Sociology in Our Times 9Th Edition Diana Test Bank Full Chapter PDF

Sociology in Our Times 9th Edition
Diana Test Bank

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Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7 – CLASS AND STRATIFICATION IN THE UNITED STATES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define social stratification and distinguish among three major systems of stratification.
2. Explain Karl Marx’s views on social class and stratification.
3. Discuss Max Weber’s multidimensional approach to social stratification.
4. List and note the key characteristics of U.S. social classes.
5. Distinguish between income inequality and wealth inequality.
6. Describe three important consequences of inequality in the United States.
7. Identify the characteristics of the U.S. poor based on age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
8. Compare and contrast functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspectives on social
inequality.
MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION
1. __________ is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social
groups based on the control of basic resources.
a. Bureaucracy
b. Ethnocentrism
c. Social stratification
d. Social layering
Answer: c Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
2. Which of these statements is not generally considered part of the American Dream?
a. From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.

b. Play by the rules and get a chance to get ahead.
c. Each generation should do better than the previous one.
d. The U.S. has equality opportunity for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or
national origin.
Answer: a Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
3. Sociologist Max Weber’s term __________ refers to the extent to which individuals have
access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and
health care.
a. life chances
b. cultural opportunity
c. social stratification
d. social prospects
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Class and Stratification in the United States
Answer: a Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
4. According to the text, one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification
is their degree of __________.
a. authenticity
b. fairness
c. flexibility
d. visibility
5. The sociological term for the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a
stratification system to another is __________.
a. life chances
b. stratification
c. social mobility
d. meritocracy
6. __________ mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one
generation to the next.
a. Intergenerational
b. Structural
c. Intragenerational
d. Exchange
Answer: a Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
7. When Carlos’s grandfather migrated to the United States, he had completed six years of
schooling and was an agricultural worker in California. Carlos’s father completed high
school and worked for twenty years as a clerk in a large state agency. Through the efforts
of his father and grandfather, Carlos was able to graduate from college and medical
school, and he now has a thriving medical practice in southern California. Carlos’s family
exemplifies __________ mobility.
a. intragenerational
b. exchange
c. intergenerational
d. structural
Answer: c Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
8. __________ mobility refers to the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.
a. Intergenerational
b. Structural
c. Intragenerational
d. Exchange
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Answer: c Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
9. Camryn started her career as a high-tech factory worker and through increased
experience and taking specialized courses in her field became an entrepreneur, starting
her own highly successful business. Camryn’s advancement is an example of
__________ mobility.
a. exchange
b. intergenerational
c. structural
d. intragenerational
Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup
10. One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of
flexibility. In a closed system of stratification __________.
a. people's positions are set by achieved statuses

b. there is little or no social mobility
c. the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies of social stratification are
relatively fluid
d. many opportunities exist for people who are willing to work hard
Answer: b Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
11. __________ is an extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned by
others. It is a closed system in which people are treated as property and have little or no
control over their lives.
a. League
b. Slavery
c. Class
d. Caste
12. Which of these statements about slavery in the U.S. is false?
a. Slavery was defined by law and custom prior to the Revolutionary War.
b. Being a slave was a lifelong and inherited status.
c. Some slaves were able to challenge the system through acts of resistance and
sabotage.
d. Slavery in the U.S. is a thing of the past and no longer an issue.
Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
13. The U.S. State Department estimates that about __________ foreigners are brought to
the U.S. and enslaved annually.
a. 2,000
b. 9,000
c. 11,000
d. 17,000
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Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
14. Which of these characteristics is not shared by caste systems and slavery?
a. status is determined at birth

b. persons are considered property
c. it is a closed system of stratification
d. one’s status is ascribed, not achieved
Answer: b Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
15. Vestiges of a caste system exist today in __________.
a. India and South Africa

b. Australia
c. Southeast Asia and the Philippines
d. many countries in South America
Answer: a Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
16. A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is
that in India caste was based in part on __________.
a. religious identification
b. racial classification
c. occupation
d. wealth
Answer: c Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified
17. A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is
that in South Africa caste was based largely on __________.
a. religious identification
b. racial classification
c. occupation
d. wealth
Answer: b Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
18. Until the 1990s, the white South Africans controlled the government, the police, and the
military by enforcing __________, the term used in South Africa for “the separation of the
races."
a. alienation
b. apartheid
c. stratification
d. classification
Answer: b Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified
19. In a caste system, people are allowed to marry only within their own group. This is
termed __________.
a. endogamous
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b. exogamous
c. polygamous
d. homogamous
Answer: a Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
20. Which of these statements about the caste system is false?
a. In a caste system marriage is endogamous.

b. Caste systems are sustained by cultural values and beliefs.
c. Group membership is hereditary in a caste system.
d. The caste system remains strong even as a society industrializes.
Answer: d Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
21. The open stratification system based on the ownership and control of resources, as well
as the type of work people do is termed __________.
a. caste
b. slavery
c. estate
d. class
Answer: d Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
22. In a class system
a. status is based on access to and ownership of resources.

b. the boundaries are more distinct than in a caste system.
c. one’s status is entirely ascribed.
d. mobility is as closed as a caste system.
23. __________ occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that
does not produce a change in their place in the class structure.
a. Horizontal mobility
b. Situational mobility
c. Vertical mobility
d. Structural mobility
24. A factory worker is promoted to the position of foreman in the factory. She receives a
small increase in pay. This person has experienced __________ mobility.
a. situational
b. vertical
c. horizontal
d. structural
Answer: c Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
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25. __________ occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class
structure.
a. Lateral mobility
b. Vertical mobility
c. Situational mobility
d. Horizontal mobility
Answer: b Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
26. Becky's mother is an architect and her father is a college professor. Becky left home at
age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Becky no longer
communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at
a fast-food restaurant, Becky resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for
money. Becky's story illustrates the concept of __________.
a. vertical mobility
b. horizontal mobility
c. structural mobility
d. collateral mobility
27. Both Karl Marx and Max Weber identified ___________ as an important determinant of
social inequality and social change.
a. religion
b. class
c. gender
d. race
28. Marx used the term __________ for those who own the means of production—the land
and capital necessary for factories and mines.
a. entrepreneurs
b. proletariat
c. rentiers
d. bourgeoisie
29. Marx used the term __________ to refer to those who must sell their labor to the owners
in order to earn enough money to survive.
a. proletariat
b. rentiers
c. bourgeoisie
d. entrepreneurs
30. Sociologist Karl Marx believed that the workers are exploited as capitalists maximize
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Chapter 7
their profit by paying the workers less than the resale values of what they produce. Marx
believed that this resulted in a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement that he called
__________.
a. anomie
b. alienation
c. stratification
d. verstehen
31. Marx used the term __________ for the feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from
other people and from oneself that he suggested resulted from continually being
exploited.
a. accommodation
b. meritocracy
c. assimilation
d. alienation
32. According to Marx, the capitalist class maintains its position at the top of the class
structure by control of the society’s __________, which is composed of the government,
schools, churches, and other social institutions.
a. substructure
b. superstructure
c. ecostructure
d. infrastructure
33. Marx described workers as alienated for a variety of reasons. Which of these is not one
of the causes of alienation among workers?
a. Workers are alienated from the goods they produce because they use their
creativity and labor to produce them but do not own them.
b. Workers are alienated from their work because they are forced to do it for
survival.
c. Workers are alienated from other workers who threaten to strike for better
conditions, causing other workers to risk losing their jobs.
d. Workers are alienated from themselves because their activities are not their own.
Answer: c Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
34. Marx predicted that when workers realized that capitalists were the source of their
oppression, they would overthrow the capitalists and take over the government, creating
a(n) __________ society.
a. class
b. caste
c. egalitarian
d. stratified
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35. Which of these is not an explanation offered by Dahrendorf for why workers have not
overthrown capitalism as Marx had predicted?
a. Many workers have experienced a rising standard of living.

b. Workers have gained more legal protection in the form of rights and benefits.
c. Individual capitalists still own and control factories and other means of
production.
d. Many people have become so engrossed in the process of consumption that they
are less likely to engage in a workers rebellion.
36. Marx’s theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example
a. the economic basis of class systems.

