Deck 4: Families and Social Class

Question 1

Members of the upper class often marry each other,maintaining the deep pool of social capital available to them.This mate selection practice is called

A) in-group.
B) class identity.
C) endogamy.
D) class distinction.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true about class identity?

A) It is based on more than statistical groupings based on income.
B) It is stronger in societies with more social mobility.
C) It persists for years, if not generations.
D) It is associated with social capital, which persists even as income changes.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The existence of social inequality indicates that it serves some beneficial purpose for society,according to what point of view?

A) conflict theory
B) exchange theory
C) symbolic interactionism
D) functionalism

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The disparity in economic status and security between upper and lower classes is called

A) capitalism.
B) class identity.
C) inequality.
D) the Gini index.

Question 5

The Gini index is

A) a measure of wealth.
B) a measure of inequality.
C) a tool for understanding poverty.
D) a measure of social mobility.

Question 6

Which of the following describes the change in the Gini index scores for the United States in the past 60 years?

A) It has increased steadily since 1950.
B) It has decreased steadily since 1950.
C) It has fluctuated erratically since the mid-1980s.
D) It has steadily increased since 1970.

Question 7

The process by which labor produces wealth that is not controlled by the laborers but by others,is called

A) employment.
B) exploitation.
C) Marxism.
D) economics.

Question 8

Income inequality has increased continuously since the 1960s,for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A) changes in public policy.
B) changes from manufacturing to service economy.
C) decrease in personal responsibility and work ethic.
D) deregulation of finance industry.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a problem with the poverty line as a measure of poverty?

A) The price of food has increased more slowly than other costs.
B) The calculation does not include government benefits such as tax credits.
C) It does not account for differences in the cost of living by region.
D) It is not updated frequently enough.

Question 10

The process of families deciding who will do various chores and duties is an example of

A) division of labor.
B) family meeting.
C) gender roles.
D) parenting.

Question 11

The social process of determining who does what work and for what reward is called

A) job placement.
B) division of labor.
C) social inequality.
D) education.

Question 12

A young adult whose parents can provide funds for college,reliable health care,and emotional support stands a better chance of achieving her material goals in life.This is an example of

A) life chances.
B) social class.
C) social mobility.
D) education.

Question 13

For members of a social class,the everyday interactions,shared economic circumstances,distinctive ways of life,and an awareness of those patterns is known as

A) class identity.
B) class consciousness.
C) culture.
D) ethnocentrism.

Question 14

Employees of a retail restaurant chain work to generate profit for the corporation,and that wealth is controlled by executives.Conflict theorists call this

A) unjust.
B) social class.
C) proletariat.
D) exploitation.

Question 15

Max Weber originated the concept of life chances,which refers to

A) a person's chance of living to old age.
B) the statistical likelihood of becoming wealthy.
C) the practical opportunity to achieve material success.
D) the randomness of being born into one social class or another.

Question 16

Being a member of a family or other exclusive group gives individual members access to all of the resources of that group.Sociologists call these resources

A) social capital.
B) wealth.
C) connections.
D) life chances.

Question 17

The practice of setting tax rates so that wealth is redistributed toward the poor is called

A) income tax.
B) earned tax credit.
C) progressive taxation.
D) communism.

Question 18

A young adult who can provide letters of recommendation from respected community leaders who are friends with his parents is often more likely to get a desired position or admission.This is an example of

A) social capital.
B) wealth.
C) inequality.
D) class distinction.

Question 19

Which of the following is true about the study of social class?

A) The working class was most severely hit by the recession of the late 2000s.
B) More people identify as "lower class" than the actual rates of poverty would suggest.
C) Almost half of U.S. society identifies as working class.
D) Most sociologists have given up on precisely defining social classes.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT true about the poverty line?

A) It is the level of income below which sociologists define a family or individual as poor.
B) It was created in the 1960s, based on a formula that hinges on food expenses.
C) Its intention is to identify families who cannot meet their basic needs.
D) It is a flawed measure of poverty.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true about the government's role in our social class system?

A) The amount of government intervention with the poor is higher in the United States than in other developed countries.
B) The government practices progressive taxation in the United States.
C) The government sets the poverty line.
D) Government played a role in the recession of the 2000s.

