Sociology Chapter 8 Flashcards

Questions and Answers

A condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power is called:

Social inequality (correct)

Social structure

Status

Socialization

Thorstein Veblen suggested persons at the top of the social hierarchy convert wealth into conspicuous consumption, while the behavior of the lower classes is often subjected to ridicule. Veblen's views are from the:

Interactionist perspective (correct)

Functionalist perspective

Conflict perspective

Feminist perspective

A stratification system that implies that the position of each individual is influenced by the person's achieved status is referred to as a(n):

Closed stratification system

Open stratification system (correct)

Fractured class system

Egalitarian class system

Sociologists have documented that the class system is more rigid for:

African Americans Signup and view all the answers

The objective method of assessing social class assigns individuals to classes on the basis of:

Criteria such as occupation, education, income, and place of residence Signup and view all the answers

The long-term poor who lack training and skills are referred to as:

The underclass Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following refers to a floating standard of deprivation by which people at the bottom of a society are judged to be disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole?

Relative poverty Signup and view all the answers

In Karl Marx's view, social relations during any period of history depend on who controls the:

Primary mode of economic production Signup and view all the answers

A class system employs a social ranking based primarily on:

Economic position Signup and view all the answers

Which sociologist first made the distinction between vertical and horizontal mobility?

Pitirim Sorokin Signup and view all the answers

Max Weber uses the term class to refer to people who share a similar level of:

Wealth and income Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following terms is used by sociologists for a structured ranking of groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in society?

Stratification Signup and view all the answers

Some analysts suggest that inner-city riots have frequently occurred when poor people realize that their chances of climbing out of poverty are unlikely because of the structure of our social system. Their frustration is based on their perception that they are living in a(n):

Closed stratification system Signup and view all the answers

A woman is born into a homeless, single-parent family. She is very talented, and as an adult she becomes a wealthy, world-acclaimed pianist. This scenario most closely represents which type of stratification system?

Class Signup and view all the answers

In sociologist Daniel Rossides's model of the class system of the U.S., which social class contains the smallest portion of the population?

Upper class Signup and view all the answers

Some sociologists have suggested that in the southern U.S. in the pre-civil rights era, an African American individual was born into a status that would always be subordinate to the status of all of the White members of the community. This is an example of a(n):

Caste system Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following social classes is declining in size?

Working class Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following terms did Karl Marx use to refer to an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect the class's objective position?

False consciousness Signup and view all the answers

The commonly used 'poverty line' measure of poverty used by the federal government measures which type of poverty?

Absolute poverty Signup and view all the answers

Which of these factors affects whether a person becomes poor?

Age Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about slavery is true?

True Signup and view all the answers

A woman who was born and raised in a poor family becomes a regional supervisor for the U.S. Postal Service. She has experienced:

Upward intergenerational mobility Signup and view all the answers

A system of enforced servitude in which people are legally owned by others is known as:

Slavery Signup and view all the answers

A measure of social class that is based on income, education, and occupation is known as:

Socioeconomic status Signup and view all the answers

A single mother who works in a factory sewing large sheets of canvas would be considered:

Working class Signup and view all the answers

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to argue that most talented people would not go to school for many years to become biochemists if they could make as much money and gain as much respect working as elevator operators?

Functionalist perspective Signup and view all the answers

In Karl Marx's view, a worker who identifies with the wealthy and believes that she can achieve great wealth through hard work is likely to have developed a:

False consciousness Signup and view all the answers

Which sociological perspective suggests that the higher rates of poverty among single mothers are due to the difficulty women have finding affordable child care, to sexual harassment, and to sex discrimination in the labor market?

Conflict perspective Signup and view all the answers

Less affluent professionals, such as elementary school teachers, are included in which of the following social classes?

Lower-middle class Signup and view all the answers

An 83-year-old woman is placed at a small table in a dark corner of a trendy nightclub and is ignored by the staff. Her shoddy treatment is probably due to her age, which is a(n) ________ status.

