Question 1

Why is Karl Marx's argument that capitalists increased their wealth and not their money by extracting surplus labor value from workers a correct analysis?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx's argument is based on the idea that labor is the ultimate source of value and that the value produced by workers is greater than the wages they are paid. This surplus value is not a tangible asset like money or property, but it still represents a gain from the work of others. Marx believed that capitalists could only increase their wealth by extracting surplus labor value from workers, as they did not produce anything themselves. This view is supported by the observation that the wealth of the capitalist class grows faster than the wages of the working class. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. None of the other options accurately represent Marx's analysis of the relationship between capitalists and workers.

Question 2

What might Max Weber suggest is the primary difference between a lawyer in the United States and the self-made millionaire of a U.S.-based manufacturing company?

Accepted Answer

Max Weber's theory of social stratification emphasizes the importance of status, which is defined by an individual's position in society with respect to others. In the United States, lawyers are typically considered to have high occupational prestige due to their education, expertise, and social standing. In contrast, self-made millionaires are primarily valued for their wealth, which may not translate into high-status positions within society. Therefore, Weber would suggest that the lawyer's primary difference from the self-made millionaire is their relative levels of occupational prestige.

Question 3

What common result occurs when patterns of social stratification emerge?

Accepted Answer

When patterns of social stratification emerge, it usually results in unequal access to resources. This means that individuals or groups may have more power, wealth, or status than others, leading to a hierarchy in which certain people have more advantages and opportunities than others. This can lead to social inequality and potentially reinforce existing patterns of privilege and disadvantage. Egalitarianism, on the other hand, is the belief that all people should have equal rights, opportunities, and resources, and is often seen as a desirable alternative to social stratification. The redistribution of money and the maintenance of prestige may be strategies used to address or reinforce existing patterns of inequality, but they are not the common result of social stratification itself.

Question 4

Your best friend, who has recently graduated with honors from Harvard University, arrives at a party you are hosting. Despite being a total stranger to all of the guests, your friend is surrounded almost constantly by others throughout the entire evening. How would a theorist like Max Weber analyze this situation?

Accepted Answer

According to Max Weber's theory of social stratification, prestige is a key component of status. Your friend's association with Harvard University, which is known for its high prestige, likely contributes to the attention he receives from others. This attention is not as heavily influenced by factors like ego, personal wealth or privilege, or overt displays of contempt for the working class.

Question 5

What do we call the movement, both upward and downward, of one's class position in a society?

Accepted Answer

Social mobility refers to the movement, both upward and downward, of one's class position in a society. Social inertia refers to the tendency of social norms and values to remain relatively stable over time. Social achievement refers to individual accomplishments and successes, but not necessarily related to class position. Social reproduction refers to the process by which social inequality is perpetuated across generations through various institutions like education and family.

Question 6

As a ritual ceremony, the potlatch serves to establish prestige and social status by demonstrating a person's capacity for which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The potlatch serves as a way for individuals to demonstrate their generosity and capacity to give through the distribution of gifts and resources. This generosity establishes social status and prestige within the community.

Question 7

Other than reciprocity, how is the rank and status of a chief in a ranked society reinforced?

Accepted Answer

Generosity is a key way chiefs in ranked societies reinforce their status, as they often gain prestige by redistributing wealth and resources to their followers.

Question 8

Why is Karl Marx considered an important theorist in the study of class?

Accepted Answer

Marx's theories mainly focus on the exploitation of workers in a capitalist society and the concept of class struggle. He argued that the capitalist system creates a divided society with a ruling class (bourgeoisie) and an oppressed working class (proletariat). His work contributed significantly to the understanding of inequality and class conflict. While Marx did not develop the concept of the bourgeoisie (A) and he was not the first to consider the role of the economy in society (B), his work influenced the development of the field of sociology and inspired other important thinkers such as Max Weber (C).

Question 9

Carmen's parents enroll her in AP Honors French, where the content of the class is more academically demanding than the general French class. They also spend their summer vacation in France and hire a tutor to help Carmen study for the AP Honors French test. Carmen receives high marks and praise from her teachers. What aspect of Pierre Bourdieu's work is exemplified here?

Accepted Answer

Carmen's enrollment in the more academically demanding class, exposure to French culture through her summer vacation, and hiring of a tutor all contribute to her acquisition of cultural capital, as defined by Bourdieu as "the cultural resources that people inherit and use to their advantage in various situations." Carmen's high marks and praise from her teachers demonstrate how this cultural capital can lead to academic success and social mobility.

