The British, for example, embrace their social position to a degree not seen in the more ______ USA.

• hopeful

• cheerful

• spirited

• aspirational

Perhaps, modern Britain is one of the last countries in the world with a ______, government-sanctioned titled aristocracy.

• in full

• full-on

• in part

• partially

The Edwardian Era was the ______ for the upper-class aristocracy, and the 1930s saw the decline in power and status of the upper class.

• high-water mark

• lowest

• rock bottom

• highest

To be from one of the “old” families is virtually a ______ of being upper class.

• demand

• luxury

• necessity

• prerequisite

Recently, hereditary peers have been almost entirely ______ out of the House of Lords, and seats are held primarily by life peers.

• thrown

• pulled

• welcomed

• turfed

This refinement of class distinction could be invented only by a society ______ with status and the pursuit of minutiae.

• obsessed

• possessed

• absorbed

• caught up

Members of the lower-middles class typically speak in local accents, although relatively ______.

• weak

• strong

• mild

• timid

They would ______ to get their children into good state or selective grammar schools, such as moving house into the catchment area.

• achieve

• go to great lengths

• throw in the towel

• recharge their batteries

More importantly, the de-industrialization of huge parts of the urban landscape of the UK has dramatically ______ the former industrial working class.

• reached

• moved

• impacted

• impressed

A working-class person might feel uncomfortable at a “society” wedding, but a certain amount of self-confidence would ______ for both.

• carry the day

• approve

• fill

• go a long distance