Chapter 9: Textbook multi choice

Which statement illustrates low status consistency? A. A suburban family lives in a modest ranch home and enjoys a nice vacation each summer. B. A single mother receives food stamps and struggles to find adequate employment. C. A college dropout launches an online company that earns millions in its first year. D. A celebrity actor owns homes in three countries.

C. A college dropout launches an online company that earns millions in its first year.

The basic premise of the Davis-Moore thesis is that the unequal distribution of rewards in social stratification: A. is an outdated mode of societal organization B. is an artificial reflection of society C. serves a purpose in society D. cannot be justified

C. serves a purpose in society

The GNI PPP figure represents: A. a country's total accumulated wealth B. annual government spending C. the average annual income of a country's citizens D. a country's debt

C. the average annual income of a country's citizens

Global Stratification

a comparison of the wealth, status, power, and economic stability of countries as a whole

Intergenerational Mobility

a difference in social class between different generations of a family

Class

a group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation

Primogeniture

a law stating that all property passes to the firstborn son

Downward Mobility

a lowering of one's social class

Structural Mobility

a societal change that enables a whole group of people to move up or down the class ladder

Meritocracy

an ideal system in which personal effort—or merit—determines social standing

Upward Mobility

an increase—or upward shift—in social class

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

an individual's level of wealth, power, and prestige

Intragenerational Mobility

changes in a person's social mobility over the course of their lifetime.

Absolute Poverty

deprivation so severe that it puts day-to-day survival in jeopardy.

Relative Poverty

is not having the means to live the lifestyle of the average person in your country

Class System

social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments

Social Mobility

the ability to change positions within a social stratification system

Conspicuous Consumption

the act of buying and using products to make a statement about one's social standing

Status Consistency

the consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual's rank across social categories like wealth, power, and prestige

Ideology

the cultural belief system that justifies a society's system of stratification

Standard of Living

the level of wealth available to acquire material goods and comforts to maintain a particular socioeconomic lifestyle

Income

the money a person earns from work or investments

Class Traits

the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class (also called class markers)

Wealth

the value of money and assets a person has from, for example, inheritance or salary.

Endogamous Marriages

unions of people within the same social category

Exogamous Unions

unions of spouses from different social categories

Which statement represents stratification from the perspective of symbolic interactionism? A. Men often earn more than women, even working the same job. B. After work, Pat, a janitor, feels more comfortable eating in a truck stop than a French restaurant. C. Doctors earn more money because their job is more highly valued. D. Teachers continue to struggle to keep benefits such as health insurance.

B. After work, Pat, a janitor, feels more comfortable eating in a truck stop than a French restaurant.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of intragenerational mobility? A. A janitor belongs to the same social class as his grandmother did. B. An executive belongs to a different class than her parents. C. An editor shares the same social class as his cousin. D. A lawyer belongs to a different class than her sister.

B. An executive belongs to a different class than her parents.

Which person best illustrates opportunities for upward social mobility in the United States? A. First-shift factory worker B. First-generation college student C. Firstborn son who inherits the family business D. First-time interviewee who is hired for a job

B. First-generation college student

What factor makes caste systems closed? A. They are run by secretive governments. B. People cannot change their social standing. C. Most have been outlawed. D. They exist only in rural areas.

B. People cannot change their social standing.

Which event created a significant divide between Western Europe/America and the rest of the world? A. The Industrial Revolution B. The American Revolution C. The Reformation D. World War I

B. The American Revolution

When Karl Marx said workers experience alienation, he meant that workers: A. must labor alone, without companionship B. do not feel connected to their work or to one another C. move from one geographical location to another D. have to put forth self-effort to get ahead

B. do not feel connected to their work or to one another

Occupational prestige means that jobs are: A. all equal in status B. not equally valued C. assigned to a person for life D. not part of a person's self-identity

B. not equally valued

How do traditional models of global stratification breakdown different categories of countries? A. They analyze the degree of industrialization. B. They evaluate cultural norms and social goals. C. They measure social mobility between classes. D. They use measures to assess the economic power each nation.

A. They analyze the degree of industrialization.

The behaviors, customs, and norms associated with a class are known as: A. class traits B. power C. prestige D. underclass

A. class traits

Unlike Davis and Moore, Melvin Tumin believed that, because of social stratification, some qualified people were _______ higher-level job positions. A. denied the opportunity to obtain B. encouraged to train for C. often fired from D. forced into

A. denied the opportunity to obtain

In the United States, most people define themselves as: A. middle class B. upper class C. lower class D. no specific class

A. middle class

Which of these systems allows for the most social mobility? A. Caste B. Monarchy C. Meritocracy D. Class

D. Class

Based on meritocracy, a physician's assistant would: A. receive the same pay as all the other physician's assistants B. be considered a member of the upper class C. most likely marry a professional at the same level D. earn a pay raise for doing excellent work

D. earn a pay raise for doing excellent work

Conflict theorists view capitalists as those who: A. are ambitious B. fund social services C. spend money wisely D. get rich while workers stay poor

D. get rich while workers stay poor

Social Stratification

a socioeconomic system that divides society's members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige. Also called inequality

Caste System

a system in which people are born into a social standing that they will retain their entire lives

Closed System

a system of stratification that accommodates little change in social position.

Open System

a system of stratification, based on achievement, that allows some movement and interaction between layers and classes.

Davis-Moore thesis

a thesis that argues some social stratification is a social necessity and is functional