Question 1

_____ is socially defined on the basis of a presumed common genetic heritage resulting in distinguishing physical characteristics.

Accepted Answer

A)  Race 
B)  Ethnicity 
C)  Caste 
D)  Class

Question 2

Americans tend to blame poverty on the poor themselves, yet also think the

Accepted Answer

A)  government spends too much on the poor. 
B)  government spends too little on the poor. 
C)  poor work too many jobs. 
D)  poor have no control over their situation.

Question 3

Which term refers to people who occupy the same relative economic rank in a society's stratification system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Social caste 
B)  Social class 
C)  Hierarchy 
D)  Life chance

Question 4

Many feminists believe the United States is a(n) _____, meaning the nation is socially organized in a way that means men are dominant over women.

Accepted Answer

A)  patriarchy 
B)  matriarchy 
C)  oligarchy 
D)  meritocracy

Question 5

The _____ system combines biologically based sex roles with socially created gender roles.

Accepted Answer

A)  sex roles placement 
B)  gender identity 
C)  gender placement 
D)  sex-gender

Question 6

Critics of the culture of poverty hypothesis argue that the poor

Accepted Answer

A)  retain the dominant values of society and that is why they can climb out of poverty. 
B)  do not retain the dominant values of society, instead they hold an alternative set of values. 
C)  do not retain the dominant values of society, instead they have a better set of values. 
D)  retain the dominant values of society while simultaneously holding an alternative set of values.

Question 7

Why is it advantageous to employers to have a large number of marginal people (uneducated and/or undocumented) in the work force?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because desperate people will work for very low wages, thus depressing wages for all workers 
B)  To have someone to blame for industrial accidents 
C)  To have someone to blame for unionization efforts, thus depressing interest in unions among more educated workers 
D)  Because employers want the opportunity to improve society by raising people out of poverty

Question 8

Racial and ethnic _____ is a term that refers to systems of inequality in which some fixed group membership, such as race, religion, or national origin, is a major criterion for ranking social positions and their differential rewards.

Accepted Answer

A)  prejudice 
B)  socialization 
C)  determinism 
D)  stratification

Question 9

Which of the following was the 19th century British philosopher and sociologist who came to the United States to promote the concept of social Darwinism?

Accepted Answer

A)  Arthur Jensen 
B)  Charles Darwin 
C)  John Locke 
D)  Herbert Spencer

Question 10

The basic tenet of _____ is that who gets what is determined by private profit rather than by collective need.

Accepted Answer

A)  socialism 
B)  capitalism 
C)  collectivism 
D)  sociology

Exam 7: Social Stratification