Deck 6: Social Stratification

Question 1

When considering social class, a doctor is generally associated with having a high status. Before doctors can practise medicine they choose to undertake extensive training and education of a high intellectual standard. How would you describe a doctor's status?

A) public status
B) achieved status
C) set status
D) ascribed status

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A country such as Sweden has high levels of social equality between citizens. Based on talent and merit, people can rise from lower classes and achieve a higher standard of life. Which term is used to describe countries with high levels of equality enabling upward mobility?

A) credentialist
B) capitalist system
C) democracy
D) meritocracy

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to the text, what determines a person's social location in a caste system?

A) Position is based on who you know.
B) Status is determined at birth for life.
C) Position is based on wealth/possessions.
D) Status is based on achievement.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Tiger Woods suffered a significant fall in status after his extramarital affair was discovered. He is still among the highest paid athletes, but it took him years to win another tournament. In sociological terms, what does he hope to gain by reclaiming his title as "#1 golfer in the world"?

A) mediated status
B) public status
C) economic status
D) achieved status

Question 5

What can we conclude about the impact of caste and stratification systems?

A) Both impact the potential for social mobility.
B) Both limit people's life chances equally.
C) Both allow upward social mobility.
D) Both impact gender in similar ways.

Question 6

According to the text, which of the following would most accurately describe India's caste structure?

A) a gender-neutral system of stratification
B) a mixed system of stratification
C) an open system of stratification
D) a closed system of stratification

Question 7

In a society where people are segregated through language, culture, and economics, those on the lower end of the social stratification are oppressed and refused the right for upward mobility. Which of the following terms best characterizes this type of stratification system?

A) open
B) mixed
C) closed
D) neutral

Question 8

A female baby is born into a Hindu family, in the city of Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India. What term is used by sociologists to describe the particular characteristics mentioned in the preceding sentence about this baby girl?

A) born status
B) ascribed status
C) set status
D) achieved status

Question 9

Which of the following characteristics sociologically defines a low position in the social stratification system?

A) a person who is receiving income assistance
B) a person who belongs to a racial minority group
C) someone who has little power, prestige, or wealth
D) someone who has no fixed address or residence

Question 10

At a high school in the country "X," the A+ student receives the highest honours at school. In country "Y," the fastest runner receives the highest honours at school. What sociological explanation can be given to explain the difference in what designates an honours status?

A) Achieved status is not celebrated in country "X."
B) Ascribed status is not celebrated in country "X."
C) Social exclusivity is always achieved through hard work.
D) Criteria for social stratification can vary across cultures.

Question 11

Madison comes from a poor, working-class family. However, she worked hard, got good grades, and landed a great job. She is now considered middle class. Which of the following terms best characterizes the type of stratification system that Madison experienced?

A) open
B) mixed
C) closed
D) neutral

Question 12

Prince William was born into the British Royal family and was assigned a higher status that could not be taken away. Prince William's status can be best described as which of the following?

A) public status
B) achieved status
C) set status
D) ascribed status

Question 13

According to the text, which term identifies persistent patterns of social inequality, perpetuated by the distribution of wealth, power, and prestige passed from one generation to the next?

A) social mobility
B) social striation
C) social position
D) social stratification

Question 14

Joe is of Aboriginal descent. According to a sociological analysis, he believes he did not get the job he wanted because of his ascribed status in Canadian society. Using more common terms, what did Joe declare was the reason he didn't get the job?

A) educational opportunities
B) experience
C) racism
D) social acceptability

Question 15

In this type of system, people know exactly where they fit in and there is little to no room for social mobility. For example, some members of this system will face legal barriers if they attempt to enter into Indian politics.

A) socialist system
B) capitalist system
C) caste system
D) meritocratic system

Question 16

What term would describe a world in which everyone would have an opportunity to compete for higher-status positions and those most capable would be awarded the highest ranks?