b. despite economic differences, classes share values and beliefs.
c. different classes work together for the well-being of a society.
d. values and beliefs are more important than the material wealth one holds.
37. While Marx defined class in purely economic terms, sociologist __________ developed a
multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth,
prestige, and power.
a. Karl Marx
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Herbert Spencer
d. Max Weber
38. While Marx defined class in purely economic terms, Max Weber developed a
multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth,
prestige, and __________.
a. income
b. power
c. occupation
d. race/ethnicity
39. __________ is the value of all of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including
income, personal property, and income-producing property.
a. Power
b. Wealth
c. Prestige
d. Class
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Chapter 7
40. Which of these is not one of the dimensions that Weber used to define one’s social
class?
a. wealth
b. income
c. race/ethnicity
d. power
41. Sociologist Max Weber placed categories of people who have a similar level of wealth
and income in the same class. He referred to the privileged commercial class of wealthy
bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial
resources as __________.
a. entrepreneurs
b. rentiers
c. independents
d. consumers
42. Weber used the term __________ for the category of wealthy individuals who live off
their investments and do not have to work.
a. entrepreneurs
b. rentiers
c. independents
d. consumers
43. Of the two categories of people who work for wages, Weber called the white-collar
workers, public officials, managers, and professionals the __________.
a. entrepreneurial class
b. working class
c. upper class
d. middle class
44. Weber called the class consisting of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers the
__________.
a. entrepreneurial class
b. working class
c. upper class
d. middle class
45. Weber’s dimension that helped to determine one’s class, that consists of the respect or
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regard with which a person is called __________.
a. wealth
b. power
c. status
d. prestige
46. According to sociologist Max Weber’s system of stratification, __________ is the ability of
people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
a. wealth
b. power
c. status
d. prestige
47. Sociologists often use the term __________ to refer to a classification that reflects a
combination of factors such as income, occupation, and education.
a. power status
b. socioeconomic status
c. prestige status
d. wealth status
48. The model of the American class system based on the work of __________ is based on
three elements: education, occupation of family head, and family income.
a. C. Wright Mills
b. Karl Marx
c. Max Weber
d. George Simmel
49. According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, and based on the
theory of Weber, the upper (Capitalist) class of the U.S. includes about __________ of
the population.
a. 1 percent
b. 3 percent
c. 8 percent
d. 12 percent
50. In the model of American social classes based on Weber’s theory, the __________ is
made up of prominent families which have held great wealth for several generations.
a. lower-upper
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Chapter 7
b. new money
c. upper-upper
d. upper middle
51. In the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, members of the __________
have earned most of their money during their own lifetime. This class includes
entrepreneurs, presidents of major corporations, sports or entertainment celebrities, and
top-level professionals.
a. middle-upper class
b. upper-upper class
c. upper-middle class
d. lower-upper class
52. In Gilbert and Kahl’s model of American social class, the upper-middle class is comprised
of highly educated professionals such as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, or
corporate managers which make up about __________ of the population.
a. 3 percent
b. 8 percent
c. 14 percent
d. 30 percent
Answer: c Page: 192 LO: 4 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
53. According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, a combination of
three factors qualifies people for the __________ class: university degrees, authority and
independence on the job, and high income.
a. upper-upper
b. middle-middle
c. lower-middle
d. upper-middle
Answer: d Page: 192 LO: 4 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
54. Occupations such as medical technicians, teachers, and nurses pertain to the
__________ that makes up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population.
a. middle-class
b. upper class
c. upper-upper class
d. upper-middle class
Answer: a Page: 192 LO: 4 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
55. An estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population is __________, which includes

occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in factories, and people in the service
sector such as clerks and salespeople.
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a. upper-middle class
b. working class
c. middle class
d. working poor
Answer: b Page: 192 LO: 4 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
56. The term pink-collar refers to
a. women workers, regardless of their type of profession or occupation.

b. women in working class positions, including machine operators and factory
workers.
c. semi-skilled positions that are low paying, not manual labor, and are primarily
held by women.
d. any type of occupation or position in which emotional labor is the dominant
feature.
57. About 20 percent of the U.S. population lives from just above to just below the poverty
line. They typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, lower-paid
factory and service jobs, and are termed the __________.
a. working class
b. underclass
c. middle class
d. working poor
58. Social critic and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrated that people in the
__________ use strategies like help from relatives and continually changing residences
in order to survive.
a. working class
b. underclass
c. middle class
d. working poor
59. Working single mothers and their children and African Americans are overrepresented
among the __________.
a. middle class
b. working poor
c. upper class
d. working class
60. The minimum wage
a. is determined by the federal government for all states.
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Chapter 7
b. is set by the federal government, but individual states may adopt a higher rate.
c. is suggested by the federal government, but individual states are free to adopt
one that is higher or lower.
d. is set on a state-by-state basis with no involvement of the federal government.
61. The term __________ refers to those who are poor, seldom employed, and experience
long term deprivation.
a. working class
b. underclass
c. middle class
d. working poor
62. About __________ of the United States population is included in the underclass.
a. 1 to 2 percent
b. 3 to 5 percent
c. 8 to 10 percent
d. 15 percent
63. Contemporary Marxian (or conflict) theorists examine class in terms of __________.
a. the ownership or nonownership of the means of production

b. wealth inequality
c. people’s relationship with others in the production process
d. a multidimensional approach of wealth, prestige and power
64. When analyzing social class __________ are most likely to consider that degree of
control that workers have over the decision-making process and their ability to plan and
implement their own work.
a. Postmodern theorists
b. Functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Conflict theorists
65. Which of these factors has not been identified as part of the criteria for determining one’s
social class in the contemporary Marxian model of Erik Wright?
a. ownership of the means of production

b. purchase of the labor of others
c. inherited wealth
d. sale of one's own labor
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66. Which of these is not one of the four classes that make up Wright’s contemporary
Marxian model of social class?
a. capitalist class
b. managerial class
c. small-business class
d. middle class
67. According to Forbes magazine, the richest people in the world are Mexican entrepreneur
Carlos Slim Helu, Bill Gates (co-founder of Microsoft Corporation), and investor Warren
Buffet. In Wright’s Marxian model these men would be members of the __________
class.
a. managerial
b. capitalist
c. small-business
d. working
Answer: b Page: 196 LO: 4 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
68. Of the richest 20 people in the world, how many are women?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 8
69. In Wright's Marxian model, persons who have substantial control over production and
over workers, but do not participate in key corporate decisions such as how to invest
profit are the __________.
a. capitalist class
b. small-business class
c. working class
d. managerial class
70. In the Marxian model of Erik Wright, business owners and craftspeople that may hire a
small number of employees but largely do their own work would be considered
__________ class.
a. small-business
b. capitalist
c. working
d. managerial
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Chapter 7
71. In Wright's Marxian model, the __________ is made up of a number of subgroups,

including blue-collar workers, some of whom are highly skilled and well-paid and others
of who are unskilled and poorly paid.
a. small-business class
b. capitalist class
c. working class
d. managerial class
72. Skilled blue-collar workers, which include electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, and
unskilled blue-collar workers which include janitors and gardeners are all members of the
__________ according to the Marxian model of class.
a. working
b. managerial
c. small-business
d. capitalist
73. __________ is the term for economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income
transfers (government aid), and ownership of property.
a. Wealth
b. Prestige
c. Power
d. Income
Answer: d Page: 197 LO: 5 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
74. In 2009, the wealthiest 20 percent of households in the U.S. received approximately
__________ percent of the total income pie.
a. 25
b. 50
c. 75
d. 90
75. In 2009, the poorest 20 percent of households in the U.S. received approximately
__________ of the total income pie.
a. 4 percent
b. 9 percent
c. 12 percent
d. 17 percent
Answer: a Page: 198 LO: 5 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified
76. According to Gilbert, in 2009 the top 5 percent of households in the U.S. received more
221
than 20 percent of all income—an amount greater than that received by the bottom
__________ of all households.
a. 25 percent
b. 40 percent
c. 65 percent
d. 75 percent
77. In 1979, the richest 1 percent of Americans were taking in about 9 percent of the total
income. By 2007, the wealthiest 1 percent were taking in __________ of the nation’s total
income.
a. 5 percent
b. 11 percent
c. 23 percent
d. 45 percent
Answer: c Page: 198 LO: 5 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
78. The term __________ include(s) property such as buildings, land, farms, houses,
factories, and cars, as well as other assets such as bank accounts, corporate stocks,
bonds, and insurance policies.
a. income
b. benefits
c. wealth
d. endowments
Answer: c Page: 199 LO: 5 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
79. Which of these statements about wealth in the U.S. is false?
a. Wealth is computed by subtracting debt from assets converted into cash.

