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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 about the upper classes in Iceland and Polynesia?

2. What happens when people attain a certain level of consumption?

3. What incentive does Veblen say results from the desire to own property?

4. What does Veblen say happens to those who can afford not to work?

5. What does Veblen say motivates conspicuous waste?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Veblen define leisure?

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

3. How does style ensure conspicuous waste?

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

5. How does the clergy demonstrate vicarious leisure?

6. How does the labor class view its work?

7. Where does the institution of a leisure class appear in the development of culture?

8. How did primitive societies divide the labor?

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

10. What began with private ownership?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Veblen describes the leisure class as a development from earlier culture. Is it a form of progress or a form of evolution? How much is Veblen's concept of the leisure class influenced by Darwinian thinking?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role Darwinian thinking plays in "The Theory of the Leisure Class." Is Veblen simply applying Darwin's ideas to society, or is he using Darwin's ideas as tools to show things Darwin's theories would not have described?

Essay Topic 3

Is the belief in luck the same thing as religion in Veblen's view? Compare and contrast the two belief systems. Do they both have the same effect on society?

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