sociology quiz 4 – Flashcards
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The dimension of Weber's system of stratification that helps determine one's class consists of the respect or regard that a person is given by others, and is called __________.
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Prestige
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According to Forbes magazine, the richest people in the world are Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helu, Bill Gates (co-founder of Microsoft Corporation), and investor Warren Buffet. In Wright's Marxian model these men would be members of the __________ class.
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capitalist
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Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, Max Weber developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and __________.
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power
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A combination of three factors qualifies people for the __________ class: university degrees, authority and independence on the job, and high income.
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upper-middle class
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In the model of American social classes based on Weber's theory, the __________ is made up of prominent families that have held great wealth for several generations.
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upper-upper
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......... is the most likely to have life-threatening consequences, such as when a homeless person freezes to death on a park bench.
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absolute poverty
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A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in India caste was based in part on __________.
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occupation
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__________ is the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property
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wealth
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About 20 percent of the U.S. population lives from just above to just below the poverty line. These people typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, and lower-paid factory and service jobs and are termed the __________.
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the working poor
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Computers and other technologies perform a great deal of work today, reducing the need for workers with special expertise. As a result, high-paying positions have been replaced with low-paying positions. This process has been termed __________.
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deskilling
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Marx's theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example,________________.
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the economic basis of class sytems
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About .... of the US pop is included in the underclass
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3-5 percent
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The U.S. Social Security Administration has established an official poverty line. The poverty line is computed by ______________________________
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determining the cost of a minimally nutritious diet (short-term) and multiplying this figure by 3 to allow for nonfood costs
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According to the text, one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of __________.
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flexibility
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From the perspective of __________, social inequality is not only inevitable; it is an essential part of any healthy society.
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functionalism
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Wealth in the United States________________________.
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is nonexistent for nearly 1 in 4 US households
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Marx used the term __________ for the feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself that he suggested resulted from continually being exploited.
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alienation
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__________ theorists view education as the "elevator" to social mobility. They see education as providing all students with opportunities, and they argue that students' abilities are now more important than their class, race, or gender in determining success.
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functionalist
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The Department of Agriculture uses the term __________ for people whose access to adequate food is limited by lack of money and other resources.
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food insecure
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Social inequality and poverty have both economic and structural sources. According to your text, in the United States a great deal of poverty is due to
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high unemployment and the low wages paid for many jobs
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Social critic and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrated that people in the __________ use strategies like help from relatives and continually changing residences in order to survive
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working poor
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mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.
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intergenerational
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__________ occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure.
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horizontal mobility
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__ theorists stress that schools are agencies for perpetuating social inequality because parents with limited income are not able to provide the same educational opportunities for their children as are families with greater financial resources.
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conflict
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In 2012, the poorest 20 percent of households in the United States received approximately __________ of the total income pie.
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3 percent
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Today, great disparities exist in the distribution of educational resources. Because funding for education comes primarily from __________, school districts in wealthy suburban areas generally pay higher teachers' salaries, have newer buildings, and provide state-of-the-art equipment.
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local property taxes
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Of the two categories of people who work for wages, Weber called the white-collar workers, public officials, managers, and professionals the __________.
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middle class
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Until the 1990s, white South Africans controlled the government, the police, and the military by enforcing __________, the term used in South Africa for "the separation of the races."
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apartheid
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Sociologists often use the term __________ to refer to a classification that reflects a combination of factors such as income, occupation, and education.
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socioeconomic status
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Which age group (of all races) has the highest percentage living in poverty?
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0-18
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The term pink-collar refers to_____________________________.
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semiskilled positions that are low paying, are not manual labor, and are primarily held by women
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Both Karl Marx and Max Weber identified ___________ as an important determinant of social inequality and social change.
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class
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__________ is the term for economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (government aid), and ownership of property.
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income
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Skilled blue-collar workers, which include electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, and unskilled blue-collar workers which include janitors and gardeners, are all members of the __________, according to the Marxian model of class.
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working
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Of the richest 20 people in the world, how many are women?
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3 percent
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The U.S. State Department estimates that about __________ foreigners are brought to the United States and enslaved annually.
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17,500
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For many of the working poor, medical insurance is out of the question. In 2010, approximately __________ of people in the United States were without health insurance coverage.
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16 percent
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In the Marxian model of Erik Wright, business owners and craftspeople that may hire a small number of employees but largely do their own work would be considered __________ class.
