sociology chapter 9
False: Two-thirds of all poor people in the United States are African Americans.
...F
Recent welfare reform has greatly reduced the poverty rate in the United States.
...F
: China stands out as a country without any social classes.
...F
America is considered the land of opportunity and majority people move upward as long as they try hard to achieve.
F
A set of norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes that trap a small number of people in a permanent cycle of poverty is referred to as the culture of poverty.
T
American people have a higher level of class consciousness than people in other countries.
F
In America, the poverty line today was about (blank) of median family income of the country. 54% 35% 10% 57%
B
Which of the following nations has the MOST internal social inequality among its citizens? Canada United States Sweden France
B
"The reason the poor are poor is that they don't take advantage of the opportunities available to them. If they really wanted to work and get ahead, they could." Sociologists call such a view: picking on the poor conservative blaming the victim reactionary
C
Caste systems are typical of high-income societies.
...F
False: Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in social position within an individual's lifetime.
...F
In the United States in 2011, more than 46 million people were officially counted among the poor
...T
The age category of the U.S. population most likely to be poor is children and young adults under age twenty-four.
...T
According to a sociological study, what is the greatest predictor of whether a U.S. family is poor? age race sex of the head of a household ethnicity
C
The phenomena that divorced women and their children, teenage mother and children are rapidly becoming an underclass in America is referred to as (blank). capability poverty double deprivation feminization of poverty inequality ratio
C
A trend in which an increasing proportion of women and children comprise poor families in the United States is called the (blank) of poverty. stratification restructuring gendering feminization
D
Culture of poverty argument is supported by empirical studies.
F
Social class is the process by which people are set apart for unequal access to valuable resources in society.
F
The sociologist who argued that property was not the sole basis of a person's position in the stratification system, but rather, property, prestige, and power determine social class. Karl Marx Max Weber Wright Mills Spencer
b
As computers were introduced into the workplace many new white-collar jobs opened up overnight. Taking advantage of these new opportunities, many workers switched from blue-collar to white-collar employment. This is an example of: upward mobility downward mobility structural mobility relative upward mobility.
c
The richest 20 percent of U.S. families earn 48 percent of all income, while the bottom 20 percent earn only about 4 percent.
...T
Karl Marx claimed that social stratification in high-income nations, such as the Great Britain and the United States, reflects a capitalist economy.
.T..
The Davis-Moore thesis states that social stratification has consequences that are beneficial to society.
.T..
In 2000, the richest 20% of families in America receive about 49.4% of the nation's income, while the lowest 20% receives about 3.6% of the nation's income. The inequality ratio between the rich and the poor based on the above information is (blank). 5.3 20 13 160
C
The majority of poor people are a racial/ethnic minority.
F
Throughout history, the slavery system is the most closed system where statuses are permanent, hereditary, and slaves had no legal rights.
F
Upper-class families are more likely to maintain close relationships with their relatives for social support.
F
social stratification is multidimensional.
T
Social stratification is a matter of not only inequality, but also beliefs about fairness.
T...
Large-scale social change such as technological advancement and economic, political change that enable people to move up or down in statuses are referred to as (blank). vertical mobility horizontal mobility relative mobility structural mobility
d
The social class system is based primarily on economic factors and (blank) statuses. ascribed master occupational achieved
d
A consistent research finding is that working class people tend to have strong ties with family and a large number of kin in contrast to middle and upper-class people who are more prone to rely on social networks.
T
Interactionist theory focuses on (blank) of people in different social ranks. income lifestyle education occupation
b
Based on statistics in the textbook, it is correct to say that the richest 20 percent of the population earn more than (blank) times as much as the poorest 20 percent. two twelve fifty one hundred
B
Max Weber claimed that social position was based on a person's: economic class, degree of social status, and amount of power. innate abilities alone. birth alone. innate intelligence, birth, and skin color.
A
According to the textbook, approximately in the year 2001, (blank) million Americans, or (blank) percent of the population, have income below the poverty line. 10 million, 3 percent 20 million, 7 percent 33 million, 12 percent 40 million, 18 percent
C
In 2011, how many people were counted by the U.S. government as having income below the official poverty line? 460,000 4.6 million 46 million 460 million
C
In 2011, the median income for U.S. families was: $16,099. $36,077. $60,974. $76,055.
