongly associated with the structural functionalist view of social stratification?

A) Karl Marx
B) Gerhard Lenski and Melvin Tumin
C) Max Weber
D) Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the observed relationship between religion and social class?

A) Religious beliefs are more strongly affiliated with geographic location than social class in the United States.
B) Lower-class individuals in the United States are disproportionately represented in fundamentalist religions.
C) Upper-class individuals in the United States are disproportionately represented in fundamentalist religions.
D) Social stratification in the United States is not seen in observable religious differences.

Question 13

__________ refers to the extent and direction of individual movement in the social stratification system.

A) Social inequality
B) Social mobility
C) Zone mobility
D) Social stratification

Question 14

Which of the following is a micro-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) Religious affiliation
B) Access to health care
C) Physical attractiveness
D) Occupational structure

Question 15

Which of the following statements about social mobility in the United States is false?

A) There is a high level of occupation inheritance.
B) The higher the father's occupation level, the better the son's chance for occupational achievement.
C) Sons are more likely to move up than down.
D) The mobility of women reflects the occupational achievements of their mothers.

Question 16

According to Karl Marx, which of the following is a characteristic of the proletariat?

A) They could create a classless society if they develop a class consciousness.
B) They control the means of production.
C) They control the norms and values of society.
D) They hold the power in society.

Question 17

In __________ stratification systems, the characteristics individuals are born with determine their positions in society.

A) ascribed
B) achieved
C) open
D) mobile

Question 18

Which of the following is a meso-level factor that can shape social stratification?

A) Sense of humor
B) Political affiliation
C) Wearing cool clothing
D) Society's level of technology

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of social capital?

A) Professional licensure
B) Country club membership
C) Postdoctoral training
D) All of the above

Question 20

Which of the following is a key assumption of a conflict theorist's view of social stratification?

A) Differential rewards must be offered to motivate talented individuals into difficult positions.
B) Stratification is the outcome of struggles for dominance amid scarce resources.
C) Stratification is the outcome of values, speech patterns, consumption habits, appropriate group memberships, and self-concepts learned through socialization.
D) Customs and traditions in a society often prevail over rational criteria in determining the distribution of scarce resources.

Question 21

Although she works 30 hours a week, Natalie is unable to earn enough money to bring her and her sons to the poverty line, according to the income requirement set by the federal government. Natalie and her family are experiencing:

A) Relative poverty
B) Being in the underclass
C) Vertical mobility
D) Absolute poverty

Question 22

The _________ model of power argues that power is shared among many power centers, each of which have their own self-interests to protect.

A) pluralist
B) power elite
C) evolutionary
D) estate

Question 23

Emily works and makes a modest salary. However, she is unable to provide new clothes or a two-bedroom apartment for her or her children. Emily is experiencing:

A) Vertical mobility
B) Absolute poverty
C) Relative poverty
D) Status inconsistency

Question 24

In __________ stratification systems, individuals are allowed to earn positions through their abilities and efforts.

A) ascribed
B) closed
C) achieved
D) mobile

Question 25

The gap between those with access to information technology and those without is known as the:

A) Digitally illiterate
B) Techno-barrier
C) Digital divide
D) None of the above

Question 26

Which of the following social policies provide early childhood education for low-income individuals?

A) Head Start
B) Women, Infants, and Children Program
C) No Child Left Behind
D) Workfare

Question 27

Structural-functional theorists believe that stratification is avoidable in modern societies.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about social classes in the United States is true?

A) Upper-middle class families comprise over 30% of the population.
B) Wages and salaries for the upper classes have risen.
C) The lower middle class is largely unemployable.
D) All of the above are false.

Question 29

According to structural-functionalists, the unequal distribution of status and wealth in society provides societies with individuals to fill necessary positions.

Question 30

Symbolic interaction theorists focus on the role of cultural capital in producing social stratification.

Question 31

________________ theorists argue that poor women in capitalistic economic systems are used as reserve labor force that can be called and dismissed as needed.

A) Structural-functionalist
B) Conflict
C) Symbolic interaction
D) Exchange

Question 32

Which of the following statements about the middle class in the United States is false?

A) The middle class makes up about 30% of the population.
B) Wages and salaries in the middle classes have increased since the 1980s.
C) Most people identify as middle class.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 33

A nation's geographic location has little impact on the opportunities available to individuals in that nation.

Question 34

Which of the following social programs provides nutritional help to poor families?

