1. A college graduate examines her income and wealth in relation to others. She is interested in social _____.
a. differentiation
b. stratification
c. equality
d. change
2. Social _____ refers to the process by which different statuses develop in any group, organization, or society.
a. differentiation
b. stratification
c. inequality
d. mobility
3. A relatively fixed, hierarchical arrangement in society by which groups have different access to resources, power,
and perceived social worth is called social _____.
a. differentiation
b. stratification
c. inequality
d. status
4. Which of the following mostly likely happened to the Joneses if they were in the top 1 percent of earners in
2009?
a. They saw a decrease in income.
b. They saw a large tax increase.
c. They saw little or no decline in net worth.
d. None of the above answers is correct.
5. What is the difference between stratification and differentiation?
a. Differentiation is based on different social statuses, stratification is never based on statuses.
b. Differentiation is not necessarily unequal, but stratification is.
c. Stratification develops in many groups and organizations, but differentiation is less common.
d. Stratification exists in modern societies, and differentiation existed in previous societies.
6. Which of the following is true about stratification systems?
a. Most societies do not have true stratification systems.
b. Most societies share the same amount of complexity in their stratification systems.
c. Stratification systems are somewhat unusual in modern societies.
d. Stratification systems vary in degree and complexity of stratification.
7. The Smiths compare their wealth, income, and lifestyle to others in their neighborhood. Which of the following
are they comparing?
a. Life chances
b. Ascribed statuses
c. Achieved statuses
d. Class systems
8. Which of the following is not one of the groups within a feudal system?
a. Nobles
b. Priesthood
c. Commoners
d. Doctors
9. The feudal societies of Europe in the Middle Ages are an example of a(n) _____ system of stratification.
a. estate
b. caste
c. class
d. socialist
10. In a caste system, one’s place in the stratification system is a(n) _____ status.
a. ascribed
b. achieved
c. temporary
d. ambiguous
11. What type of system did black workers experience during South Africa’s period of Apartheid?
a. Estate
b. Caste
c. Class
d. Socialist
12. In a caste system, one’s place in the stratification system is a(n) _____ status;in a class system, one’s place in the
stratification system is a(n) _____ status.
a. achieved; ascribed
b. master; achieved
c. ascribed; master
d. ascribed, achieved
13. Classsystemsdifferfromcastesystemsinthatone’sstatusinaclasssystemmaybe______,tosomeextent;
while in a caste system it is not.
a. ascribed
b. achieved
c. economic
d. social
14. The position one holds in relation to the economic, political, social and cultural resources in a society is called one’s
_____.
a. social achievement
b. social organization
c. social class
d. cohort
15. Which of the following is false regarding social class?
a. Socialclassshapesone’saccesstoresourcesinsociety.
b. It is not possible to directly observe social class.
c. It is not possible for people to change whatever social class they are born into.
d. People in the same social class share similar opportunities.
16. Max Weber called the opportunities that people have in common by virtue of belonging to a particular class
_____.
a. strata indicators
b. social attributes
c. life chances
d. social anomalies
17. If an individual discovers he has certain opportunities to succeed, he is examining his ___________ .
a. life chances
b. social setting
c. ascribed status
d. status symbols
18. . People at a party are comparing clothing, automobiles, and personal possessions. They are comparing elements of
_____.
a. social class status
b. social conflict
c. social greed
d. social caste
19. Which of these statements about social class is false?
a. Social class may be observed in the everyday habit of a person.
b. The social class one is born into has enormous consequences for one’s life.
c. Social class is personal and individual, not social structural.
d. Social class is a major determinant of life chances.
20. What do sociologists use to measure social class?
a. Education level
b. Occupation
c. Income
d. All of these
21. John shows off his new car and clothes to other students. He is exhibiting an example of of _____.
a. class consciousness
b. conspicuous consumption
c. social differentiation
d. social stratification
22. Which of these statements is the best description of social class in the United States?
a. There is a very simple class structure with a very few wealthy landowners, while the majority of the
population having no property.
b. The social class system is very simple because throughout the society there is relative equality.
c. Social class status is determined almost exclusively by the occupation that one has.
d. The U.S. class system is elaborate; it could be depicted by a ladder with a different social class at each rung.