A) socialist system
B) capitalist system
C) democracy
D) meritocracy

Question 17

Robert has worked hard and put in a lot of hours as a lawyer. Recently, his boss offered him partnership in the law firm where he works. Which of the following best describes Robert's status as a new partner in the law firm?

A) public status
B) achieved status
C) set status
D) ascribed status

Question 18

What is an ascribed status?

A) It is about social promotion and rites of passage.
B) It refers to personal factors that are chosen or earned.
C) It is attained by virtue of how well a person performs.
D) It is connected to people's race, gender, and age.

Question 19

Which of the following two status sets would describe (in order) a female who is also a nurse?

A) achieved status; ascribed status
B) informal status; formal status
C) formal status; informal status
D) ascribed status; achieved status

Question 20

When a child complains, "It's not fair! My parents make me go to bed early just because I'm younger than them!" According to the text, to what type of status is this child referring?

A) inferior status
B) achieved status
C) set status
D) ascribed status

Question 21

According to the text, what lies at the root of capitalism's concept of surplus value?

A) The values of expert craftsmen ensure the production of commodities with great quality.
B) Surplus is the amount of money left over after a worker has paid the bills.
C) The value of items produced by workers exceeds the cost of material and wages.
D) Elegant furniture composed of many parts is more valuable than simpler products.

Question 22

A soldier just received a field promotion. This is when an individual is given an on-the-spot promotion based on demonstrated leadership skills and occupational abilities. Which of the following terms best characterizes the type of society that would provide this type of promotion?

A) socialist
B) capitalist
C) democracy
D) meritocracy

Question 23

At a shirt-making factory, the cost of materials per shirt was $2.00 and the labour per shirt was $3.00. The factory sold the shirt for $12.00. What was the surplus value of each shirt?

A) $2.00
B) $3.00
C) $7.00
D) $12.00

Question 24

Chris, a dentist, furthered his education to become an orthodontist and has an annual take-home pay of around $200,000. What term best defines the type of status Chris has used to achieve his success?

A) socioeconomic status
B) accumulated social status
C) collective status sets
D) meritocratic social status

Question 25

Salina bought a clothing factory, upgraded the sewing machines, and purchased higher-quality cloth to make high-fashion clothing. What would Marx say she invested in?

A) the mode of production
B) the means of production
C) both the mode and means of production
D) the relations of production

Question 26

Janice Jardine works as a cashier at the SuperGrocer in Jasper, Alberta, and earns about $20,000 a year. Janice has a low income, no savings in the bank, and owns no property. According to Karl Marx, what term best identifies the kind of inequality she is experiencing?

A) material inequality
B) wealth inequality
C) social inequality
D) income inequality

Question 27

Which of the following best describes Marx's prediction for capitalism?

A) Widespread proletarian protest would end in a revolutionary upheaval.
B) There would be a settlement on a social contract between workers and owners.
C) Increasingly profitable capitalism and a growing petite bourgeoisie would prevail.
D) There would be increasingly ineffective protests by workers against their exploitation.

Question 28

In the Catholic church, ordained priests all start their clerical careers at the same place; however, rising through the ranks is a competitive process based upon achievement. What kind of promotional structure is represented here?

A) good works
B) competency
C) meritocracy
D) self-sacrifice

Question 29

A young man from a humble inner-city background works part-time to get a good education, starts a high-tech company, earns millions of dollars, and buys the local NHL franchise, and later becomes a member of Canada's parliament. What term best explains why he was able to take this career path?

A) social ambition
B) social mobility
C) forward mobility
D) status gain

Question 30

What term is used to refer to movement up or down the stratification system?

A) exchange mobility
B) circulatory mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) social mobility

Question 31

The factory workers were working long hours for very little pay, although they knew that the management was making good profits. When the management announced that a reduction in pay was necessary to keep the factory open, the workers were so angry that they staged a protest and refused to let anyone into the building. Whose social theory was reflected in this protest?

