Deck 7: Social Class in Canada

Question 1

A recent private-sector study showed that by the end of 2009, a little less than 4 percent of Canadian households controlled what percent of the total wealth in Canada?

A) 67 percent
B) 53 percent
C) 36 percent
D) 25 percent

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Jawanna works at the school cafeteria. When most students go home for the summer months, the cafeteria temporarily lays off the staff. Jawanna is usually out of work between May and August. This lack of stable employment is called:

A) residual poverty
B) transitional poverty
C) marginal poverty
D) relative poverty

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The money received for work or through investments is called:

A) total net worth
B) wealth
C) income
D) gross individual product

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Since it is a comparative measure, the LICO is more of a measure of:

A) absolute poverty
B) social mobility
C) relative poverty
D) structural mobility

Question 5

A small group of people who hold immense power are called:

A) the dominant culture
B) the chosen few
C) the power elite
D) the proletariat

Question 6

Bill and Louise are a married couple with two young children. Louise works as a daycare attendant, and Bill works as a mechanic at a garage. Last year, Bill was laid off for six months. During that time, the family had to cut back on many expenses. This family experienced:

A) marginal poverty
B) transitional poverty
C) absolute poverty
D) unemployment poverty

Question 7

Between 1980 and 2010, the share of income of one quintile increased; the share of all other quintiles fell during the same period. Which quintile saw their share of income increase?

A) The richest quintile
B) The middle quintile
C) The lowest quintile
D) The third quintile

Question 8

In 1965, John Porter described the features of class and stratification in Canada. He wrote that "one of the most persistent images that Canadians have of their society is that is has ____________ classes."

A) three
B) two
C) no
D) six

Question 9

For most Canadians, their most significant asset is their:

A) car
B) house
C) bank account
D) investments

Question 10

Which Canadian measure of poverty accounts for regional differences in the cost of living?

A) Low income measure
B) Low income cut-off
C) Market basket measure
D) Relative poverty measure

Question 11

Which measure of poverty defines low-income Canadians as those living in families that have an after-tax income lower than 50 percent of the median income for all Canadian families?

A) Low income cut-off
B) Low income measure
C) Market basket measure
D) Fifty percent measure

Question 12

In 2012, Canada's Gini coefficient was 0.43, which is lower than that of the United States. What does this mean?

A) There is less inequality in Canada
B) There is more inequality in Canada
C) Canadians have more income than Americans
D) Americans have more income than Canadians

Question 13

Subita has a part-time job as a cashier at a grocery store. The money she receives on her paycheque is her:

A) wealth
B) income
C) total net worth
D) dividend

Question 14

Joshua is moving to Thailand to teach English classes. Because he will be out of the country for five years, Joshua wants to sell all his material possessions including his car, his furniture, and his electronics. The possessions along with the money that Joshua has in the bank are valued at $50,000. This reflects Joshua's:

A) wealth
B) income
C) prestige
D) power

Question 15

Statistics Canada uses three measures of low income. The first identifies families that spend at least 20 percentage points more of their after-tax income on food, clothing, and shelter than the average family of the same size. This measure is called:

A) low income cut-off
B) low income measure
C) market basket measure
D) twenty percent measure

Question 16

Three factors that influence the impact of poverty on families are:

A) its type, its reason, and its solution
B) its cause, its consequence, and its result
C) its depth, its breadth, and its duration
D) its region, its amount, and the number of people it affects

Question 17

Malcolm was born into a poor family. Both of his parents were also born into poor families. Even more, Malcolm's grandparents were born into poor families. This reflects:

A) relative poverty
B) absolute poverty
C) residual poverty
D) transitional poverty

Question 18

Levi is a physician. He has the ability to get the nurses to do what he wants them to do. He tells them what to do with the patients and when to do it. This ability to impose his will on others reflects Levi's:

A) power
B) prestige
C) wealth
D) income

Question 19

What will happen if recent income distribution trends continue?

A) The rich are going to get poorer and the poor are going to get richer.
B) The rich are going to get richer and the poor are going to get poorer.
C) Everybody will get poorer.
D) Everybody will move up into the higher quintiles.

Question 20

Statistics Canada conducts an annual survey of Canadian households that measures the distribution of income. All households are listed, from poorest to richest, and then divided into five groups called:

A) quartiles
B) quintiles
C) fifths
D) social classes

Question 21

Which of the following groups had the highest low-income rate among working-age income recipients in 2010?

