Sociology- Social Class

The upper class makes up just 1 percent of the total U.S. population, but its total net worth is greater than that of ________ percent of the rest of the population.

- 99 - 53 - 10 - 90 99

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. - Some people simply have a predisposition to making poor choices regarding finances. - The poor often move into the middle class. - The values and norms of many Americans in all class groups include attitudes of resignation and fatalism. 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. - Moving from welfare to work helped single people much more than it did families or single mothers. - from welfare to work caused many former welfare recipients to plunge into homelessness. - Moving from welfare to work increased both the self-esteem of the poor and their incomes. Moving from welfare to work did not substantially increase income levels; it simply shifted the poor from welfare to low-paying jobs.

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

- These variables matter for members of the lower class but not for members of the upper or middle class. - Race and ethnicity are more important than any other factor in determining social class. - These other variables matter for members of the upper class but not for members of the middle or lower classes. - These multiple dimensions of status and inequality intersect to shape who we are and how we live. These multiple dimensions of status and inequality intersect to shape who we are and how we live.

Betsy DeVos and her husband, both children of billionaires, have donated large amounts of money to many politicians. Betsy DeVos wrote, "I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right." Which of the following best describes the DeVos family's involvement in politics?

- They are an example of heterogamy. - They are part of the simplicity movement. - They are part of an oligarchy. - They suffer from false consciousness. They are part of an oligarchy.

What do most Americans claim about their class status?

- They are lower class. - They are upper class. - They are middle class. - They do not feel they have a class status, or they are unaware of it. They are middle class.

How is Max Weber's idea of social class different from Karl Marx's?

- Weber believed that wealth, power, and prestige could all affect a person's social class. - Weber did not believe owning the means of production mattered in any way. - Weber believed wealth was the only factor that mattered regardless of how that wealth was acquired. - Weber believed class status was inherited and that it was an extension of the old feudal system. Weber believed that wealth, power, and prestige could all affect a person's social class.

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 poverty based on conflict theory - a measure of absolute deprivation - a measure of social welfare - a measure of relative deprivation a measure of absolute deprivation

What sorts of jobs are usually available to members of the lower-middle class?

- blue collar or manual labor jobs - executive or managerial positions - technical or professional jobs - lower-management jobs blue collar or manual labor jobs

Poverty can be defined in either relative or absolute terms. How is poverty defined according to relative deprivation?

- by comparing the standard of living among the poor to the basic necessities of life - by comparing the poor with people with low socioeconomic status in other countries - by determining if the poor have minimal food and shelter - by comparing the poor with more affluent members of society by comparing the poor with more affluent members of society

In the 1960s, many sociologists noticed that economic obstacles alone were insufficient in explaining disparities in the educational attainment of children from different social classes. Which concept was introduced to explain these disparities?

- class consciousness - cultural capital - status inconsistency - the American Dream cultural capital

What do sociologists call awareness of our own and others' class statuses?

- cultural capital - class consciousness - false consciousness - ideology class consciousness

According to Karl Marx, what social relations matter MOST in a capitalist system?

- economic relations - nationalistic bonds - family and kin - community bonds economic relations

What are the tastes, habits, and expectations called that children "inherit" or learn from their parents and that help to achieve material success in life?

- education - cultural capital - social welfare - ideology cultural capital

Which system of social stratification was in the final stages of breaking down when Karl Marx developed his ideas?

- feudalism - slavery - communism - capitalism feudalism

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

- he new Jim Crow. - status inconsistency. - the underclass. - everyday class consciousness. the new Jim Crow.

What general predictions can sociologists make about a person's life prospects if all that is known is the person's social class?

- his or her college major - if he or she will be a "dog person" or a "cat person" - whether he or she will have everyday class consciousness - the level of education he or she will receive the level of education he or she will receive

Social mobility that occurs over the course of an individual's lifetime is called ________ mobility.

- intergenerational - structural - life-cycle - intragenerational intragenerational

Many people are optimistic that the many lost jobs in the United States in the recession of the late 2000s will be replaced with others. However, even if the optimists are right, the shift in the economy may permanently alter the class status of many. This is due to the fact that the jobs being lost are largely in manufacturing and new jobs are often in information technology. This suggests that the newly unemployed will have trouble competing for newly created jobs. If this is the case, what is it called?

- intragenerational mobility - absolute deprivation - intergenerational mobility - structural mobility structural mobility

What sort of jobs can support a middle-class lifestyle in America today?

- jobs in the service, information, and technology sectors - jobs associated with blue collar work - jobs associated with skilled trades like carpentry - jobs in manufacturing jobs in the service, information, and technology sectors

What does Karl Marx call it when individuals fail to see the ways they are oppressed by the social system in which they live?

- meritocracy - hegemony - ideology - false consciousness false consciousness

What system of stratification is commonly used in modern capitalist societies?

- social class - gender - slavery - social caste social class

What does Pierre Bourdieu call the tendency of social class to be passed down from one generation to the next and consequently remain relatively stable over time?

- the invisibility of poverty - ideology - slavery - social reproduction social reproduction

To what social class do "white collar" workers, workers employed in technical and lower-management positions, belong?

- the upper-middle class - the working class - the middle class - the lower class the middle class

What criteria does a social class system use to stratify its members?

- wealth, property, power, and prestige - occupational attainment and gender - gender, race, and ethnicity - heredity and employment status wealth, property, power, and prestige