Question 1

What do we call the total value of what someone owns, including stocks, bonds, and real estate, minus any debt?
A) wealth
B) investments
C) income
D) capital

Accepted Answer

The term "wealth" refers to the total value of all assets that an individual or entity owns, minus any debts or liabilities. This includes assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and other investments. It is a measure of an individual's financial well-being and their ability to acquire and maintain wealth over time.

Question 2

Aside from access to financial resources, what most influences an individual's life chances?
A) intellectual ability and physical strength
B) access to social resources such as education
C) ambition to seize the means of production
D) access to gainful employment

Accepted Answer

Access to social resources such as education can greatly influence an individual's life chances by providing them with knowledge, skills, and opportunities. This can lead to better career prospects, higher salaries, and social mobility. Intellectual ability and physical strength may also play a role but may not necessarily guarantee success. Ambition to seize the means of production and access to gainful employment may be important factors too, but they are often influenced by access to social resources and financial resources.

Question 3

Leith Mullings argues that class cannot be studied in isolation but rather must be considered together with race and gender as interlocking systems of what?
A) class
B) status
C) power
D) prestige

Accepted Answer

Leith Mullings argues that class, race, and gender are interlocking systems of power. They cannot be studied in isolation as they intersect and affect one another in various ways.

Question 4

Since the mid-1970s, how has class inequality in the United States changed? 
A) It has decreased as income and wealth have been disbursed from the wealthy elite down to the middle- and lower-class social strata.
B) It has increased due to decreasing tax rates for the wealthy and stagnating salaries for the middle class.
C) It has held steady, as tax breaks for the wealthy have been balanced by increased salaries in the middle class.
D) It has decreased as a result of increased tax rates on the wealthy and redistribution of benefits to the poor.

Accepted Answer

Since the mid-1970s, class inequality in the United States has increased due to a combination of factors such as decreasing tax rates for the wealthy and stagnating salaries for the middle class. This has led to a widening gap between the rich and the poor, with the top 1 percent holding a significantly larger share of the country's wealth than they did in the past. Despite some efforts to address income inequality through measures such as progressive taxation and minimum wage increases, the trend towards greater inequality has persisted in recent years.

Question 5

The dramatic increases in debt and student loan costs have helped perpetuate what aspect of life in U.S. society?
A) the housing crisis
B) access to quality education
C) the culture of consumption
D) maintaining a good credit rating

Accepted Answer

The dramatic increases in debt and student loan costs have contributed to the culture of consumption in U.S. society, where people rely on credit to maintain their standard of living and purchase goods they cannot afford outright. This has led to a cycle of debt and spending that is difficult to break, perpetuating the culture of consumption.

Question 6

Studies of caste in India reveal what important fact about this particular social structure? 
A) Caste systems are the same throughout India.
B) Caste is a closed system of stratification with no fluidity.
C) There is no difference between a caste system and a ranked society.
D) Caste systems have no consistent, uniform expression.

Accepted Answer

Studies of caste in India have shown that there is no consistent, uniform expression of caste systems throughout India. Different regions and communities have their own unique systems of caste, and even within these systems there can be variation in terms of social mobility and fluidity. Caste cannot be generalized as a closed system of stratification with no fluidity, as there are examples of mobility and change occurring within certain castes. Therefore, option D is the best choice.

Question 7

Anthropologist Gregory Mantsios contends that the media play a significant role in hiding class stratification in the United States. What do his findings reveal about media focus?
A) It promotes the myth of meritocracy and egalitarianism.
B) It promotes the idea that the poor are unmotivated.
C) It focuses on making money rather than actually reporting news.
D) It discusses class issues only in foreign nations, not its own.

Accepted Answer

Mantsios argues that the media promotes the myth of meritocracy and egalitarianism, implying that anyone can succeed in America if they work hard enough, while ignoring the reality of social class stratification and the impact of institutionalized inequalities.

Question 8

Street vendors in Bolivia are very common but technically illegal. They often remain in poverty, despite working hard to sell their wares. What does anthropologist Daniel Goldstein suggest as a cause of their continued poverty?
A) inconsistencies in the enforcement of laws among the urban poor
B) a lack of transportation infrastructure that adversely affects the poor
C) the high cost of vendor licenses due to corruption
D) the outsourcing of labor to other countries

Accepted Answer

Goldstein suggests that the inconsistencies in the enforcement of laws among the urban poor contribute to their continued poverty, as this irregular enforcement creates an unstable environment for their businesses.