C
Sociologist William Julius Wilson suggests the cause of poverty lies in: a lower-class culture of poverty. lack of government action. too few available jobs. bad public schools.
C
The values, skills, lifestyles and attitudes family pass on to children which increase a person's chances of success is termed as (blank). family economic capital cultural capital human capital social capital
b
In terms of relative deprivation, the poor quintile in America receives less income than the poor in poor countries of the world.
T
Of all the industrial nations, the United States has the highest rate of young children live in poverty.
T
At the top of the system of inequality in the former Soviet Union were the: industrial capitalists. intelligentsia, or educated professionals. apparatchiks, or high government officials. hereditary nobility.
C
Comparatively, social mobility is most frequent in: a caste system. a class system. an estate system. a stratification system.
b
False: In the United States, social inequality is determined only by people's talents and abilities.
...F
In the United States, wealth is distributed more equally than income.
...F
Structural social mobility refers to an individual's upward or downward social movement due to personal effort or, in some cases, good or bad luck.
...F
The socialist revolution Karl Marx predicted took place in most industrial-capitalist societies about a century ago.
...F
U.S. society does not have social stratification.
...F
: Max Weber said social stratification involved three distinct dimensions: economic class, social prestige, and political power.
...T
Ideology refers to ideas that support social stratification.
...T
In most poor families in the United States, no family member has a full-time job.
...T
In recent decades, William Julius Wilson claims, many central cities no longer have enough jobs to support the families who live there.
...T
The concept of social mobility refers to changes in people's positions in the social hierarchy.
...T
The globalization of the economy has increased the earnings of highly educated people who specialize in law, finance, marketing, and computer technology.
...T
The more a society is a meritocracy, the greater the society's level of social mobility.
...T
The wealth of rich people is not only greater, but more of it is in the form of investments that typically increase in value and generate income.
...T
True: Since 1980 in the United States, the most dramatic gains in income have been made by the richest people.
...T
About 20 percent of U.S. families have negative wealth, which means that they are actually in debt.
..T.
In general, white-collar occupations have more prestige than blue-collar occupations.
..T.
The former Soviet Union was a classless society without social stratification.
.F..
Weber described stratification as a complex socioeconomic status ranking.
.T..
A caste system is defined as: social stratification based on ascription, or birth. social stratification based on personal achievement. a meritocracy. any social system in which categories of people are unequal.
A
According to Karl Marx, social stratification in a capitalist society always involves: class conflict. negotiation and compromise leading to stability. the abolition of work itself. a working class revolution.
A
Approximately what percentage of American household income does the top 20 percent of earners make in 2009? 50 percent 25 percent 75 percent 90 percent
A
In the United States, which age category has the highest poverty rate? children under the age of eighteen people in their thirties middle-aged persons about forty years of age seniors over sixty five years of age
A
Marx claimed social stratification would end with the creation of a socialist economy. What was Weber's view? Weber thought socialism would reduce economic differences but also create a political elite, increasing differences in power. Weber thought capitalism could not be changed. Weber thought socialism would create a new high-prestige nobility. Weber agreed with Marx.
A
Marx thought of inequality in terms of two main classes. In contrast, Weber envisioned inequality in terms of: a socioeconomic ranking. three main classes. everyone gradually sinking into poverty. society as one large middle class.
A
Relative poverty: is found everywhere. is life threatening. is not found in the United States. is only a problem for minority groups.
A
Since Marx's lifetime, living standards in the United States have: risen for all. lowered for all. risen for the very rich, but lowered for everyone else. risen for the very poor, but remained steady for the very rich.
A
The anthropologist Oscar Lewis suggested the cause of poverty lies in: a lower-class culture of poverty. lack of government action. too few available jobs. bad public schools.
A
The assumption that the values, behaviors, and lifestyle of the poor make them fundamentally different from other people and that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty is referred to as: Culture of poverty. status inconsistency. feminization of poverty. cultural hegemony.
A
The degree of status consistency is: greater in caste than class systems. the same in all types of social stratification. greater in class than caste systems. greater the more productive a society is.
A
The resources a person has in the family, such as various types of knowledge and ideas, and material provisions, are called cultural capital. social capital. cultural resources. social resources.
