Test Bank for You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist, 6th Edit

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CHAPTER 7 Stratification

CONCEPT MAP

I. Views of Inequality
A. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B. The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus
C. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
II. Standards of Equality
A. Equality of Opportunity
B. Equality of Condition
C. Equality of Outcome
III. Forms of Stratification
A. Estate System
B. Caste System
C. Class System
D. Status Hierarchy System
E. Elite-Mass Dichotomy System
IV. How Is America Stratified Today?
A. The Upper Class
B. The Middle Class
i. The Middle Class and Working Class: Expansion and Retrenchment
C. The Poor
V. Global Inequality
VI. Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. When groups are arranged hierarchically with different levels of power, social prestige, status, or
economic resources, this is called
a. equality of opportunity.
b. globalization.
c. exchange mobility.
d. stratification.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Views of Inequality (I)
MSC: Remembering

2. Consider a country that has laws and customs against discrimination regarding school admissions,
employment, and pay. This society is also organized such that its members fall into a hierarchy of
political power, wealth, education, occupational status, and income. This country is understood to have
a. social mobility.
b. exchange mobility.
c. stratification.
d. equality of condition.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Views of Inequality (I)
MSC: Applying

3. Which kind of inequality did Jean-Jacques Rousseau believe would always exist?
a. physical c. dialectic
b. social d. both physical and social
 ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (I.A)
MSC: Remembering

4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the source of all social ills was
a. income. c. racism.
b. private property. d. globalization
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (I.A)
MSC: Understanding

5. Karl Marx and Jean-Jacques Rousseau tended to agree on at least one thing. They both saw the primary
source of social ills in society as
a. religion. c. the caste system.
b. private property. d. the estate tax.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (I.A)
MSC: Understanding

6. As your textbook notes, the paradox of stratification is that inequality is the result of
a. mutual dependency.
b. contradictory class locations.
c. meritocracy.
d. surplus.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) MSC: Remembering

7. Thomas Malthus believed that the human population grows ________, but the ability to produce food
increases ________.
a. slowly; quickly c. geometrically; arithmetically
b. arithmetically; geometrically d. quickly; slowly
ANS: C DIF: Easy
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) MSC: Remembering

8. Thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, such as Adam Ferguson and John Miller, believed that private
property was a beneficial institution. What was their reasoning?
a. Property can be redistributed by law, improving equality.
b. People are more productive when they are able to keep what they produce.
c. Private owners make more intelligent use of assets than the government does.
d. Private property works as a brake on population growth.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) | InQuizitive
MSC: Remembering

9. Identify which of the following is a factor necessary for rapidly lowering birthrates in a developing
nation, according to Jeffrey Sachs.
a. girls' education
b. improved methods of agriculture
c. elimination of the patriarchal elements in a culture
d. separate schooling for boys and girls
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) | InQuizitive
MSC: Remembering
10. Roman is an activist who would like to see humans live in a state of sharing, equality, and harmony. His
friend Omar says, "But if everyone shared and everyone thrived, wouldn't there be too many people?" If
Roman and Omar read Thomas Malthus, they might consider the Malthusian notion that ________
keeps the population in check.
a. equality c. communism
b. capitalism d. inequality
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) MSC: Applying

11. College student Jerry says disease, natural disasters, and even war serve a greater purpose. His friends
say his views are offensive, and Jerry replies, "But I'm a Malthusian!" Along with Thomas Malthus,
Jerry believes that the benefit of problems that wipe out large number of humans is that
a. the fittest humans survive and evolve.
b. the morally superior people survive.
c. the decreased pressure on the food supply reduces starvation and misery.
d. people are forced to accept the hard parts of life.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: The Scottish Enlightenment and Thomas Malthus (I.B) MSC: Applying

12. Hegel argued that notions of inequality are constantly evolving in a larger historical arc and will
eventually lead to
a. conflict. c. equality.
b. civilization. d. organization.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)
MSC: Remembering

