SOC Chapter 10

Social stratification is a concept that refers to:
Selected

ranking categories of people in a hierarchy

Using the sociological perspective, we see that social stratification:

gives some people more privileges and opportunities than others.

Read the four statements below. Which one of these statements about stratification is NOT true?

A family’s social standing typically changes a great deal from generation to generation.

What concept describes a person who moves from one occupation to another that provides about the same level of rewards?

horizontal social mobility

In all societies, kinship plays a part in social stratification because:

parents pass their social position on to their children.

A caste system is defined as:

social stratification based on ascription, or birth.

In general, societies that have caste systems have economies that are:

agrarian.

If you lived in a society with a traditional caste system, you would expect your marriage to be:

endogamous

The concept "meritocracy" refers to social stratification:

based entirely on personal merit.

Why do societies with class systems keep some elements of caste (such as the inheritance of wealth) rather than becoming complete meritocracies?

because a pure meritocracy would eliminate families and other social loyalties that tie a society together

The degree of status consistency is:

greater in caste than class systems.

Ideology, or beliefs that support social stratification, is found in:

both class and caste systems.

The common ideology of a class system states that success and wealth typically result from:

personal talent and effort.

Compared to other high-income nations, the United States has:

more social inequality

If you have a job that involves manual labor, you are doing:

blue-collar work.

Work involving mostly mental activity is called:

white-collar work

The concept of social mobility refers to changes in people’s positions in the social hierarchy.

True

In the United States, social inequality is a matter of only people’s talents and abilities.

False

Social stratification is found in most—but not all—societies.

False

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

True

Caste systems are typical of high-income societies.

False

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

False

The Davis-Moore thesis states that social stratification has beneficial consequences for society.

True

Weber agreed with Marx that a socialist revolution would result in complete social equality.

False