Question 1

What do sociologists call it when an individual changes her career but remains within the same social class?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists call it horizontal social mobility when an individual changes her career but remains within the same social class. This type of mobility does not involve a change in income or status, but rather a change in the type of work being performed.

Question 2

Which of the following variables have the greatest impact on crime rates?

Accepted Answer

Population density and anomie are the two variables that have the greatest impact on crime rates. Population density refers to the number of people living in a given area, while anomie refers to the feeling of normlessness and alienation that can occur in densely populated areas. Both of these factors can contribute to crime rates, as they can lead to increased competition for resources, social disorganization, and a breakdown of social norms.

Question 3

Ascribed status is usually involuntary and often assigned at birth. Achieved status is voluntary and often based on merit, ability, or achievement. What sort of status would you expect to find in a closed system?

Accepted Answer

In a closed system, there is likely to be limited mobility and opportunities for individuals to achieve status based on merit. Therefore, status is likely to be largely based on ascribed characteristics such as social class, race, and ethnicity.

Question 4

When the children of working-class parents manage to attend college and get a job in a professional field, it is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Intergenerational mobility refers to the movement of individuals or families from one social class to another across generations. This scenario fits intergenerational mobility as the children of working-class parents have moved up the social ladder by attending college and working in a professional field. Intragenerational mobility and horizontal social mobility are not applicable in this scenario as they involve movement within a single generation or within the same social class, respectively. Downward mobility and lack of mobility are also not relevant in this scenario as there is a clear upward movement in social class.

Question 5

A society where social mobility is highly restricted by formal or informal rules, like those of a caste system, is called:

Accepted Answer

A society with restricted social mobility by formal or informal rules, like a caste system, is referred to as a closed system. In a closed system, people's social status is determined by birth and cannot be altered through individual achievement or merit. The other options, such as a system of stratification or achieved status, do not convey the idea of restrictiveness or rigidity that is present in a closed system.

Question 6

Being born into a lower social class means that an individual will be:

Accepted Answer

Individuals from lower social classes often feel at risk of being harassed by law enforcement due to systemic biases and increased policing in lower-income neighborhoods.

Question 7

Although the United States lost many jobs in the recession of the late 2000s, many people are optimistic that the lost jobs will be replaced with others. However, even if the optimists are right, the shift in the economy may permanently alter the class status of many, as the jobs being lost are largely in manufacturing and new jobs are often in information technology, suggesting that the newly unemployed will have trouble competing for newly created jobs. If this is the case, what is it called?

Accepted Answer

The shift in the economy resulting in the loss of manufacturing jobs and the creation of new jobs in information technology suggests a structural change, which can lead to structural mobility, where individuals and groups are moved up or down in social class permanently as a result of economic changes. Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in social class between generations, whereas intragenerational mobility refers to changes in social class within a person's lifetime. Absolute deprivation refers to a lack of basic necessities, and a caste system refers to a rigid social hierarchy where individuals are born into a specific social status and cannot move upward.

Question 8

A reporter who covers the police beat at a newspaper changes careers. She becomes an editor of nonfiction books and is paid the same salary as she was at the newspaper. What has she experienced?

Accepted Answer

Horizontal social mobility occurs when an individual moves from one position to another that is considered to be of similar social status, without a significant change in their social hierarchy or income level. In this scenario, the reporter changes careers but maintains the same salary, indicating a move across the social spectrum at the same level, not up or down.

Question 9

What do sociologists call it when large numbers of people move up or down the social class ladder as a result of changes to society as a whole?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists call it structural mobility when large numbers of people move up or down the social class ladder as a result of changes to society as a whole. Structural mobility is different from intergenerational mobility, where an individual or family moves up or down the social ladder within their lifetime or across generations.

Question 10

Many workers at auto plants in Michigan lost their jobs when the plants closed. For the vast majority of these workers, this has resulted in:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many workers at auto plants in Michigan...

Question 11

Given what you have read about socioeconomic status and life chances, what activity is most likely to take the place of a yoga class for a working-class woman?

Accepted Answer

Working-class women are more likely to have caring responsibilities towards their children after work, and may not have the financial or time resources available to attend a yoga class or take other leisure activities. Watching television or going to bars may be more affordable and accessible, but may not have the same health and wellness benefits as yoga. Visiting with extended family members or taking a night class at a community college may be possible for some working-class women, but may not be possible for everyone due to time and financial constraints. Therefore, taking care of children after work is most likely to take the place of a yoga class for a working-class woman.

Question 12

Poverty can be defined in either relative or absolute terms. How does relative deprivation measure poverty?

Accepted Answer

Relative deprivation measures poverty by comparing the poor to more affluent members of society. It takes into account the disparities in income, wealth, and opportunities between the poor and the rest of society. This approach focuses on how people perceive their own economic and social status in comparison to others, rather than on an objective standard of living.

Question 13

The folk-pop singer Jewel is famous for having lived in her van when she first moved to San Diego and started performing in a coffee shop. Soon after she was signed by Atlantic Records, her advance allowed her to rent a house and buy a new car. What class-based phenomenon is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of social mobility, as Jewel was able to move from living in a van to renting a house and buying a car thanks to her record deal.

Question 14

What sort of social mobility often results from losing a job?

Accepted Answer

Losing a job typically results in a decrease in income and status, which is indicative of vertical social mobility.

Question 15

Patrick Radden Keefe's The Snakehead describes (mostly) illegal immigrants to America from Fujian, a province in China. Many of the immigrants took incredible risks to get to the United States and have a hard time assimilating, but Keefe is very optimistic that their children will assimilate and have a much higher standard of living than their parents. What does Keefe believe the children will experience?

Accepted Answer

Keefe believes that the children of the illegal immigrants from Fujian will experience intergenerational mobility, meaning they will move up the economic ladder compared to their parents due to improved opportunities and education in the United States.

Question 16

What sort of jobs can support a middle-class lifestyle in America today?

Accepted Answer

Jobs in the service, information, and technology sectors are currently the best options for supporting a middle-class lifestyle in America. These industries have seen significant growth in recent years and often offer higher salaries and opportunities for advancement. Jobs in manufacturing, skilled labor, blue collar work, and skilled trades like carpentry traditionally provided middle-class wages, but many of these jobs have been outsourced or replaced by automation.

Question 17

The difference between a person's ascribed status and his achieved status is measured in terms of his:

Accepted Answer

Intragenerational mobility refers to the changes in someone's social status within their own lifetime, which can be influenced by their achievements rather than the status they were born into (ascribed status). This contrasts with ascribed status, which is the social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life.

Question 18

Social mobility that occurs over the course of an individual's lifetime is called:

Accepted Answer

Intragenerational mobility refers to the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime, distinguishing it from intergenerational mobility, which looks at changes between different generations within a family.

Question 19

Poverty can be defined in either relative or absolute terms. How does absolute deprivation measure poverty?

Accepted Answer

Absolute deprivation measures poverty by considering access to basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. It does not take into account how the poor compare to more affluent members of society or other historical periods.

Question 20

Although we usually think of social mobility as a result of individual effort, during the "dot-com boom" of the late 1990s, many people became instant millionaires. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of structural mobility because an external factor (the dot-com boom) created opportunities for people to move up economically without necessarily having to put in significant individual effort or skill. The boom allowed people in certain industries to quickly become wealthy, regardless of their background or educational level.

Quiz 7: Social Class: the Structure of Inequality