A
Today in America, which social class category are more likely to practice endogamy? the rich the poor the middle-class minority
A
Using the sociological perspective, we see that social stratification: gives some people more privileges and opportunities than others. places everyone on a level playing field. ensures that hard work will lead people to become wealthy. means that what people get out of life is pretty much what they put into it.
A
Which concept refers to change in social position during a person's lifetime? intragenerational social mobility intergenerational social mobility structural social mobility horizontal social mobility
A
Which of the following statement is Not true regarding the status of children in America? The U.S. has one of the lowest child poverty rates of industrialized countries in the world. Almost one out of every five children in the United States live in poverty. The social health index of children has been declining over the past 3 decades. With the increase in divorce and out-of-wedlock birth, more and more women and children live in poverty in the United States.
A
Which of the following types of societies comes closest to being egalitarian? hunting and gathering horticultural/pastoral industrial postindustrial
A
Which one of the following statement is NOT true of the circumstances of the poor in the United States? In today's America, relatively, the poor are better off than thirty years ago, because the money the average poverty Income Cutoffs for a family of four is $13,924 while 30 years ago it was only $3,022. In terms of absolute numbers, there are more white people than black people among the poor. The gap between the resources of the nonpoor and of the poor has been growing larger as the median family income has increased at a faster rate than the poverty cutoff. In terms of relative deprivation, the poorest fifth in America receives less than the poorest in developing countries.
A
Which term did Max Weber use to describe the chances a person has in life at gaining highly valued economic and cultural means? life chances equal opportunity social capital meritocracy
A
Which type of tax policy has individuals who earn higher incomes pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes? progressive taxation regressive taxation liberal taxation conservative taxation
A
Critics of the "Culture of Poverty" argument points out all of the following EXCEPT: the poor value many of the same things that other Americans do, including ambition and opportunity. poor people show different lifestyles and value systems from the majority of society. the "underclass" phenomena are caused by social structural factors such as deindustrialization and suburbnization, rather than by individual flaws. "the culture of poverty" argument can be interpreted as a "blame the victim" stance. being in poverty might lead to "value stretch" such as looking at children as achievement and deviant behavior as a rational response to social inequality.
B
In 2011, about what share of the U.S. population was officially counted as poor? 1.5 percent 15 percent 35 percent 55 percent
B
In attempting to explain poverty, sociological explanations focus on the: desire of the poor for immediate gratification. structural features of society. life orientations of the poor. the distinctive values and lifestyles of different groups.
B
Karl Marx used the term (blank) to describe the working class's acceptance of the unequal social arrangement against their own interest. class consciousness false consciousness the means of production conflict
B
Life chance can be measured by which one of the following? infant mortality life expectancy education/employment/income crime all of the above
B
Looking around the world today, income inequality is greatest in which region? North America Latin America Europe China
B
One reason Marx's predicted socialist revolution never took place in capitalist societies is that: inequality is more or less obsolete. living standards for the majority have gone up. wealth is no longer concentrated in the hands of a few. his theory of social-conflict was completely wrong.
B
Social stratification is a concept that refers to: specialization in productive work. ranking categories of people in a hierarchy. the idea that some people are more talented than others. All of these are correct.
B
The highest rate of poverty in the United States is in: rural areas. central cities. suburbs. coastal cities.
B
The idea that social inequality is harmful and divides society is associated with the: structural-functional approach. social-conflict approach. symbolic-interaction approach. social-exchange approach.
B
According to Simon Kuznets, in which type of society is the extent of social stratification greatest? hunting and gathering horticultural/pastoral agrarian industrial
C
According to the Davis-Moore thesis: complete equality is functional for every society. the more inequality a society has, the more productive it is. more important jobs must provide enough rewards to attract the talent necessary to perform them. meritocracy is less productive than a caste system.
C
Being born into a particular social class affects people's (blank), which means the probability for people to get what they want in life. equal opportunity social class life chance social mobility
C
During the last twenty years, which category of the U.S. population has experienced the largest gains in average income? the lowest-paid 20 percent the middle 20 percent the highest-paid 20 percent All income categories have experienced about the same level of upward social mobility.
