Intro to Sociology Chapters 10-12

In 2016, the poverty line for a family of four was __________.

$24,300

The median family income in the United States in 2014 was approximately __________.

$50,000

A group of friends are discussing their salaries. Among them they earn the following per year: $40,000, $50,000, $65,000, $68,000, and $75,000. What is the median salary among this group of friends?

$65,000

When did homelessness begin to grow into a serious problem in the United States?

1980s

According to current statistics, over __________ adults are serving time behind bars on any given day in America.

2 million

American adults account for __________ percent of all prison and jail inmates worldwide.

25

Sociologists have observed that upper-middle-class blacks earn __________ percent of what their white counterparts earn.

85

__________ are the most residentially segregated of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

African Americans

___________ are more likely to rely on emergency clinics as their usual source of healthcare.

African Americans

Alicia is part African, Hispanic, and Native American. How is she most likely to identify herself?

Alicia is most likely to identify herself as black.

According to Forbes magazine, in 2014, the richest individual in the world was __________.

American

__________ have the highest rates of educational attainment in the United States.

Asian Americans

Which of the following statements regarding the racial gap in household wealth between white and black Americans is false?

Black Americans have made no gains in income since the civil rights movement.

Which of the following statements regarding how Brazilians think about race is true?

Brazilians classify people based on specific combinations of skin color, hair color, facial features, and hair texture

The fact that Apple Computer manufactures all iPads and iPhones in __________ is an example of __________.

China; outsourcing

Lucy is learning about social constructs in her sociology class. Based on the lectures that she has been exposed to throughout the semester, Lucy has concluded that race is a social construct. Why would Lucy make this conclusion?

Definitions of race take different forms in different places in the world and at different times.

During a lecture about race in his sociology class, Tomas becomes confused. He recently discovered, on his birth certificate, that he was labeled as white, yet his much younger brother, Carlos, is classified as Hispanic on his birth certificate. What could best explain this discrepancy in labels?

How social institutions choose to label and identify racial and ethnic groups changes over time.

__________ had the fewest opportunities for social inequality to emerge.

Hunting and gathering societies

__________ refers to the receipt of money over a period of time, whereas __________ refers to the net value of assets that one has at a given point in time.

Income; wealth

In the United States, __________kept blacks from voting, from attending quality schools, and from participating equally in a wide variety of social institutions in the American South.

Jim Crow laws

Who theorized that the critical divisions between classes were the result of the economic system?

Karl Marx

In 1965, ___________ made the following statement: "You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'you are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe you have been completely fair."

Lyndon B. Johnson

Why are a disproportionate number of African Americans unable to vote?

Many African Americans have lost their right to vote following felony convictions

Why is it difficult to get an accurate count of the homeless?

Many of the homeless may temporarily live with friends and family.

Mawenzi has sent out hundreds of résumés but has gotten very few replies, even though he graduated with honors from a top-tier school and has experience and excellent references. If Mawenzi suspected intentional discrimination, what statement would support his suspicion?

Mawenzi is experiencing the disadvantage of having a stereotypical "black name."

Sociologists describe race as a social construct. What does this statement mean?

Race is a system that is invented, created by human beings.

__________ is a system for classifying people based on perceived innate physical characteristics, whereas __________ is a system for classifying people who are perceived to share cultural similarities.

Race; ethnicity

__________ is a designation of class that considers income, occupation, and salary.

Socioeconomic status

Sophia is a third-generation Italian. She heard stories about how her grandparents experienced discrimination when they arrived in the United States. Her grandparents also maintained their culture and traditions by continuing to speak Italian in addition to leaning English. Sophia knows very little about Italian culture and does not speak Italian. What accounts for this lack of cultural knowledge?

Sophia's grandparents and parents gradually assimilated, taking on the traditions of their new country.

__________ can be described as negative, simplified generalizations about a group, whereas __________ involves actions that harm individuals.

Stereotyping; discrimination

A sociologist would most likely conclude what about homeless individuals?

The homeless live in absolute poverty.

Which of the following statements is true according to the analogy of the red-, blue-, and yellow-colored blocks cited in the text?

We grow up learning to look for certain pieces of information about a person's body to decide which race they belong to, while disregarding others.

__________ refer(s) to the accumulated sum of assets (savings accounts, homes, cars) minus the sum of debts (mortgages, loans, credit card debts).