b. Most people in the U.S. have their wealth invested in income-generating
property.
c. Wealth is more unevenly distributed than income.
d. About one in four U.S. households has no wealth or is in debt.
Answer: b Page: 199 LO: 5 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
80. Which of these statements regarding health characteristics of poor people in the United
States is not accurate?
a. The poor have shorter life expectancies.

b. Children born into poor families are at much greater risk of dying during their first
year of life.
c. Because of welfare benefits, the poor receive more preventive medical and
dental checkups than do members of the middle class.
d. The poor are at greater risk for heart disease and cancer than more
affluent persons.
Answer: c Page: 200 LO: 6 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
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Chapter 7
81. For many of the working poor, medical insurance is out of the question. In 2010,
approximately __________ of people in the United States were without health insurance
coverage.
a. 1 percent
b. 7 percent
c. 16 percent
d. 25 percent
82. Of all age groups, persons aged __________ are the most likely to be uninsured.
a. under 18
b. 18 to 34
c. 35 to 64
d. 65 and over
83. The Department of Agriculture uses the term __________ for people whose access to
adequate food is limited by lack of money and other resources.
a. food insecure
b. hunger
c. malnutrition
d. impoverished
84. __________ theorists view education as the “elevator” to social mobility. They see
education as providing all students with opportunities, and argue that students’ abilities
are now more important than their class, race, or gender in determining success.
a. Postmodern
b. Conflict
c. Functionalist
d. Symbolic interactionist
85. __________ theorists stress that schools are agencies for perpetuating social inequality
because parents with limited income are not able to provide the same educational
opportunities for their children as are families with greater financial resources.
a. Conflict
b. Symbolic interactionist
c. Postmodern
d. Functionalist
86. Today, great disparities exist in the distribution of educational resources. Because
223
funding for education comes primarily from __________, school districts in wealthy
suburban areas generally pay higher teachers’ salaries, have newer buildings, and
provide state-of-the-art equipment.
a. federal government taxes

b. local property taxes
c. state taxes
d. a combination of state and federal taxes
87. The U.S. Social Security Administration has established an official poverty line. The
poverty line is computed by
a. correlating wealth and the cost-of-living index.

b. determining the cost of a minimally nutritious diet (short-term) and multiplying this
figure by three to allow for nonfood costs.
c. estimating the annual cost of living and dividing by twelve.
d. surveys to determine how much people spend on housing, food, and other
necessities.
88. The U.S. poverty rate in 2010 was __________.
a. 2 percent
b. 8 percent
c. 11 percent
d. 15 percent
89. __________ poverty refers to the condition in which people do not have the means to
secure the most basic necessities of life.
a. Absolute
b. Relative
c. Official
d. Subjective
90. __________ is the most likely to have life-threatening consequences, such as when a
homeless person freezes to death on a park bench.
a. Subjective poverty
b. Relative poverty
c. Absolute poverty
d. Official poverty
91. __________ poverty exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are
still unable to maintain an average standard of living.
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Chapter 7
a. Absolute
b. Relative
c. Official
d. Objective
92. Which of these age groups is least likely to be poor?
a. 0 – 18 years
b. 18 – 34 years
c. 35 – 64 years
d. over age 65
93. Which age group (of all races) has the highest percentage living in poverty
a. 0 – 18 years
b. 18 – 34 years
c. 35 – 64 years
d. over age 65
94. About two-thirds of all adults living in poverty are women. In 2010, single-parent families
headed by women had a __________ poverty rate as compared with a 15.8 percent rate
for married couple, two-parent families.
a. 17 percent
b. 21 percent
c. 36 percent
d. 45 percent
95. In the late 1970s, sociologist Diana Pearce coined the term __________to refer to the
trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in
poverty.
a. the feminization of poverty

b. matriarchal poverty
c. pink-collar poverty
d. gendered poverty
96. Which of these racial-ethnic groups has the highest rate of poverty?
a. Whites
b. African-Americans
c. Asian-Americans
d. Hispanics
225
97. Social inequality and poverty have both economic and structural sources. According to
your text, in the U.S. a great deal of poverty is due to __________.
a. people's unwillingness to work

b. governmental programs, such as welfare, that have kept families dependent over
several generations
c. high unemployment and the low wages paid for many jobs
d. people's desire for immediate gratification and overuse of credit cards
98. Corporations have been disinvesting in the United States, displacing millions of people
from their jobs. Economists refer to this displacement as the __________ of America.
a. deinstitutionalization
b. deindustrialization
c. disengagement
d. abandonment
99. Computers and other technologies perform a great deal of work today, reducing the need
for workers with special expertise. As a result, high-paying positions have been replaced
with low-paying positions. This process has been termed __________.
a. deinstitutionalization
b. deindustrialization
c. disengagement
d. deskilling
100. From the perspective of __________, social inequality is not only inevitable; it is an
essential part of any healthy society.
a. functionalism
b. conflict theory
c. symbolic interactionism
d. differential association
TRUE-FALSE SECTION
1. A person’s ability to succeed and position in the class structure is determined largely by
the stratification system of the society.
Answer: True Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
2. Social mobility is always upward and between generations.
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Chapter 7
Answer: False Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
Rejoinder: Social mobility may be upward or downward and may occur for a person
within that person’s lifetime, as well as between generations.
3. Theoretically, a class system is more open than a caste system.
4. Max Weber was in complete disagreement with Karl Marx about the nature of class.
Rejoinder: Weber agreed with Marx that economic factors are important in determining
individual and group behavior.
5. Weber believed that modern bureaucracies are so strong that even a workers’ revolution
would not lessen social inequality.
6. In Weber’s conception of class there is a complete correlation between the three

dimensions of power, prestige and wealth.
Rejoinder: Weber saw wealth, prestige, and power as separate continuums. A person
could be high on one and low on another.
7. Congress has not passed an increase in the federal minimum wage in 20 years.
Answer: False Page: 194 LO: 4 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified
Rejoinder: In 2009, Congress passed a bill increasing the minimum wage to $7.25.
8. Although the federal minimum wage is set by the federal government, individual states
are free to adopt a higher minimum wage rate if they desire.
Answer: True Page: 194 LO: 4 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
9. Contemporary Marxist theorists agree with Marx’s classification of social class in terms of
whether or not one owns the means of production.
Rejoinder: Contemporary Marxist, Erik Wright, argues that the classification of the
capitalist class as the owners of the means of production is too broad. Small business
owners have little in common with wealthy capitalists; managers may share the interests
of capitalists.
10. In Wright’s Marxian model of social classes, the capitalist class is made up of families
with large amounts of inherited wealth.
227
Rejoinder: In Wright’s model, the capitalist class consists of those individuals with
inherited wealth, who own major corporations, or are top executives with extensive stock
holdings.
11. Neither the Weberian nor the Marxian model of class in the U.S. describes the nature and
extent of social inequality within the U.S.
12. Among high-income nations, the U.S. has the greatest amount of income inequality.
13. Over the past 19 years, non-Hispanic whites have consistently had the highest median
household income of any racial-ethnic group within the U.S.
Answer: False Page: 199 LO: 5 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New
Rejoinder: Over the past 19 years, Asian households have consistently had a higher
median income than white households.
14. Most people in the U.S. have their wealth invested in income-generating property.
Rejoinder: Only the wealth of a relatively small number of elites in the U.S. is invested in
income-producing property.
15. About one in four U.S. households has no wealth or is in debt.
16. Virtually anyone can be poor, and poverty is randomly distributed throughout the
population of the U.S.
Rejoinder: Poverty is not randomly distributed throughout the population. Some

categories of people, such as people of color, children, and women, are
disproportionately represented among the poor.
17. In the U.S. people over the age of 65 are the most likely to be poor.
Rejoinder: In the past, the elderly were the most likely to be poor. Today, due to Social
Security which is considered by some the most effective anti-poverty program, seniors
are the least likely age group to experience poverty.
18. The child poverty rate in the U.S. is the higher than in any other industrialized country.
228
Chapter 7
19. Women’s lower status is the primary explanation for poverty in the U.S. today.
Rejoinder: While women are disproportionately represented among the poor, and there is
an obvious link between gender and poverty, this does not explain poverty in the U.S.
Many households headed by women were poor prior to the event that resulted in a
single-woman head of household.
20. Sociologists are in agreement that poverty is always harmful to society.
Rejoinder: Functionalist sociologists argue that social inequality is an inevitable and