23. What is the sociological term for the process by which people end up in any given position in the stratification
system?
a. Stratification achievement
b. Ascription
c. Status attainment
d. Goal orientation
24. In the United States
a. it is very common for people to start out poor and yet achieve great wealth.
b. most people live their entire lives as members of a social class very close to the one they were born into.
c. a person’s individual achievements have no effect on his or her social class.
d. most individuals move down the social class ladder during their lifetimes.
25. As a woman, Jane is _____.
a. more likely to receive subprime mortgages
b. less likely to receive subprime mortgages
c. unaffected by subprime mortgages
d. none of the above
26. Beth, a sociology major, is trying to determine what she owns and how much she owes in debt. From this she will
be able to determine her _____.
a. class position
b. wealth
c. income
d. prestige
27. Jan is totalling her wages, the amount she received for child support, and interest from her investments. She is
calculating her _____.
a. income
b. wealth
c. assets
d. tax receipts
28. _____ income is defined as the midpoint of all household incomes.
a. Mean
b. Median
c. Modal
d. Measured
29. Occupational prestige ratings
a. are subjective evaluations people give jobs.
b. are determined by sociologists who measure income and education requirements for the jobs.
c. are not related to overall socioeconomic status.
d. are based on economic potential.
30. How is the measure of occupational prestige determined?
a. Employers are asked how prestigious they believe their businesses are.
b. Employees are asked to evaluate the prestige of their jobs.
c. A nationwide sample of people is asked to evaluate a series of different jobs.
d. Jobs are ranked according to how much they are paid.
31. By 2012, in order for a person to be in the list of the top 400 wealthiest people in the U.S. her or she had to have
more than _____ in wealth.
a. $1 million
b. $100 million
c. $1 billion
d. $100 billion
32. The Bakers are part of the upper class. Which of the following is likely be the reason for their wealth?
a. They achieved their wealth completely on their own.
b. They were born into the middle class.
c. They are a family who have held wealth for generations.
d. None of the above is the correct answer.
33. Most of the wealth represented by the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest people and families in the U.S.
a. has been earned in the oil industry.
b. was built on borrowed wealth from family.
c. belongs to major athletes.
d. is earned by an individual during their lifetime.
34.
The Parkers are considered part of the upper class and earned all their wealth in the last year from a very
successful business. The Parkers are considered part of the:
a. upper-upper class.
b. nouveau riche.
c. achieved class.
d. ascribed caste.
35. Which of the following does not represent a reason why “middle class” is difficult to define?
a. A very large portion of people, with widely varying lifestyles and resources, consider themselves middle
class.
b. Being middle class tends to mean more than just economic status.
c. Calling oneself middle class is the norm in the U.S.
d. The middle class is a very small and homogenous group.
36. In the United States, the lower class
a. has little formal education.
b. is disproportionately represented by people of color and women.
c. includes the working poor.
d. all of these are correct.
37. The urban underclass differs from others among the lower class in a number of ways. Which of the following is
not one of these reasons?
a. The urban underclass have almost no means of economic support.
b. The working poor are more likely to engage in illegal activities.
c. The urban underclass is very likely to be dependent on public assistance programs.
d. The urban underclass consists of mostly recent immigrants.
38. According to William Julius Wilson, the “urban underclass” is
a. affected negatively by structural transformations in the economy.
b. the product of a welfare system that is so generous that going to work is not an attractive option.
c. actually comprised of unemployed individuals from rural, more than urban, areas.
d. mostly found in the suburbs of big cities.
39. Sociologists who analyze class using the conflict perspective
a. see class basically as a continuum.
b. argue that class is basically a matter of what individuals possess in terms of income and prestige.
c. see class as defined by the relationship of the classes to the larger system of economic production.
d. base their views on the early work of Emile Durkheim who pointed out the dysfunctional consequences of
division of labor.
40. The sociological perspective that defines classes in terms of their structural relationship to other classes and their
relationship to the economic system is the _____.
a. functionalist perspective
b. conflict perspective
c. symbolic interactionist perspective
d. exchange perspective
41. According to Marxian conflict theory, as capitalism progresses
a. the professional-managerial class will become part of the elite.
b. many of those in the middle class will drop into the working class as they are pushed out of managerial
jobs into working class jobs.
c. corporate mergers will redistribute wealth from being in the hands of the few to society’s “have-nots.”
d. the classes will become polarized with no overlap or mobility.