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Davis and Moore
D) Lenski

Question 32

Marx discussed the role of conflict in his analysis of capitalism and the evolution of previous societies. What is a theme running through his work with respect to conflict?

A) Conflict characterizes some aspects of life.
B) Conflict is not good and is disruptive for society.
C) Conflict is something that happens in schoolrooms.
D) Conflict is the driving force behind social change.

Question 33

Which of the following social classes did Karl Marx predict would eventually disappear within the capitalist system?

A) petite bourgeoisie
B) expert managers
C) bourgeoisie
D) proletariat

Question 34

A man exchanges his labour for a wage, producing some product that the capitalist sells at a price far exceeding the wage paid. What is the Marxist term used to describe what's left over after deducting the man's wage and other expenses from the sale price of the product?

A) commission
B) capital gains
C) surplus value
D) share value

Question 35

According to the text, what are the specific measures of a person's socioeconomic status?

A) Regardless of ascribed status, it's based on meritocracy.
B) It measures people's income, education, and occupation.
C) It measures statistical assessments of social position.
D) It is a measure of one's social standing in a given society.

Question 36

What prediction did Karl Marx make with his theory about social stratification in capitalist societies?

A) Emergence of an exploited working class consciousness would result in a revolution.
B) Class conflict would occur between the bourgeoisie and the petite bourgeoisie.
C) Over time, the capitalist mode of production would produce income equality.
D) Surplus value was created by workers in feudalism but not in capitalism.

Question 37

A poor young man born in a coastal outport in Newfoundland grows up and gets a law degree from a prestigious law school while waiting on tables in the cafeteria where his classmates eat. Eventually he becomes a top-notch lawyer and then premier of the province. Which of the following descriptions would sociologists use to describe his upward career path?

A) equal opportunity
B) social mobility
C) social promotion
D) meritocratic mobility

Question 38

What contributed to Margaret Thatcher's ability to become the prime minister of England even though she was a grocer's daughter?

A) exchange mobility
B) circulatory mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) social mobility

Question 39

Why did Max Weber maintain that social stratification is multidimensional?

A) because social position is based upon education and other ascribed statuses
B) because social position is based upon subjective as well as objective criteria
C) because social position is based upon personal attributes such as attractiveness
D) because social position is based upon power and prestige, in addition to wealth

Question 40

The workers in a shoe factory were tired of the long hours, poor working conditions, and low pay. They demanded that the situation improve and stopped working as a demonstration of discontent to the owners. Which of the following would Marx argue is the best solution to address the situation?

A) Workers must accept private ownership in a capitalist state.
B) Owners must improve working conditions for their workers.
C) Workers must realize a class consciousness.
D) Owners must realize a class consciousness.

Question 41

According to Gerhard Lenski, how was the evolutionary trend toward ever-increasing inequality reversed?

A) through the development of a social welfare society
B) through ever-increasing fundamentalist religious charitable donations
C) by ever-increasing technological complexity in society
D) by the ever-increasing creation of jobs requiring more manual labour

Question 42

Davis and Moore would argue that doctors, plumbers, construction workers, domestic workers, and lawyers are all necessary in a functioning society. Which necessary feature found in all societies do they believe that these many professions point to?

A) training
B) inequality
C) assistance
D) function

Question 43

Despite the fact that Canada needs more physical therapists, major schools around the country are restricting enrolment and have now made masters-level programs the basic credential for entering the profession, even though previously a bachelor-level program was sufficient. What term best describes this process?

A) exclusion
B) professionalism
C) usurpation
D) credentialism

Question 44

Fight Against Poverty (FAP) is an organization that obtained daily press coverage of poverty issues during the last federal election. The group was able to turn political debates into focused discussions about poverty by yelling out questions concerning living conditions, food banks, and wage freezes. How would Parkin explain FAP's success?

A) Power was with the media, not with politicians or FAP.
B) This was a mediated use of power.
C) This was a usurpation of power.
D) Power played no part; it was merely coincidence.

