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1 Foundations of Social Stratification Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Foundations of Social Stratification, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Choose one
1 point

A neighborhood committee chair can influence which proposals are adopted, even when other members disagree. Which dimension of stratification does this example most directly illustrate?

  1. A

    Class

  2. B

    Status

  3. C

    Power

  4. D

    Wealth

02
Choose one
1 point

Two households have different incomes and occupations, which shape their access to housing and job opportunities. Which concept best describes this economic positioning and its effect on life chances?

  1. A

    Status, because it concerns social honor

  2. B

    Class, because it concerns economic position and access to resources

  3. C

    Power, because it concerns influence over decisions

  4. D

    Social inequality, because it refers only to individual differences

03
Choose all
1 point

A researcher wants to describe households’ socioeconomic status (SES) and make the indicators explicit. Which variables are commonly used for this purpose? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    Household income

  2. B

    Assets minus debts

  3. C

    Educational attainment

  4. D

    Occupation

04
True or false
1 point

True or false: A Gini coefficient can summarize inequality in an income distribution, but it does not by itself identify the causes of that inequality.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

05
Fill in the blank
1 point

Complete both statements using concepts from social stratification. The uneven distribution of valued resources and opportunities is . The patterned ranking of people and groups in a society is .

06
Written response
1 point

An economy shifts toward a new industry, and the change moves whole groups of workers into different positions in the stratification system. What type of social mobility is this?

07
Choose one
1 point

Which representation would a researcher use to plot cumulative population shares against the cumulative shares of income those people receive?

  1. A

    A chart of individuals’ income by occupation

  2. B

    A ranking of households by social prestige

  3. C

    A plot comparing cumulative population shares with the cumulative income shares they receive

  4. D

    A measure of movement between parents’ and children’s positions

08
Choose all
1 point

Which examples describe achieved positions rather than positions that are ascribed? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    A person earns a professional qualification through study.

  2. B

    A person is assigned a family position at birth.

  3. C

    A person obtains an occupation after completing training.

  4. D

    A person is born into a particular family background.

09
True or false
1 point

True or false: Class, status, and power can overlap, but they describe distinct dimensions of social stratification.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

10
Written response
1 point

A person has substantial education and community respect but earns less than a business owner with greater wealth and influence. What term describes a person's rank differing across dimensions of stratification?

11
Fill in the blank
1 point

Name each type of mobility. Movement in a person's position during that person's lifetime is . Comparing a child's position with a parent's position is .

12
Open ended
1 point

A researcher compares income inequality across two regions using their Gini coefficients. Explain what this comparison can reveal and identify at least two things the coefficients cannot establish about stratification.

13
Choose one
1 point

On the Gini coefficient scale from zero to one, what do the two endpoints represent?

  1. A

    Zero represents complete inequality; one represents complete equality.

  2. B

    Zero represents complete equality; one represents complete inequality.

  3. C

    Both endpoints represent complete equality.

  4. D

    Both endpoints represent complete inequality.

14
Choose one
1 point

Which statement correctly distinguishes income from wealth?

  1. A

    Income is money received over a period of time; wealth is the value of assets minus debts.

  2. B

    Income is the value of assets minus debts; wealth is money received over a period of time.

  3. C

    Income and wealth both refer only to wages earned from work.

  4. D

    Income and wealth are interchangeable measures of the same thing.

15
True or false
1 point

Social stratification and social inequality mean exactly the same thing: both refer only to the uneven distribution of valued resources and opportunities.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

16
Choose one
1 point

A neighborhood organizer persuades local officials to change a policy, even though some officials initially oppose it. Which dimension of stratification does this example most directly illustrate?

  1. A

    The person’s class, because power is determined entirely by income.

  2. B

    The person’s status, because power means social esteem.

  3. C

    The person’s power, because control over decisions can influence outcomes.

  4. D

    The person’s wealth, because power and assets are identical.

17
Choose one
1 point

What does a Lorenz curve plot when researchers examine income distribution?

  1. A

    It plots individual occupations against their levels of social prestige.

  2. B

    It plots cumulative population shares against the cumulative income shares they receive.

  3. C

    It compares the average income of one household with its total assets.

  4. D

    It shows how positions change between parents and children.

18
Choose one
1 point

A researcher compares parents’ and their adult children’s occupational positions to study movement between generations. Which type of mobility is being examined?

  1. A

    Intergenerational mobility, because it compares a child’s position with a parent’s.

  2. B

    Intragenerational mobility, because it tracks one person’s position over a lifetime.

  3. C

    Structural mobility, because it necessarily involves a whole group moving.

  4. D

    Downward mobility, because the child’s position must be lower.

19
Written response
1 point

A major economic shift changes employment opportunities and moves an entire occupational group into different positions in the stratification system. What type of mobility is this?

20
Written response
1 point

A sociologist groups people by economic position and life chances, using factors such as income, education, and occupation. What dimension of stratification is being assessed?