Ascribed Signup and view all the answers

Higher loan balances are typically held by:

Black and Latino students Signup and view all the answers

Karl Marx used the term proletariat to refer to the:

Working class Signup and view all the answers

An inner-city youth spends many hours in the neighborhood playground shooting baskets on the basketball court and engaging in every game that he can play. His skills become outstanding, and he receives a college scholarship and then signs a lucrative contract to play in the National Basketball Association. This is an example of:

Vertical mobility Signup and view all the answers

The fact that an unemployed coal miner in Appalachia has a higher standard of living than a doctor in Congo illustrates the idea that:

Poverty is relative Signup and view all the answers

Max Weber defined ________ as the ability to exercise one's will over others.

Power Signup and view all the answers

An ascribed status is a social position:

Assigned to a person without regard to the person's unique characteristics or talents Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors have contributed to the shrinking size of the middle class?

Global competition and rapid advances in technology Signup and view all the answers

Which level of college degree serves as less of a guarantee of upward mobility today than it did in the past?

B.A./B.S Signup and view all the answers

Capitalism is an economic system in which:

The means of production are largely in private hands, and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profit Signup and view all the answers

________ is often blamed for this growing inequality, because it has forced less skilled workers to compete with lower-paid foreign-born workers.

Globalization Signup and view all the answers

The owner of a major league baseball team can fire employees for not winning a pennant, have the city build him a new ballpark, and prevent organizations that compete against his own team from airing advertisements during the team's televised games. In Max Weber's view, this owner would most likely be considered as having:

Power Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one position of society's stratification system to another?

Social mobility Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Social inequality refers to disparities in wealth, prestige, or power among members of society.
A stratification system based on achieved status is known as an open stratification system.
The class system in the U.S. tends to be more rigid for African Americans compared to other racial groups.

Definitions of Poverty

Absolute poverty is a floating standard of deprivation where individuals are judged as disadvantaged relative to the entire nation.
Relative poverty measures individuals against societal standards, contrasting general societal wealth and status.

Sociological Perspectives on Class

Conflict perspective emphasizes inequalities and struggles among social classes.
Interactionist perspective focuses on daily interactions and relationships which results in the reinforcement of class structures.
Max Weber's view on social relations highlights the significant influence of the economic production mode on society.

Class Structures and Mobility

A class system is primarily based on economic position, impacting individual social ranking.
There are distinctions between vertical mobility (upward/downward movement) and horizontal mobility (movement within the same level).
A closed stratification system signifies that individuals’ societal positions are largely predetermined.

Historical Contexts of Inequality

The caste system enforces rigid social orders with no opportunity for movement between classes.
In pre-civil rights America, African Americans experienced systemic subordination reflective of caste-like conditions.

Factors Influencing Poverty

Several factors, including mental health and age, impact individual poverty levels.
The poverty line is an essential federal measure used to identify individuals living in absolute poverty.
Among women, understanding their poverty often involves examining barriers like child care access and labor market discrimination.

Educational Impacts on Class

Economic growth and technological advancements have contributed to the contraction of the middle class.
Attaining specific academic degrees today may not guarantee upward mobility as it once did, particularly for B.A./B.S. degrees.

Capitalism and Globalization

Capitalism is an economic system where production means are privately owned, focusing on profit accumulation.
Globalization has led to increased inequality, creating competition between less skilled domestic workers and lower-paid foreign workers.

Power Dynamics in Society

Max Weber associates power with the ability to influence or command respect within social structures.
Social mobility is defined as the ability of individuals or groups to move within societal stratification systems, affecting life chances.

Class Consciousness

False consciousness describes a misperception where individuals in the working class identify with the interests of the capitalist class instead of their own.

Summary of Key Terms

Underclass refers to the long-term poor lacking skills and training.
Socioeconomic Status (SES) measures an individual's social class based on income, education, and occupation.
Slavery is identified as the most extreme form of social inequality, characterized by enforced servitude.