13. Consumers and advocates grew concerned about the plight of tomato pickers, an industry marked by
exploitation and even slavery. What outcome fits with Hegel's theory?
a. Tomato pickers will always be enslaved because the system is too entrenched to change.
b. Tomato pickers will suffer and die out, but this is helpful for overall population control.
c. A coalition of determined activists can break the dependencies between master and slave.
d. A governmental policy of equality of outcome is likely, given the severity of injustice.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)
MSC: Applying

14. Hegel felt that the relationship between slave and master was dialectic. This meant that
a. each was dependent on the other.
b. the slave had more power over the master than vice versa.
c. the relationship was short-lived.
d. the relationship could evolve into an intimate one.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)
MSC: Understanding

15. A Hegelian perspective shows that the ________ relationship is alive and well today in industries such
as tomato picking.
a. bourgeoisie–proletariat c. rich–poor
b. master–slave d. global–local
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)
MSC: Understanding
16. You are dependent on your professor for your grade. Your professor, in turn, is dependent on you for his
or her job. Hegel would call this a(n)
a. dialectic relationship. c. example of private property.
b. equality of condition. d. example of affirmative action.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)
MSC: Understanding

17. Different political groups may emphasize the importance of equality, yet may strongly disagree with
each other or may not have a cooperative set of interactions with each other. One key reason for this
might be that
a. some political groups believe in equality more strongly than others.
b. some political groups use different definitions of equality than others.
c. some political groups care about equality, but not as much as group stability.
d. some political groups are more likely to say what voters want to hear.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Standards of Equality (II)
MSC: Understanding

18. The game of Monopoly exemplifies equality of

a. personhood. c. business.
b. opportunity. d. condition.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Opportunity (II.A)
MSC: Remembering

19. A capitalist society with a continuing history of inequality in wealth, income, and power can still have
a. equality of outcome.
b. equality of condition.
c. equality of opportunity.
d. equality of estate.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Equality of Opportunity (II.A)
MSC: Understanding

20. The modern capitalist society is an example of which type of society?

a. meritocratic c. middle class
b. socialist d. bourgeois
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Opportunity (II.A)
MSC: Understanding

21. Jim gets a job in a group home for disabled adults. The executive director tells Jim that if he works hard
and earns favorable reviews, he could work his way up to a position of greater responsibility and income.
Such a system is referred to as
a. meritocratic. c. individualistic.
b. opportunistic. d. entrepreneurial.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: Equality of Opportunity (II.A)
MSC: Understanding

22. Hamilton is an African American college student who has benefited from affirmative action. Frank,
another student, criticizes him, saying, "You'll sail through college because of affirmative action." Frank
is misunderstanding what affirmative action is. Hamilton is benefiting from equality of ________, but
Frank misperceives it as equality of ________.
 a. condition; outcome c. race; outcome
b. opportunity; condition d. outcome; race
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Condition (II.B)
MSC: Applying

23. Lisa Geesh is a U.S. senator who supports policies that give preferential treatment to disadvantaged
groups in employment and education. She is concerned with
a. equality of opportunity. c. equality of outcome.
b. equality of personhood. d. equality of condition.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Equality of Condition (II.B)
MSC: Understanding

24. Which of the following is an example of the ideology of equality of condition put into practice?
a. segregation c. health care
b. affirmative action d. slavery
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Condition (II.B)
MSC: Understanding

25. Carrie, Max, and Lisa are friends in high school. Over the years, Carrie becomes a carpenter. Max
becomes a computer programmer. Lisa becomes a physician. The government regulates salaries such
that Carrie, Max, and Lisa are paid similar salaries, live in similar neighborhoods, and enjoy relatively
equal standards of living. What standard of equality would this be an example of?
a. equality of opportunity c. equality of condition
b. equality of personhood d. equality of outcome
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Outcome (II.C)
MSC: Applying

26. A professor assigns a group project. In one group, Darin does nearly all the work. Martin, Aaid, and
Abbey seem to shirk responsibility, assuming that because it's a group, someone else will pull the extra
weight. Viewed with a sociological lens, this is
a. Malthusian inevitability. c. the Pareto principle.
b. academic stratification. d. the free rider problem.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Equality of Outcome (II.C)
MSC: Applying

