Question 1

Worldwide, 1% of the global population owns what percentage of all household wealth?

Accepted Answer

The top 1% of the global population owns slightly more than 50% of all household wealth. This significant concentration of wealth highlights the substantial inequality in wealth distribution worldwide.

Question 2

The world's poor are disproportionately

Accepted Answer

The world's poor are disproportionately young, reflecting the higher poverty rates among children and young people in many regions, especially in developing countries. This demographic is more vulnerable due to factors like lack of access to education, employment opportunities, and healthcare.

Question 3

On what continent today is poverty most concentrated?

Accepted Answer

Africa has the highest concentration of poverty, with a significant portion of its population living below the poverty line, facing challenges such as malnutrition, lack of access to clean water, and inadequate healthcare.

Question 4

Which sociologist developed world systems theory?

Accepted Answer

Immanuel Wallerstein is credited with developing world systems theory, which analyzes the world economy as a complex system influenced by a variety of political and economic factors.

Question 5

World systems theory

Accepted Answer

World systems theory focuses on the global economic system and how the positions of countries within this system contribute to global inequalities. It does not defend colonialism, propose a global tax for wealth redistribution, or attribute national wealth primarily to geography and topography.

Question 6

"Rags to riches" tales that tell the story of people moving from poverty to wealth are stories of

Accepted Answer

"Rags to riches" tales describe a person's economic and social climb from poverty to wealth, which is a classic example of vertical mobility, indicating a change in social status.

Question 7

In real life, upward mobility is usually

Accepted Answer

Upward mobility in real life is often slight and slow due to various socio-economic barriers and the gradual nature of career progression and wealth accumulation.

Question 8

Kaitlyn's job has transferred her within the company to a new city, where she will do the same work for the same pay. Here, she will have to meet new friends and form new social relationships. What kind of mobility is Kaitlyn experiencing?

Accepted Answer

Kaitlyn is experiencing horizontal mobility because she is moving to a new location but her social status and job position remain the same; there is no upward or downward change in her social or economic status.

Question 9

You are purchasing a new home. You complain to your grandmother that the house is only 2,600 square feet. She points out that this is twice the size of the average house when she was buying her first home 50 years ago. Your grandmother's point is that you have experienced

Accepted Answer

Your grandmother is highlighting that you have experienced absolute mobility, which refers to the overall improvement in living standards or economic condition over time. In this case, the fact that the size of homes has generally increased, allowing you to purchase a home twice the size of what was average 50 years ago, illustrates an improvement in living standards.

Question 10

Candace purchased her first home in 2008, right before the Great Recession. During the Great Recession, the value of her home plummeted, and she has never been able to fully recover financially. In contrast, her younger sister purchased her first home in 2013, and it has increased steadily in value and quickly came to surpass the value of Candace's home. This change in her sister's status compared to her own has frustrated Candace since they made similarly wise financial decisions and were equally responsible about home ownership. What form of mobility is causing Candace distress?

Accepted Answer

Candace is experiencing distress due to relative mobility, which refers to the change in her economic status relative to her sister's. While both made similar financial decisions, the timing of their home purchases led to different outcomes in their wealth and economic positions relative to each other.

Question 11

Compared to European social welfare programs, U.S. policies to address poverty are

Accepted Answer

U.S. policies to address poverty are more decentralized than European social welfare programs, meaning that there is more variation in how programs are implemented across different states and localities in the U.S. European countries tend to have more centralized, uniform social welfare systems.

Question 12

A tax system that taxes wealthy people at a higher rate than poor people is called a

Accepted Answer

A progressive tax system is designed to tax individuals at higher rates as their income increases, which means wealthy people pay a higher rate than poor people.

Question 13

Linking Social Security payments to a person's employment history,

Accepted Answer

Linking Social Security payments to a person's employment history was a way to distinguish between those who were considered to have contributed to the system (and thus deserving of support) and those who had not, reflecting a societal view on who should receive government financial support in their old age.

Question 14

In what decade did the U.S. introduce widespread social welfare policies?

Accepted Answer

The 1930s saw the introduction of widespread social welfare policies in the U.S., primarily through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs in response to the Great Depression.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of violent contentious politics?

Accepted Answer

Rioting is an example of violent contentious politics because it involves direct, often aggressive confrontation and physical force, unlike the other options which are generally non-violent forms of protest or participation in political processes.

Question 16

Contentious politics attempt to draw attention to an issue in order to

Accepted Answer

Contentious politics often aim to polarize opinions and compel individuals or groups to take a stance on a particular issue, thereby escalating the conflict and drawing more attention to it.

Question 17

The Occupy Wall Street movement attempted to address

Accepted Answer

The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began in 2011, primarily focused on protesting against economic inequality, highlighting the significant wealth gap between the wealthiest individuals and corporations and the average working people. It did not directly address issues related to land ownership in South Africa, caste mistreatment in India, or global human trafficking.

Question 18

What did the Wagner Act of 1935 guarantee?

Accepted Answer

The Wagner Act of 1935, also known as the National Labor Relations Act, guaranteed workers the right to unionize, engage in collective bargaining, and to strike, aiming to equalize the bargaining power between employers and employees.

Question 19

Because our socioeconomic status is comprised of more than just our economic standing,

Accepted Answer

Socioeconomic status encompasses a variety of factors, including education, income, and occupation, among others. Therefore, an individual might have advantages in one aspect (such as education) but not in another (such as income), illustrating the complexity and multidimensionality of privilege.

Question 20

By presenting only affluent men as contestants on The Bachelor, the show reinforces the idea that

Accepted Answer

The show's presentation of only affluent men as contestants suggests that a man's desirability as a husband is linked to his wealth, reinforcing the idea that financial status is a key factor in romantic attractiveness.

Quiz 7: Inequality, Mobility, and Social Change