C
Erik Wright's term for a position in the class structure that generates contradictory interests is: status inconsistency. class consciousness. contradictory class location. proletariat
C
In 2011, the percentage of all poor families in the United States headed by single women was: 2 percent. 22 percent. 52 percent. 82 percent.
C
In general, societies that have caste systems have economies that are: based on hunting and gathering. industrial. agrarian. postindustrial.
C
In sociology, there is a very good index of health and economic development of a society. That "best index" is: AIDS epidemics. birth rate. infant mortality rate. immigration.
C
The concept "feminization of poverty" refers to the fact that, in the United States: more and more women are becoming poor. today's women have fewer legal rights. women make up an increasing percentage of the poor. fewer women now work for income.
C
The concept "meritocracy" refers to social stratification: with no social mobility. in which people "know their place." based entirely on personal merit. as found in the United States.
C
The concept of structural social mobility refers to: cultural beliefs that justify social stratification. change in social position due to people's own efforts. change in the social position of many people due to changes in society itself. change in a family's social position from one generation to the next.
C
Today the age category at greatest risk of poverty is: the elderly. the homeless. children. minority
C
Today, the wealth of the average U.S. family is about: $17,000. $37,000. $77,000. $277,000.
C
What concept describes a person who moves from one occupation to another that provides about the same level of rewards? upward social mobility downward social mobility horizontal social mobility This is not social mobility at all.
C
What term defines a shift in one's social class that results from overall changes in the way employment is organized in society? class mobility individual mobility structural mobility relative mobility
C
Which type of tax policy has individuals who earn lower incomes pay larger percentages of their incomes in taxes? conservative taxation liberal taxation regressive taxation progressive taxation
C
Who coined the concept "survival of the fittest"? Charles Darwin Karl Marx Herbert Spencer Max Weber
C
Why do societies with class systems keep some elements of caste (such as the inheritance of wealth) rather than becoming complete meritocracies? because too many people would be poor if society were based only on merit because some caste elements increase productivity because a pure meritocracy would eliminate families and other social loyalties that tie a society together because some caste elements increase social mobility
C
According to Karl Marx, social class depends on one's relationship to the means of production. class consciousness is the basis of the unity of workers. a classless society will occur as a result of a workers' revolts. All of the above. only a) and b) are Marx's ideas.
D
Based on what you have read, as the United States develops a postindustrial economy, economic inequality is: likely to disappear. decreasing. holding at about the same level. increasing.
D
Compared with Karl Marx, who argued that social class is based on property ownership only, Weber defined social class as determined by economic status only. as determined by one's relationship to the means of production. according to one's level of education. according to people's relative position in terms of power, wealth and social prestige.
D
During the last three decades, the real income of African American families in the United States has: gone down a lot. kept pace with the gains made by white people. gone up a lot. changed very little.
D
In 1917, the Russian Revolution transformed the feudal aristocracy and placed productive property under the control of: the capitalists. a meritocracy. the nobility. the state.
D
In Karl Marx's analysis, another name for the capitalist class is the: nobility. aristocracy. proletariat. bourgeoisie.
D
In the United States, the poverty line is calculated by: estimating the minimum income to maintain working-class status. estimating the percentage of households living in relative poverty. determining the income cut-off for the lowest 20 percent of households. determining the minimum amount of money needed for food and multiplying it by three.
D
Memberships in social groups that have the potential to be economically valuable are known as: cultural resources. cultural capital. social resources. social capital.
D
Since the United States lacks a history of nobility, as in Europe, many people in this country think of it as: highly stratified. mostly upper-class. mostly working-class. mostly middle-class.
D
Social stratification: is a reflection of individual differences. looks the same in every society. typically changes a great deal from generation to generation. is a matter of inequality and beliefs about why people should be unequal.
D
Someone who lacks resources so severely that their life is threatened is living in (blank) poverty. total desperate relative absolute
D
The concept of "intergenerational social mobility" refers to change in social position: over a person's lifetime. when moving from one type of job to another. in a downward direction. when comparing children to their parents.
D
The historical practice in England of passing on property to only the first-born male descendant is called: the law of the estates. the law of meritocracy. the law of status consistency. the law of primogeniture.
D
The richest 5 percent of U.S. families own about what percentage of privately owned property? 3 percent 13 percent 33 percent 63 percent
D
To impress her friends, Laura wears an expensive dress to a party. A sociologist might say Laura is engaging in: structural social mobility. relative deprivation. reference group behavior. conspicuous consumption.