essential part of any society. They believe it supports a division of labor and ensures the
most talented people will be the best-trained and the most highly rewarded.
21. The current economic situation makes it difficult to predict the future of stratification within
the U.S.
SHORT RESPONSE SECTION
1. Describe what is meant by the American Dream.
Answer: The American Dream is the belief that if people work hard and play by the rules,
they will have a chance to get ahead. Moreover, each generation will be able to have a
higher standard of living than that of its parents. The American Dream is based on the
assumption that people in the United States have equality of opportunity regardless of
their race, creed, color, national origin, gender, or religion. For some people the American
Dream means having a secure job, owning a home, and ensuring a good education for
their children. To others, it is the promise that anyone may rise from poverty to wealth
(from “rags to riches”) if he or she works hard enough.
Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
2. Describe the difference between open and closed systems of stratification and give an
example of each.
Answer: Around the globe, one of the most important characteristics of systems of
stratification is their degree of flexibility. Sociologists distinguish among such systems
based on the extent to which they are open or closed. In an open system, the boundaries
between levels in the hierarchies are more flexible and may be influenced (positively or
negatively) by people’s achieved statuses. Open systems are assumed to have some
degree of social mobility. Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups from
one level in a stratification system to another. This movement can be either upward or
downward. Class is an example of an open system (to some extent). In a closed system,
the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies of social stratification are rigid, and
people’s positions are set by ascribed status. Open and closed systems are ideal-type
constructs; no actual stratification system is completely open or closed. Caste is a closed
system of stratification.
229
Pages: 184-188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
3. Explain the concept of alienation and describe how workers are alienated in a capitalist
mode of production, according to Marx.
Answer: Marx’s concept of alienation refers to feelings of powerlessness and

estrangement from others and from oneself. Marx believed workers in a capitalist system
are alienated from the things they produce which require their labor and creativity, but
which they cannot own. They are alienated from their work because they are forced into it
in order to survive. Workers are alienated from themselves because they lack control
over their activities. They are also alienated from the other workers who also must sell
their labor as a commodity.
Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
4. Explain sociologist Karl Marx’s perspective on class position and class relationships.
Answer: According to sociologist Karl Marx, class position and the extent of our income
and wealth are determined by our work situation, or our relationship to the means of
production. Marx stated that capitalistic societies consist of two classes—the capitalists
and the workers. The capitalist class (bourgeoisie) consists of those who own the means
of production—the land and capital necessary for factories and mines. The working class
(proletariat) consists of those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn
enough money to survive. According to Marx, class relationships involve inequality and
exploitation. The workers are exploited as capitalists maximize their profits by paying
workers less than the resale value of what they produce but do not own. This continual
exploitation results in the workers’ alienation—a feeling of powerlessness and
estrangement from other people and from oneself. Marx predicted that the exploitation of
workers by the capitalist class would ultimately lead to class conflict—the struggle
between the capitalist class and the working class. According to Marx, when the workers
realized that capitalists were the source of their oppression, they would overthrow the
capitalists and their agents of social control, leading to the end of capitalism. The workers
would then take over the government and create a more egalitarian society.
5. Outline sociologist Max Weber’s multidimensional approach to social stratification and

explain how people are ranked on all three dimensions.
Answer: According to sociologist Max Weber, no single factor (such as economic

divisions between capitalists and workers) was sufficient for defining the location of
categories of people within the class structure. Weber stated that the access that
people have to important societal resources (such as economic, social, and political
power) is crucial in determining life chances. Weber developed a multidimensional
approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and
power. Wealth is the value of all of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including
income, personal property, and income-producing property. Weber placed categories of
people who have a similar level of wealth and income in the same class. He identified a
privileged commercial class of entrepreneurs—wealthy bankers, ship owners,
professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial resources. He also described
a class of rentiers—wealthy individuals who live off their investments and do not have to
work. Weber divided those who work for wages into two classes: the middle class and the
working class. The middle class consists of white-collar workers, public officials,
managers, and professionals. The working class consists of skilled, semiskilled, and
230
Chapter 7
unskilled workers. The second dimension of Weber’s system of stratification is prestige—

the respect or regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others. Fame,
respect, honor, and esteem are the most common forms of prestige. A person who has a
high level of prestige is assumed to receive deferential and respectful treatment from
others. Weber suggested that individuals who share as common level of social prestige
belong to the same status group regardless of their level of wealth. They tend to socialize
with one another, marry within their own group of social equals, spend their leisure time
together, and safeguard their status by restricting outsiders’ opportunities to join their
ranks. The other dimension of Weber’s system is power—the ability of people or groups
to achieve their goals despite opposition from others. The powerful can shape society in
accordance with their own interests and direct the actions of others. Weber stated that
wealth, prestige, and power are separate continuums on which people can be ranked
from high to low. Individuals may be high on one dimension while being low on another.
In Weber’s multidimensional approach, people are ranked on all three dimensions.
6. Describe Erik Wright’s model of the U.S. class structure based on the theory of Marx.
Answer: Sociologist Erik Wright outlined four criteria for placement in the class structure:
1) ownership of the means of production, 2) purchase of the labor of others (employing
others), 3) control of the labor of others (supervising others on the job), and 4) sale of
one’s own labor (being employed by someone else). Wright assumes that these criteria
can be used to determine the class placement of all workers, regardless of race/ethnicity
in a capitalist society. Wright identified four classes: The capitalist class—this class holds
most of the wealth and power in society through ownership of capital—banks,
corporations, factories, etc. The “ruling elites” or “ruling class,” within this category hold
political power and are often elected or appointed to influential political positions. The
capitalist class is composed of individuals who have inherited fortunes, own major
corporations, or are top corporate executives with extensive stock holdings of control of
company investments. The major sources of income for the capitalist class are profits,
interest, and very high salaries. Members of this class make important decisions about
the workplace, including which products and services to make available to consumers
and how many workers to hire or fire. In the managerial class—people in this class have
substantial control over the means of production and over workers. However, these
upper-level managers, supervisors, and professionals typically do not participate in key
corporate decisions such as how to invest profits. Top professionals may control the
structure of their own work; however, they typically do not own the means of production
and may not have supervisory authority over more than a few people. Members of the
managerial class occupy a contradictory class location between the capitalist and
working classes. The small-business class consists of small-business owners and
craftspeople that may hire a small number of employees but largely do their own work. It
is the small-business class that we find many people’s hopes of achieving the American
Dream. Recent economic trends, including corporate downsizing, telecommuting, and the
movement of jobs to other countries, have encouraged more people to think about
starting their own business. As a result, more people today are self-employed or own a
small business than at any time in the past. The working class is made up of a number of
subgroups, one of which is blue-collar workers, some of whom are highly skilled and well
paid and others of whom are unskilled and poorly paid. Skilled blue-collar workers include
electricians and plumbers; unskilled blue-collar workers include janitors and gardeners.
White-collar workers are another subgroup of the working class; they include secretaries,
other clerical workers, and sales workers. These workers are at the bottom of the class
structure in terms of domination and control in the workplace. The working class contains
about half of all employees in the United States.
231
7. Define the difference between income and wealth.
Answer: Income is economic gain from wages, income transfers or ownership of

property. Income is received periodically as returns on work or investments. Wealth
refers to assets that one holds. Wealth is determined by subtracting all debt and
converting the resulting assets into cash.
Pages: 197-199 LO: 5 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
8. Describe the consequences of social inequality, poverty in particular, within the U.S.
Answer: People who are wealthy, well educated, and who have high-paying jobs are
much more likely to be healthy than are poor people. As people’s economic status
increases, so does their health status. The poor have shorter life expectancies and are at
greater risk for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, as well as
infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. Children born into poor families are at much
greater risk of dying during their first year of life. Most of the poor do not receive
preventive medical and dental check-ups; many do not receive adequate medical care
after they experience illness or injury. Many high-poverty areas lack an adequate supply
of doctors and medical facilities. Some “charity” clinics and hospitals may provide
indigent patients (those who can not pay) with minimal emergency care but make them
feel stigmatized in the process. For many of the working poor, medical insurance is out of
the question. Many lower-paying jobs are often the most dangerous and have the
greatest health hazards. Analysts suggest that people with higher income and wealth
tend to smoke less, exercise more, maintain a healthy body weight, and eat nutritious
meals. As a category, more-affluent persons tend to be less depressed and face less
psychological stress, conditions that tend to be directly proportional to income, education,
and job status. Good health is basic to good life chances; in turn, adequate nutrition is
essential for good health. Hunger is related to class position and income inequality.
Between 33 and 50 percent of all children living in poverty consume significantly less
than the federally recommended guidelines for caloric and nutritional intake. Lack of
adequate nutrition has been linked to children’s problems in school.
9. Compare the functionalist and conflict theory perspectives on education in relation to

