Understanding Social Stratification

What factor makes caste systems closed?

• They are run by secretive governments.

• People cannot change their social standing.

• Most have been outlawed.

• They exist only in rural areas.

Which of these systems allows for the most social mobility?

• Caste

• Monarchy

• Meritocracy

• Class

Which person best illustrates opportunities for upward social mobility in the United States?

• First-shift factory worker

• First-generation college student

• Firstborn son who inherits the family business

• First-time interviewee who is hired for a job

Which statement illustrates low status consistency?

• A suburban family lives in a modest ranch home and enjoys a nice vacation each summer.

• A single mother receives food stamps and struggles to find adequate employment.

• A college dropout launches an online company that earns millions in its first year.

• A celebrity actor owns homes in three countries.

Based on meritocracy, a physician’s assistant would:

• receive the same pay as all the other physician’s assistants

• be considered a member of the upper class

• most likely marry a professional at the same level

• earn a pay raise for doing excellent work