Sociology chapter 9

In a meritocracy, the status of one's parents determines one's own status to a great extent. a. True b. False

b. False

In exogamous marriages, the spouses share the same class background:b. a. True b. False

b. False

Intergenerational mobility is a difference in social class between different members of the same generation. a. True b. False

b. False

Intragenerational mobility is a difference in social class between generations of a family. a. True b. False

b. False

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 actress owns homes in three countries.

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

Which of the following is an example of an endogomous marriage: a. The crown prince of England marries the commoner daughter of party planners b. The CEO of a large corporation marries her pool maintenance man c. A famous movie star marries her chauffeur d. A US Senator marries the governor of another state

d. A US Senator marries the governor of another state.

Which of the following 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.

d. A lawyer belongs to a different class than her sister.

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

d. All of the above

Based on meritocracy, a physician's assistant would: a. receive the same pay as all the other physicians assistants b. be encouraged to earn a higher degree to seek a better position 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

Whose work to 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

Which concept best illustrates the concept of social stratification? a. Pie chart b. Flag poles c. Planetary movement d. Pyramid

d. Pyramid

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

Davis and Moore argued that a certain level of social stratification is a necessity. a. True b. False

a. True

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

Which of the following is not an author cited in the textbook who wrote 19th century "social problems" novels? a. Charles Dickens b. George Elliot c. Thomas Hardy d. Theodore Dreiser

b. George Elliot

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

When Karl Marx said that workers experience alienation, he meant that workers: a. must labor alone, without companionship b. do not feel connected to their work 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

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 persons self-identity

B. Not equally valued

With the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, the people of the United States keep hearing about the top 1%. How much of the United States wealth rests in the hands of the wealthiest 1% of people? a. 1/3 b. 1/4 c. 1/8 d. 1/16

a. 1/3

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

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 bought the 5,000 dollar purse. 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 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) __________ wedding. a. Exogamous b. Traditional c. Endogamus d. Unconventional

a. Exogamous

What is the most significant threat to the relatively high standards of living 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.

What factor makes class systems open? a. They allow for movement between the classes. b. People are more open-minded. c. People are encouraged to socialize within their class. d. They do not have clearly defined layers.

a. They allow for movement between the classes.

Which statement represents social 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.

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 they did. Oli and his bride will have a(n) _______ marriage. a. Exogamus b. Endogamous c. Traditional d. Unconventional

b. Endogomous

Conspicuous consumption involves eating very loudly in public places and drawing attention to oneself. a. True b. False

b. False

In a caste system, people achieve higher status through higher education. a. True b. False

b. False

In a class system, people are born into a social standing that they will retain for their entire lives. a. True b. False

b. False

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.

What factor makes caste systems closed? a. They are run by secretive governments. b. People cannot change their social standings. c. Most have been outlawed. d. They exist only in rural areas.

b. People cannot change their social standings.

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.

Which of the following is an example of primogeniture: a. the eldest person in the household controls the assets b. the eldest child inherits his or her parents' farm c. the eldest son graduates from college and joins the family business d. none of the above

b. the eldest child inherits his or her parents' farm

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

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 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

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 of these systems allow for the most mobility? a. Caste b. Monarchy c. Endogamy d. Class

d. Class

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 ones life and the lives of people around you, while the upper-middle class is often defined as having control only over ones 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 ones life and the lives of people around you, while the upper-middle class is often defined as having control only over ones 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

The behaviors, custom, 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 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

Social stratification is a system that: a. ranks society members into categories b. destroys competition between society members c. allows society members to choose their social standing d. reflects personal choices of society members

a. ranks society members into categories

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 age 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

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.

Structural mobility occurs when: a. an individual moves up the class ladder b. an individual moves down the class ladder c. a large group moves up or down the class ladder due to societal changes d. a member of a family belongs to a different class than his or her siblings

c. a large group moves up or down the class ladder due to societal changes

The basic premise for 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 countrys total accumulated wealth b. annual government spending c. the average annual income of a countrys citizens d. a countrys debt

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

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

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