inequality in the U.S.
Answer: Educational opportunities and life chances are directly linked. Some
functionalist theorists view education as the “elevator” to social mobility. Improvements in
the educational achievement levels (measured in number of years school completed) of
the poor, people of color, and white women have been cited as evidence that students’
abilities are now more important than their class, race, or gender. From this perspective,
inequality in education is declining and students have an opportunity to achieve upward
mobility through achievements at school. Functionalists generally see the education
system as flexible, allowing most students the opportunity to attend college if they apply
themselves. In contrast, most conflict theorists stress that schools are agencies for
reproducing the capitalist class system and perpetuating inequality in society. From this
perspective, education perpetuates poverty. Parents with limited income are not able to
provide the same educational opportunities for their children as are families with greater
financial resources. Today, great disparities exist in the distribution of educational
232
Chapter 7
resources. Because funding for education primarily comes from local property taxes,
school districts in suburban areas generally pay higher teachers’ salaries, have newer
buildings, and provide state-of-the-art equipment. By contrast, schools in poorer areas
have a limited funding base.
Pages: 201-204 LO: 6 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
10. Define the official poverty line and differentiate between absolute poverty and
relative poverty.
Answer: The U.S. Social Security Administration has established an official poverty line,
which is based on what is considered to be the minimum amount of money required for
living at a subsistence level. The poverty line is computed by determining the cost of a
minimally nutritious diet (a low-cost food budget on which a family could survive
nutritionally on a short-term, emergency basis) and multiplying this figure by three to
allow for nonfood costs. Absolute poverty exists when people do not have the means to
secure the most basic necessities of life. Absolute poverty often has life-threatening
consequences, such as when a homeless person freezes to death on a park bench. By
comparison, relative poverty exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities
but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.
Page: 204 LO: 6 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup
11. Briefly describe the characteristics of the poor in the U.S., in terms of age, gender, and
race-ethnicity.
Answer: Poverty in the United States is highly concentrated according to age, gender,
and race/ethnicity. Age—today, children are at a much greater risk of living in poverty
than are older persons. The age category most vulnerable to poverty today, is the very
young. One out of every three persons below the poverty line is under 18 years of age.
The precarious position of African American and Latino/a children is even more striking.
Children as a group are poorer now than they were at the beginning of the 1980s,
whether they live in one- or two-parent families. The majority of these children live in two-
parent families in which one or both parents are employed. However, children in single-
parent households headed by women have a much greater likelihood of living in poverty.
Gender—about two-thirds of all adults living in poverty are women. The feminization of
poverty refers to the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among
individuals living in poverty. Women have a higher risk of being poor because they bear
the major economic and emotional burdens of raising children when they are single
heads of households but typically earn less than men. Race/ethnicity—people of color
are disproportionately represented among the poor.
Pages: 204-207 LO: 7 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified
ESSAY SECTION
1. Describe and compare the three types of systems of stratification.
Answer: Will vary Pages: 184-188 LO: 1

TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified
2. Describe the model of the social class structure in the U.S. developed by Gilbert and Kahl
233
from a Weberian perspective.

TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New
3. Erik Wright has written on Marx’s view of social stratification. Discuss his criticisms of
Marx. List and briefly define/explain his (i.e., Wright’s) model of stratification based on
the work of Marx.

4. You have recently been appointed to the United States Commission Against Poverty.
Discuss what specific reforms and strategies (assume that you have a blank check at
your disposal) you would attempt to implement in order to reduce or alleviate poverty in
America. Explain the reasons for the strategies that you suggest.
Answer: Will vary Pages: 199-208 LO: 6-7

5. Discuss the major aspects of the functional, conflict, and symbolic interactionist
perspectives as they relate to social stratification. Describe the strengths and
weaknesses of each.

234
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new cares that the dear baby brought with him, and owing to my
mother's ill-health. Oh, Thorley! I have so prayed that I might be kept
from doubting my mother, and I have sat down many a time to call
her loving words and ways to remembrance, until I have been able to
say to myself, 'No, it is impossible. My mother could never cease to
love me.' Grandmother could have ended all this with a word, yet
she saw me suffer and would not say it."
"She is very old, dear Miss Meg. She has had her own way always,
and gone just in one rut through such a long life. I do believe she
thinks she has a right to do these things. If they troubled her
conscience, she would never rest, and she does sleep as sound as a
healthy baby. She is a wonderful old lady."
"She cannot think that deceit is right. I have asked her so often, and
she has declared that she did not know where my mother was."
"And perhaps she told the truth. It would be just like your
grandmother to keep all those letters unopened, or to burn them
without reading a word, so that she could say truly that she did not
know."
"She will have to give an answer about them now," said Margaretta
firmly.
"Dear Miss Meg, do consider her age. You know about your mamma
now, and where will be the use of upsetting the old lady by saying
anything? Beside, she is getting fond of you, and talks quite proudly
when your back is turned about your pretty singing. Try and keep in
with her, dear Miss Meg. It may mean a great deal to you some day."
But Meg was not to be moved from her purpose. "I will wait until
grandmother has breakfasted, and then I will see her. Not all the
wealth in the world would tempt me to be silent now."
"Think about it, dear, whilst you get your breakfast, or wait till to-
morrow. It is a good thing to sleep on a matter when you are inclined
to be angry."
"As to breakfast, I feel as though I could never take another mouthful
in this house," replied Margaretta. "I cannot wait to sleep over the
matter. I will spend my time in praying that I may not speak angrily,
or forget the respect I owe to one who is my relative, and so old. I
hope God will help me to be patient, but speak I must."
Margaretta accordingly entered Lady Longridge's room, as Thorley

left it with the breakfast-tray.
The old lady greeted her more kindly than usual. She was in high
good humour at receiving extra interest on an investment, but did not
mention this to her granddaughter.
"Grandmother," said the girl, "I wish to speak to you about my

mother. I have had a letter from her. It came into my hands in an
unusual manner—you must not ask me how, for I cannot tell any
more than this, that the post-bag was not meddled with, and that no
one has disobeyed you in any way."
"There has been trickery!" cried Lady Longridge. "Tell me this instant.
Give me the letter. You have no right to receive one unknown to me,
your lawful guardian."
"I would not; I never have done from anyone else; but this is
different, being from my mother."
"It is not. She was to see you once in six months, and seeing that
your father had so willed it, she would not try to alter the conditions,
though they pinched her, and I was glad of it. She has not come near
you; there was nothing about letter-writing in Philip's will. I had the
right to keep the letters!" cried the old lady, triumphantly.
"My mother could not come. She had been ill, but she wrote and
wrote, and I waited, my heart aching with dread, as you know; but all
in vain. Oh, grandmother, you knew, and you did not tell me! Even
now you are glad to think of our suffering."
"No. Not yours. It was hers I spoke about," interrupted Lady
Longridge.
"Well, hers, then. Did you never think what my mother must feel
when not a word of answer reached her? And you are getting so old
—forgive me for saying it; and surely if there has been ill-will
between you and mother, it is time to forgive one another, and be
friends."
"Friends with Florence! Never! And I have told the truth. I never
opened one of her letters, so that I might say that I knew nothing,
and tell no falsehood. The letters are there to prove it."
"Let me have them, grandmother. Do give them to me!" pleaded the

girl.
"Take them, if you like, but take them somewhere else, and do not let
me see your face again. I had meant to do something for you, but
now you shall not have a penny of mine. I will burn my white will to-
day, and send for Melville about the blue one."
"The letters, grandmother, please, the letters!"
"You shall have them. They will pay you well for what this affair will
lose you. Take this key. In that little drawer are the letters unopened.
Mind, you choose between those and more than you know of."
Without hesitation Margaretta took the key, emptied the little drawer
of its contents, and then returned it to Lady Longridge, who said,
"Get out of my sight, and do not trouble me again!"
"Good-bye, grandmother. I am sorry you are angry, but I could not

help speaking. I forgive you. You have been hard sometimes, but I
shall try to forget the pain you have caused me about my dear
mother. I am glad I can forgive, or I should not dare to ask that my
trespasses might be forgiven. Thank you for having me taught by
dear Mrs. Moffat."
"Go!" screamed the old lady. "Go, and do not preach to me. I never
wish to see you again."
The girl turned a look of the deepest pity on that old face, distorted
with anger, and closing the door behind her went to her own room.
CHAPTER VII.
WHICH SHALL IT BE? BLUE OR WHITE?
ONE thought above all others was in Margaretta's mind. She would
leave Northbrook Hall at once and for ever. But where should she
go?
She bethought herself of that old promise, and without waiting even
to change her simple wrapper for a walking dress, she gathered up
her precious letters, threw a soft woollen shawl round her, put on her
hat, and went rapidly towards the little dwelling tenanted by Nelly
Corry and her mother. As she passed through the ill-kept
conservatory she plucked a rose from a bush that had been a
favourite of her mother's, and which she had tended with loving
hands.
She had tasted nothing since early on the preceding evening, and
when she reached the cottage she was faint with want of food and
excitement, for it was getting towards noon.
Nelly was in the midst of her dressmaking, but at the sight of