Wealth

Which of the following is an example of institutional discrimination?

a corporation's systematic denial to women of access to managerial positions

Lana, a single woman with no dependents, is unable to afford basic necessities, such as housing and healthcare. What type of poverty is she experiencing?

absolute poverty

The majority of minimum-wage employees are __________.

adults

In South Africa, __________segregated nonwhites from whites and made legal many forms of discrimination that benefited the white ruling minority

apartheid

Rosa is a Guatemalan immigrant. She has learned to speak English and has taken to celebrating traditionally American holidays, such as Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. Rosa is experiencing __________.

assimilation

Sociologists refer to societies where birth determines whether individuals have social mobility as __________.

caste societies

The study of the distinctions among different social classes is called __________.

class analysis

The term racial stratification refers to __________.

clearly significant gaps between racial groups along social and economic dimensions

European explorers created a(n) __________ to dominate people across the globe through exploitation and enslavement.

color-coded hierarchy

Sociologists define ethnicity as a system for classifying people who share __________.

common descent, based on perceived cultural similarities

In general, technology __________ jobs that require higher levels of education while it __________ jobs that require middle and lower levels of education.

complements; replaces

Kenneth lives in a low-income, high-crime neighborhood. His home is poorly ventilated, which triggers asthma attacks. As a result of these stressors, he has high blood pressure. How would sociologists describe Kenneth's cognitive development?

compromised

What research method do sociologists use to study patterns and representations of minorities in magazines, television shows, and movies?

content analysis

W. E. B. Du Bois believed those reluctant to hire based on race actually_____________.

created the very stereotypes they used as a reason not to hire

The percentage of black men who have been incarcerated is __________ to their percentage representation in the population at large.

disproportionate

Over the last three decades, from 1980 to 2010, the rates at which Latinos completed college __________.

doubled

Max Weber felt that races stemmed from "common inherited and inheritable traits that actually derive from common descent." This view is known as __________.

essentialism

Which of the following is an example of unintentional institutional discrimination?

federal sentencing guidelines that penalize individuals who possess crack cocaine more heavily than those who possess powder cocaine

The dominant system of inequality prior to the advent of capitalism is known as __________.

feudalism

Nazi policies culminated in the __________ of millions of men, women, and children in a network of extermination camps during World War II.

genocide

When Europeans settled in the New World, they wanted to open up territories for settlements. This meant that Native Americans were not only forcibly removed from their land but sometimes killed. This deliberate and systematic destruction of Native Americans was __________.

genocide

The components of Nike tennis shoes are produced in different parts of the world. The final assembly of the shoes is completed in China. Thereafter the shoes are shipped to the United States, where David purchases a pair at a suburban mall in Denver. Of the following economic phenomena, which does this scenario best represent?

globalization

Most "one percenters" __________.

have jobs

Sandra is a corporate attorney. She graduated from Harvard Law School at the top of her class and earns $250,000 a year. Sociologists who evaluate Sandra's social position based on the dimensions of her income, education, and occupation would describe her as __________.

having high SES

Patricia works as a sales manager and earns approximately $60,000 a year. She owns her own home and has $20,000 in the bank as an emergency fund. She also owns a rental property, from which she earns $12,000 a year. Which of the following responses best represents her wealth?

her two properties and her $20,000 savings

In general, countries with __________ inequality also tend to have __________ social mobility.

high; low

The primary way in which most Americans with modest incomes accumulate wealth is through __________.

home ownership

Illegal or "underground" earnings from crime or from untaxed (undeclared) work or activity are __________.

income

Acts of racial or ethnic discrimination can be classified as __________.

individual or institutional

The concept of __________ is at the heart of the study of social stratification.

inequality

John was recently sentenced for 10 years in prison for possession of crack cocaine. His lawyer discovered that others have served less time for the possession of powder cocaine, a drug often associated with a different category of people. John's lawyer has concluded that this discrepant sentencing is the result of __________.

institutional discrimination

The United States spends __________ on programs that directly alleviate poverty than other wealthy nations.

less

It is often better to use the __________, instead of the __________, to measure household income because it is a more stable calculation that is influenced less by outliers.

median; mean

According to the U.S. census data, black and Latino families are __________ white families to fall below the poverty line.

more likely than

Individuals of mixed-race ancestry are more likely to identify themselves as __________ if they have Asian ancestry, but individuals with __________ ancestry are more likely to be assigned to a single race by others, regardless how they self-identify.

multiracial; African

In 2012, the unemployment rate for black Americans was __________.

nearly twice the rate as that of white Americans

In an ethnographic study of black and white working-class men, Deirdre Royster (2003) found that the job market was __________.

not fair and not meritocratic

Sociologists estimate that __________ of adult black men who finish high school but do not attend college will serve time in prison.

