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p. 1
1. What is interesting about the class statuses the four people pictured on page 1 give themselves?
2. What things to they seem to agree about?
p. 2
3. What does the understanding of class described in the first paragraph sound like?
4. According to the authors, what has changed?
5. So why does class still matter?
6. What has happened to class mobility, or, the American Dream?
7. What is the basic contradiction this article points out?
pp. 3-4
8. What is the paradox of the new meritocracy?
FAITH IN THE SYSTEM
9. How do American feel about their prospects for class mobility?
10. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 3?
p. 4-5
11. What does the graph on page 4 tell us?
12. According to the authors, what is a serious difficulty for any discussion of class?
13. What do the authors consider class to be?
14. Why has our idea of class changed over time?
15. Do researchers agree on what class is?
THE AMERICAN IDEAL
p. 6
16. What does one’s class status seem to be most dependent upon?
17. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 6?
pp. 7-8
18. How does mobility in the United States compare with other countries?
BLURRING THE LANDSCAPE
19. Why does it appear that class no longer exists in America?
20. What conclusions can we draw from the graphs on page 8?
p. 9-10
21. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 9?
22. What makes it appear that class does still exist in America?
23. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 10?
pp. 11-12
A RAGS-TO-RICHES FAITH
24. What is the contradictory conclusion the authors reach?
25. What conclusions can we draw from the graphs on pages 11 and 12?
26. Which cultural icons have contributed to Americans’ belief in social mobility?
27. What are the disadvantages and advantages in optimism about class mobility?