A) Off-reserve Aboriginal people
B) People with disabilities
C) Lone parents
D) Unattached individuals

Question 22

Which sociological perspective would accept that social stratification is necessary and inevitable in any society?

A) Functionalism
B) Symbolic Interactionism
C) Conflict theory
D) Feminist theory

Question 23

Willie lives in a housing project in Toronto. Willie's neighbourhood is characterized by high levels of poverty, single-parent households, and male unemployment. Willie is a part of the:

A) middle class
B) lower class
C) underclass
D) working class

Question 24

Pavlo started out at the company as a mail room clerk. After two years he was promoted to the position of Administrative Assistant. After five years, he became the Office Manager and now he is being promoted to the position of Associate Director. Pavlo has experienced:

A) employment mobility
B) horizontal mobility
C) intragenerational mobility
D) intergenerational mobility

Question 25

Barbara has trouble finding a steady job, and when she does, it is always one that pays minimum wage. Barbara is a part of the:

A) working class
B) non-working class
C) lower class
D) middle class

Question 26

Wesley's grandfather was a sharecropper, farming someone else's land. Wesley's father was a farmer who farmed his own land. Wesley owns an international dairy company that responsible for providing milk products to people all around the world. This is an example of:

A) horizontal mobility
B) intergenerational mobility
C) structural mobility
D) exchange mobility

Question 27

Dorothy is a hair stylist working at Cuts-By-Us but she has applied for a stylist position at Super-Cuts so that she can work at a salon that is closer to her apartment. If Dorothy moves to Super-Cuts, she would be doing the same job and making the same amount of money. This reflects:

A) vertical mobility
B) structural mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) exchange mobility

Question 28

Louise was a librarian who owned a home. After her husband's death, she lost her house and turned to alcohol to ease her pain. Now, Louise is homeless, living on the streets of San Francisco. This reflects:

A) horizontal mobility
B) structural mobility
C) vertical mobility
D) exchange mobility

Question 29

Of all the industrial democracies, which country has the greatest percentage of children living in poverty?

A) Japan
B) France
C) Canada
D) The United States

Question 30

In 2010, which group had the highest percentage of people in the low-income category?

A) Two-parent families
B) Retired couples
C) 18 to 64 year olds
D) Female-headed lone parent families

Question 31

In 2001, which of the following was ranked as one of the top occupations in Canada?

A) Architect
B) Sports referee
C) Lawyer
D) Teacher

Question 32

Roz is a 34-year-old public defense attorney. She is dating Peter, a garbage collector. Roz is embarrassed about introducing Peter to her colleagues because Peter's job has a low level of respect and esteem. Roz is concerned about Peter's:

A) wealth
B) income
C) power
D) prestige

Question 33

Rupinder's father is a certified electrician and his mother teaches Grade 3 at an elementary school. Rupinder's family is part of the:

A) middle class
B) upper class
C) working class
D) lower class

Question 34

Children raised in poor homes are more likely to be poor adults. This vicious circle is called:

A) the cycle of poverty
B) intragenerational mobility
C) intergenerational mobility
D) the relative poverty cycle

Question 35

The ability to change social classes is called:

A) ascribed mobility
B) achieved mobility
C) social mobility
D) structural mobility

Question 36

The fact that Cindy attended an exclusive prep school, belongs to exclusive social clubs, and was born into a wealthy and powerful family qualifies her for membership in the:

A) upper middle class
B) upper/elite class
C) middle class
D) celebrity class

Question 37

In 2009, many countries, including Canada, suffered a recession in which many people lost their jobs and saw their investments and savings drop dramatically. This is an example of:

A) horizontal mobility
B) structural mobility
C) exchange mobility
D) intergenerational mobility

Question 38

Shawn's father is a plumber and his mother is a cleaner at the high school. Shawn comes from a(n) _________________ class family.

A) working
B) middle
C) lower
D) urban under

Question 39

Angela has a Master's of Business Administration and earns a high salary as an advertising executive. Angela is part of the:

A) lower class
B) middle class
C) upper middle class
D) working class

Question 40

In Canada, the power elite is made up of:

A) religious elite, government elite, and professional athletes
B) corporate leaders, lawyers, and celebrities
C) business elite, legal elite, and medical elite
D) economic elite, state elite, and media elite

Question 41

Explain the relationship between neighbourhoods and social class.

Question 42

Describe the class structure in Canada. Discuss the main characteristics of each of the six social classes.

Question 43

Which sociological perspective would focus on the fact that, around the world, women experience poverty at far higher rates than men?

