Sociology Ch. 7

Question 1

the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy

Answer 1

social stratification

Question 2

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society

Answer 2

social inequality

Question 3

the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people

Answer 3

slavery

Question 4

a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one’s family history and background and cannot be changed

Answer 4

caste system

Question 5

the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991

Answer 5

apartheid

Question 6

a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige

Answer 6

social class

Question 7

a measure of an individual’s place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with “class”

Answer 7

socioeconomic status

Question 8

a concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, etc.) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups

Answer 8

intersectionality

Question 9

an elite and largely self-sustaining group who possess most of the country’s wealth; they constitute about 1 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 9

upper class

Question 10

social class consisting of mostly highly educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability; they constitute about 14 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 10

upper-middle class

Question 11

social class composed primarily of white collar workers with a broad range of education and incomes; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 11

middle class

Question 12

a description characterizing lower-level professional and management workers and some highly skilled laborers in technical jobs

Answer 12

white collar

Question 13

social class consisting of mostly blue collar or service industry workers who are less likely to have a college degree; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 13

working class or lower-middle class

Question 14

a description characterizing skilled and semi-skilled workers who perform manual labor or work in service or clerical jobs

Answer 14

blue collar

Question 15

poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full-time but remain near or below the poverty line; they constitute about 13 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 15

working poor

Question 16

the poorest group, comprising the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about 12 percent of the U.S. population

Answer 16

underclass

Question 17

a situation in which an individual holds differing and contradictory levels of status in terms of wealth, power, prestige, or other elements of socioeconomic status

Answer 17

status inconsistency

Question 18

a system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs

Answer 18

feudal system

Question 19

a measure of net worth that includes income, property, and other assets

Answer 19

wealth

Question 20

the social honor people are given because of their membership in well-regarded social groups

Answer 20

prestige

Question 21

the tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next

Answer 21

social reproduction

Question 22

the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society

Answer 22

cultural capital

Question 23

awareness of one’s own social status and that of others

Answer 23

everyday class consciousness

Question 24

the tendency to choose romantic partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership

Answer 24

homogamy

Question 25

the tendency to choose romantic partners who are dissimilar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership

Answer 25

heterogamy

Question 26

marrying “up” in the social class hierarchy

Answer 26

hypergamy

Question 27

marrying “down” in the social class hierarchy

Answer 27

hypogamy

Question 28

the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes

Answer 28

social mobility

Question 29

a social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another

Answer 29

closed system

Question 30

a social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another

Answer 30

open system

Question 31

movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next

Answer 31

intergenerational mobility

Question 32

the movement between social classes that occurs during the course of an individual’s lifetime

Answer 32

intragenerational mobility

Question 33

the movement of individuals or groups within a particular social class, most often a result of changing occupations

Answer 33

horizontal social mobility

Question 34

the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility

Answer 34

vertical social mobility

Question 35

changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society

Answer 35

structural mobility

Question 36

a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society

Answer 36

relative deprivation

Question 37

an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care

Answer 37

absolute deprivation

Question 38

federal index that defines “official” poverty in the United States based on household income; updated annually

Answer 38

federal poverty line

Question 39

entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot

Answer 39

culture of poverty

Question 40

argues that people have a deep need to see the world as orderly, predictable, and fair, which creates a tendency to view victims of social injustice as deserving of their fates

Answer 40

just-world hypothesis

Question 41

the geographical separation of the poor from the rest of an area’s population

Answer 41

residential segregation

Question 42

the removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means

Answer 42

disenfranchisement

Question 43

the unequal access to computer and Internet technology, both globally and within the United States

Answer 43

digital divide

Question 44

a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit

Answer 44

meritocracy

Question 45

the unequal distribution of assets across a population

Answer 45

wealth gap

Question 46

a loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, and spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values

Answer 46

simplicity movement