Sociology Questions

In which type of society is the term class most often used to analyze stratification?a) hunting and gatheringb) industrializedc) feudald) castee) all of the above

Piaget says this is the characteristic quality of a child during the early years of his or her life. Understanding things solely from one's own environment.

According to the Kuznets curve, inequality in capitalist societies:a) decreases at first, stabilizes, and then decreases againb) increases at first, declines, and then stabilizes at a relatively low levelc) decreases at first, increases rapidly, and then stabilizes at a relatively high leveld) increases at first, stabilizes at a high level, and then declines graduallye) starts out stable for a long time and then gradually increases to a high level

Verbal and nonverbal messages that older generations transmit to younger generations regarding race.

Karl Marx called those who own the means of production _______________ and those who make their living by selling their own labor power for a wage _______________.a) status groups; pariahsb)sellers; buyersc)producers; consumersd) merchants; peddlerse) capitalists; the working class

Which of the following is true of ALL systems of social stratification?a) If a person no longer identifies with the other members of his category, he is no longer classified at that level.b) A person's life chances are significantly influenced by her position.c) Ranks tend to fluctuate rapidly and significantly over time.d) Upward mobility is a norm that is valued in all societies.e) Wealthy people are always ranked higher than poorer ones.

Mean household income has grown the most since 1974 for which part of the income distribution?a) all income levels equally.b) bottom 20%c) highest 20%d) middle 60%e) top 5%

Class systems differ from slavery and castes in all the following ways EXCEPT that:a) classes are based on personal attributes such as race and religionb) class systems are stagnantc) inequality in wealth and income is greater in class systemsd) movement is possible between classese) positions in class systems are determined at birth and cannot be changed

According to Carol Gilligan's (1982) research on gender roles, what motivates women to be successful?a) sex and moneyb) power and prestigec) morality and moneyd) helping others and building relationshipse) individual achievements and awards

Consumerism and consumption have blurred class differences to some extent in our society. Television and nationwide mall stores reinforce the idea that there are no intense class boundaries. Consumerism and consumption, however, do NOT alleviate the:a) strain of credit card debt that most Americans haveb) need to spend all the timec) twenty-first-century reality of a "mass society"d) reality of economic inequalities that continue to increase in our societye) pressure on low-income families to spend beyond their means

Which of the following best explains the relationship between wealth and income?a) Although income is influenced by race, education, and age, wealth is independent of these variables.b) Wealthy people almost always inherit their money; thus, there is no relationship between wealth and income.c) The same factors that limit people's incomes also limit their ability to accumulate wealth.d) Income disparities between rich and poor have increased in the past three decades, whereas wealth disparities have decreased during the same time.e) Education has a strong connection to income but a weak relationship to wealth.

In 2011, the top 5% of households in the United States earned _______________ of the total income?a) 20%b) 22.3%c) 45.7%d) 51.1%e) 65%

A stratification system in which certain people are owned as property and more or less deprived of all rights by law is known as:a) capitalismb) castec) estatesd) slaverye) socialism

According to Carol Gilligan's (1982) research, women and men differ in their view of moral judgments, with women tending to see contradictions between:a) centering on personal self-interest and the needs of the generalized otherb) employing authoritarian approaches and empathetic approachesc) following strict moral guidelines and avoiding harm to othersd) valuing feminist parameters and traditional boundariese) adhering to individualist motivators and collective rewards

In 2007, _______________ of total wealth in the United States was held by the bottom 60% of Americans hold?a) 0.5%b) 2%c) 12%d) 20%e) 50%

When sociologists study the existence of structured inequalities in a society, they refer to that structure as:a) social inequityb) social disapprovalc)socialismd) social stratificatione) strategic sociality

Which of the following is NOT part of what is called identity, in the sociological sense?a) the understanding of who we areb) a set of characteristics we share with othersc) a set of characteristics that are completely unique to the individuald) multifacetednesse) the understanding of what is meaningful to us

How has globalization contributed to the increasing inequality in American society?a) Some companies have lowered wages to compete with companies that use cheap third world labor.b) Globalization has encouraged immigration to the United States, thus increasing the low-wage labor pool and pushing wages down.c) Labor unions have been weakened by globalization.d) All of the above.e) None of the above; inequality is not increasing in the United States.

Which of the following is NOT one of the four of the main agents of socialization discussed in the text?a) familyb) peersc) schoold) mass mediae)government

Who among the following had the greatest influence on Nancy Chodorow's theory of gender development although she places primary emphasis on the development of femininity rather than masculinity?a) Sigmund Freudb) George Herbert Meadc)Jean Piagetd) Jason Smythe