one-third

A true meritocracy would most likely be considered a(n) __________ society by sociologists.

open

The premise of the __________ is that billionaires, millionaires, and all those at the top of the income ladder are expected to pay more in taxes than minimum-wage employees.

progressive tax system

In Marxist terms, the important distinction in a capitalist society was between the __________ and the __________.

proletariat; bourgeoisie

Some of the earliest research on prejudice and discrimination was conducted by __________, who saw racism as __________.

psychologists; an expression of particular personality disorders

In the United States, __________ has historically mattered more than __________.

race; ethnicity

__________ are much more likely than __________ to live in poverty in the United States.

racial minorities; whites

In a meritocracy __________.

rewards are linked to personal ability

In a study involving fictitious résumés of applicants with stereotypical "white names" (Emily and Greg) and "black names" (Lakisha and Jamal), researchers found that __________.

résumés with "white names" received 50 percent more follow-up calls than résumés with "black names"

Under feudalism, the laborers who were obligated to work for landowners were called __________.

serfs

Over the last three decades, from 1980 and 2010, the rates at which Latinos dropped out of high school __________.

shrunk by nearly half

The feminization of poverty is a term used to describe poverty experienced by __________.

single-parent families in which a woman is the primary provider caregiver

Ben was a bank teller at Goliath National Bank, until the tellers at Goliath were replaced by ATM machines. As a result, Ben decided to go back to school and update his computer skills. Ben's scenario best represents a consequence of __________.

skill-biased technological change

Because there are no obvious ways of determining how much opportunity individuals really have, social scientists measure it indirectly by examining __________.

social mobility

Labor markets and government policies are both important factors that influence __________.

social mobility

To measure __________ sociologists can use intergenerational correlations between parents' and projected children's __________.

social mobility; incomes

Current data indicate that Asian Americans have the highest median household incomes in the United States. Researchers caution, however, that the data about Asian incomes can be misinterpreted because __________.

some Asians, such as Vietnamese and Cambodian Americans, are at the top of the income hierarchy

As a result of economic restructuring, average wages have __________ since the 1970s.

stagnated

Current research shows that there is a relationship between poverty, __________, and __________; this is particularly worrisome in the case of children.

stress; cognitive development

Which of the following countries is much less egalitarian than the others?

the United States

Don and Cal are high school friends from the same hometown. After high school, Don started to work full-time as an overnight cleaner at a floor cleaning business. Cal attended a public university nearby and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing. At their 10-year reunion Don and Cal discuss the courses their lives have taken since they graduated from high school. Don has been working full-time for the whole 10 years and makes about $40,000 per year from the cleaning business. Cal has been working for 5 years as manager of the marketing department at a health insurance company in the area; he makes about $70,000 per year. What concept would a sociologist use to describe the differences between Don and Cal?

the college wage premium

Remington is involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement. He camped out for weeks at a park opposite the statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, and was eventually arrested. Remington, like other protestors, has many concerns about his economic condition, but he likely joined the movement to protest __________.

the disparity in income and wealth between the top 1 percent of Americans and everyone else

Which of the following scenarios best represents outsourcing?

the opening of a call center for an American credit card company in the Philippines

Karen is a home care aid. She earns about $10 an hour and works 40 hours a week. She is unable to save, and last month her car broke down. She cannot afford to fix her car, being already late in paying her bills for gas and electricity. From this description of Karen's life, you conclude that she is a member of which class?

the working poor

Candace and Bill are married with two children. Bill works and earns minimum wage. Candace stays home to raise their two young children. Their annual household income in 2016 was below the poverty line. Given this scenario, you can accurately infer that __________.

their annual income is below $24,000

Before retirement, most people get most or all of their income from __________.

their jobs

What is the goal of affirmative action?

to increase the representation of minorities and women in fields from which they have historically been excluded

Dawn works as a lawyer for a Fortune 500 company and recently bought her first home. She was the first person in her family to attend college. Even though while she was growing up her family was very busy working to pay rent and other bills—her dad worked as a janitor and her mother as a childcare assistant—her parents have always been supportive of her education and career goals. What sociological concept best describes Dawn's life?

upward mobility

Sociologist Devah Pager (2003), who tested the influence of criminal records on the job applications of blacks and whites, found that __________.

white applicants with criminal records were more likely to be considered for jobs than black applicants without criminal records

A pessimistic interpretation of recent survey results used to measure prejudice might be that __________.

whites are reluctant to admit to harboring racial prejudices