Which ladder
are you on?

Most class quizzes ask you about income. That misses what actually structures American society. The three-ladder model (Michael O. Church, popularized by Dorian Taylor) argues that there isn't one class hierarchy but three parallel ones, each trading in a different currency:

• Labor — work ethic, loyalty, tangible goods.
• Gentry — cultural capital, ideas, credentials.
• Elite — ownership, lineage, networks.
• Underclass — outside all three.

The questions that follow ask about preferences and habits, not income or job title. Pick the answer closest to your honest first instinct. Your dominant ladder, your rung within it, and a rough breakdown of the mix will be at the end.