Question 1

What -cracy does Stewart believe is becoming evident in the United States?&#10;A) a democracy of representatives who have lost touch with the citizens&#10;B) an aristocracy of the well-educated who earn high incomes&#10;C) a meritocracy of families (parents, children, and grandchildren) from whom the political elite are drawn&#10;D) a kleptocracy of people who own and control large corporations

Accepted Answer

B

Question 2

According to the data discussed by Stewart in &#34;The Birth of a New American Aristocracy&#34; there is&#10;A) increasing opportunity for young people to live better lives than their parents.&#10;B) a strong correlation between income inequality and intergenerational mobility.&#10;C) a growing gap between those who work for a salary and those who work for a wage.&#10;D) no relationship between the value of one's work and the pay one receives for doing it.

Accepted Answer

Stewart discusses the correlation between income inequality and intergenerational mobility, showing that as income inequality increases, it becomes more difficult for people to move up the social ladder, creating a new American aristocracy. Option A is incorrect as Stewart actually argues the opposite, stating that there is less opportunity for children to surpass their parents' wealth and status. Option C is not mentioned in the article and option D is not discussed in relation to intergenerational mobility.

Question 3

What portion of all U.S. households or families make up the &#34;aristocracy&#34; Stewart writes about?&#10;A) one in ten&#10;B) one in a hundred&#10;C) one in a thousand&#10;D) one in ten thousand

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

What conclusion could you reasonably draw from Stewart's essay, &#34;The Birth of a New American Aristocracy&#34;?&#10;A) The system is rigged, and those who know how to take advantage of it, get the most out of it.&#10;B) Honesty is the best policy.&#10;C) Capitalism rewards hard work and initiative, but it mostly rewards the wrong people.&#10;D) Too much equality is a recipe for disaster.

Accepted Answer

Throughout the essay, Stewart discusses how the American aristocracy is formed through a combination of wealth, education, and social networks. He argues that the system is rigged in favor of those who are born into privilege and that they know how to take advantage of the system to maintain their wealth and status.

Question 5

Described by Stewart in &#34;The Birth of a New American Aristocracy,&#34; assortative mating is&#10;A) similar to biological &#34;goulash&#34;; by having people marry when they &#34;fall in love&#34; there is a mixing of genetic material from people of different ethnicities and nationalities.&#10;B) the scrambling of social classes by admitting everyone into a universal education system.&#10;C) the tendency for affluent and well-educated people to marry someone similar to themselves.&#10;D) basically, the same thing as arranged marriages, where parents decide who their children will marry.

Accepted Answer

Assortative mating refers to the tendency for people to select romantic partners who are similar to themselves in terms of education level, social class, and other characteristics. This can contribute to the perpetuation of inequality, as the wealthy and well-educated tend to marry each other and pass on their advantages to their offspring. Choices A, B, and D do not accurately describe assortative mating.

Question 6

Stewart's main point in &#34;The Birth of a New American Aristocracy&#34; is that the people who have done well in terms of education, income, lifestyle, health, and so forth&#10;A) believe they owe their success to luck and so live in a constant state of insecurity.&#10;B) are mostly those who have come to this country from elsewhere.&#10;C) don't really understand how to govern, run corporations, or create better communities.&#10;D) pass on their advantage to their children, in effect creating barriers for others to do as well as they have.

Accepted Answer

Stewart's main point is that the new American aristocracy is based on the passing of advantages from generation to generation, creating barriers for those who do not have the same opportunities. He argues that this creates a dangerous level of inequality and that this group of people often does not understand the struggles of those who are less fortunate.

Deck 24: Mathew Stewart, the Birth of a New American Aristocracy