Chapter 6 Quiz (Advanced)

. What did Vermont senator Bernie Sanders mean when, during the 2016 US Democratic primaries, he said to America's wealthiest people, "You cannot take advantage of all the benefits of America if you refuse to accept your responsibilities as Americans."

Since the wealthy rely on public services, such as a workforce educated in the public school system and roads and telecommunications paid for by tax revenue, they should pay a fair share in taxes.

Since the US has a flat tax by which everyone pays the same percentage of their income in taxes, it is not fair that the wealthy take a higher percentage of money from public coffers.

Since the wealthy put more total money into the US government in the form of taxes, it is fair that they receive more benefits from the government.

People who pay more into taxes should have their votes weighted so that they count more in our democracy.

. What does it mean to say that inequality is based on relationships?

We tend to seek relationships with people who have more (power, income, wealth, education) in order to put pressure on ourselves to achieve more.

We tend to seek out relationships with people who have less (power, income, wealth, education) in order to appear successful by comparison.

Our experience of inequality is shaped by our comparisons of ourselves to other people.

People who do not compare themselves to others are, ironically, more likely to achieve more than others.

. Aristotle's explanation of inequality argued that

good leaders will ensure that everyone has their needs met.

in a democracy, all people have equal rights, even if they have different capabilities.

people who are naturally more talented, stronger, etc., rise to the top of a social hierarchy to lead society, and this is good for society.

a society should invest in its weaker members and bring those who are most disadvantaged into positions of leadership so that everyone can benefit from their insights.

. What was Karl Marx's central assumption about inequality?

Inequality promotes competition, which leads to advancements for society as a whole.

Workers should want the success of their employers,, since that success "trickles down" to them.

Inequality is the natural consequence of differences in ability.

The interests of those who control the work are in direct conflict with the interests of the workers under their control.

. Dilip is born into a wealthy family in India. His father is a priest in the Hindu religion, which has brought his family respect and status. Because of his high status, Dillip is expected to marry a woman from an affluent family and reproduce his family's status for future situations. What kind of social situation is Dilip part of?

Racial hierarchy

Guild

Caste

Economic class

. In measuring inequality, sociologists sometimes study the degree of inequality in a society. Which of the facts below—all true—-is an example of degree of inequality?

Between 1980 and 2000 in the US, the chance that someone born in the bottom 10 percent of earners will rise to about the 40^th percentile—basically from poverty to the middle class—declined by 16 percent, according to research by economists at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Research by scholars at the London School of Economics indicates that the presence of a financial crisis during young childhood is a strong predictor of cognitive problems later in life.

In the US, the richest 1 percent own about 40 percent of the wealth according to data from the 2017 Survey of Consumer Finances.

In the US, the likelihood that you will be unemployed is influenced by your parents' income when you were in high school.

. In measuring inequality, sociologists sometimes study the degree of crystallization in a society. Which of the examples below is an example of degree of crystallization?

Between 1980 and 2000 in the US, the chance that someone born in the bottom 10 percent of earners will rise to about the 40^th percentile—basically from poverty to the middle class—declined by 16 percent, according to research by economists at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Research by scholars at the London School of Economics indicates that the presence of a financial crisis during young childhood is a strong predictor of cognitive problems later in life.

In the US, the richest 1percent own about 40 percent of the wealth according to data from the 2017 Survey of Consumer Finances.

In the US, the likelihood that you will be unemployed is influenced by your parents' income when you were in high school.

. In measuring inequality, sociologists sometimes study the rigidity in a society. Which of the examples below is an example of rigidity?

Between 1980 and 2000 in the US, the chance that someone born in the bottom 10 percent of earners will rise to about the 40^th percentile—basically from poverty to the middle class—declined by 16 percent, according to research by economists at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Research by scholars at the London School of Economics indicates that the presence of a financial crisis during young childhood is a strong predictor of cognitive problems later in life.

In the US, the richest 1 percent own about 40 percent of the wealth according to data from the 2017 Survey of Consumer Finances.

In the US, the likelihood that you will be unemployed is influenced by your parents' income when you were in high school.

. In measuring inequality, sociologists sometimes study ascriptiveness in a society. Which is an example of ascriptiveness?

Between 1980 and 2000 in the US, the chance that someone born in the bottom 10 percent of earners will rise to about the 40^th percentile—basically from poverty to the middle class—declined by 16 percent, according to research by economists at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Research by scholars at the London School of Economics indicates that the presence of a financial crisis during young childhood is a strong predictor of cognitive problems later in life.

In the US, the richest 1 percent own about 40 percent of the wealth according to data from the 2017 Survey of Consumer Finances.

In the US, the likelihood that you will be unemployed is influenced by your parents' income when you were in high school.

. Which is not an example of an extremely unequal stratification system in which people are born into a particular social group and have virtually no opportunity to change their social position?

The slave system in the American colonies and, later, the US South

The apartheid system in South Africa

The caste system in India for the previous 3000 years, though it was made illegal in 1950

The system of social class as it exists currently in the US

. What is the difference between wealth and income?

Nothing; the terms are interchangeable.

Wealth includes nonmaterial items, such as your health, whereas income describes only material goods, such as houses and cars, and money.

Wealth describes your total assets, whereas income describes your flow of earnings over a certain period of time (weekly, biweekly, monthly, yearly).

Wealth measures your economic value in comparison to others in your nation, but income measures it in a global context.

. The top 1 percent of richest Americans derive their wealth mostly from

investments that only the very wealthy can purchase.

their paychecks.

legal settlements.

the increase in value of their primary home.

. Which of the following statements about the social diversity of wealthy people is accurate?

People who inherited their wealth are the most diverse group.

People who derive their great wealth from their work as part of large bureaucracies, such as businesses, hospitals, and universities, are the most diverse group.

Celebrity athletes, actors, and entertainers are the most diverse group.

All of the above are equally diverse.

. Louella is the first person in her family to graduate from high school, and she aspires to ensure that her own daughter graduates from college. What is Louella trying to achieve?

Intergenerational mobility

Vertical mobility

Relative mobility

Absolute mobility

. Ben was laid off from his job in auto manufacturing two years before he was eligible for retirement benefits from his company. He has been unable to find a new job, and this has dramatically impacted his retirement income, which has forced him to downsize into a smaller home. Ben is experiencing

horizontal mobility.

vertical mobility.

relative mobility.

intergenerational mobility.

. Leslie recently received a pay raise at work—but it is the smallest pay raise among the employees in her unit. When she realizes that her co-workers all got a more substantial raise than she did, Leslie is disappointed. This is due to her experience of

horizontal mobility.

vertical mobility.

relative mobility.

absolute mobility.

. Most countries in the world today have a

flat income tax, where everyone pays the same percentage of their income into taxes.

regressive income tax, where the wealthy pay a smaller percent of their income into taxes.

progressive income tax, where the wealthy pay a greater percentage of their income into taxes.

system of taxes that relies on sales taxes, not income taxes, for government funding.

. Calls for a government-funded old-age pension were first advocated in the US in the late _______ but were not implemented until the _______.

1800s; 1950s

1900s; 1990s

1700s; Great Depression

1800s; 1970s

. Which of the following is an example of Charles' Tilly's "contentious politics"?

Striking at work

Voting

Refusing to buy a certain company's product but not encouraging others to do so

Writing a letter to your Senator encouraging them to vote a particular way

. Each of the following structures define the eligibility and desirability of the bachelor on The Bachelor except

morality.

heterosexuality.

economic privilege.

whiteness.

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