Question 1

As a ritual ceremony, the potlatch serves to establish social status not by wealth and power but by the prestige earned via a person's capacity for which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The potlatch ceremony served to establish social status based on a person's capacity for generosity, not just their wealth or power. Those who were able to give away more or host more elaborate feasts were viewed as having higher status and prestige within the community.

Question 2

According to Karl Marx, the bourgeoisie consisted of a capitalist class of individuals who owned the means of:

Accepted Answer

According to Karl Marx, the bourgeoisie owned the means of production, which refers to the resources used in the production of goods and services. This includes factories, machines, and raw materials.

Question 3

Max Weber referred to the opportunities that individuals have to improve their quality of life and realize their life goals as:

Accepted Answer

Max Weber referred to the opportunities that individuals have to improve their quality of life and realize their life goals as "life chances." option A is incorrect because elite prestige refers to the status and respect that are accorded to members of an elite group. Option C is incorrect because prestige status refers to the level of respect and admiration accorded to individuals or groups based on their social status or accomplishments. Option D is incorrect as life stances refer to a person's view or attitude towards life, philosophy or religion. Option E is incorrect as elite power refers to the ability of the elite class to control and influence political and economic systems.

Question 4

Which of the following is defined as the act of gift giving within a ranked society that serves as a form of sharing accumulated wealth and enhancing the chief's prestige?

Accepted Answer

Redistribution involves the centralized collection of goods or resources, followed by their redistribution to members of a society, often under the direction of a centralized power, such as a chief. The act of gift giving serves as a means of accumulating wealth, which can then be redistributed or used to enhance the prestige of the chief or other members of the society. Reciprocity, reproduction, reintegration, and restoration do not specifically involve gift giving within a ranked society.

Question 5

Theorist Max Weber argued that analyzing emerging structures of stratification required an examination of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Theorist Max Weber argued that analyzing emerging...

Question 6

A famous redistribution ceremony that is commonly practiced among Native American groups such as the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest is called:

Accepted Answer

The correct term for the redistribution ceremony commonly practiced among Native American groups such as the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest is potlatch. Potlatch involves the giving away of accumulated wealth and possessions as a means of demonstrating generosity, status, and influence within the community. It is an important cultural tradition that reinforces social ties and networks within Native American societies.

Question 7

The movement of one's class position-whether upward or downward-in stratified societies is called:

Accepted Answer

Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or groups in a stratified social system from one social class to another, either upward or downward. Social inertia, stagnation, and independence do not refer to this process, and social achievement is too narrow to encompass all forms of social mobility.

Question 8

Working-class people who lacked land to grow their own food, tools to make their own products, and capital to build workshops and therefore had to sell their labor were considered which of the following classes of people, according to Karl Marx?

Accepted Answer

The proletariat refers to the working-class people who sell their labor because they lack the means of production, such as land and tools, to sustain themselves. This class is considered the opposite of the bourgeoisie, who own and control the means of production, and is central to Marxist theory. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer.

Question 9

For a chief in a ranked society, his or her rank and status are reinforced through reciprocity and:

Accepted Answer

Generosity is a way for a chief to give back to their community, which reinforces their rank and status through reciprocity. By being generous, the chief gains the respect and loyalty of their community and is seen as a worthy leader.

Question 10

For Bourdieu, which of the following concepts is defined as a set of common perceptions that shape expectations and aspirations and guide an individual in assessing his or her life chances and the potential for social mobility?

Accepted Answer

Bourdieu's concept of habitus refers to the internalized set of dispositions, habits, and expectations that individuals acquire through socialization and that shape how they perceive and respond to the world around them, including their opportunities for social mobility. These perceptions and expectations are based on the cultural and social resources available to them, such as education, language, and family background, and are often taken for granted as natural or common sense.

Question 11

Karl Marx argued that the proletariat were unable to develop a political awareness of their class position because:

Accepted Answer

Marx argued that the proletariat were too busy struggling to make ends meet to develop a political awareness of their class position. They were too occupied with the day-to-day struggle for survival to engage in political action. Marx believed that this was one of the reasons why the bourgeoisie were able to maintain their dominance.

Question 12

Which of the following individuals is among four key theorists of class and inequality who wrote in the nineteenth century and is likely the most widely read theorist of class?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx is one of the four key theorists of class and inequality who wrote in the nineteenth century and is likely the most widely read theorist of class. He developed the concept of class struggle and argued that the primary source of inequality is the unequal distribution of wealth and power in capitalist societies.

Question 13

Karl Marx argued that capitalists increased their wealth by extracting the surplus labor value from which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx argued that capitalists extracted surplus labor value from workers through the exploitation of their labor power. This meant that workers were paid less in wages than the value they contributed to production, and the difference between their wages and the value of their production went to the capitalist as profit.

Question 14

Which of the following is another key to the social reproduction of class and was defined by Bourdieu as the knowledge, habits, and tastes learned from parents and family that people use to gain access to scarce and valuable resources in society?

Accepted Answer

Cultural capital refers to the non-financial social assets, such as education, intellect, style of speech, and appearance, that promote social mobility beyond economic means. Bourdieu emphasized its role in social reproduction.

Question 15

Karl Marx examined social inequality by distinguishing between which two distinct classes of people?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx examined social inequality by distinguishing between the bourgeoisie (the capitalist class who own the means of production) and the proletariat (the working class who sell their labor for wages). Marx believed that the struggle between these two classes was the driving force behind social change and that the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie was unjust.

Question 16

Stratification and inequality became:

Accepted Answer

Stratification and inequality have become more pronounced in capitalist economies over time, with the concentration of wealth and power in fewer hands being a defining characteristic of these societies. This trend has been exacerbated in recent decades as neoliberal policies and globalization have facilitated the accumulation of wealth by a small fraction of the population while leaving many others behind. While some countries have attempted to address these inequalities through progressive taxation and social welfare programs, others have embraced policies that further entrench inequality and exacerbate social divisions.

Question 17

Theorist Pierre Bourdieu found that which of the following systems did not provide opportunities for social class mobility, but instead helped reproduce the social class relations that already existed?

Accepted Answer

Bourdieu found that the educational system does not provide equal opportunities for all social classes, but instead helps reproduce the social class relations that already exist.

Question 18

According to Max Weber, the reputation, influence, and deference bestowed on certain people because of their membership in certain groups are called:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Max Weber, the reputation, influence,...

Question 19

Anthropologists trace the roots of which of the following patterns of social stratification to the rise of intensive agriculture and populous market towns?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anthropologists trace the roots of which of...

Question 20

Pierre Bourdieu worked to understand the relationship between class, culture, and power by examining which of the following phenomenon in schools?

Accepted Answer

Pierre Bourdieu examined the phenomenon of social reproduction in schools as a means of understanding the relationship between class, culture, and power. Social reproduction refers to the ways in which educational systems and institutions maintain and replicate social inequalities and hierarchies. Bourdieu argued that cultural capital (cultural knowledge, skills, and competencies) is a key factor in social reproduction, as those with greater cultural capital are better equipped to succeed in the educational system and society as a whole.

Quiz 11: Class and Inequality