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Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States

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Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States

9 problems · 0 figures

9-1 §9.1 source ↗

What factor makes caste systems closed?
  1. a.
    They are run by secretive governments.
  2. b.
    People cannot change their social standing.
  3. c.
    Most have been outlawed.
  4. d.
    They exist only in rural areas.

Answer

B. People cannot change their social standing.

9-3 §9.1 source ↗

Which person best illustrates opportunities for upward social mobility in the United States?
  1. a.
    First-shift factory worker
  2. b.
    First-generation college student
  3. c.
    Firstborn son who inherits the family business
  4. d.
    First-time interviewee who is hired for a job

Answer

B. First-generation college student

9-5 §9.1 source ↗

Based on meritocracy, a physician’s assistant would:
  1. a.
    receive the same pay as all the other physician’s assistants
  2. b.
    be considered a member of the upper class
  3. c.
    most likely marry a professional at the same level
  4. d.
    earn a pay raise for doing excellent work

Answer

D. earn a pay raise for doing excellent work

9-7 §9.2 source ↗

The behaviors, customs, and norms associated with a class are known as:
  1. a.
    class traits
  2. b.
    power
  3. c.
    prestige
  4. d.
    underclass

Answer

A. class traits

9-9 §9.2 source ↗

Occupational prestige means that jobs are:
  1. a.
    all equal in status
  2. b.
    not equally valued
  3. c.
    assigned to a person for life
  4. d.
    not part of a person’s self-identity

Answer

B. not equally valued

9-11 §9.3 source ↗

Which event created a significant divide between Western Europe/America and the rest of the world?
  1. a.
    The Industrial Revolution
  2. b.
    The American Revolution
  3. c.
    The Reformation
  4. d.
    World War I

Answer

A. The Industrial Revolution

9-13 §9.4 source ↗

The basic premise of the Davis-Moore thesis is that the unequal distribution of rewards in social stratification:
  1. a.
    is an outdated mode of societal organization
  2. b.
    is an artificial reflection of society
  3. c.
    serves a purpose in society
  4. d.
    cannot be justified

Answer

C. serves a purpose in society

9-15 §9.4 source ↗

Which statement represents stratification from the perspective of symbolic interactionism?
  1. a.
    Men often earn more than women, even working the same job.
  2. b.
    After work, Pat, a janitor, feels more comfortable eating in a truck stop than a French restaurant.
  3. c.
    Doctors earn more money because their job is more highly valued.
  4. d.
    Teachers continue to struggle to keep benefits such as health insurance.

Answer

B. After work, Pat, a janitor, feels more comfortable eating in a truck stop than a French restaurant.

9-17 §9.4 source ↗

Conflict theorists view capitalists as those who:
  1. a.
    are ambitious
  2. b.
    fund social services
  3. c.
    spend money wisely
  4. d.
    get rich while workers stay poor

Answer

D. get rich while workers stay poor

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Problems and answers are adapted from Introduction to Sociology 3e by Tonja R. Conerly, Kathleen Holmes and Asha Lal Tamang, OpenStax, and are used under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/1-introduction. Illustrations: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This adaptation is released under the same licence, is non-commercial, and is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by OpenStax or Rice University.