27. Identify which of the following people could be considered free riders.
a. A person attends a potluck without bringing a fish, reasoning that there is always plenty of
food at such events.
b. A gardener being paid by the hour slacks off, reasoning that the longer the job takes, the
more he earns.
c. A teenager at a movie theater steals some candy from the concessions counter.
d. An office worker being promoted due to seniority despite doing less work than his
colleagues.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Equality of Outcome (II.C) | InQuizitive
MSC: Applying

28. When sociologists study how race and ethnicity affect income, they are studying
a. stratification. c. exchange mobility.
b. wealth and assets. d. the estate system.
 ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Forms of Stratification (III)
MSC: Understanding

29. Each society has a type of social stratification. How does the United States ideologically justify its type
of stratification system?
a. The class a person is in has nothing to do with ability; one is born into it.
b. A person is in complete control over the class he or she is in. Hard work (or lack of it)
determines class.
c. One's relatives are responsible for one's social class.
d. Luck determines class.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Forms of Stratification (III)
MSC: Understanding

30. Which social stratification system was favored in feudal Europe and the American South before the
Civil War?
a. estate system c. hierarchy system
b. class system d. elite-mass hierarchy
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Estate System (III.A)
MSC: Remembering

31. Although Indian castes historically have been ________, increasing rates of ________ have made
classifying children more difficult.
a. endogamous; exogamy c. fluid; rigidity
b. rigid; movement d. exogamous; endogamy
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Caste System (III.B)
MSC: Remembering

32. Before Melissa's trip to India, she read a book that said India has four main castes. When she arrived, she
asked Veda, an Indian woman, "Which of the four castes does your family belong to?" Veda smiled and
corrected Melissa, pointing out that
a. it is impolite to say the word "caste."
b. over time, the caste system has evolved into thousands of subcastes.
c. the caste system no longer exists.
d. Melissa should have known Veda's caste based on Veda's dress and language.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Caste System (III.B)
MSC: Applying

33. An entire caste in India may use language, education, or religion to shift its status in the hierarchy. Such
a process is called
a. Sanskritization. c. Brahminization.
b. caste transformation. d. vertical caste formation.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Caste System (III.B)
MSC: Understanding

34. What group sells its labor to the bourgeoisie to receive wages?
a. elites c. proletariat
b. working class d. bourgeoisie
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Class System (III.C)
MSC: Remembering
35. Sarjit and Rhonda have both recently completed graduate level training in liberal arts programs.
Although they studied in different fields, they are similar to each other in human capital value in the
labor market. According to ________, this similarity defines Sarjit and Rhonda as belonging to the same
economic class.
a. Max Weber
b. Karl Marx
c. Otis Dudley Duncan
d. Vilfredo Pareto
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Class System (III.C)
MSC: Applying

36. Under what system is your societal position related to your position in the economic market?
a. hierarchy c. caste
b. class d. estate
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Class System (III.C)
MSC: Understanding

37. Marx focused on the relational class structure, made up of the capitalist class (the bourgeoisie) and the
working class (the proletariat). However, managers could more accurately be described as occupying
contradictory class locations because
a. they earn more than the proletariat, but less than the bourgeoisie.
b. they control the means of production, but they do not control others' labor.
c. they own the means of production, but also work with the proletariat.
d. they don't own the means of production, but they do control others' labor.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Class System (III.C)
MSC: Understanding

38. What is Max Weber’s definition of social status based on?

a. one's income
b. one’s accumulated wealth
c. the lifestyle one is seen as leading
d. the social or political power one wields
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Class System (III.C) | InQuizitive
MSC: Analyzing

39. According to the research on status attainment, the best predictors of a person's educational and other
socioeconomic outcomes are
a. parents' income and parents' net worth.
b. parents' net worth and the individual's own IQ.
c. parents' net worth and parents' education.
d. parents' education and parents' income.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Status Hierarchy System (III.D)
MSC: Remembering

