SCC Stratification 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theoretical perspective views stratification as a result of conflict between dominant and subordinate groups over scarce resources?
- Structural-functionalism
- Symbolic interactionism
- Conflict theory (Correct answer)
- Exchange theory
Correct answer: Conflict theory
Conflict theory, rooted in Marx's work, sees stratification as the product of ongoing struggle between classes for control of economic resources and political power.
Question 2: The Gini coefficient is a measure of:
- Average household income in a nation
- Educational attainment gaps between races
- Income or wealth inequality within a population (Correct answer)
- Rates of upward social mobility
Correct answer: Income or wealth inequality within a population
The Gini coefficient ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality) and is widely used to compare income or wealth distributions across countries.
Question 3: Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of stratification. Which of the following is NOT one of Weber's three dimensions?
- Class (economic)
- Status (prestige)
- Party (power)
- Race (ethnicity) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Race (ethnicity)
Weber's three-dimensional model of stratification includes class, status (social honor/prestige), and party (political power), but not race as a separate dimension.
Question 4: In a caste system, social position is determined primarily by:
- Individual merit and educational achievement
- Birth and heredity, with little possibility of mobility (Correct answer)
- Market competition and accumulated wealth
- Political connections and party membership
Correct answer: Birth and heredity, with little possibility of mobility
Caste systems are closed stratification systems where individuals are born into their social position and mobility is extremely restricted or impossible.
Question 5: The 'working poor' refers to individuals who:
- Are unemployed and receiving government assistance
- Work full-time or part-time yet still live in or near poverty (Correct answer)
- Have recently lost jobs due to automation
- Belong to the lower-middle class earning median wages
Correct answer: Work full-time or part-time yet still live in or near poverty
The working poor are employed individuals whose wages are insufficient to lift them above the poverty line, highlighting gaps in minimum wage and benefits.
Question 6: Social closure, as described by Max Weber, refers to the process by which:
- Societies eliminate all barriers to social mobility
- Groups monopolize resources by restricting access to outsiders (Correct answer)
- Lower classes organize to challenge elite power
- Economic recessions reduce opportunities for advancement
Correct answer: Groups monopolize resources by restricting access to outsiders
Social closure describes strategies used by privileged groups — credentialism, licensing, exclusionary norms — to restrict access and maintain their advantages.
Question 7: Which concept describes the ideology that success is achievable by anyone through hard work, regardless of social origin?
- Social Darwinism
- The American Dream / meritocracy myth (Correct answer)
- Structural determinism
- Class consciousness
Correct answer: The American Dream / meritocracy myth
Meritocracy ideology, often embodied in the 'American Dream,' holds that individual effort and talent determine success, obscuring structural barriers to mobility.
SCC Stratification 3
Which theoretical perspective views stratification as a result of conflict between dominant and subordinate groups over scarce resources?