D
What term defines a person's change in class position without an overall change in their society's class structure? structural mobility class mobility individual mobility relative mobility
D
The absence of class consciousness in the United States is due to: the ideals of equality of the founders and lack of an inherited aristocracy. the image of America as a nation of immigrants, for whom anything is possible. the reality of upward movement as a result of three centuries of economic growth. the existence of ties and loyalties based, for example, on race, religion, and ethnicity, that cut across class lines. all of the above.
E
Which one of the factors are used by sociologists to account for the low level of class consciousness in America? the 200 years economic progress caused by industrialization the lack of inherited aristocracy other social factors such as race/ethnicity, national background and religion differences that cut across social class. The promise of equal opportunity and wide acceptance of psychological reductionism. All of the above.
E
Which one of the following is NOT true concerning the distribution of income and wealth in the United States. In the United States during the past two decades, the richest quintile gets a higher share of the country's income while the lowest quintile gets lower and lower. Compared to non-Hispanic white, African Americans and Hispanics' poverty rates are more than doubled that of white. The inequality level as displayed by the distribution of income across the quintiles basically remains high throughout the century. Inequality ratio of the United Statues is highest compared with other industrial societies in the world. The richest 20% of America own 50% of the country's wealth.
E
According to the figures provided by sociologists, in the U. S., because of numerous anti-poverty programs, poor people are getting more money than before, and are better-off today than the 1960s.
F
Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in an individual's social ranking over the course of his or her lifetime.
F
Social class is the only form of social stratification.
F
The U.S. has the lowest infant mortality rate of all industrialized countries in the world.
F
Culture of poverty is criticized as a blaming the victim theory by structural sociologists.
T
Peter Blau and Otis Duncan found that fewer than one percent of American move from the bottom to the top of the social hierarchy.
T
Social mobility is more likely in estate systems than in caste systems.
T
Sociologists found that attending prestigious universities in America is based on family social class background more than on academic performance.
T
According to the functionalist argument, social stratification: provides incentives for people to work at more important jobs, then it is necessary and beneficial. is harmful to society, because it legitimizes inequality. is based on class exploitation and beneficial to only the powerful class. has only negative effects on society, should be eliminated.
a
The sociological perspective positing that difference in the level of rewards are necessary in order to motivate individuals to perform important roles, and a complex division of labor requires unequal distribution of power because some must be in a position to coordinate the activities of everyone else is the (blank). Functionalist perspective Conflict perspective Interactionist perspective sociological perspective
a
Which one of the following is true concerning the definition of social stratification and the stratification system in America? Social stratification refers to the ranking of people into a hierarchy in which the resources considered valuable by society are unequally distributed. Social class ranking is the only form of social stratification in American society. American class system is an open system because people's status is purely based on their achievement only. Social mobility is very high in America as most people achieve higher in social economic status than their parents.
a
Joe came to America as a young child with the rest of his family. They all served as migrant workers moving from farm to farm to pick crops. Joe grew up and joined the military, and was promoted as a colonel and his children all go to college. This scenario is an example of (blank). intragenerational upward mobility horizontal mobility intergenerational upward mobility vertical mobility
c
Sociologists who follow the (blank) perspective agree that members of all classes use symbols, languages, and clothing to differentiate between themselves and those who are at social levels. functionalist conflict symbolic interactionist convergence
c
To see whether a stratification system is open or closed, that is, whether born rich, stay rich, born poor, stay poor, sociologists are more likely to look at: intragenerational mobility. structural mobility. intergenerational mobility. horizontal mobility.
c
Which of the following statement does NOT characterize the caste system? Membership is hereditary, ascribed, and permanent. It is a form of stratification in which individual status is determined by birth and is lifelong. It is a fairly open system based on people's achieved status. Endogamy is practiced to make statuses unalterable, and mobility unlikely.
c
Kingsley Davis, from the functionalist perspective, argued that inequality in society is created by (blank). natural differences between people racial and ethnic cultures. varying intellectual abilities. the needs of society for order and balance
d
Which one of the following traits is important in determining one's socioeconomic status? income. education. occupation all of these.
d