40. Peter is an architect. If Peter wishes to assert or increase his status, he may do so not only through his
occupation but also through other means, such as
a. getting an additional B.A. c. becoming more politically conservative.
b. living in a gated community. d. taking public transportation.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Status Hierarchy System (III.D)
MSC: Applying
41. Which of the following is a type of social stratification?
a. mobility system c. proletariat system
b. status-attainment system d. status hierarchy system
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Status Hierarchy System (III.D)
MSC: Understanding

42. If a person with a high-paying and prestigious job wants to be sure others are aware of this status, this
person might choose to wear very expensive clothing or to drive a high-end car. These behaviors are
examples of
a. consumption.
b. elitism.
c. structural mobility.
d. occupational status.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Status Hierarchy System (III.D)
MSC: Understanding

43. A stratification system with a governing elite—that is, the few leaders who broadly hold the power in a
society—is called a(n) ________ system.
a. status hierarchy c. class
b. elite-mass dichotomy d. caste
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Remembering

44. C. Wright Mills argues that there are three major institutions in the United States today that have the
power to make decisions for the masses. What are they?
a. economy, politics, and religion c. economy, religion, and the military
b. economy, politics, and the military d. religion, politics, and the military
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Remembering

45. Vilfredo Pareto believed in a society in which status and mobility are based on individual attributes and
ability. This type of society is called
a. a meritocracy. c. a moral society.
b. intelligence-based. d. biologically based.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Remembering

46. Indira is a corporate CEO. Max is a janitor at a strip mall. New research on inequality trends from 1990
to 2002 suggests that for every dollar someone like Max earns, someone like Indira earns about
a. $1. c. $100.
b. $28. d. $18,000.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Applying

47. Denise, who comes from a lower-middle-class family, obtained a college degree, interned at a company,
worked at that company for many years, and is now its CEO. Denise's experiences support the idea of
a. the free rider. c. conflict class.
b. globalization. d. meritocracy.
 ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Applying

48. C. Wright Mills had a negative view of the elite-mass dichotomy. His view fits with the ________
paradigm.
a. symbolic interactionism c. conflict
b. functionalism d. social justice
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E)
MSC: Understanding

49. Identify which of the following is a characteristic of an elite-mass dichotomy system of which Pareto
would approve.
a. Members of the elite are born into their positions.
b. Societies are dominated by the military elite.
c. The elite should mainly consist of aristocrats and the bourgeoisie.
d. About 20 percent of the population holds more power than the remaining 80 percent.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Elite-Mass Dichotomy System (III.E) | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding

50. Nathan is an upper-class man who enjoys a mansion, a pool, and a wealthy lifestyle. Most likely, the
distinguishing characteristic of Nathan's class position is his source of income, which is
a. working in finance. c. real estate ownership and management.
b. returns on investments, not wages. d. inheritance.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: The Upper Class (IV.A)
MSC: Applying

51. Elliot Essman asserts that America is a(n) ________ because the very wealthy do not have much impact
on the country in general.
a. elite-class nation c. working-class nation
b. middle-class nation d. class-free nation
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: The Middle Class (IV.B)
MSC: Understanding

52. Which American job sector has greatly increased since the oil crisis of 1973?
a. unionized jobs c. factory work
b. pink-collar office work d. low-wage service work
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: The Middle Class and Working Class: Expansion and Retrenchment (IV.B.i)
MSC: Remembering

53. Liam has only a high school education. His job counselor recommends ________, because it is the
fastest-growing job for people with only a high school education.
a. mechanical work c. factory work
b. secretarial work d. food preparation
ANS: D DIF: Easy
REF: The Middle Class and Working Class: Expansion and Retrenchment (IV.B.i)
MSC: Understanding

