How does the American Dream relate to social stratification? What does it mean to say a society is egalitarian, ranked, or stratified? What do power, wealth, and prestige refer to in terms of social stratification? Understand the difference between ascribed and achieved statuses. What are some examples of each? How do these relate to closed or open stratification systems?

1) evidence indicates that educational achievement, levels of indebtedness, income, and wealth accumulation are significantly correlated with the American Dream

2)a society in which no individual or group has more privileged access to resources, power, or prestige than any other

3) Power- the ability to impose one's will on others, Wealth-the accumulation of material resources or access to the means of producing these resources, Prestige- social honor or respect. These three things all impact a persons socioeconomic status and therefor directly correlates to their position in social stratification. The more Power, Wealth, and prestige one has, the easier it typically is to obtain resources needed.

4) Ascribed status is being born into the socioeconomic statues such as being born into royalty. Achieved is a social position that a person chooses or achieves on his or her own such as becoming a celebrity or marrying into wealth or poverty.

5) In an open class system, the hierarchical social status of a person is achieved through their effort. These types of class systems are achievement-based economic system with social mobility and relations between classes. In a closed class systems there is low social mobility. People in such societies may be confined to their ancestral occupations, and their social status is largely prescribed by status at birth.