Deck 8: Social Stratification

Question 1

The patterns of deaths in the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic illustrate:

A) the key part played by demography in human survival.
B) the role of alcohol in ocean safety.
C) the complexities of ocean line construction.
D) how social interaction assists in coping with disaster.
E) the sometimes lethal consequences of poverty amidst wealth.

Answer 1

the sometimes lethal consequences of poverty amidst wealth.

Question 2

What is the term for society's ranking of categories of people in a hierarchy?

A) social ranks
B) social inequality
C) social differentiation
D) social stratification
E) social equality

Answer 2

social stratification

Question 3

In terms of social stratification, what is the essential sociological insight?

A) The opportunity structure has little to do with whether or not a person is poor.
B) The opportunity structure has everything to do with individuals' social standing.
C) Every person begins life with equal social standing.
D) Only those who persistently work hard will succeed in life.
E) Despite social forces, individuals are always free to change their circumstances.

Answer 3

The opportunity structure has everything to do with individuals' social standing.

Question 4

Social stratification is:

A) a trait of society.
B) universal and invariant.
C) little persistence of social positions across generations.
D) supported by economics, not by patterns of belief.
E) a reflection of individual differences.

Question 5

Because of social stratification:

A) some people have more privileges and opportunities than others do.
B) all people begin life on a level playing field.
C) working hard is the only way people become wealthy.
D) what people get out of life is pretty much what they put into it.
E) where we end up in life is determined by skills and abilities.

Question 6

Caste systems:

A) require that people marry within their own category.
B) encourage social contact between people of different castes.
C) allow people to do whatever types of work they want to.
D) shape members' beliefs.
E) are typical of agricultural societies.

Question 7

What is the term for changes in people's positions within the social hierarchy?

A) social locality
B) parallel social mobility
C) vertical social mobility
D) horizontal social mobility
E) social mobility

Question 8

Social mobility:

A) refers only to movement upward in the hierarchy.
B) refers only to movement downward in the hierarchy.
C) results in the social standing of most people changing significantly over the course of their lifetime.
D) results in more people moving horizontally within the social hierarchy than moving upward or downward.
E) is rarely observed in Canadian society.

Question 9

According to the text's discussion of inequality and beliefs, which of the following is true?

A) Only some systems of inequality give some people more than others.
B) All systems of inequality define unequal arrangements as unfair.
C) What is unequal is the same from society to society.
D) The explanation of why people should be unequal varies from one society to another.
E) Beliefs have little to do with inequalities in society.

Question 10

Endogamous marriages facilitate:

A) laissez-faire systems.
B) democratic systems.
C) closed systems.
D) polygamous systems.
E) open systems.

Question 11

Marriages that unite people of the same social ranking are called:

A) polygamous.
B) exogamous.
C) polyandrous.
D) endogamous.
E) exogenous.

Question 12

Caste systems:

A) guide everyday life by keeping people in the company of "different kinds of people."
B) shape members' beliefs.
C) determine the type of play one will perform.
D) are open systems.
E) are unusual in agrarian societies.

Question 13

Significant elements of the caste system are seen in:

A) the United States.
B) South Africa.
C) Russia.
D) Cuba.
E) Canada.

Question 14

Systems of social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement are referred to as:

A) social differentiation.
B) class systems.
C) caste systems.
D) mobility systems.
E) polygamous systems.

Question 15

Class systems:

A) emphasize personal choice in selecting a marital partner.
B) are considered closed systems.
C) have little social mobility.
D) consider categorizing people according to sex or social background as acceptable.
E) have class boundaries that are clear and well defined.

Question 16

What is the term for a system of social stratification based on personal talent and ability?

A) meritocracy
B) capitalism
C) democracy
D) status hierarchy
E) competitive systems

Question 17

Industrial societies keep castelike qualities (such as the inheritance of wealth), rather than becoming complete meritocracies because:

A) too many people would be poor if everything were based on merit.
B) productivity and efficiency would decrease.
C) a pure meritocracy diminishes the importance of families.
D) tradition is extremely important.
E) rebellion would result.