54. Why are college completion rates not keeping up with the job market’s demand for college graduates?
a. It is normal to have a lag between changed demand and the resulting change in supply.
 b. Students are graduating with majors different from those the job market demands.
c. It is normal to have a lag between changed demand and the resulting change in supply.
d. Higher numbers of college students are dropping out before graduation.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: The Middle Class and Working Class: Expansion and Retrenchment (IV.B.i) | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding

55. Identify the factors that are responsible for recent increases in income inequality, as reflected in an
ever-larger ratio between CEO pay and worker pay.
a. changes in the federal tax code and the changing mix of available jobs
b. the changing requirements for existing jobs and greater responsibilities for today’s CEOs,
especially those in the technology industry
c. the changing mix of available jobs and the changing requirements for existing jobs
d. the changing mix of available jobs and greater responsibilities for today’s CEOs, especially
those in the technology industry
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: The Middle Class and Working Class: Expansion and Retrenchment (IV.B.i) | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding

56. In political speeches about the poor, those who are believed to deserve assistance are often termed the
a. differently abled. c. working poor.
b. mentally challenged. d. educated poor.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: The Poor (IV.C)
MSC: Remembering

57. Trade of goods and services across national boundaries, as well as the mobility of businesses and labor
through immigration, is called
a. international business. c. global stratification.
b. globalization. d. equality of condition.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Global Inequality (V)
MSC: Remembering

58. The effect of globalization has been to bifurcate labor into

a. upper class and middle class. c. high skilled and low skilled.
b. technical and support. d. middle class and working class.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Global Inequality (V)
MSC: Understanding

59. Emilia is studying global development, and in investigating underdevelopment in Africa, she turns to
economist Jeffrey Sachs. She agrees with Sachs's point of view, that
a. brutal as they may be, mass poverty and starvation help balance the human population.
b. Africa's challenges include its geography and colonial legacies.
c. the most important factor shaping Africa's history is governmental corruption.
d. underdevelopment is an unsolvable problem because it is rooted in private property.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Global Inequality (V)
MSC: Understanding

60. How is inequality in the United States related to globalization?

a. Globalization has contributed to decreasing inequality within the United States.
b. Globalization is unrelated to inequality within the United States.
 c. Globalization originally contributed to increasing inequality within the United States, but
has helped reduced U.S. inequality over the past decade.
d. Globalization has contributed to increasing inequality within the United States.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Global Inequality (V) | InQuizitive
MSC: Understanding

61. The rise or fall of an individual (or group) from one social stratum to another is called ________ social
mobility.
a. conditioned c. vertical
b. horizontal d. structural
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Remembering

62. Mobility that is inevitable from changes in the economy is called

a. vertical mobility. c. ascending mobility.
b. horizontal mobility. d. structural mobility.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Remembering

63. If two people swap jobs and this trade results in social mobility for both, it is called
a. exchange mobility.
b. horizontal mobility.
c. structural mobility.
d. ascending mobility.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Remembering

64. Identify which of the following is a variable in a parent population that best predicts children’s
educational outcomes.
a. parents' income
b. parents’ occupation
c. parents’ level of education
d. parents’ social capital
ANS: C DIF: Moderate
REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI) | InQuizitive
MSC: Remembering

65. A team of researchers decide to study social mobility. They obtain data on respondents and their parents,
gathering information on the occupational status of each generation to see if mobility has occurred. To
understand the likelihood of social mobility more fully, they also ask questions about respondents'
educational attainment, type of training, and the prestige of the first job that respondents had in their
respective occupational field. By considering some of these intervening processes, this research team
has chosen to use a(n) ________ approach to social mobility.
a. ascending mobility
b. vertical mobility
c. status attainment model
d. class-based
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Applying
66. Consider the case of a professional translator who begins to lose work opportunities because new
technologies can largely replace human translators. If she ends up responding to this economic shift by
changing professions and becoming a graphic designer, she has experienced
a. historical mobility.
b. structural mobility.
c. exchange mobility.
d. social reproduction.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Applying

67. Ugo's promotion to regional manager at Sears with a higher salary and more prestige is an example of
what type of vertical social mobility?
a. ascending c. descending
b. escalating d. advancement
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Applying