Margaretta, she deposited her work on the seat she was occupying,
drew forward an old wicker chair, the most comfortable one in the
place, and begged her visitor to sit down. Then she removed her hat
with gentle hands, and, quite alarmed at Margaretta's woe-begone
appearance, asked what was the matter and what she could do for
her.
The girl could not answer, but to Nelly's dismay she burst into a
passion of hysterical weeping.
Nelly strove to soothe her with loving words, and wished that her
mother would come, for Mrs. Corry being a little better than usual
had gone to do the shopping of the tiny household.
Soothed and calmed at last, Margaretta told her tale to her humble
friend, and concluded by saying, "I have come to you, Nelly. I have
kept my promise. I have scarcely any money, for Mrs. Moffat has my
last sovereign, and I forgot to mention it before she left."
"Don't name money, dear Miss Meg. I am not without a trifle, and
there is Thorley with plenty, who would do anything for you. I will get
you a cup of tea and something with it. Then you will be better, for
you are faint for want of it."
Nelly busied herself in preparing the tea, and poor Meg thankfully
partook of it, and then read, one by one, all the letters written by that
dear hand, and now first opened by her own. From them she
gathered all the details of her mother's illness and journeyings to and
fro, of the tender cares by which she was surrounded; and she read,
with tear-moistened eyes, how that dear parent was ever looking
forward to meeting her again, and to the time when no one would be
able to separate them from each other. In more than one letter
money was enclosed, so that Margaretta found she would need no
help of this kind.
As she closed the last precious letter she felt more tenderly towards
her grandmother. "At least," thought she, "I have been able to read
my dear mother's words of love. She might have read them herself
and then burned them."
Old Lady Longridge was truly a strange mixture. Too vindictive to

give up her daughter-in-law's letters, yet impelled by a certain sense
of honour to refrain from reading words only meant for the eyes of
her granddaughter, and determined that in saying she knew nothing
of Mrs. Norland's movements, the statement should be true.
Thorley had a trying time with her old mistress that day. She found
out that Margaretta had left the Hall, but that she had carried nothing
away with her, so rightly judged that she had taken refuge at Nelly
Corry's. She had no chance of following her thither, for Lady
Longridge kept her constantly in sight, and, contrary to custom,
remained in her own room all the day.
"I am not well enough to go down," she said. "That girl has upset me
with her talk about forgiving. As if I, an old woman of eighty-three,
now would ask her pardon. And to talk of Florence! I never could
bear the woman! Daughters-in-law and daughters are all alike—at
any rate mine were. They cared for themselves, and left me to shift
for myself. I am getting old. The girl told the truth there, and
somebody must have the money. If I could make a new will—but
Melville is away, and I will trust nobody else. He is weak; he wanted
me to leave money to my daughters, who had their share long since;
but he is true, and can keep his own counsel and my secrets. I wish
—"
But the voice became tremulous and quavering, and for a time Lady
Longridge ceased to think aloud, and slept in her easy-chair by the
fire, while Thorley watched in silence, afraid to move, lest she should
arouse her mistress.
Lady Longridge awoke refreshed, but asked no questions about

Margaretta. She, however, later in the day gave Thorley the key of a
safe which occupied a corner of her bedroom and stood confessed
as such, without an attempt at concealment.
"Get out two papers for me," she said. "They are in large envelopes
—one blue, the other white, and both are marked alike, 'The last Will
and Testament of Dame Sophia Janet Longridge.'"
Thorley obeyed, and placed them by her side.
"Now undress me. I am tired, and will go to bed," said her mistress;
and as soon as her head touched the pillow she said, "Give me my
two last wills."
Clutching them tightly in her hand, Lady Longridge again began to

murmur to herself—
"The girl is a fine girl. She kept her temper better than I could have
done. Perhaps I have been hard; but it was Florence I disliked. She
would have turned me out of Northbrook, but she had to leave me
here at last. I always said I would live and die here, and I shall. I am
just a little glad the girl forgave me." Another pause. "I seem to see
differently to-day. I could almost see Florence if she came now.
Thorley, where is my granddaughter? Call her."
But Thorley knew she should call in vain, so she said she would
send and seek Miss Longridge, who was out somewhere.
"I wonder will she come in time?"
The words dropped more slowly from Lady Longridge's lips, and
there was a look in her face that startled Thorley. But once again she
spoke with comparative firmness, and the maid thought that her
mistress was battling against the drowsiness which was stealing
over her, and had made her so slow of utterance.
"I think Thorley shall settle it," she said. "I can take her opinion first
and act on it. Then if I like I can burn the other 'last will,' and let them
fight over the old woman's money."
Addressing her maid, she continued, "Here are two wills. This blue
one leaves much to you, little to Margaretta. The white, much to her,
little to you. Both cannot stand; which shall I burn?"
"Dear madam, burn the blue one!" cried the unselfish creature, true
to her love for dear Miss Meg. "Let the money go to your own flesh
and blood. I do not want it; I have saved what will serve my time, and
I shall be happy in seeing Miss Margaretta have it when you can
enjoy it no longer."
"Here, then, burn the blue one," and Lady Longridge relinquished her
hold of it. Thorley first tore it across, and then pushing it into the
midst of the fire saw it consumed to the last morsel.
"I almost wish you had burned the other," said her mistress. "You are
so unselfish you deserve the money; not that it has made me happy.
Margaretta is a long time in coming, and I must go to sleep. Say
'good-night' for me. I think you have made me feel as if I wanted to
forgive everybody. After all, blood is thicker than water."
Thorley heard unwonted words from the aged lips—"Forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." Then a
murmur only, then sleep.
The message sent by Thorley was the means of bringing Margaretta
back to the Hall, though she had never intended to return thither. But
a talk with her humble little friend Nelly had so softened the heart,
that when summoned she was ready to go with the messenger. On
tiptoe she entered Lady Longridge's room and crept to the bedside,
accompanied by Thorley, who bent over her mistress to listen.
There was no sound of breathing, no sign of life. Those murmured

words had been her last, and in her hand, though the grasp on it had
relaxed, lay the white will, truly the last will and testament of Dame
Sophia Janet Longridge, the contents of which made Margaretta her
heiress and owner of wealth far beyond what those who thought they
knew had counted on her leaving behind.
The succession of shocks was too great for the girl to bear, and for
the first time in her life she fainted by the side of the bed whereon lay
all that remained of her whose rule had been so long and so
despotic.
It was a great and unforeseen blessing that Mrs. Moffat returned that
night sooner than she intended, and that on her way to Clough
Cottage she stopped to leave a message for Nelly Corry. From her
she heard of Margaretta's flight from the Hall and the summons
back, and without hesitating, she ordered her coachman to drive
straight to Northbrook, where her presence gave the greatest
possible comfort.
Clasped in her kind arms, Margaretta sobbed out her story, and
received the best consolation she could have, until, only a couple of
days later, she found herself in those of her mother. Mr. and Mrs.
Norland had taken a shorter route home than they at first planned, to
avoid a district in which there had been cases of cholera; and on
reaching England saw the announcement of Lady Longridge's death
in the "Times," so hastened to Northbrook.
No more separations to look forward to. Mother and daughter were