Question 18

What is the term for the degree of consistency in a person's social standing across various dimensions of social inequality?

A) class consistency
B) prestige congruity
C) status consistency
D) status consonance
E) status levelling

Question 19

Who of the following has the least status consistency?

A) the Canadian Prime Minister
B) a sociology professor
C) Lady Gaga
D) a professional criminal
E) a blue-collar worker

Question 20

What comprised the "first estate"in England during the Middle Ages?

A) the nobility
B) commoners
C) the clergy
D) kings
E) serfs

Question 21

What comprised the "second estate"in England during the Middle Ages?

A) the nobility
B) commoners
C) the clergy
D) kings
E) serfs

Question 22

What comprised the "third estate"in England during the Middle Ages?

A) the nobility
B) commoners
C) the clergy
D) kings
E) military officers

Question 23

If the population of Great Britain today were assigned to the appropriate "estates"of the Middle Ages, into which estate would most individuals fall?

A) first estate
B) third estate
C) second estate
D) bourgeoisie
E) clergy estate

Question 24

Which social class comprises approximately one-half of all persons in contemporary Great Britain?

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

Question 25

The history of the former Soviet Union illustrates which of the following?

A) Social inequality involves more than economic resources.
B) Social classes are determined by the private ownership of property.
C) Social stratification can be eliminated.
D) An elite class based on wealth remained, despite the Soviet government's efforts to eliminate it.
E) Soviet society still had extremes of wealth and poverty comparable to those in Europe and Canada.

Question 26

A shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in the society itself than to individual efforts is termed:

A) social change mobility.
B) structural social mobility.
C) intergenerational mobility.
D) aggregate mobility.
E) structural exchange mobility.

Question 27

The Russian Federation:

A) has very little social stratification.
B) faces hard times.
C) saw structural social mobility decline in the 1990s.
D) saw the average lifespan for men and women increase during the 1990s.
E) reduced the Russian Federation's economic performance.

Question 28

An examination of the People's Republic of China illustrates:

A) how a classless society can be constructed.
B) how power plays an insignificant role in social stratification.
C) how impossible it is to reduce economic inequality.
D) the complete elimination of Communist rule.
E) the highly dynamic nature of social stratification.

Question 29

What is ideology?

A) cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality
B) ideas that curtail the power of the wealthy
C) ideas that stem from scientific and philosophical inquiry
D) a biased or slanted view of the world
E) economic beliefs based on demography

Question 30

Ideology:

A) consists of self-serving ideas spawned by the poor.
B) takes the form of new cultural beliefs.
C) is the major reason that social equality endures.
D) changes as a society's economy and technology change.
E) is commonly accepted when trying to reduce inequality.

Question 31

What was Plato's reasoning for the persistence of stratification in society?

A) Inherent abilities guarantee a person's satisfaction.
B) Social institutions create and justify inequality.
C) Inherent abilities/inabilities in persons guarantee stratification.
D) Stratification is functional.
E) Every culture considers some type of inequality as "fair."

Question 32

The common ideology of a class system treats ________ as a sign of personal talent and effort.

A) wealth
B) family name
C) charity
D) merit
E) fate

Question 33

The common ideology of a class system treats poverty as a result of:

A) personal inadequacy
B) forces outside one's control
C) bad fortune
D) flaws in society
E) fate.

Question 34

According to the Davis-Moore thesis, social stratification:

A) results in conflict.
B) is a result of power differentials in society.
C) should be avoided.
D) results in unfair distribution of resources.
E) exists in every society because it has beneficial consequences for society.

Question 35

According to Herbert Spencer's application of Darwin's theory to the operation of society:

A) more social welfare programs should be established.
B) the "fittest" people rise to wealth and the "failures" sink into poverty.
C) the poor are deserving of sympathy.
D) society's "best" people should be punished through taxes.
E) poverty is evidence of unfair opportunities in society.