68. Akamai is a paralegal for a law firm in Manhattan. He gets a new job as a paralegal for a law firm in
Boston. Sociologists see such a shift as ________ mobility.
a. horizontal c. structural
b. vertical d. exchange
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Applying

69. An example of horizontal social mobility is a(n)

a. secretary changing firms but retaining his or her occupational status.
b. barista's promotion to store manager.
c. family that migrates from low-income housing to an upper-middle-class gated community.
d. office manager who moves into a similar position in a much larger firm, where he or she
earns greater status and income.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Understanding

70. Let's suppose a medical doctor becomes an early childhood educator, while an elementary school
teacher completes medical school and begins practicing medicine. If this occupational switch occurred
above and beyond the way that jobs are distributed in the economy, it would be an example of
a. social reproduction.
b. structural mobility.
c. exchange mobility.
d. horizontal mobility.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Understanding

71. Blau and Duncan developed a status attainment model, which is a more flexible approach to studying
social mobility than are mobility tables. The reason a status attainment model is more flexible is because
it
a. considers intervening factors in the process of mobility.
b. is able to identify which occupations experience mobility in the majority of cases.
c. can measure downward mobility just as easily as it can measure upward mobility.
d. only needs data from one point in time for multiple generations of occupational status.
 ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Understanding

72. The typical African American family has about ________ of the net worth of the typical white family.
a. the same amount c. 35 percent
b. 50 percent d. 10 percent
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Remembering

73. When compared to low-income students with similar test scores and academic records, high-income
students
a. make up a decreasing share of the enrollment at selective colleges.
b. make up an increasing share of the enrollment at selective colleges.
c. make up the same share of the enrollment at selective colleges.
d. are less likely to be accepted because of affirmative action.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)
MSC: Understanding

74. What is a major problem with basing affirmative action on class rather than race?
a. One’s class is a poor predictor of one’s life prospects.
b. Class is harder to define than race.
c. Class can be more easily faked than race.
d. Class-based affirmative action does not benefit minorities.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI) | InQuizitive
MSC: Analyzing

75. Attitudinal data show that Americans' belief that it is possible for a person to start at the bottom of the
economic ladder and work their way to the top has ________ in the last 20 years.
a. decreased
b. remained stable
c. increased
d. increased, then fallen again
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Conclusion (VII)
MSC: Remembering

76. An alien drops onto the planet, and the only books he reads are Horatio Alger, Jr., novels. The alien
concludes that
a. the rags-to-riches narrative of social mobility is true and realistic.
b. the most lucrative profession is journalism.
c. American inequality is increasing in severity and permanence.
d. race, geography, and history all influence a nation's economic development.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Conclusion (VII)
MSC: Understanding

ESSAY

1. Compare and contrast Rousseau's perspective of social inequality with that of Malthus, Miller, and
Ferguson.
 ANS:
Rousseau argued that if we stripped away the elements of society that resulted from the institution of
private property, only social equality would remain. He saw social inequality as the result of privileges
and uneven access to resources that lead to social ills. Ferguson, Miller, and Malthus saw inequality as
necessary; it leads to higher degrees of social organization and efficiency.

DIF: Difficult REF: Views of Inequality (I) MSC: Analyzing

2. The German philosopher Georg Hegel explained inequality from a master–slave perspective. Describe
and explain the interdependence of the master–slave analogy for inequality.

ANS:
The slave is dependent on the master for basic needs such as food and shelter, but the master is
dependent on the slave to perform the basic duties for survival. If the master no longer has the slave to
perform these duties, he cannot survive. Thus, each becomes dependent on the other for survival.

DIF: Moderate REF: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (I.C)

MSC: Analyzing

3. Sociologists distinguish between three types of equality: equality of opportunity, equality of condition,
and equality of outcome. For each type, describe what equality would look like in the United States. In
your view, which type of equality is most desirable for society, and why?

