Question 1

Social stratification is a matter of not only inequality, but also beliefs about fairness.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The "bell curve" thesis states that, over the last century, U.S.society

Accepted Answer

A) has dramatically reduced poverty. 
B) has put less and less importance on education as a path to success. 
C) is becoming more of a meritocracy. 
D) has become a less-stratified, "middle-class" society. 
A) has dramatically reduced poverty. 
B) has put less and less importance on education as a path to success. 
C) is becoming more of a meritocracy. 
D) has become a less-stratified, "middle-class" society.

Question 3

Ideology refers to ideas that support social stratification.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

State several ways in which caste and class systems differ.

Accepted Answer

Caste and class systems differ in severa

Question 5

In English history, the aristocracy included

Accepted Answer

A) the hereditary nobility. 
B) the highest church officials. 
C) the royal family. 
D) All of these are correct. 
A) the hereditary nobility. 
B) the highest church officials. 
C) the royal family. 
D) All of these are correct.

Question 6

The concept "meritocracy" refers to social stratification

Accepted Answer

A) with no social mobility. 
B) in which people "know their place." 
C) based entirely on personal merit. 
D) as found in the United States. 
A) with no social mobility. 
B) in which people "know their place." 
C) based entirely on personal merit. 
D) as found in the United States.

Question 7

At the lowest level of social stratification in ancient Japan were the

Accepted Answer

A) shogun. 
B) burakumin or "outcasts." 
C) samurai or "warriors." 
D) Shudra. 
A) shogun. 
B) burakumin or "outcasts." 
C) samurai or "warriors." 
D) Shudra.

Question 8

Could a society exist without social stratification? Try to describe such a society.How would people be assigned to their jobs? How would pay and other rewards be set? What do you imagine might be the benefits of such a society? What about the dangers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a society could theoretically exist

Question 9

What is meritocracy? What part does it play in class systems?

Accepted Answer

Meritocracy is a political, social, or e

Question 10

In class systems, social categories are more clearly and rigidly defined than they are in caste systems.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following concepts refers to the historical practice in England of passing on property to only the first-born male descendant?

Accepted Answer

A) the law of the estates 
B) the law of meritocracy 
C) the law of status consistency 
D) the law of primogeniture 
A) the law of the estates 
B) the law of meritocracy 
C) the law of status consistency 
D) the law of primogeniture

Question 12

Comparing societies in history and around the world, we see that social stratification may involve differences in

Accepted Answer

A) what is unequal. 
B) how unequal people are. 
C) why people are unequal. 
D) All of these are correct. 
A) what is unequal. 
B) how unequal people are. 
C) why people are unequal. 
D) All of these are correct.

Question 13

For most people in the United States, social standing remains much the same over the course of a lifetime.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

If you were born into a traditional caste system, you would expect that, based on birth, you would be

Accepted Answer

A) raised to do a certain type of job. 
B) required to marry someone of your own social category. 
C) encouraged to socialize with other people within your own category. 
D) All of these are correct. 
A) raised to do a certain type of job. 
B) required to marry someone of your own social category. 
C) encouraged to socialize with other people within your own category. 
D) All of these are correct.

Question 15

Compared to the U.S.society, Japanese society exhibits more caste elements.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Karl Marx claimed that social stratification in high-income nations, such as the Great Britain and the United States, reflect a capitalist economy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

According to Simon Kuznets, in which type of society is the extent of social stratification greatest?

Accepted Answer

A) hunting and gathering 
B) horticultural/pastoral 
C) agrarian 
D) industrial 
A) hunting and gathering 
B) horticultural/pastoral 
C) agrarian 
D) industrial

Question 18

In Japan, as in other societies with a long history of caste, today people may not always discuss _____ openly, but it is never far from the surface when people size up one another socially.

Accepted Answer

A) family background 
B) personal talent 
C) educational degree 
D) the economy 
A) family background 
B) personal talent 
C) educational degree 
D) the economy

Question 19

The idea that social inequality is harmful and divides society is associated with the

Accepted Answer

A) structural-functional approach. 
B) social-conflict approach. 
C) symbolic-interaction approach. 
D) social-exchange approach. 
A) structural-functional approach. 
B) social-conflict approach. 
C) symbolic-interaction approach. 
D) social-exchange approach.

Question 20

What is the Kuznets curve? What does it tell us about how social stratification has varied over the course of human history as well as in the world today?

Accepted Answer

The Kuznets curve is a graphical represe

Exam 10: Social Stratification

Social stratification is a matter of not only inequality, but also beliefs about fairness.

The "bell curve" thesis states that, over the last century, U.S.society

Ideology refers to ideas that support social stratification.

State several ways in which caste and class systems differ.

In English history, the aristocracy included

The concept "meritocracy" refers to social stratification

At the lowest level of social stratification in ancient Japan were the

Could a society exist without social stratification? Try to describe such a society.How would people be assigned to their jobs? How would pay and other rewards be set? What do you imagine might be the benefits of such a society? What about the dangers?

What is meritocracy? What part does it play in class systems?

In class systems, social categories are more clearly and rigidly defined than they are in caste systems.

Which of the following concepts refers to the historical practice in England of passing on property to only the first-born male descendant?

Comparing societies in history and around the world, we see that social stratification may involve differences in

For most people in the United States, social standing remains much the same over the course of a lifetime.

If you were born into a traditional caste system, you would expect that, based on birth, you would be

Compared to the U.S.society, Japanese society exhibits more caste elements.

Karl Marx claimed that social stratification in high-income nations, such as the Great Britain and the United States, reflect a capitalist economy.

According to Simon Kuznets, in which type of society is the extent of social stratification greatest?

In Japan, as in other societies with a long history of caste, today people may not always discuss _____ openly, but it is never far from the surface when people size up one another socially.

The idea that social inequality is harmful and divides society is associated with the

What is the Kuznets curve? What does it tell us about how social stratification has varied over the course of human history as well as in the world today?

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