Question 36

According to the Davis-Moore thesis:

A) equality is functional for society.
B) world equality results from the activities of global multinationals.
C) the least valuable positions must yield sufficient rewards to attract the talent necessary to fill them.
D) stratification ultimately will be eliminated in Canada, due to our meritocracy.
E) over time, global stratification will be abolished as a result of technology.

Question 37

Which of the following is a reasonable criticism of the Davis-Moore thesis?

A) Stratification has existed in some open systems.
B) Privilege can be inherited, regardless of merit.
C) It is easy to identify the importance of all jobs.
D) It overemphasizes the importance of work not oriented toward making money.
E) It explains how social inequality promotes conflict.

Question 38

Which perspective views social stratification as providing some people with advantages over others?

A) interactionist analysis
B) the Lenskis' sociocultural evolution analysis
C) social-conflict analysis
D) structural-functional analysis
E) symbolic structure analysis

Question 39

According to Karl Marx, what are the basic relationships involved in the means of production?

A) mode of production and owning productive property
B) owning productive property and labouring for others
C) labouring for others and labouring for self
D) private property and public property
E) process of production and public property

Question 40

According to Karl Marx, disparities in wealth and power between the bourgeoisie and proletariat inevitably lead to which of the following?

A) class conflict
B) government control
C) negotiation
D) democracy
E) alienation

Question 41

Karl Marx's observations on capitalism were based on which of the following?

A) twentieth-century Russia
B) nineteenth-century Europe
C) twentieth-century China
D) nineteenth-century Latin America
E) twentieth-century North America

Question 42

Name the theorist who contributed to the social-conflict analysis of stratification.

A) Karl Marx
B) Kingsley Davis
C) Melvin Tumin
D) Herbert Spencer
E) Emile Durkheim

Question 43

Which of the following is a criticism of Marx's approach?

A) It overemphasizes the importance of rewards in motivation
B) It ignores the impact of alienation on society
C) The revolutionary change it predicts has failed to occur in advanced capitalist societies
D) It is too similar to the Davis-Moore thesis
E) It ignores the positive aspects of a socialist system

Question 44

A century ago, the vast majority of workers in Canada held ________ jobs, but today most of the labour force holds ________ jobs.

A) blue-collar; proletarian
B) blue-collar; white-collar
C) blue-collar; professional
D) white-collar; service
E) pink-collar; gold-collar

Question 45

Lower-prestige jobs that involve mostly manual labour are called:

A) blue-collar work.
B) white-collar work.
C) bourgeoisie work.
D) pink-collar work.
E) informal work.

Question 46

One reason why the revolution Marx predicted has not occurred is that:

A) the standard of living has declined.
B) there has been an increase in labour unions.
C) there are fewer laws protecting workers.
D) there has been a decrease in labour unions.
E) the number of stockholders has declined.

Question 47

Which of the following supports the claim that Marx's analysis of capitalism is still largely valid?

A) Wealth remains highly concentrated, controlled by a small number of people.
B) Today's white-collar jobs offer more income, security, and satisfaction.
C) Few of the benefits enjoyed by today's workers came about through class conflict.
D) The law has helped ordinary people use the legal system as effectively as the wealthy.
E) There has been a socialist revolution in countries such as Canada.

Question 48

Marx and Weber shared a concern with which category of social difference?

A) class
B) status
C) socioeconomic status
D) power
E) prestige

Question 49

Which of the following is one of the dimensions of social stratification emphasized by Max Weber?

A) wealth
B) status
C) poverty
D) culture
E) socioeconomic status

Question 50

According to Weber, what type of society places special emphasis on status, or social prestige?

A) technological society
B) industrial society
C) post-industrial society
D) mature industrial society
E) agrarian society

Question 51

According to Weber, what type of society places special emphasis on the economic dimension of social class?

A) agrarian society
B) industrial society
C) post-industrial society
D) mature industrial society
E) hunting and gathering society

Question 52

According to Weber, what type of society places special emphasis on power?

