Exam 2: Culture

You have recently been appointed to the U.S. 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.

_______________is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources.

Lijuan's mother is an architect, and her father is a college professor. Lijuan left home at age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Lijuan no longer communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at a fast-food restaurant, Lijuan resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for money. Lijuan's story illustrates the concept of _______________.

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.

Contemporary Marxian (or conflict) theorists examine class in terms of______________ .

Which age group (of all races) has the highest percentage living in poverty?

Most women who made the Forbes magazine wealthiest list .

Dennis Gilbert's model of social classes is based on two elements: education and family income.

In 2014, the poorest 20 percent of households in the United States received approximately______________ of the total income pie.

According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, and based on the theory of Weber, the upper (capitalist) class of the United States includes about ____________ of the population.

According to sociologist Max Weber's system of stratification____________ , is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

The Department of Agriculture uses the term______________ for people whose access to adequate food is limited by lack of money and other resources.

Social mobility is always upward and between generations.

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 _______________ .

For most people in the United States, wealth is invested primarily in ______________.

The U.S. Social Security Administration has established an official poverty line. The poverty line is computed by _______________________________.

Virtually anyone can be poor, and poverty is randomly distributed throughout the population of the United States.

Explain the concept of alienation, and describe how workers are alienated in a capitalist mode of production, according to Marx.

Caste systems and slavery are both _______________.

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.