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small-business
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The open stratification system based on the ownership and control of resources, as well as the type of work people do, is termed __________.
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class
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Caste systems and slavery are both __________.
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systems where status is determined at birth
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In a class system_____________________________.
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status is based on access to and ownership of resources
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A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in South Africa caste was based largely on __________.
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racial classification
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In Wright's Marxian model, the __________ is made up of a number of subgroups, including blue-collar workers, some of whom are highly skilled and well-paid and others of whom are unskilled and poorly paid.
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working class
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Slavery in the United States ___________.
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was challenged by some slaves through acts of resistance and sabotage
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__________ is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources.
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social stratification
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Weber defined social class using ___________ as a major contributor.
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power
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__________ occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class structure.
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vertical mobility
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In a caste system, people are allowed to marry only within their own group. This is termed __________.
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endogamous
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According to sociologist Max Weber's system of stratification, __________ is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
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power
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Workers have not overthrown capitalism as Marx had predicted because __________
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many workers have experienced a rising standard of living
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According to Marx, the capitalist class maintains its position at the top of the class structure by control of the society's __________, which is composed of the government, schools, churches, and other social institutions.
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superstructure
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Marx's theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example,________________.
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economic basis of class system
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Meredith studies how waiters are treated by diners at a country club in order to learn about the daily structure of inequality and how these patterns are enacted and replicated. Meredith is a __________.
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Symbolic interactionist
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The term __________ include(s) property such as buildings, land, farms, houses, factories, and cars, as well as other assets such as bank accounts, corporate stocks, bonds, and insurance policies.
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wealth
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Davis and Moore, two functionalists, believe that stratification results in
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meritocracy
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Poor people in the United States______________________________.
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are at greater risk for heart disease and cancer than more affluent persons
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Becky's mother is an architect and her father is a college professor. Becky left home at age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Becky no longer communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at a fast food restaurant, Becky resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for money. Becky's story illustrates the concept of __________.
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vertical mobility
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In 2012, the top 5 percent of households in the United States received more than 20 percent of all income—an amount greater than that received by the bottom __________ of all households.
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40 percent
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Sociologist Max Weber placed categories of people who have a similar level of wealth and income in the same class. He referred to the privileged commercial class of wealthy bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial resources as __________.
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entrepreneurs
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In the late 1970s, sociologist Diana Pearce coined the term __________to refer to the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty.
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feminization of poverty
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In Wright's Marxian model, persons who have substantial control over production and over workers but do not participate in key corporate decisions such as how to invest profit are the __________.
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managerial class
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Marx used the term __________ to refer to those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive.
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proletariat
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Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, sociologist __________ developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and power.
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Max Weber
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The U.S. poverty rate in 2012 was __________
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15 percent
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Corporations have been disinvesting in the United States, displacing millions of people from their jobs. Economists refer to this displacement as the __________ of America.
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deindustrialization
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The model of the American class system based on the work of __________ is based on three elements: education, occupation of family head, and family income.
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Max Weber
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Vestiges of a caste system exist today in __________.
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India and South America
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Occupations such as medical technicians, teachers, and nurses pertain to the __________, which makes up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population
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middle class
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One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of flexibility. In a closed system of stratification __________.
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there is little or no social mobility
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The term __________ refers to those who are poor, are seldom employed, and experience long-term deprivation
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underclass
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A factory worker is promoted to the position of foreman in the factory. She receives a small increase in pay. This person has experienced __________ mobility.
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Horizontal
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__________ poverty exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.
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relative
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Marx used the term __________ for those who own the means of production—the land and capital necessary for factories and mines
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bourgeoisie
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Marx described workers as alienated for a variety of reasons, including that __________.
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workers are alienated from the goods they produce because they use their creativity and labor to produce them but do not own them
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__________ poverty refers to the condition in which people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life
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Absolute
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When______ behavior occurs between nonequals, it confirms the inequality of the relationship
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deference
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Contemporary Marxian (or conflict) theorists examine class in terms of __________.
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people's relationships with others in the production process
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The upper-middle class is comprised of highly educated professionals, such as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, and corporate managers, which make up about __________ of the population.
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14 percent
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When analyzing social class, __________ are most likely to consider the degree of control that workers have over the decision-making process and their ability to plan and implement their own work
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conflict theorists
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__________ theorists view education as the "elevator" to social mobility. They see education as providing all students with opportunities, and they argue that students' abilities are now more important than their class, race, or gender in determining success.
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functionalist