A) agrarian society
B) industrial society
C) mature industrial society
D) post-industrial society
E) technological society

Question 53

According to Weber, what are the possibilities for a socialist revolution?

A) Socialist revolution will never happen.
B) Socialist revolution may destroy any hope for greater technological advances.
C) Socialist revolution would increase inequality by concentrating power in the hands of political elites.
D) Socialist revolution will happen only in industrial societies.
E) Socialist revolution would eliminate social stratification.

Question 54

A critique of Weber's work is that:

A) it is preoccupied with socialist societies.
B) patterns of economic inequality persist in the industrial world.
C) there is an increased incidence of revolution in industrial societies.
D) a multi-dimensional approach to stratification is overly simplistic, relative to Marxist alternatives.
E) a two-dimensional approach to stratification is essential for understanding how a society changes and evolves.

Question 55

What is true of horticultural and pastoral societies?

A) Technological advances promote social equality.
B) A small elite comes to control most of the material surplus.
C) Agrarian technology gradually reduces surpluses.
D) Hereditary nobility is diminished in importance.
E) A large group of commoners control most of the economic surplus.

Question 56

In an industrial society:

A) Marxist revolutions over class issues tend to occur.
B) a greater demand for low prestige is created.
C) social inequality tends to diminish.
D) the domination of women by men increases.
E) living near waterways becomes essential.

Question 57

The Kuznets curve emphasizes the role of _____ in stratification.

A) the family we are born into
B) race
C) gender
D) technology
E) ethnicity

Question 58

The Kuznets curve suggests that:

A) industrialization and social stratification are unrelated.
B) industrial societies will, in the longer run, become more stratified.
C) industrial societies tend to become less stratified than agrarian societies.
D) industrial societies will become less stratified in the future.
E) industrial societies tend to become less stratified than hunting and gathering societies.

Question 59

Inequality in Canada has:

A) moved from being a caste system to a class system.
B) meant that health, schooling, and goods and services are equally distributed.
C) means that Canada is a middle-class society.
D) been ruled by a titled aristocracy.
E) meant that Canadian society is highly stratified.

Question 60

The Canadian government reports that the median family income in Canada in 2012 was:

A) $12 607.
B) $22 435.
C) $32 547.
D) $55 224.
E) $71 700.

Question 61

What is the term for the total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts, that a person or family controls?

A) income
B) personal property
C) wealth
D) portfolio
E) dividends

Question 62

In Canada, the wealthiest 10 percent of families own approximately ________ percent of the country's entire wealth.

A) 40
B) 50
C) 70
D) 80
E) 90

Question 63

What can be concluded about the distribution of wealth and income in Canada?

A) The 1980s were a decade of prosperity for all social classes.
B) Since World War II, income inequality has increased, but property inequality has diminished.
C) There is more inequality in property than in income.
D) Property inequality has diminished, while income inequality has increased since World War II.
E) When financial assets are balanced against debts, the highest-ranking 30 percent of families have little wealth.

Question 64

The distribution of wealth and income in Canada suggests which of the following?

A) Wealth and property are very unequally distributed.
B) The "super rich" maintain their wealth, on average, for three generations.
C) Canada is clearly a society of "equals."
D) The 1980s ushered in many new opportunities for the lower class.
E) The lower class has hidden assets.

Question 65

Wealth in Canada:

A) is unrelated to power.
B) in the hands of a small few supports democracy.
C) ends up serving the interests of the poor.
D) is distributed equally.
E) undermines democracy.

Question 66

What is true about the balance of financial liabilities against assets for the lowest ranking 5 percent of Canadian families?

A) This group has 20 percent of the nation's wealth.
B) This group has 10 percent of the nation's wealth.
C) This group has 5 percent of the nation's wealth.
D) This group has no wealth at all.
E) This group has negative wealth.

Question 67

What is true about power and wealth?