Question 22

Most sociologists conceptualize social class as

A) steps.
B) categories.
C) a ladder.
D) a pyramid.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a trend in poverty in the United States?

A) Homelessness has increased.
B) There are more poor married-couple families than single-parent families.
C) The rate of poverty is higher among single-parent families.
D) It is common for families to move in and out of poverty over time.

Question 24

Which of the following is true about social class and parenting?

A) Parents usually guide their children into values that will improve their chances of social mobility.
B) Parents usually guide their children to value the traits that will prepare them to stay at the same social class level.
C) Children of working-class and poor parents tend to be more assertive.
D) Social class does not affect parenting practices very much.

Question 25

Poverty increased dramatically during the 2000s because of all of the following,EXCEPT

A) severe economic inequality.
B) recession.
C) high unemployment.
D) poor work ethic.

Question 26

The social class gap between those with Internet access and those without is known as

A) digital inequality.
B) Internet inequality.
C) digital gap.
D) digital divide.

Question 27

The tendency of people to be in the same social class throughout their lives is called

A) social mobility.
B) consistency.
C) class persistence.
D) class consciousness.

Question 28

The text describes the social class system in the United States as a "common description," because it is

A) widely understood by the public.
B) the most popular.
C) impossible to define classes specifically.
D) tested by research and accepted.

Question 29

Which of the following facts is true about social mobility?

A) The United States has about the same amount of social mobility as other wealthy countries.
B) Until recent decades, social class persistence was mitigated somewhat by estate taxes.
C) Most people do rise above the social class into which they were born.
D) Members of the middle class tend to have more social mobility than those at the ends of the spectrum.

Question 30

Parents who work in jobs that require creativity and divergent thinking are more likely to raise their children to value

A) obedience and promptness.
B) art and music.
C) creativity and divergent thinking.
D) education.

Question 31

In the text's discussion of poverty in single-parent households,which of the following is NOT one of the types of scarcity mentioned?

A) money
B) time
C) social capital
D) education

Question 32

Many children of single parents have a smaller extended family network on which to rely.This causes a reduction in

A) social capital.
B) emotional intelligence.
C) language skill.
D) wealth.

Question 33

Annette Lareau followed a handful of families in their daily lives in order to understand their

A) attitudes about social class.
B) discipline practices.
C) stress.
D) parenting practices.

Question 34

The aggressive approach to parenting that stresses assertiveness and interactions with adults,and involves filling children's schedules is called

A) concerted cultivation.
B) helicopter parenting.
C) authoritarian parenting.
D) accomplishment of natural growth.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a reason discussed in the text for the gap in "media time" between upper-income families and lower-income families?

A) different approaches to parenting
B) financial limitations to buying electronics
C) stress and demands on time
D) differences in the amount of free time children have

Question 36

Using functionalist theory,explain the existence of the American social class system,giving several examples associated with family life.

Question 37

The parenting practice of many poor and working-class families,which allows for informal play and a focus on protection and care is called

A) concerted cultivation.
B) helicopter parenting.
C) authoritarian parenting.
D) accomplishment of natural growth.

Question 38

In the General Social Survey,3.2 percent of Americans identify as

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

Question 39

In the General Social Survey,8 percent of Americans identify as

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

Question 40

The difference between one's class origin and class destination is known as

A) life chances.
B) social mobility.
C) "rags to riches."
D) social capital.

Question 41

Identify and discuss several means through which government influences the social class experiences of American families.

Question 42

Discuss the impact of social class on the life chances of children,including a discussion and examples of social capital and parenting practices.

Question 43

Discuss the poverty line,its origins,purpose,strengths,and weaknesses.

Question 44

Define class identity and explain its significance in family life,giving several examples.

Question 45

Outline,in detail,the common description of American social class structure as developed by sociologists.

Question 46

Discuss the reproduction of social class,using several examples to identify the structural and institutional processes that support it.

Question 47

Using conflict perspective,discuss the causes of poverty and recommend two policy responses.

Question 48

Outline the research findings and theoretical conclusions of Annette Lareau regarding social class and parenting.

Question 49

Analyze the causes and consequences of increased social inequality in the United States.