A) Head Start
B) Workfare
C) Medicare
D) Women, Infants, and Children Program

Question 35

All of the following are predetermined in caste stratification systems except:

A) Occupational position
B) Marriage partners
C) Where one will live
D) How many children an individual will have

Question 36

Which is the highest social caste in India's caste system?

A) Kshatriyas
B) Rajputs
C) Dalits
D) Brahmans

Question 37

Terry, a sociology major, decides that his senior project will be to explain to lower-class people how they are being exploited by those who control the means of production. In terms of social stratification, Terry is most likely a(n):

A) Feminist
B) Conflict theorist
C) Symbolic interactionist
D) Evolutionary anthropologist

Question 38

Educational organizations are found to treat children differently according to their social status.

Question 39

The Hindu religion holds that individuals are born into one of four varna or into a fifth group below the caste system known as the _______________ group.

A) Brahmans
B) Sudras
C) Dalits
D) Rajputs

Question 40

Since 1969, the middle class in the United States has:

A) Decreased
B) Increased
C) Stayed the same
D) Become the elite class

Question 41

In the United States, members of the lower class tend to vote liberal on economic issues.

Question 42

According to the text, lifestyle is a simple matter of having money.

Question 43

Karl Marx focused primarily on economic relations in describing social stratification.

Question 44

The petty bourgeoisie includes those with virtually no property, power, or prestige.

Question 45

If you are the first to go to college in your family and you become a computer programmer, this would represent intergenerational mobility.

Question 46

In many countries, higher social class correlates with later marriage and lower divorce rates.

Question 47

If you begin your career as a teacher's aide and end it as a school superintendent, this would represent intergenerational mobility.

Question 48

The concept of status inconsistency is associated with Marx.

Question 49

According to evolutionary theorists, the amount of inequality differs in societies because of different levels of technological development.

Question 50

Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the developing world.

Question 51

An individual can experience both intergenerational and vertical mobility.

Question 52

Max Weber is considered the father of conflict theory.

Question 53

Social class systems assume that power, property, and prestige are the determining factors of one's location in a society.

Question 54

In the United States, access to higher education is greater than in many other countries because of the Internet.

Question 55

According to the text, less than 10% of the world's population have a college degree.

Question 56

The poorest countries in the world are in Latin America.

Question 57

According to the Gilbert-Kahl model of class structure, the working class is higher (and more valued) than the middle class.

Question 58

Annual income correlates with life expectancy.

Question 59

Evolutionary theory borrows assumptions from both conflict and symbolic interaction theories.

Question 60

Marx used the term proletariat to describe a shared awareness of poor status in relation to the means of production.

Question 61

Compare and contrast caste and estate systems of stratification. Provide examples.

Question 62

An individual's background accounts for nearly half of the factors affecting occupational attainment.

Question 63

Age and race are most important in open class systems.

Question 64

Compare and contrast bourgeoisie and proletariat. Give one example of each. Explain how the two roles affect each other and how the proletariat may overthrow the bourgeoisie.

Question 65

According to pluralist theorists, as societies become more complex, the number of groups with political power increases.

Question 66

What are the three main assumptions of stratification? Provide an example for how each of these examples exists in the United States.

Question 67

Name one function of poverty described in the text and briefly discuss how the poor in the world and the poor in the United States serve that function.

Question 68

Compare and contrast ascribed and achieved stratification systems. Provide examples.

Question 69

Describe how one's social class affects political preferences in the United States.

Question 70

Compare and contrast intergenerational and intragenerational mobility. Provide examples.

Question 71

Compare and contrast cultural capital and conspicuous consumption. Provide examples.

Question 72

Compare and contrast the structural-functional and conflict views of social stratification. In your discussion, detail the key assumptions from each theory. Finally, show how evolutionary theory draws from both structural-functional theory and conflict theory in its understanding of social stratification. Which theory do you find most accurate and why?

Question 73

One solution to the digital divide is the creation of a "simputer," or a less expensive, more multilingual computer.

Question 74

According to the text, since 1996 when welfare reform was legislated in the United States, the number of people on welfare has dropped 75%.

Question 75

What are the three key arguments of the Davis and Moore thesis of social stratification? What is one social position in society that supports their argument? What is one social position in a society that refutes their argument?

Question 76

Caste systems are typically based on achieved statuses.

Question 77

Describe at least three of the five basic ideas of evolutionary theory presented in the text.

Question 78

Estate systems are based on achieved statuses such as land ownership.

Question 79

The middle class, as defined by sociologists, makes up about 50% of the population in the United States.

Question 80

What are two ways that the digital divide impacts social stratification? What is something that can be done by the United States or the United Nations that could address the problems you detail?