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Test your knowledge with these flashcards on key concepts from Chapter 8 of sociology. Covering terms like social inequality and conspicuous consumption, these cards will help reinforce your understanding. Perfect for students looking to strengthen their grasp of sociological theories.

Sociology Chapter 8 Flashcards

Questions and Answers

A condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power is called:

Thorstein Veblen suggested persons at the top of the social hierarchy convert wealth into conspicuous consumption, while the behavior of the lower classes is often subjected to ridicule. Veblen's views are from the:

A stratification system that implies that the position of each individual is influenced by the person's achieved status is referred to as a(n):

Sociologists have documented that the class system is more rigid for:

The objective method of assessing social class assigns individuals to classes on the basis of:

The long-term poor who lack training and skills are referred to as:

Which of the following refers to a floating standard of deprivation by which people at the bottom of a society are judged to be disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole?

In Karl Marx's view, social relations during any period of history depend on who controls the:

A class system employs a social ranking based primarily on:

Which sociologist first made the distinction between vertical and horizontal mobility?

Max Weber uses the term class to refer to people who share a similar level of:

Which of the following terms is used by sociologists for a structured ranking of groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in society?

Some analysts suggest that inner-city riots have frequently occurred when poor people realize that their chances of climbing out of poverty are unlikely because of the structure of our social system. Their frustration is based on their perception that they are living in a(n):

A woman is born into a homeless, single-parent family. She is very talented, and as an adult she becomes a wealthy, world-acclaimed pianist. This scenario most closely represents which type of stratification system?

In sociologist Daniel Rossides's model of the class system of the U.S., which social class contains the smallest portion of the population?

Some sociologists have suggested that in the southern U.S. in the pre-civil rights era, an African American individual was born into a status that would always be subordinate to the status of all of the White members of the community. This is an example of a(n):

Which of the following social classes is declining in size?

Which of the following terms did Karl Marx use to refer to an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect the class's objective position?

The commonly used 'poverty line' measure of poverty used by the federal government measures which type of poverty?

Which of these factors affects whether a person becomes poor?

Which of the following statements about slavery is true?

A woman who was born and raised in a poor family becomes a regional supervisor for the U.S. Postal Service. She has experienced:

A system of enforced servitude in which people are legally owned by others is known as:

A measure of social class that is based on income, education, and occupation is known as:

A single mother who works in a factory sewing large sheets of canvas would be considered:

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to argue that most talented people would not go to school for many years to become biochemists if they could make as much money and gain as much respect working as elevator operators?

In Karl Marx's view, a worker who identifies with the wealthy and believes that she can achieve great wealth through hard work is likely to have developed a:

Which sociological perspective suggests that the higher rates of poverty among single mothers are due to the difficulty women have finding affordable child care, to sexual harassment, and to sex discrimination in the labor market?

Less affluent professionals, such as elementary school teachers, are included in which of the following social classes?

An 83-year-old woman is placed at a small table in a dark corner of a trendy nightclub and is ignored by the staff. Her shoddy treatment is probably due to her age, which is a(n) ________ status.

Higher loan balances are typically held by:

Karl Marx used the term proletariat to refer to the:

The fact that an unemployed coal miner in Appalachia has a higher standard of living than a doctor in Congo illustrates the idea that:

Max Weber defined ________ as the ability to exercise one's will over others.

An ascribed status is a social position:

Which of the following factors have contributed to the shrinking size of the middle class?

Which level of college degree serves as less of a guarantee of upward mobility today than it did in the past?

Capitalism is an economic system in which:

________ is often blamed for this growing inequality, because it has forced less skilled workers to compete with lower-paid foreign-born workers.

Which of the following refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one position of society's stratification system to another?

Study Notes

Social Inequality and Stratification

Definitions of Poverty

Sociological Perspectives on Class

Class Structures and Mobility

Historical Contexts of Inequality

Factors Influencing Poverty

Educational Impacts on Class

Capitalism and Globalization

Power Dynamics in Society

Class Consciousness

Summary of Key Terms

Studying That Suits You

Description

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