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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Veblen say happens to those who need to work but do not work?

2. To whom does the requirement of excessive clothing apply most?

3. What does Veblen say happens as technology progresses?

4. Vicarious leisure results in what?

5. What principle does Veblen say guides the consumer's habits?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the standard of wealth change over time?

2. How are lawns and public grounds evidence of pecuniary beauty?

3. What began with private ownership?

4. How does Veblen define leisure?

5. How are habits formed?

6. What was the earliest form of ownership?

7. What kinds of feats replace productivity for the leisure class?

8. How have women's clothes demonstrated that the woman does not engage in productive employment?

9. What distinguishes the leisure class from the other classes?

10. How does wealth stratify society?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Are status symbols necessary? If social status is a fact of life for middle-class (leisure-class) people in industrial society, are status symbols necessities, or are they luxuries? Is Veblen being puritanical to see them as luxuries when pragmatically they are requirements for participation in culture?

Essay Topic 2

How useful is the term "the leisure class"? Does it describe everyone with any disposable income? Is it really a synonym for the upper class? Is it a synonym for the middle class?

Essay Topic 3

Describe how "The Theory of the Leisure Class" applies to two professions: one where the profession fits Veblen's language very well, and another where Veblen's language does not apply as neatly.

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