Sociology Chapter 7

Which of the following is a serious flaw in the way the federal government defines poverty?

It does not take into account regional differences in the cost of living.

Which of the following is accurate about the upper class in the United States today?

It is a largely self-sustaining group and rarely adds new members.

Manohla Dargis called the movie The Pursuit of Happyness "the same old bootstraps story, an American Dream artfully told, skillfully sold. How you respond to this man's moving story may depend on whether you find Mr. Smith's and his son's performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices, and success the result of heroic toil and dreams." What idea is being expressed here?

The American Dream is an ideology.

What is the relationship between the American Dream and the social class system by which the United States is stratified?

The American Dream legitimizes inequality by reinforcing the idea that everyone has the same chance to get ahead.

How does social class relate to race, ethnicity, gender, and age in the United States today?

These multiple dimensions of status and inequality intersect to shape who we are and how we live.

What is it an example of when the children of working-class parents manage to attend college and get a job in a professional field?

intergenerational mobility

What is the principal sociological critique of the culture of poverty?

It tends to blame the victims of poverty for their own misfortunes while ignoring the structural causes of inequality.

The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 ended the concept of entitlements by requiring recipients of welfare to find work within two years of receiving assistance. How has this changed the lives of the poor?

Moving from welfare to work did not substantially increase income levels; it simply shifted the poor from welfare to low-paying jobs.

What is a society called if social mobility is highly restricted by formal or informal rules like those of a caste system?

a closed system

In the United States, the federal poverty line is calculated using food costs based on the cheapest possible diet that can still provide basic nutrition. What sort of measure of poverty is this?

a measure of absolute deprivation

An individual might be trying to gain ________ if they take adult education classes, attend lectures and concerts, or travel to Europe.

cultural capital

It is often said that you can always tell a millionaire by her shoes. She may dress like a slob in every other respect, but someone from the upper class is bound to have expensive, custom-made footwear. Whether this is true or not, it helps demonstrate the way we

make split-second judgments about who people are and what social statuses they occupy based on their appearances.

Which of the following is a form of stratification in which all positions are awarded on the basis of accomplishment and skill?

meritocracy

In a six-to-three vote, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law that required residents to present photo identification before voting. Advocates of the law believe that it will help to prevent voter fraud. Opponents believe that the law contributes to ________ by targeting the poor, who are less likely to have photo identification.

political disenfranchisement

What do sociologists call it when large numbers of people move up or down the social class ladder as a result of changes to society as a whole?

structural mobility

A black man in the United States was convicted of a felony when he was 17. He is now 58 and has not committed any crimes since his release. However, he is still not permitted to vote. Michelle Alexander would describe this as an example of

the new Jim Crow.