Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States

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) Conspicuous consumption b) Popular consumerism c) Designer consumerism d) Credit card consumerism

a) Conspicuous consumption

Cate is the daughter of a Senator and the former CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Harry grew up on a farm, tilling the land for a living. They are planning a June wedding. They will have a(n)___________ marriage. a) Exogamous b) Traditional c) Endogamus d) Unconventional

a) Exogamous

What is the most significant threat to the relatively high standard of living people are accustomed to in the United States? a) The decline of the middle class b) The feminization of poverty c) The growth of the upper class d) The stagnation of wages for workers

a) The decline of the middle class

GNI PPP, or gross national income divided by purchasing power parity, helps measure: a) The standard of living in a country. b) The average level of education per person in a country. c) The amount of inflation affecting a country's currency. d) The average global interest rates for loans.

a) The standard of living in a country.

Elisa graduated from college with a double major and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society. She was then offered a job in New York where she worked 12 hours a day and produced excellent results. Within two years she had over 100 employees working under her. Elisa's hard work was rewarded with a raise and a bonus. This form of promotion is based on the principles of: a) A meritocracy b) A democracy c) A caste system d) A closed stratification system

a) A meritocracy

What seems to be the key (although not the rule) to upward social mobility? a) How well off your parents are. b) How much education you have. c) How many jobs you work. d) How much you spend on your personal appearance.

b) How much education you have.

What is particularly unique about the United States middle class? a) It is the smallest class in the United States. b) It is broken into two subcategories: upper and lower middle class. c) The people who are middle class often have little to no education. d) The upper class are as likely to become members of the lower class as members of the lower class are likely to become members of the upper class.

b) It is broken into two subcategories: upper and lower middle class.

One main issue in studying global social inequality is: a) Most countries keep their economic situations secret. b) Social inequality is relative and therefore, difficult to compare across cultures. c) The presence of tourism can make a country look richer than it really is. d) Most people live beyond their means which gives a false sense of wealth to a society.

b) Social inequality is relative and therefore, difficult to compare across cultures.

Mohit spent his days combing through garbage in Mumbai, India with his brothers and sisters. Sometimes he would find food, or something to sell for money. He never tried to overcome his lower-class status because he had seen his friends try and fail. So, he accepted his fate, and tried to live life as best he could in a closed society. Mohit is an example of someone living under: a) A meritocracy b) A dictatorship c) A caste system d) An oligarchy

c) A caste system

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) Intergenerational mobility c) Intragenerational mobility d) Downward mobility

c) Intragenerational mobility

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) Social stratification b) Social inconsistency c) Horizontal mobility d) Downward mobility

d) Downward mobility

Whose work do conflict theorists rely on to help form their arguments surrounding social stratification? a) Auguste Comte b) Émile Durkheim c) René Decartes d) Karl Marx

d) Karl Marx

Symbolic interactionists have come to the conclusion that: a) Most people do not care about social rank and standing. b) Only lower class people drink beer. c) Only upper class people can enjoy a good game of polo. d) Most people only socialize with people in their same social class.

d) Most people only socialize with people in their same social class.

Which historical event was greatly responsible for global stratification as we see it today? a) World War I b) The Fall of the British Empire c) The French Revolution d) The Industrial Revolution

d) The Industrial Revolution

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) 1/3 b) 1/4 c) 1/8 d) 1/16

a) 1/3

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) 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. b) The upper class is split into "old money" and "new money" people, while the upper-middle class simply struggles to maintain its wealth. c) 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. d) In the upper class, everyone knows everyone, but in the upper-middle class, the people do not comingle.

a) 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.

A person's position in a country's social stratification is determined by: a) Wealth, power, income, race, education b) GNI PPP, GDP, GNI, the PRB, and standards of living c) Clothes, accessories, hobbies, shoes, and number of credit cards d) Prestige, family, legal records, occupation, and favorite food

a) Wealth, power, income, race, education

It was time for Oli to marry. He had finished school and was starting a job. His parents chose a bride for him whose parents had the same amount of wealth and belonged to the same class as they did. Oli and his bride will have a(n) _________ marriage. a) Exogamus b) Endogamous c) Traditional d) Unconventional

b) Endogamous

The Davis-Moore Thesis states: a) That economic hardship and skyrocketing inflation is the cause for all social stratification in the United States. b) That Karl Marx was correct and that stratification can only be solved by converting to a socialist government. c) That the more society values a particular profession, the more the people in that profession will make. d) That people constantly move up and down the social ladder, and this creates an unstable economy which will eventually collapse on itself.

c) That the more society values a particular profession, the more the people in that profession will make.

Which factor is considered when evaluating someone's standard of living? a) Income b) Employment c) Class d) All of these

d) All of these