Question 10

According to Karl Marx, the bourgeoisie consisted of a capitalist class of individuals who owned what part of society?

Accepted Answer

According to Marx's theory, the bourgeoisie owned the means of production, which refers to the tools, machines, factories, and other resources needed to produce goods and services. The bourgeoisie used these resources to exploit the labor of the proletarian class, who did not own the means of production and had to sell their labor power to survive. The bourgeoisie also controlled the distribution channels and exerted significant control over society, but their ownership of the means of production was the key factor in their status as a capitalist class.

Question 11

Why might theorist Pierre Bourdieu have decided to examine his theory of social mobility-the interrelationships between culture, class, and power-in the French school system as opposed to, say, the workplace of adults?

Accepted Answer

Examining the French school system allowed Bourdieu to look at social mobility over multiple generations, which would not have been possible by studying only the adult workplace. Bourdieu was interested in how cultural capital, such as language and education, are passed down from one generation to another and how this affects social mobility. Studying the school system offered the opportunity to observe this phenomenon.

Question 12

Karl Marx examined social inequality by distinguishing between which two distinct classes of people?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx examined social inequality by distinguishing between two distinct classes of people: the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (the working class who sell their labor for wages).

Question 13

A chief in a ranked society performs an act of gift giving that shares accumulated wealth while also enhancing the chief's prestige. What do anthropologists call this process?

Accepted Answer

Redistribution is the process by which a chief in a ranked society performs an act of gift giving that shares accumulated wealth while also enhancing the chief's prestige.

Question 14

Pierre Bourdieu worked to understand the relationship between class, culture, and power by studying schools in France with the expectation of finding that social mobility was the result of meritocracy. What did he discover instead?

Accepted Answer

Pierre Bourdieu discovered that social relations were reproduced across generations, meaning that social class and cultural capital were transferred from parents to children, leading to limited social mobility.

Question 15

According to Marx, why were the proletariat unable to develop a political awareness of their class position while the bourgeoisie were able to do so?

Accepted Answer

Marx believed that the proletariat were constantly occupied with the struggle to make ends meet, which prevented them from developing a political awareness of their own class position. In contrast, the bourgeoisie were able to develop such an awareness due to their economic and political power, which allowed them to control the means of production and manipulate society in their own interests. Additionally, the bourgeoisie were able to keep the proletariat divided by creating false ideologies and promoting individualistic values, which distracted the proletariat from recognizing their shared class interests.

Question 16

The work of anthropologist Leith Mullings has examined the connections between class, race, and gender, which resulted in the development of which useful analytical framework?

Accepted Answer

Leith Mullings developed the framework of intersectionality, which analyzes the ways in which race, class, gender, and other social categories intersect and influence one another in complex ways. This framework has been especially useful in feminist and critical race scholarship.

Question 17

When the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest perform a potlatch, there may be times when the excess gifts are actually destroyed rather than given away. Why is this done?

Accepted Answer

Destroying excess gifts during a potlatch can reinforce the prestige of the chief by demonstrating his capacity to give away or waste resources, showcasing his wealth and power.

Question 18

How did Karl Marx refer to the group of people who lacked land and tools and sold their labor?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx referred to the group of people who lacked land and tools and sold their labor as the proletariat.

Question 19

Why is the issue of the water poisoning in Flint, Michigan, referred to as a hydro-social process?

Accepted Answer

The term hydro-social refers to the interactions between social and hydrological processes. In the case of Flint, Michigan, the issue of water poisoning was caused by a combination of environmental, social, and political factors, highlighting how the circulation of water intersects with human systems of power. Therefore, A is the best choice.

Question 20

A young man decides to take a class about art history, which he has been interested in ever since his parents began taking him to museums when he was a child. He believes that art appreciation and knowledge are good qualities to have. How would Pierre Bourdieu describe this young man's taste for classic art?

Accepted Answer

Pierre Bourdieu's concept of "habitus" refers to the social and cultural dispositions, attitudes, and values that individuals acquire through their upbringing and socialization. In this case, the young man's taste for classic art can be seen as part of his habitus, which has been shaped by his parents taking him to museums and exposing him to art from a young age. The concept of bourgeoisie (A) refers to the capitalist class that owns the means of production, and is not directly related to the young man's taste for art. Social mobility (C) refers to the ability of individuals to move up or down the social ladder, which is not relevant to the young man's taste for art. Social reproduction (D) refers to the process by which social and economic inequalities are perpetuated across generations, and is not directly related to the young man's taste for art.

Quiz 11: Class and Inequality