Question 9

As India grows economically, we can observe a shift from a hierarchy of caste to a hierarchy of class. This is due to what change in the caste system itself?
A) Political will and legislation has lessened the power of caste.
B) Caste has gradually shifted from a system of ascribed status to achieved status.
C) The upper castes have learned to embrace the lower castes.
D) Dalit-led resistance has changed the attitudes of the upper classes.

Accepted Answer

The shift from a hierarchy of caste to a hierarchy of class is due to the gradual shift of the caste system from a system of ascribed status to achieved status. As India grows economically, education and employment opportunities have become more accessible, allowing individuals from lower castes to move up in the socio-economic ladder. This has resulted in a shift in the way society perceives status, with class becoming a more important factor than caste. Political will and legislation have certainly played a role in lessening the power of caste, but it is primarily the shift towards achieved status that has led to this change. The upper castes embracing lower castes and Dalit-led resistance have also had a role, but these are secondary factors to the primary shift in the caste system.

Question 10

The potlatch is a redistribution ceremony practiced among Native American groups, such as the Kwakiutl people of the Pacific Northwest. The potlatch serves both a practical and ceremonial function in that it helps redistribute resources for the benefit of the group and it establishes social status and prestige via one's capacity for generosity. As a gift-giving practice, the potlatch is an important ceremony for some ranked societies. Do similar types of gift-giving practices occur in your own society? What are two examples of ceremonies in your own society in which gift giving takes place? What is the function of gift giving in these two examples, and how does the act of gift giving benefit the giver, the receiver, and the social group generally? What happens if an individual does not give a gift in the two examples you highlight? What influences may be changing the way in which gift-giving practices are occurring in the ceremonies you mention? Do you think gift giving will remain a practice within these types of ceremonies in the future?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The potlatch is a redistribution ceremony practiced...

Question 11

How do distributions of income and wealth reveal the way power is distributed in a society?
A) Income and wealth determine an individual's access to resources such as health care.
B) Income and wealth do not reveal the distribution of power in a society.
C) Income and wealth indicate the extent of cultural capital held by individuals.
D) Both are measures of how successful an individual has been in life.

Accepted Answer

Income and wealth determine an individual's access to resources such as healthcare, education, and political influence. Those with more money and resources have greater power to shape political decisions and policies that affect the rest of society. Therefore, the distribution of income and wealth reveals not only the economic inequality but also the distribution of power in a society.

Question 12

The poor of Mumbai, India, must find ways to access the city's water system. What is the fundamental reason that they must develop covert approaches to water access?
A) The constant flow of migrants makes it impossible for the city to maintain water access.
B) The poor cannot earn enough to pay the monthly water bills.
C) Tourist and visitor interests consume more than 90 percent of the city's water supplies.
D) With no permanent address, the city cannot offer them legal access to water.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental reason that the poor of Mumbai must develop covert approaches to water access is that they do not have a permanent address, and the city cannot offer them legal access to water without one. This system leaves many people without access to safe and clean water, which can lead to health problems and other challenges. Therefore, they must find alternative - and sometimes clandestine - ways to access the city's water system.

Question 13

Which of the following consists of wages earned from work, plus dividends and interest on investments along with rents and royalties?
A) investments
B) wealth
C) income
D) profits

Accepted Answer

Income consists of wages earned from work, plus dividends and interest on investments along with rents and royalties. Investments (A) refer to the assets acquired with the hope of generating income or appreciation in the future. Wealth (B) is the total value of assets owned, including investments, real estate, and personal property. Profits (D) refer to the money a company earns after deducting expenses from its revenue.

Question 14

Contemporary economic relations in many societies today tend to be organized around the exchange of money for services rather than around patterns of reciprocity. However, patterns of reciprocity still exist today even within highly stratified societies. What are three examples of patterns of reciprocity that are likely to occur in highly stratified societies today, and what purpose do they serve within or between social groups? How does gift giving relate to patterns of reciprocity, and what may be some underlying motivations in gift giving that are related to group survival or benefit? Given the longevity of reciprocity as a social pattern within human evolutionary experience, do you think it will continue to be present within and among social groups in the future? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Contemporary economic relations in many societies today...

Question 15

A(n) ________ is a system of stratification most commonly found in India.
A) caste system
B) ranked society
C) egalitarian society
D) capitalist society

Accepted Answer

The caste system is a system of social stratification found in India. It is a hierarchical system where people are born into a specific caste and their social mobility and opportunities are limited based on their caste membership.

Question 16

Leith Mullings's work using intersectionality emerges out of a long history of anthropological fieldwork. What characterizes this variety of fieldwork?
A) It is holistic.
B) It is interpretive.
C) It is class based.
D) It is global.