A) Power-wealth relationships are more different in Canada than elsewhere.
B) In Canada, power leads to wealth, but wealth rarely gives rise to power.
C) Wealth is an important source of power.
D) Income is a better predictor of power than wealth is.
E) Power-wealth relationships are over-exaggerated.

Question 68

What conclusion could you reasonably reach about the relative social prestige of selected occupations in Canada?

A) Blue-collar and white-collar occupations now have about the same status.
B) Professionals such as doctors and lawyers have slipped in their status in recent years.
C) Occupations with high prestige typically require more ability and training than those with low prestige.
D) The public sees a shoe shiner as having the same amount of prestige as a lawyer.
E) High-prestige occupations are typically performed by people from visible minority groups.

Question 69

Which of the following is FALSE regarding schooling in Canada?

A) Industrial societies expand opportunities for schooling.
B) Blue-collar jobs require less schooling than white-collar jobs.
C) Surprisingly, schooling is unrelated to income.
D) Some people receive much more schooling than others.
E) Schooling is related to income.

Question 70

Studies of the richest people in Canada show that at least ________ of them derived their fortunes primarily from inheritance.

A) 1/10
B) 1/4
C) 1/3
D) 1/2
E) 2/3

Question 71

According to Max Weber:

A) social classes in Canada are defined by gender.
B) social classes in Canada are defined by culture.
C) social classes in Canada are defined by ethnicity.
D) there are no clear-cut social classes in Canada.
E) there are as many as six social classes defined in Canada.

Question 72

In Canada, levels of status consistency are:

A) high.
B) high among the middle class.
C) high among the lower-upper class.
D) contradictory among the middle classes.
E) contradictory among the lower classes.

Question 73

Defining classes in Canada is difficult because of the:

A) relatively low level of status consistency.
B) relatively high level of status consistency.
C) low level of social mobility in the middle class.
D) unidimensional nature of the status hierarchy.
E) high unemployment rates.

Question 74

Which of the following are defining characteristics of the upper class?

A) yearly income of $125 000 or more, inherited wealth, capitalists
B) depend on earnings for income, most are the "new rich"
C) income of $50 000-100 000 a year, considerable property, college educated
D) family income of $35 000-50 000 a year, secure but modest standard of living
E) those who work in white-collar and highly skilled blue-collar jobs

Question 75

The acronym WASP stands for:

A) White Anglos for Sensible Property management.
B) White Americans for Separate Property.
C) White American Single Protestant.
D) White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
E) White Anglo-Saxon Participant.

Question 76

In Canada, the ________ is often described by the terms "society"or "bluebloods."

A) upper-upper class
B) upper class
C) upper-middle class
D) lower-upper class
E) average-middle class

Question 77

The term "old money"is applied to the ________ class.

A) upper-upper
B) lower-upper
C) upper
D) upper-middle
E) average-middle

Question 78

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the upper-middle class?

A) yearly income of $100 000 or more, inherited wealth, capitalists, highly educated, "bluebloods"
B) depends on earnings for income, new wealth, success stories
C) income of $88 000-125 000 a year, considerable property, university educated
D) family income of $35 000-50 000 a year, small amount of wealth
E) modest income of $35 000 but live in comfortable homes in expensive neighbourhoods

Question 79

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the average-middle class?

A) yearly income of $100 000 or more, inherited wealth, capitalists, highly educated, "bluebloods"
B) depends on earnings for income, new money, success stories
C) income of $50 000-100 000 a year, considerable property, university educated
D) family income of $62 000-88 000 a year, small amount of wealth
E) typically work in most prestigious white-collar occupations or low-skilled blue-collar jobs

Question 80

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the working class?

A) income of $50 000-100 000 a year, considerable property, university educated
B) family income of $35 000-50 000 a year, small amount of wealth
C) no accumulated wealth, family income of $38 500-62 000 a year, routine jobs, few job benefits
D) minimal income, insecure and unstable lives, limited education
E) 50 percent of working-class children attend university; resistant to unemployment