Delta State University
Sociology 101
Spring Semester 2003

Study Questions
Henslin Text, Chapter 8

(1)  What is the difference between wealth and income?  Which do you think provides a better indicator of social class?  Why?

(2)  Describe how income is distributed in the United States.  How does this differ from income distribution fifty years ago?

(3)  How is prestige measured in determining one’s social class?

(4)  What is meant by the term status inconsistency?  Provide an example of status inconsistency and suggest what the result might be.

(5)  Describe how sociologists have updated Marx’s and Weber’s notions of social class.  Why have sociologists undertaken these endeavors?

(6)  What are some of the ramifications of one’s class?  Describe how people experience class in various realms.

(7)  Is social mobility a reality or a myth in the United States?  Support your response using different types of social mobility.

(8)  How is poverty defined?  What factors determine if someone is poor?  Why are people poor?

(9)  Describe 6 myths about the poor and suggest whether they are supported by statistics.  Why do these myths exist?