Accepted Answer

Anthropological fieldwork is characterized by a holistic approach that seeks to understand culture, society, and human behavior in their entirety. This approach involves studying various aspects of a culture, including economics, politics, religion, and social norms, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the people in that society.

Question 17

The review of economic data in the text underscores the growing inequality in the United States, and yet it remains true that class is rarely discussed. To what factors does the author attribute this, aside from media?
A) the ability of many middle-class families to maintain the experience of their lifestyle through consumption
B) the ability of many middle-class families to effectively tune out poverty
C) the inability of the lower middle class to draw attention to inequality
D) the lack of will at the highest levels of government to address inequality

Accepted Answer

The author attributes the lack of discussion about class to the ability of many middle-class families to maintain their lifestyle through consumption, which can mask underlying economic inequalities.

Question 18

According to anthropologist Setha Low, what is the role of gated communities?
A) These communities act as places for secure housing and employment.
B) These communities isolate themselves from the lower class voluntarily.
C) Mostly lower- to middle-class families inhabit such communities.
D) These communities provide job opportunities for the lower classes.

Accepted Answer

According to anthropologist Setha Low, the role of gated communities is to isolate themselves from the lower class voluntarily, which means they choose to live separately from those who are not in the same economic class as them. Thus, option B is the correct choice.

Question 19

According to the United Nations, what is the global distribution of wealth and income?
A) Half of the planet's wealth is held by 2 percent of the world population, and 75 percent of the world total income is received by 20 percent of the population.
B) Seventy-five percent of the planet's wealth is held by 2 percent of the world population, and half of the world total income is received by 20 percent of the population.
C) Half of the planet's income is received by 2 percent of the world population, and 75 percent of the planet's wealth is held by 20 percent of the population.
D) Twenty percent of the planet's wealth is held by 75 percent of the world population, and 50 percent of the world total income is received by 2 percent of the population.

Accepted Answer

According to the United Nations, half of the planet's wealth is held by 2 percent of the world population, and 75 percent of the world total income is received by 20 percent of the population. This highlights the extreme wealth inequality that exists globally.

Question 20

The culture of poverty theory suggests that poverty is the result of an individual's dysfunctional behaviors, attitudes, and values. Anthropologists have strongly challenged this idea, arguing that poverty is a structural problem. What do they say this results from?
A) It results from uneven access to a college education.
B) It results from partisan political infighting.
C) It results from poor decisions around urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s.
D) It results from dysfunctional aspects of the entire economic system.

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists argue that poverty is a structural problem resulting from dysfunctional aspects of the entire economic system, rather than individual behaviors or attitudes. These dysfunctions include unequal distribution of resources, inadequate social welfare policies, and exploitation of marginalized groups by those in power.

Quiz 11: Class and Inequality

What do we call the total value of what someone owns, including stocks, bonds, and real estate, minus any debt?

Aside from access to financial resources, what most influences an individual's life chances?

Leith Mullings argues that class cannot be studied in isolation but rather must be considered together with race and gender as interlocking systems of what?

Since the mid-1970s, how has class inequality in the United States changed?

The dramatic increases in debt and student loan costs have helped perpetuate what aspect of life in U.S. society?

Studies of caste in India reveal what important fact about this particular social structure?

Anthropologist Gregory Mantsios contends that the media play a significant role in hiding class stratification in the United States. What do his findings reveal about media focus?

Street vendors in Bolivia are very common but technically illegal. They often remain in poverty, despite working hard to sell their wares. What does anthropologist Daniel Goldstein suggest as a cause of their continued poverty?

As India grows economically, we can observe a shift from a hierarchy of caste to a hierarchy of class. This is due to what change in the caste system itself?

How do distributions of income and wealth reveal the way power is distributed in a society?

The poor of Mumbai, India, must find ways to access the city's water system. What is the fundamental reason that they must develop covert approaches to water access?

Which of the following consists of wages earned from work, plus dividends and interest on investments along with rents and royalties?

A(n) ________ is a system of stratification most commonly found in India.

Leith Mullings's work using intersectionality emerges out of a long history of anthropological fieldwork. What characterizes this variety of fieldwork?

The review of economic data in the text underscores the growing inequality in the United States, and yet it remains true that class is rarely discussed. To what factors does the author attribute this, aside from media?

According to anthropologist Setha Low, what is the role of gated communities?

According to the United Nations, what is the global distribution of wealth and income?

The culture of poverty theory suggests that poverty is the result of an individual's dysfunctional behaviors, attitudes, and values. Anthropologists have strongly challenged this idea, arguing that poverty is a structural problem. What do they say this results from?