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1 | |
Social stratification is: |
| | A) | a system in which people can change their status with relative ease. |
| | B) | based primarily on self-classification. |
| | C) | the ranking or grading of individuals and groups into hierarchical layers. |
| | D) | the process of specialization in society. |
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2 | |
______________________ is the process by which a society become increasingly specialized over time. |
| | A) | Social Darwinism |
| | B) | Social differentiation |
| | C) | Social specialization |
| | D) | Social progress |
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3 | |
A system in which people have great difficulty changing their status is called a(n) ________________ system. |
| | A) | objectified |
| | B) | socially differentiated |
| | C) | open |
| | D) | closed system |
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4 | |
"The key to stratification in capitalist societies is the division between those who own the means of production and those who labor." This statement is consistent with the thinking of which theorist? |
| | A) | Karl Marx |
| | B) | Max Weber |
| | C) | Talcott Parsons |
| | D) | Emile Durkheim |
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5 | |
The term _________________ refers to the assets people have at a particular point in time. |
| | A) | income |
| | B) | wealth |
| | C) | economic standing |
| | D) | social status |
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6 | |
The term __________ refers to the amount of new money a person receives within a given period of time. |
| | A) | income |
| | B) | wealth |
| | C) | fiduciary |
| | D) | compensation |
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7 | |
Which of the following is NOT a primary dimension of social stratification? |
| | A) | economic standing |
| | B) | prestige |
| | C) | life chances |
| | D) | power |
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8 | |
Which of the following characteristics is NOT true in a caste system? |
| | A) | Caste membership is hereditary. |
| | B) | Marriage within one's caste is mandatory. |
| | C) | Occupation is strongly related to caste. |
| | D) | Moving out of one's caste occurs regularly. |
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9 | |
Which of the following theorists emphasized the importance of conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption in revealing social status and prestige? |
| | A) | Karl Marx |
| | B) | Thorstein Veblen |
| | C) | Max Weber |
| | D) | Talcott Parsons |
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10 | |
Which of the following statements is true about inequality in the United States? |
| | A) | Inequality does not exist in the United States, because the U.S. is an egalitarian society. |
| | B) | Income inequality has been decreasing in the United States since the 1970s. |
| | C) | The top 20 percent of the U.S. households in wealth own over 80 percent of all wealth in the United States. |
| | D) | Between 1995 and 1999, the number of U.S. billionaires tripled. |
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11 | |
Which method of identifying social classes views social class as a statistical category formed by sociologists or statisticians on the basis of income, occupation, education, or some combination of these? |
| | A) | the objective method |
| | B) | the combined approach |
| | C) | the reputational method |
| | D) | the self-placement method |
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12 | |
In identifying social classes, the reputational method is best suited for investigating social distinctions in: |
| | A) | large, densely populated areas. |
| | B) | small groups and communities. |
| | C) | highly transient communities. |
| | D) | highly intransient communities. |
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13 | |
The term "life chances" refers to: |
| | A) | the magnitude and manner of consumption of goods and services. |
| | B) | the likelihood that individuals and groups will enjoy desired life experiences, opportunities, and health. |
| | C) | the respect, admiration, and recognition associated with a social status. |
| | D) | the view that the poor possess self-perpetuating cultures. |
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14 | |
Which of the following is NOT an aspect of life that is largely determined by social class? |
| | A) | life chances |
| | B) | style of life |
| | C) | patterns of behavior |
| | D) | talent |
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15 | |
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the poor in the United States? |
| | A) | Whites use government safety-net programs more than do African Americans and Hispanics. |
| | B) | The majority of the nation's poor live in rural areas. |
| | C) | Women have a significantly lower risk of poverty than men. |
| | D) | Farmers are less likely to be poor than their city cousins. |
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16 | |
The term "underclass" refers to: |
| | A) | the poor who are concentrated in isolated, rural areas. |
| | B) | individuals who experience occasional poverty, but who move back into the "mainstream" of economic life within 12 months. |
| | C) | the persistently poor who are concentrated in the inner-cities. |
| | D) | minorities who are poor. |
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17 | |
Critics of the culture of poverty thesis point out that: |
| | A) | the poor simply do not want the same things that other members of society want. |
| | B) | the poor have had their access to achievement blocked by the social order. |
| | C) | the theory is too cultural and fails to take into account psychological implications. |
| | D) | not enough research has been done to come to any meaningful conclusion about it. |
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18 | |
Which of the following is an accurate statement about key elements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program? |
| | A) | Welfare recipients must work after two years of assistance. |
| | B) | Welfare recipients are limited to a total of ten years of assistance, including cycling on and off. |
| | C) | Under TANF, states may not limit assistance to less than five years. |
| | D) | TANF money is distributed by the federal government directly to those in need. |
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19 | |
Which of the following is NOT true regarding social mobility? |
| | A) | Social mobility can occur when shifts occur in the availability of different types of talent in the work force. |
| | B) | Social mobility can occur when societies change, altering the division of labor. |
| | C) | Social mobility is controlled by those in the higher strata through control of talent and ability. |
| | D) | Social mobility occurs when individuals or groups move from one level to another in the social strata. |
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20 | |
Carolyn supported her family by working as an administrative assistant. She also attended law school at night. After Carolyn graduated from law school and passed the bar, she took a job with a small firm specializing in family law. Carolyn experienced ______________ mobility. |
| | A) | horizontal |
| | B) | transgenerational |
| | C) | vertical |
| | D) | lateral |
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21 | |
________________ mobility involves a comparison of the social status of parents and their children at some point in their respective careers. |
| | A) | Intragenerational |
| | B) | Horizontal |
| | C) | Vertical |
| | D) | Intergenerational |
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22 | |
According to the text, which of the following is the most significant factor related to status attainment for women? |
| | A) | race |
| | B) | wealth |
| | C) | education |
| | D) | whether or not their mother stayed at home |
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23 | |
The conflict theory holds that stratification exists because: |
| | A) | it benefits individuals and groups who have the power to dominate and exploit others. |
| | B) | many individuals are unmotivated to achieve privilege, power, and prestige. |
| | C) | the capitalist drive to distribute wealth equitably is the foundation of modern society. |
| | D) | capitalists and workers are class conscious. |
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24 | |
Martha and Susan work at the local factory ten hours a day, five days a week. They make the minimum wage, with no overtime pay, insurance, or benefits. One day they discuss their situations over lunch, and express frustration over the fact that they never seem to make enough money to "get ahead." By the end of the conversation, they have motivated each other to volunteer to work on Saturdays. They figure that if they work just a little harder, they will make enough money to increase their social status. Marx would say these women are demonstrating: |
| | A) | dedication. |
| | B) | class consciousness. |
| | C) | capitalist enthusiasm. |
| | D) | false consciousness. |
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25 | |
In the early nineteenth century, why did American women stop using midwives to deliver their babies and opt to use doctors instead? |
| | A) | Specialized medical training made doctors more capable at this task. |
| | B) | When doctors delivered babies, there was a decrease in the number of deaths of mothers and babies. |
| | C) | The doctors provided a greater service to society than the midwives. |
| | D) | The doctors had greater power and social connections than the midwives. |
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