united, with no fear of being snatched from each other. Lady
Longridge would have wondered, if with mortal eyes she could have
seen honest tears falling from those of her daughter-in-law. But the
account of those last words, the fact that the old lady had left her
wealth to Margaretta, as if to make amends for past harshness, the
memory of the sick-bed from which, by God's goodness, she had
been raised to renewed health, and perhaps the knowledge that she
herself might have been more forbearing, all combined to produce
softened feelings in her mind. She was very glad of those words
which Thorley repeated in a voice broken by sobs, "You have made
me feel as if I wanted to forgive everybody," and the divinely-taught
prayer which followed, and which Mrs. Hugh Norland herself said
that night as she had never said it before.
No one knew what Thorley had done, or by what a noble act of self-
sacrifice she had secured the inheritance for her dear Miss Meg.
They are not parted, for though Thorley at first thought she would
have a little home of her own, the tears of her darling induced her to
forego her resolution. The same roof covers them, and she who
might have inherited Lady Longridge's wealth waits upon the
heiress, and is well contented with the legacy which came to her, or
indeed would have been content without it.
Margaretta is doubly happy in her present home, for her stepfather is

good and wise, and regards her as a sacred charge from his old
friend, because she is Sir Philip Longridge's daughter. The girl finds
endless pleasure in the little boy who calls her "Sister Meg," and
tyrannises over her in baby fashion.
Mrs. Moffat has left Clough Cottage, and resides near the Norlands,
so Margaretta, long deprived of her mother's presence, now declares
she has two mammas.
Little Nelly Corry's deft fingers are often employed on dear Miss
Meg's gowns still, for she, too, has left the neighbourhood of
Northbrook Hall, and has a better and prettier home with her mother,
rent free, on Mr. Norland's estate.
So we will leave Margaretta, loved and cared for, amid surroundings
suitable to her present fortunes, and finding happiness in giving it to
others. A holiday story hers is, without a holiday or a hero. But she is
young yet, and abundantly contented. Her hero will come in time,
and if I happen to know him, I will tell you when a love story begins
with dear Miss Meg for its heroine.
A TALE OF A PENNY
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
"Do be quiet, Jack. I wonder who can read, write, or think, with any
hope of satisfactory results, whilst you are turning everything topsy-
turvy and rummaging round in such a fashion. What restless plagues
lads are, to be sure!"
"And all because a penny is lost, stolen, strayed, or otherwise

mislaid. I am sure it is not worth all that fuss," said sister number two,
while the young gentleman addressed, no ways affected, continued
his search for the missing coin.
There were just the three of them in a cosy room, one of those
universally useful apartments which are not too grand for working,
studying, or playing in, as the case may be, but in which mothers
and their young folk love to congregate. Florence, mostly called
Flossie, on account of her lovely hair, which was just one mass of
silken locks, was the eldest, and a girl of sixteen. She was generally
considered "a little bit blue," being a hard worker at her books, and
great in various branches of study unknown to girls when our
mothers were at school.
One of the teachers had been heard to call Flossie the prop of her
class; whereupon Master Jack, who was very fond of having a sly
poke at girls in general, and his sisters in particular, said he had
never known such an appropriate name for anybody.
"Floss is not only a prop but a perfect clothes-prop in every position,"

he said, in allusion to his sister's height, slimness, and length of limb.
At this moment Flossie was studying for an "exam." And, though

very fond of her young brother, she did not like to be interrupted by
Jack's "rampage" for his lost penny.
Madge, the second girl, though nearly two years younger, was a
born housewife; full of motherly instincts, and doting on little children.
She was still a child, despite those graver employments and
abstruse studies which are supposed to promote the higher
education of women in these enlightened days. She had been a doll-
worshipper always, and now, at more than fourteen years of age,
was the happy possessor of an immense family in wax, wood, cloth,
and porcelain. Amongst these she was as busy as was Flossie at
her books—furbishing up the whole lot, washing faces, repairing
garments, tidying dishevelled locks, and otherwise making the
multitude of dolls fit to be seen. Madge had brought down a doll's
house, relegated a year before to the garret, and was setting it in
order for the amusement of some very small cousins who were
expected on the following day.
At first Jack had been helping Madge, but the loss of that precious
penny—and a new one, too—had diverted his attention, and in the
search for it, he had upset chairs, unmade beds, brought down
miniature pictures, to the destruction of those works of art, and
brought down upon himself, in addition, the wrath of his younger
sister and playmate.
It was amusing to see how the ten-year-old lad's nature seemed

compounded of the very opposite characteristics of the girls. At
lesson time, he plodded away beside Flossie, who helped him with
his declensions, gave him almost too-learned lectures on the
beauties of Euclid, and piloted him tenderly across the Pons
Asinorum.
At playtime, he entered into Madge's pursuits, believed in the reality
of doll families and all their joys and sorrows. He even assisted at
their toilettes by dressing the boy juveniles, propriety being duly
considered, though under the roof of a doll's house. Madge was
playfellow, sister, friend, little mother and comforter to Jack from and
before the time he could toddle. Her great grief in those early days
was that he would grow, and often was she heard to say, when
remarking his progress upwards, "Oh, mamma, won't it be a pity
when Jack is grown out of a baby!" He being the youngest of the
family, and consequently the darling of all.
Father and mother both rejoiced in the close union among the
children, which helped, especially in Madge's case, to keep the girls
young—alas! A very difficult matter in these high-pressure days. And
Jack had a good deal of quiet humour for a lad of his age. He
professed to read Madge like a book, and declared that she made
the coming of the little visitors an excuse to have a turn at the dolls,
of which she was as fond as ever; moreover, that she still nursed
them on the quiet, and caressed them with all the old tenderness
when nobody was by, though in company she tried to look as grown-
up as dear old Floss, who was, in many ways, nearly as old as
Methuselah and as wise as Solomon.
An extra crash amongst the small furniture, and a half-penitent

apology from Jack, and then Madge began to scold in earnest.
"I declare, you bad boy, you have undone nearly an afternoon's
work, and done many a pennyworth of damage. I'll bring an action
against you, Jack, and mamma shall be judge. And here's the
porcelain doll that I called after you, and you were pretending to
wash, left at the bottom of the bath. Of course it's drowned, for no
person could be ten minutes face downwards and under water
without being finished off. However, the little ones can play at
burying him to-morrow—that's something."
This was too much even for Flossie's gravity. She and Jack burst into
a fit of laughing at the idea of the drowned doll and funeral in
prospective, in which Madge joined a moment after, despite her
endeavours to look aggrieved at the sad consequences of Jack's
negligence.
In removing the tin bath Madge discovered the new penny

underneath it, and then Jack remembered that he had put it there
himself for safety, because both his pockets were in an unsafe
condition.
"And no wonder, Jack, considering the loads and loads of rubbish

you put in. One of your jackets came from the cleaner's only
yesterday, and mamma says it smells oily yet, and all through your
carrying lumps of putty in it for weeks together."
Jack pulled a long face, and held out his hand for the recovered coin,
which Madge at first refused to deliver up.
"Give me a kiss for it, and say you're sorry for all the fuss and the
mischief you have caused," said she.
Madge held out her rosy lip; Jack drew back, shrugged his
shoulders, and looked as if he were going to perform an act of
penance. He gave the pretty lips a very rapid salute, snatched the
coin from Madge, then pulled a wry face and polished his own mouth
on the cuff of his coat.
"Is it such a terrible dose, Jack?" asked Madge, with just a suspicion
of moisture in the corner of her eye, for she could not bear the young
rebel even to pretend anything unloving towards her.
For answer she received a hug that would have been a credit to a
Greenland bear, and quite a little shower of kisses from the boy, who
added, "You knew it was only for fun, Madge. I would not vex you,
dear." And she did, know it.
At this moment mamma came in.
"My dear children, what an untidy room! What! Up to the eyes in

dolls and dolls' belongings, Madge. I suppose you are preparing for
the small cousins. But I thought by this time the whole establishment
would be in order. Flossie, how have you gone on working amid such
a racket? What has it been about?"
"Jack's new penny. He lost it, and would not be pacified until at
length it was discovered—but not without enough fuss and turmoil to
make the room in this state—in the very place where he had himself
put it. I offered him another, two others, but nothing save the
particular penny would do. As if the loss of a penny were of any
consequence."
"It is of consequence," said Jack. "I did not want to lose it. I never
like to lose anything, if taking a little trouble will find it. Besides, I
don't believe in being beaten when I know the thing must be
somewhere about, so I was determined not to give in, until I got my
penny back again."
"Right, Jack," said mamma, "and I am very glad your perseverance