A) Conflict theory
B) Functionalism
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Feminist theory

Question 44

Compare and contrast the three components that make up the stratification system in Canada.

Question 45

Explain the functionalist, conflict, feminist, and symbolic interactionist perspectives on social stratification.

Question 46

Explain the feminization of poverty and give examples that support this concept.

Question 47

Omar is a functionalist. He believes that the amount of pay associated with a job depends on:

A) the number of men compared to women in the field
B) how important the job is for society
C) how much physical labour is required in the position
D) the amount of power that comes with the job

Question 48

Which sociological perspective would focus on the subjective meaning of poverty to individuals?

A) Conflict theory
B) Functionalism
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Feminist theory

Question 49

Leon is giving an in-class presentation on minimum wage earners in Canada. Leon tells his classmates that 29 percent of minimum wage earners are:

A) under the age of 16
B) between 16 and 19 years of age
C) between 20 and 24 years of age
D) over the age of 25

Question 50

For Melvin Tumin, social inequality is rooted in a system that is more likely to reward you based on:

A) what you know
B) what you do
C) where you start
D) what you like

Question 51

Describe social mobility in Canada and discuss the various types of mobility.

Question 52

In late 2009, the report called "In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness" made the recommendation to implement a federal minimum wage. What did they recommend this minimum wage should be?

A) $8.00 per hour
B) $10.00 per hour
C) $12.00 per hour
D) $14.00 per hour

Question 53

Because of the cost of medical school, poorer students are less likely to become doctors than higher class students. Which theorists would be more likely to examine how this trend impacts social stratification in Canada?

A) Functionalists
B) Symbolic interactionists
C) Conflict theorists
D) Feminist theorists

Question 54

Which social class is most likely to believe that social class matters?

A) Upper class
B) Upper middle class
C) Middle class
D) Lower class

Question 55

Define wealth and discuss the distribution of wealth in Canada by referring to quintiles.

Question 56

Explain the three types of poverty. Give an example of each.

Question 57

You are a social worker responsible for placing children in foster care. You have been asked to explain the benefits of placing a foster child from the urban underclass into an upper middle class home. What do you say?

Question 58

Professor Kagan is conducting research on the gender bias in poverty. Professor Kagan is examining:

A) the masculization of poverty
B) the feminization of poverty
C) the relativity of poverty
D) the marginality of poverty

Question 59

At the 20-year class reunion, classmates learned that David had become a millionaire. Sara tells her classmates that, "David, like all self-made millionaires, made it because he was smart and hardworking." Sara supports the:

A) exchange mobility hypothesis
B) conflict theory
C) meritocracy argument
D) entitlement hypothesis

Question 60

Define income and discuss income distribution in Canada by referring to quintiles.

Question 61

Identify and describe some of the social policies designed to help the poor in Canada.

Question 62

A worker who goes back to school and gets a better job has experienced intragenerational mobility.

Question 63

believe that the way that people perceive poverty and wealth impacts how they talk about social class.

Question 64

Describe how members of the different social classes perceive social stratification, class, and poverty.

Question 65

People with high school diplomas and who may hold jobs that involve manual labour are part of the .

Question 66

Students from working class backgrounds are more likely than upper middle class students to talk about social stratification.

Question 67

Wealth and income refer to the same thing - how much money a person has.

Question 68

The ability to carry out your will and impose it on others is called .

Question 69

Occupational prestige is based solely on the income associated with that job.

Question 70

Explain the meritocracy argument, and discuss some of the reasons why this is not the only factor affecting social stratification.

Question 71

When compared to other industrialized countries, has the greatest percentage of children living in poverty.

Question 72

poverty is a temporary state that occurs when someone loses a job for a short time.

Question 73

In 2009, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology published a report called "In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness." The recommendations of this report are a reflection of the functionalist perspective on poverty.

Question 74

Since 1999, all Canadian families have seen an increase in income and wealth.

Question 75

Discuss the different measures of poverty used by Statistics Canada and explain the strengths and weaknesses of each measure.

Question 76

Around the world, women experience poverty at far higher rates than men.

Question 77

Describe the evolution of minimum wage in Canada. Describe the characteristics of people who work for minimum wage.

Question 78

Among the industrial democracies, the United States has the greatest percentage of children living in poverty.

Question 79

Nearly 30 percent of minimum-wage workers in Canada are over 25 years old.

Question 80

Canada has two official definitions of poverty.