42. While Marx predicted a specific set of events, which of the following actually occurred?
a. The middle class was pushed into the working class.
b. The middle class remains fragile while the upper class grows in wealth.
c. The upper class has been overthrown by the working class.
d. The working class is growing in size and power.
43. Which of the following is false regarding social class in the United States?
a. Social classes are becoming more polarized with the wealthy increasing their wealth and the middle class
stagnating.
b. Rising debt among the middle class has increased inequality between the classes.
c. The lower class has little power to control the working environment.
d. Tax policies favor the middle and lower classes.
44. When researchers calculate a basketball star’s net worth they are measuring the star’s _____.
a. wealth
b. wages and income
c. income and wealth
d. total value
45. One percent of the U.S. population controls approximately _____ of the total wealth in the nation.
a. one-third
b. one-quarter
c. one-half
d. two-thirds
46. The most important predictor of Bobby’s class location is _____.
a. his income
b. his wealth
c. his inheritance
d. his debt
47. One-fifth of the population has zero or negative net worth, meaning
a. their debt exceeds their assets.
b. their debt exceeds their annual income.
c. their tax burden is more than double their income.
d. their education debt exceeds their potential income.
48. Class inequality in the United States have been growing due to all of the following, except
a. the recent economic restructuring.
b. the loss of savings and investments.
c. global economic changes.
d. that Americans have unrealistic expectations of wealth.
49. What does economic restructuring refer to?
a. The decline in manufacturing jobs in the U.S.
b. The process of consumers consolidating their debt
c. A shift in the percentage of Americans in each social class
d. The inheriting of wealth passed down from one generation to the next
50. Currently, the pattern of home foreclosures in the U.S. includes which of the following?
a. Foreclosures are occurring at the same rate in all neighborhoods.
b. Middle-class neighborhoods have been able to avoid foreclosures.
c. Foreclosure rates for African Americans are nearly twice the rates as whites.
d. Wealthy Americans have foreclosure rates surpassing the middle-class.
51. Who benefits most from U.S. tax policies?
a. The wealthy
b. The poor
c. The government
d. Corporations
52. The Black middle class
a. does not experience racism.
b. earns wages equal to those earned by the white middle class.
c. is becoming more like the model minority.
d. continues to experience segregation.
53. Regarding race and class, which of the following is true?
a. Blacks have less wealth than whites, Asians, and Latinos.
b. Latinos have been unable to move into the middle class.
c. Racial minorities do not aspire to be part of the middle class.
d. The race-class debate has largely been concluded.
54. How is the pattern of wealth distribution in the U.S. influenced by race?
a. Asians are a “model minority.”
b. Black families have higher levels of wealth than white families.
c. Discriminatory practices in banking and housing have resulted in inequality of wealth, even after several
generations.
d. The patterns of wealth distribution in the U.S. is not influenced by race.
55. In recent years, both the African American and Latino middle class have expanded because of
a. increased access to education and middle-class occupations for people of color.
b. increased intermarriage rates with White Anglos.
c. legislation that has brought an end to de facto discrimination.
d. a significant upturn in the U.S. economy during the past decade.
56. In the United States, the concept of the “model minority”
a. is based on a stereotype of Asian Americans being the most successful minority group in the United
States.
b. takes into account the successes of all other minority groups.
c. changes based on the experiences of racial groups.
d. hides the successes of whites.
57. The idea that Asian Americans are a “model minority:”
a. is accurate.
b. obscures obstacles to success that they face.
c. overestimates the contributions of other minorities.
d. acknowledges poverty among Asian American groups.
58. With regard to the intersection of race and class, Black Americans
a. in the middle class are not segregated from whites as are poorer Blacks.
b. are more likely to be working class than are whites.
c. are more likely to be middle class than working class.
d. look more like Asian Americans than Whites.
59. Measured by their average education and income levels, most women would be considered
a. poor.
b. working class.
c. middle class.
d. upper class.
60. Which of the following is true about the effects of gender on stratification?
a. Based on their own income and education levels, most women would be considered middle-class.
b. The median income for women is far below the national median income level.
c. When women have as much education as men, they have jobs that pay as well.
d. Women are more likely than men to work in upper-middle class jobs.