was rewarded by its recovery. Still, you had no occasion to make the
whole room and its contents look as though the place was the scene
of a recent earthquake. Flossie, dear, how have you managed to
move your elbows? You might be besieged. Let me say to you, dear,
also, never undervalue a penny. I once heard a story which told how
the future of two lives hung on a single penny."
Flossie's book was closed, and her pen wiped and put away in a
moment.
"I have just finished my work, mamma, and am longing for a chat
with you by the fireside. Tell us the story about the penny. Do, there's
a darling."
Mamma's cosy chair was drawn forward, and a little fireside circle
formed instanter. But mamma protested that she never could tell a
story in the midst of a litter, so Madge and Jack began to clear away
with great rapidity. The girl, who was naturally methodical, put things
in their places; the boy made bad worse by the unceremonious
fashion in which he huddled the dolls, their clothing and furniture into
the miniature mansion, and closed the door upon them.
In her eagerness to hear her mother's story Madge forgot to find fault
with Jack, and soon the girls were seated at each side of the family
tale-teller, and the lad stretched on the rug at her feet, his upturned,
intelligent face lighted by the blaze of the cheerful fire, gas having
been vetoed by unanimous consent.
CHAPTER II.
TWENTY years ago two girls might have been seen approaching a
London railway-station. They had evidently been on a shopping
expedition, for they were quite laden with numbers of small parcels,
besides which they had one of considerable bulk, though not very
weighty. A glance at their fine, fresh faces and the lovely colour on
their cheeks suggested the idea that they were country girls on a
visit to the metropolis. Indeed, few persons could have met these
girls without giving them a second glance. One, the elder by several
years, was unusually tall; but her carriage was equally remarkable
for grace and dignity, and her features for almost faultless regularity.
No wonder that she attracted some attention amongst the many
passers-by.
The younger, a girl of eighteen, was also above the middle height,
and although not a beauty like her sister, her face just possessed the
charm which was lacking in the other. It beamed with intelligence,
and seemed to be the reflection of an active mind, a cheerful temper,
and a warm, loving heart.
Even as they passed along, the unselfish character of the younger
was made manifest. She insisted on carrying the larger share of the
parcels, notably the largest of all, which was evidently a source of
considerable annoyance to her beautiful companion, who plainly
deemed these packages infra dig. Though surrounded by strangers,
she glanced round from time to time, to see if, by any chance, some
acquaintance were noticing her, and carried such parcels as she
retained by their loops of string and on the tips of her fingers, as if
under constant protest.
As they were nearing the station the elder girl said, "I am so glad we
are getting near the end of our tramp. You, Lizzie, scarcely seem to
care how many bundles you have about you, if you can only carry
them; but I hate to go along laden just like a pack-horse, and on a
warm day, too. This hot weather makes me look like a
washerwoman."
"It would take a great deal to make you look like a washerwoman,
Edith," replied Lizzie, with a merry laugh. "I never saw you look
better than you do at this moment. I get as red as a peony all over
my face, and you are only rose-coloured, and in the proper places.
Do touch my face with your handkerchief; for mine is deep down in
one of my many pockets, each of which is crammed with odds and
ends of purchases."
Mollified by this tribute to her personal appearance, Edith did as she

was requested, and the girls, finding they had a quarter of an hour to
spare, seated themselves on a shady seat at one side of the
platform, on which Lizzie also placed her larger parcels; seeming
thankful for the rest.
They were not going home together after all. They were guests in the
same house; but they had other friends in the neighbourhood
besides those with whom they were staying. Edith, especially, had
many acquaintances, amongst whom she had often visited when in
London on former occasions, and she was going to spend the
evening with an old schoolfellow recently married.
Lizzie, in London for the first time; was a stranger to this married
friend of her sister. She had been invited to accompany Edith; but
had declined, because had she gone she must have disappointed
some quite little children, to whom she considered herself engaged.
"You might have gone with me, Lizzie," said Edith, in a tone of
annoyance. "Just as though it mattered for you to romp with those
little cousins to-night."
"I had promised the children before Mrs. Martin's invitation came,
and these little people feel a disappointment far more than elder
ones do. Besides, I know your friend does not really want me, and
Sam and Nellie do. She only asked me out of civility to you, and you
will enjoy your confab a great deal better by yourselves. Even if Mrs.
Martin did want me, a promise is a promise, and I must keep my
word."
A slight look of contempt crossed Edith's fair face as Lizzie

announced her intention of keeping her appointment with the little
people, but she felt that, after all, her frank young sister might be
rather in the way than otherwise, on the principle that two are
company, three none. She was rather reckoning on an hour's tête-à-
tête with Mrs. Martin, who had been her chosen school friend, and
as whose bridesmaid she had officiated a few months before. Mr.
Martin and his brother would be in to dinner at six, and then there
would be two couples for chatting, and perhaps a stroll together,
before she should have to return to her temporary home, and rejoin
Lizzie there.
Edith did not say aloud what was passing through her mind. Her
reply was, "Of course you cannot go with me now, as you have not
dressed for the purpose, and I was certain you would go back to
those children in any case. But you will have to take every one of the
parcels and my umbrella. It will not matter, as you take the train
directly, and you can have a cab from the station."
"Oh no, I can manage very well. But, Edith, you forget. I have no
money left. You must give me some."
"And I have very little; only five and sixpence. I cannot go to Mrs.
Martin's without anything in my pocket. If you had not persisted in
buying that Shetland shawl to-day we should have had plenty and to
spare, and if you had let the shop people send it, we need not have
gone about laden like two excursionists."
"We are excursionists," laughed Lizzie. "Haven't we got special

tickets for this very trip? As to the shawl, it was so exactly what
mamma has been trying to obtain, that I felt we ought not to risk
losing it. I care nothing about carrying it, for though it makes rather a
large parcel, it is very light, and I shall have the pleasure of
forwarding it to mamma at once. Besides, Edith, you bought several
little things for yourself after I had spoken for the shawl."
Lizzie felt just a little bit hurt at her sister's reproof, for Edith's
purchases, which had nearly drained her purse, were all for her own
personal adornment, and helped very considerably to increase the
load which she declined to share. The shawl would add greatly to the
comfort of their rather delicate mother, who needed one which would
combine warmth with extreme lightness, and who had begged the
girls to send one from London with as little delay as possible.
Edith insisted that in such roasting hot weather, the shawl could not
be of any consequence. Lizzie's great desire was to execute her
mother's commission, and to keep her promise.
Again the girl reminded her elder sister of her own moneyless
condition. "However the cash has gone, Edith, it is gone, and I
suppose the railway people will not give me a ticket for nothing. You
must spare me something in the shape of a coin. I will do with as
little as possible. I can pay the cabman from my money at home."
"The fare is only fourpence," said Edith, taking out her purse and
abstracting the only small coin in it. "I suppose this sixpence will do.
By the bye, it is my train that goes at the quarter; yours is at the half-
hour, so you will have to wait by yourself."

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Sociology in Our Times 9th Edition

Diana Test Bank

CHAPTER 7 – CLASS AND STRATIFICATION IN THE UNITED STATES

2. Explain Karl Marx’s views on social class and stratification.

3. Discuss Max Weber’s multidimensional approach to social stratification.

4. List and note the key characteristics of U.S. social classes.

5. Distinguish between income inequality and wealth inequality.

6. Describe three important consequences of inequality in the United States.

MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION

Answer: c Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

a. From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.

Answer: a Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: a Page: 183 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: c Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: c Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: a Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: c Page: 184 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: c Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

a. people's positions are set by achieved statuses

Answer: b Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: b Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

12. Which of these statements about slavery in the U.S. is false?

Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: d Page: 185 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

a. status is determined at birth

Answer: b Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

15. Vestiges of a caste system exist today in __________.

a. India and South Africa

Answer: a Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

Answer: c Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 186 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

Answer: b Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: a Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

20. Which of these statements about the caste system is false?

a. In a caste system marriage is endogamous.

Answer: d Page: 187 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: d Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

22. In a class system

a. status is based on access to and ownership of resources.

Answer: a Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: a Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: c Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: a Page: 188 LO: 1 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: d Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: a Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: d Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: c Page: 188 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: c Page: 189 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

a. Many workers have experienced a rising standard of living.

Answer: c Page: 189 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

a. the economic basis of class systems.

Answer: a Page: 189 LO: 2 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: d Page: 189 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 189 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 190 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Answer: c Page: 190 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Answer: a Page: 190 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified

Answer: b Page: 190 LO: 3 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Modified