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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Veblen say members of a society are ranked and judged?
(a) In terms of their power.
(b) In terms of their wealth.
(c) In terms of their morals.
(d) In terms of their noble lineage.

2. What force does Veblen say shapes the standard of living?
(a) The predatory animus.
(b) Physical hunger.
(c) Human guilt.
(d) The industrial lifestyle.

3. Which aspect of culture was a condition for the development of a leisure class?
(a) Representative government.
(b) An ethic of sharing.
(c) Competition for resources.
(d) A predatory nature in the community.

4. What does Veblen say happens as technology progresses?
(a) Men have more children.
(b) Men have more time for prayer.
(c) Men have more time for activities beyond subsistence.
(d) Men have more wives.

5. When did the leisure class become part of society?
(a) At the same time religion did.
(b) At the same time ownership did.
(c) At the same time technology did.
(d) At the same time slavery did.

6. What does Veblen say a woman's dress indicates about her spouse?
(a) Her reliance upon him.
(b) Her independence from him.
(c) Her interdependence upon him.
(d) Her affection for him.

7. Spending money on ornate buildings is an example of what?
(a) Devout waste.
(b) Vicarious consumption.
(c) Vicarious waste.
(d) Conspicuous waste.

8. What does Veblen call the code of conduct for servants?
(a) Conspicuous subservience.
(b) Conspicuous discomfort.
(c) Mechanical efficiency.
(d) Service with a smile.

9. How does a man of leisure indicate his position in society?
(a) By volunteering to help the poor.
(b) By his association with people of renown.
(c) By consuming and giving away certain things.
(d) By giving money to charities.

10. What do expensive handmade clothes have that cheap imitations do not?
(a) More authentic components.
(b) Patented features.
(c) The aesthetic quality of the original.
(d) The signature of the maker.

11. Vicarious consumption reflects whose standing?
(a) The worker's.
(b) The patron's.
(c) The servant's.
(d) The slave's.

12. What happens when men come into wealth through peaceful means?
(a) Property becomes an indicator of heritage.
(b) Property becomes an indicator of success.
(c) Property becomes the measure of spiritual values.
(d) Property becomes the subject of competition and warfare.

13. What classes does Veblen describe emerging as society developed?
(a) Blue-collar and white-collar classes.
(b) Workers and parasites.
(c) Proletariat and bourgeoisie.
(d) Industrial and nonindustrial classes.

14. What gives an item its desirability to men of the leisure class?
(a) Beauty.
(b) Expensiveness.
(c) Utility.
(d) Efficiency.

15. What does Veblen say was the earliest form of ownership?
(a) Ownership of land.
(b) Ownership of songs.
(c) Ownership of hunting rights.
(d) Ownership of women.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is conspicuous consumption most prevalent?

2. What does Veblen say happens whenever people acquire a greater ability to pay?

3. What did men use to display their exploits during the earliest forms of ownership?

4. Which employments were associated with a lower status?

5. Why do people spend more than they need for physical comfort?

(see the answer keys)

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