Chapter 9 Social Stratification
Whose work do conflict theorists rely on to help form their arguments surrounding social stratification? a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Émile Durkheim d. René Decartes
a. Karl Marx
Deprivation so severe that it puts day-to-day survival in jeopardy. a. absolute poverty b. construction of reality c. relative poverty d. survival paradigm
a. absolute poverty
The act of buying and using products to make a statement about one's socialstanding. a. conspicuous consumption b. endogamy c. tax evasion d. Davis-Moore thesis
a. conspicuous consumption
Mobility changes in a person's social mobility over the course of their lifetime. a. intragenerational mobility b. intracoastal mobility c. intergenerational mobility d. intercontinental mobility
a. intragenerational mobility
An individual's level of wealth, power, and prestige. a. socioeconomic status b. sociology c. social class d. social standing
a. socioeconomic status
Hope is desperate for the new designer purse that she saw while window shopping at her local mall. She knew every girl in school would covet her bag and wish to be like her. When she walked in, she whipped out her credit card, and purchased the $5,000 bag. This kind of purchasing is called: a. Credit card consumerism b. Popular consumerism c. Designer consumerism d. Conspicuous consumption
d. Conspicuous consumption
What seems to be the key (although not the rule) to upward social mobility? a. How much you spend on your personal appearance. b. How well off your parents are. c. How much education you have. d. How many jobs you work.
c. How much education you have.
Since the social classes in the United States do not have any clear boundaries, how is a sociologist supposed to determine whether their subjects are in the upper class or the upper-middle class? a. The upper class is split into "old money" and "new money" people, while the upper-middle class simply struggles to maintain its wealth. b. In the upper class, everyone knows everyone, but in the upper-middle class, the people do not comingle. c. Upper class is often defined as having control over one's life and the lives of people around you, while the upper-middle class is often defined as having control only over one's own life. d. All upper class people enjoy opera and have been bred for their stations while the upper-middle class consists mostly of newly wealthy people who may not have had the same kind of upbringing.
c. Upper class is often defined as having control over one's life and the lives of people around you, while the upper-middle class is often defined as having control only over one's own life.
Charlotte was born to a lower class family in rural Pennsylvania. After taking a job in the mail room of a large corporate office, Charlotte is slowly promoted through the ranks and becomes CEO of the company by the age of 50. What type of stratification is shown in this story? a. Structural mobility b. Intragenerational mobility c. Intergenerational mobility d. Downward mobility
b. Intragenerational mobility
With the recent Occupy Wall Street Movement, the people of the United States keep hearing about the top 1%. How much of the United State's wealth rests in the hands of the wealthiest top 1% of people? a. 1/8 b. 1/4 c. 1/16 d. 1/3
d. 1/3
In 2008 the United States, as well as the rest of the world, felt the effects of the recession. After the collapse of the housing market, people lost their jobs and they quit spending money. Many people could not afford their mortgages anymore and their homes went into foreclosure. For many people, it was a time of __________. a. Horizontal mobility b. Social inconsistency c. Social stratification d. Downward mobility
d. Downward mobility
One main issue in studying global social inequality is: a. Most people live beyond their means which gives a false sense of wealth to a society. b. The presence of tourism can make a country look richer than it really is. c. Most countries keep their economic situations secret. d. Social inequality is relative and therefore, difficult to compare across cultures.
d. Social inequality is relative and therefore, difficult to compare across cultures.
Which historical event was greatly responsible for global stratification as we see it today? a. The French Revolution b. The Fall of the British Empire c. World War I d. The Industrial Revolution
d. The Industrial Revolution
Which classification method best shows how competitive a nation's economy is in global terms? a. Visiting each country and polling a select handful of the population about their income, etc. b. Calculating the GDP per capita of each country and using those numbers to create a global average that can be used as an economic yard stick. c. Classifying countries based on their level of development and using phrases like "more developed" or "less developed." d. Using phrases like "first world," "second world," and "third world."
b. Calculating the GDP per capita of each country and using those numbers to create a global average that can be used as an economic yard stick.
GNI PPP, or gross national income divided by purchasing power parity, helps measure: a. The amount of inflation affecting a country's currency. b. The standard of living in a country. c. The average global interest rates for loans. d. The average level of education per person in a country.
b. The standard of living in a country.
A difference in social class between different generations of a family. a. intracoastal mobility b. intergenerational mobility c. intercontinental mobility d. intragenerational mobility
b. intergenerational mobility
A system in which people are born into a social standing that they will retain their entire lives. a. stratification system b. oligarchy c. social reckoning d. caste system
d. caste system
A system of stratification that accommodates little change in social position. a. open system b. slow system c. stratified d. closed system
d. closed system
Unions of spouses from different social categories. a. permeable relations b. endogamous relations c. exogamous relations d. existential relations
c. exogamous relations
A group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation. a. middle class b. social quality c. social class d. caste
c. social class