ANS:
(1) Equality of opportunity: Everyone has equal chances in the beginning, but luck or skill brings
varying results (e.g., men and women have the same chance to become successful, but sometimes a
person may just be in the right place at the right time).
(2) Equality of condition: Situations need to be altered in order to compensate for inequalities in the
relative starting positions (e.g., when women compete in physical contests with men, the
requirements are manipulated to account for differences in physical ability).
(3) Equality of outcome: Each player should end up with the same amount regardless of the fairness of
the game (e.g., even though some people may not have the same abilities as others, they still reap the
same benefits).
In evaluating types of equality, some students will choose equality of opportunity because it is fair, it
gives everyone a chance, and it represents the ideology of the American dream. Some will choose
equality of condition because the starting point is just so unequal, given the injustices that have been
present since the beginning of the United States; thus, we must work to compensate for these injustices.
Others believe that human quality of life demands equality of outcome so that everyone can enjoy
housing, food, and security.

DIF: Moderate REF: Standards of Equality (II) MSC: Evaluating

4. Jerod is a young boy who is ambitious, smart, and wants to pursue a life of more education and wealth
than what his parents achieved. Predict Jerod's life journey in two of the following stratification systems:
estate system, caste system, class system, status hierarchy system.

ANS:
(1) Estate systems have some mobility, but social reproduction prevails (e.g., European feudalism;
American antebellum South). Jerod's ambitions will likely be frustrated, and he will probably live a
life similar to his parents.
(2) Caste systems keep individuals in the same level of strata for life (e.g., South Asian caste system).
Others in society may squelch Jerod's ambitions, telling him that those hopes are inappropriate.
Jerod will remain within his caste.
 (3) Class systems allow for mobility, but most people born into a particular class marry and live within
that same class (e.g., bourgeoisie versus proletariat). Jerod is statistically likely to remain in the
social class of his parents, but with enough ambition, skill, opportunity, and luck, he may rise above
it.
(4) Status hierarchy systems are based in social prestige or on what society thinks of the particular
lifestyle of the community to which you belong (e.g., status based on occupation or income). Jerod
may take on the lifestyle and symbols of a higher group and become recognized as such, thus raising
his prestige.

DIF: Moderate REF: Forms of Stratification (III) MSC: Analyzing

5. There are five types of social stratification systems. List and briefly describe three of them, and explain
how each justifies inequality.

ANS:
(1) Estate: Justifies inequality by politics and birth. You are born into either the clergy, nobility, or
commoner level due to how laws are written, giving rights and duties that separate individuals and
create unequal power.
(2) Caste: Justifies inequality with regard to religion and birth. Each caste is allowed to engage in
certain ritual practices from which the others are excluded. Keeping members of each caste separate
from other castes hinders the breakdown (or Sanskritization) of the caste system. Endogamy, not
exogamy, is practiced. People keep to their own group.
(3) Class: Justifies inequality via individualism or the economy. Everyone has the same "chance" to
move up the social ladder, and those at the top are viewed as deserving of their status because they
have worked harder or are smarter than those below them.
(4) Status hierarchy: Justifies inequality by the type of lifestyle a person has and what is valued in a
particular society. Even if a person has little money, he or she can still be seen as upper status if his
or her job (although low-wage) is valued by other members of that society.
(5) Elite-mass dichotomy: Justifies inequality due to the fact that some people are just smarter and more
capable than the masses. The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is based on the
assumption that individuals are inherently unequal physically, intellectually, and morally. Vilfredo
Pareto believed that the most capable 20 percent of the population in these attributes should lead the
masses (the remaining 80 percent). W. E. B. Du Bois also felt that 10 percent of the black population
was more capable of helping the other 90 percent of blacks after slavery. In a meritocracy, or an
elite-mass dichotomy, status and mobility are based on individual attributes and ability.

DIF: Moderate REF: Forms of Stratification (III) MSC: Analyzing

6. Briefly distinguish between wealth and income. Offer an example of a person who has low income but
great wealth. Offer an example of a person who has high income but low wealth. Of these two, which
person is better off, and why?

