The folk-pop singer Jewel is famous for having lived in her van when she first moved to San Diego and started performing in a coffee shop. Soon after she was signed by Atlantic Records, her advance allowed her to rent a house and buy a new car, and soon after began earning millions of dollars selling her albums. Of what class-based phenomenon is this an example of?

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The question describes Jewel’s early life—living in a van, performing in coffee shops, securing an advance from a record label, buying a house and a car, and eventually earning millions—asking which class-based phenomenon this illustrates.
Option: the culture of poverty. This concept posits that poverty creates a set of cultural adaptations and behaviors that perpetuate poverty across generations. While it relates to poverty, it does not describe upward movement or changes in social status; the scenario shows ascent rather than entrenchment in poverty, so this choice misfits the dynamics at play here.
Option: apartheid. Apartheid refers to the institutionalized system of racial segregation and disenfranchisement in South Africa, legally structuring unequal access to resources and opportunities. The Jewel example does not depict a sanctioned, country-level policy of racial segregation, but rather a narrative of individual economic advancement, so this option is unrelated.
Option: caste systems. Caste systems involve hereditary, rigid social stratification with limited or no mobility between ranks. Jewel’s trajectory contradicts that rigidity; she transitions from poverty to wealth, illustrating mobility rather than fixed, inherited status, making this answer incorrect for the given scenario.
Option: social mobility. This term captures the movement of an individual or family from one social or economic level to another, usually upward or downward. Jewel’s path—from living in a van to obtaining significant financial success and improved social standing—embodies upward social mobility driven by talent, opportunity, and industry resources, which aligns with the described phenomenon.

Introduction to Sociology Exam #2

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