Question 1

In the United States today,__________ have the largest percentage of its population living below the poverty line.

Accepted Answer

Black and Hispanic female-headed families have the largest percentage of their population living below the poverty line in the United States today. This demographic faces significant economic challenges, including higher rates of poverty, due to factors such as wage gaps, employment discrimination, and limited access to quality education and childcare.

Question 2

The primary reason for child poverty is __________.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that children who are born into single-parent families or experience the breakup of a two-parent family are at a higher risk of living in poverty. However, welfare fraud is not a primary reason for child poverty.

Question 3

People who are employed in factories and/or depend on hourly wages are part of the __________ class.

Accepted Answer

People who work in factories and depend on hourly wages are typically part of the working class. The working class generally earns lower wages than the middle and upper classes, and their work is often more manual and less skilled.

Question 4

The stratification of individuals and groups according to their access to various occupations,incomes,and skills is called __________ stratification.

Accepted Answer

The term "class" specifically refers to the social stratification of individuals and groups based on their access to different levels of wealth, income, and occupation. While other choices such as "status" and "honor or prestige" are related to social stratification, they do not encompass the full scope of economic and occupational differences between individuals that are captured by the concept of class.

Question 5

For most people,poverty simply means the ___________.

Accepted Answer

Poverty is commonly understood as a lack of sufficient income to afford basic necessities and desired luxuries.

Question 6

A social class is a large number of people who __________.

Accepted Answer

A social class is defined by the shared economic and social status of its members. This includes factors such as income, occupation, education, and lifestyle. Option D best describes the concept of social class by stating that members of a social class have approximately the same degree of economic well-being. Option A refers to a generational cohort, option B does not necessarily imply a shared social status, option C refers to geographical location, and option E refers to a specific occupation or profession.

Question 7

Social scientists now distinguish between a dimension of stratification measurable by quantifiable variables and a dimension involving how people evaluate themselves and others.These can be termed the __________ dimensions.

Accepted Answer

The options presented a contrast between variables that are either objective and measurable or subjective and perceived. The best choice is D because it directly matches the contrast between the two dimensions being discussed: stratification that is measurable by quantifiable variables (objective), and how people evaluate themselves and others (subjective). The other choices do not capture the same nuance or contrast as the terms "objective" and "subjective."

Question 8

The U.S.government attempts to "officially" define the poverty line by utilizing which factor?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. government defines the poverty line by calculating a minimum family "market basket" which includes the cost of basic necessities such as food, housing, transportation, and healthcare. This calculation is used to determine if a family's income falls below the poverty threshold.

Question 9

In 2008,the inflation-corrected,official poverty line for a family of four was __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 2008,the inflation-corrected,official poverty line for a...

Question 10

To Marx's perspective on the economic basis of classes,Max Weber added consideration of __________.

Accepted Answer

Max Weber added consideration of status (prestige) and power to Marx's perspective on the economic basis of classes. He believed that social stratification was not solely based on economic factors but also on status and power. Weber argued that people's social class was determined by their position in the economic, political, and social spheres, with status and power being just as important as their access to wealth and resources.

Question 11

To Karl Marx,the basic classes of a society are determined by __________.

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx believed that the basic classes of a society are determined by the ownership or nonownership of the means of production. In other words, those who owned the means of production (such as factories, land, and resources) were the ruling capitalist class, while those who did not own these means were the working-class proletarians. Marx believed that this class structure was the underlying cause of social inequality and conflict.

Question 12

The idea that poverty is relative rather than absolute is __________.

Accepted Answer

The idea that poverty is relative rather than absolute has been around for a while and is not a recent concept. It has been discussed in academic circles for decades and is a part of many sociological frameworks for understanding poverty.

Question 13

Major employers and powerful political leaders are part of the __________ class.

Accepted Answer

The upper class is typically made up of the wealthiest individuals in a society, including major employers and powerful political leaders. The other options (upper-middle, middle, and working) do not accurately describe this social class.

Question 14

In 1965,Mollie Orshansky was largely responsible for the official fixed-income definition
Of the poverty line.The central factor in her formula is __________.

Accepted Answer

According to the question, Mollie Orshansky's formula for the poverty line had food consumption as the central factor. Therefore, the best choice would be E, "food consumption."

Question 15

Looking at the 1950s and the 1960s,many observers of American society pointed to the economic gains of many working-class people which gave them the means to live a largely middle-class lifestyle.This is referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

The statement is referring to the idea of "the convergence of social classes toward a general affluence" which suggests that the economic gains of many working-class people allowed them to attain a middle-class lifestyle, blurring the lines between social classes.

Question 16

__________ stratification is a pattern in which individuals and groups are assigned to different positions in the social order,positions that enjoy varying amounts of access to desirable goods and services.

Accepted Answer

Social stratification refers to the way society is organized into hierarchical layers, where individuals and groups have different levels of access to resources, rights, and privileges.

Question 17

Poverty scholars believe that the official definition __________ the amount of poverty in this country.

Accepted Answer

Poverty scholars argue that the official definition of poverty, which is based solely on income, understates the amount of poverty in this country. They believe that it does not take into account important factors such as the cost of living in different regions, expenses for things like child care and healthcare, and the availability of assistance programs. Therefore, poverty scholars argue that the official definition is too narrow and does not accurately reflect the true extent of poverty in the United States.

Question 18

In 2008,__________ percent of the United States population fell below the inflation-corrected,official poverty line.

Accepted Answer

In 2008, 13.2 percent of the United States population fell below the inflation-corrected, official poverty line.

Question 19

Managers in large businesses and successful business and professional people are part of the __________ class.

Accepted Answer

Managers in large businesses and successful business and professional people are typically part of the upper-middle class. The upper class is generally reserved for the wealthiest members of society, while the middle class includes a broader range of income levels. The working class typically includes manual laborers and those in service industries, while the lower class (the poor) struggles to make ends meet with low wages and limited opportunities.

Question 20

For Karl Marx,the lumpenproletariat is made up of __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of For Karl Marx,the lumpenproletariat is made up...

Quiz 6: Poverty and Affluence