ANS:
Income is money received for work or from returns on investments; wealth is an individual's net worth.
Wealth tends to give people who have it an advantage in obtaining income and maintaining their wealth.
People who have more wealth (i.e., the upper class) tend to have access to better education that might
allow them to obtain better-paying jobs. They may also have more access to people (through
networking) who have—or know someone who has—more prestige and access to better-paying
positions.
A person with inherited wealth may have great assets but generate little to no income. A person
with high income may earn a lot and spend a lot but neither save nor invest, thus having low wealth.
Students may say that the person with high wealth and low income is better off because he or she has
many assets to sustain his or her life and give stability and security for the future. Some students may say
it is better to enjoy income and live in the moment; thus, high income and low assets are better.
 DIF: Moderate REF: How Is America Stratified Today? (IV)
MSC: Analyzing

7. Social class is so difficult to precisely define that some sociologists argue it is a useless concept. Why is
it so difficult to precisely define social classes? In your answer, compare definitions of poverty (easier to
define) with middle class (more difficult to define).

ANS:
The upper class is associated with income, wealth, power, and prestige. Middle-class individuals make
up the majority of this nation and have a salary with some accumulated wealth. The poor are clearly
defined as a family of four making $22,350 or less per year. The subcategories for the poor include
working (a group with whom we sympathize) and nonworking (who don't deserve assistance). The
middle class is difficult to define because 90 percent of Americans self-identify with this group, and they
vary greatly in terms of salary, wealth, power, and prestige. Poverty is easier to define because it is a
more strictly income-defined category.

DIF: Moderate REF: How Is America Stratified Today? (IV)

MSC: Analyzing

8. In studying global inequality, sociologists have theorized about why Europe (and ultimately the United
States) was first to experience industrialization. Using information from the chapter, develop your own
theory of why the United States industrialized sooner than Africa. In light of this theory, what strategies
would support African economic development today?

ANS:
For an industrial revolution to occur, a nation must first go through an agricultural revolution. Africa,
compared to the United States and Europe, does not have the river systems necessary for irrigation to
facilitate an agricultural revolution. Africa, also, is hotter than Europe and has shorter growing seasons.
This creates a shortage of food, higher incidences of disease, and fewer workers, which are necessary for
an agricultural revolution to take place. Combine this lack of surplus food and workers with the lack of
coal deposits (used to fuel industrial production), and the chance of Africa becoming an industrial
society is much less likely. The geographical features of Africa make it unfeasible for an industrial
revolution to occur.
Students will offer a variety of strategies for supporting African economic development, such as
strategies that do not require mass industrialization, strategies that support internal growth and not
paternalism, and strategies that build on Africa's own geography and history.

DIF: Difficult REF: Global Inequality (V) MSC: Evaluating

9. Please discuss the two primary approaches to studying social mobility—mobility tables and status
attainment models—noting the key characteristics that distinguish each.

ANS:
Students should note that mobility tables focus on parents' and respondents' (historically the fathers' and
sons') occupations and create tables of occupational categories in a matrix to examine the likelihood of
occupational mobility between generations. For instance, a five-category model might include both
upper and lower nonmanual occupations, both upper and lower manual occupations, and farm work.
This approach includes the concept of structural mobility, such as when farming becomes less common,
so mobility occurs when younger generations enter different, nonfarm occupations. It also can include
the possibility of exchange mobility, which occurs when there is occupational swapping for reasons
above and beyond structural changes in the economy and distribution of jobs.
Test Bank for You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist, 6th Edit

By contrast, a status attainment model looks not only at occupations, but also at socioeconomic
status more broadly, considering educational attainment and income. Status attainment models consider
the mechanisms of social mobility, such as respondents' educational attainment or where their first job
was after they completed their education. These factors are used to understand patterns of social mobility
between generations and to leave room for the addition of new possible mechanisms as they become
relevant.

DIF: Moderate REF: Social Reproduction versus Social Mobility (VI)

MSC: Analyzing

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