Question 45

A female baby is born adjacent to a garbage dump outside Manila, in the Philippines. Her parents are squatters and scavenge in the dump earning pennies a day. With respect to this baby's prospects in life, what term is used by sociologists to describe her potential?

A) life chances
B) upward mobility
C) downward mobility
D) life opportunities

Question 46

What is a general consequence of rank within a social stratification system?

A) It is a stigma that inevitably undermines a wealthy person's advantage.
B) It acts as a motivation for lower-rank individuals to work hard to move up.
C) It often determines people's life chances and quality of life.
D) It is a stigma that inevitably dooms poor individuals to poverty.

Question 47

Nafiza, the manager at a plastics plant, received safety complaints from the workers regarding a new procedure that uses toxic materials. Nafiza understood why the workers might be concerned and agreed to raise the issue with management, but she insisted that they continue their work in the meantime. She knows the plant owner is trying to increase productivity so the company can compete on the global stage. According to Lenski, in this situation, what is Nafiza's primary personal dilemma?

A) She has contradictory class locations.
B) She must ensure that productivity rises.
C) Her functionalist role must be fulfilled.
D) Her job performance is influenced by globalization.

Question 48

Among other variables, Weber shared with Marx a belief that which one of the following was a significant contributor to social stratification?

A) the belief that economic inequalities were central to social stratification
B) the belief that sharing of property was a determinant of unequal power
C) the belief that economic factors alone account for social inequality
D) the belief that power was the ability to cooperate with others and get along

Question 49

What are Frank Parkin's two types of closure strategies that help us understand how patterns of social inequality are maintained?

A) exclusion and usurpation
B) race and religion
C) closure and usury
D) gender and racism

Question 50

According to Davis and Moore, position in the status hierarchy is based on people's effort and ability: if a person's job is more important, then that person gets paid more. What was determination based upon?

A) functional integration
B) class standing
C) life chances
D) functional necessity

Question 51

Ivan's family owns a chain of grocery stores. They live in a big house in a wealthy neighbourhood near Ivan's private school. Ivan is a member of the soccer team, takes piano lessons on Tuesdays, and joined the math club. What would Weber argue is Ivan's biggest advantage in life?

A) education
B) broad skill set
C) geographic location
D) class

Question 52

According to the text, what type of employment has been increasing in Canada since the 1980s?

A) self-employment
B) full-time work
C) blue-collar work
D) white-collar work

Question 53

According to the text, what type of inequality has been increasing in Canada during the past decade?

A) consumer inequality
B) wealth inequality
C) subjective inequality
D) possession inequality

Question 54

Which of the following summarizes Davis and Moore's functional theory of stratification?

A) It states that social inequality is both inevitable and operationally necessary for society.
B) It denies the principle of meritocracy and downplays achievement as a mobility factor.
C) It emphasizes that status and prestige are also important factors in social stratification.
D) It is based on class struggle and the conflict between rich and poor classes in society.

Question 55

To be a social worker in Canada, a person must be a graduate of a school accredited by the social work association, complete the association's written examination, and maintain membership in the association. What term, introduced by Weber, best describes this association's practices?

A) social blockage
B) social closure
C) occupational restriction
D) occupational licensing

Question 56

According to Gerhard Lenski's evolutionary model, which of the following societies is LEAST stratified?

A) postindustrial
B) simple horticultural
C) modern agricultural
D) hunting and gathering

Question 57

Alexis is a manager at the local car manufacturing plant. As an engineer she is able to trouble-shoot problems and solve 90 percent of the production slow-down dilemmas on the spot. Whose theory best explains how her education has made Alexis invaluable to the owners of the car plant?

A) Marx
B) Davis and Moore
C) Lenski
D) Wright

Question 58

The idea of a golf and country club membership highlights Frank Parkin's theory that social institutions are organized by the privileged to uphold class differences and prevent the disadvantaged from having access to certain opportunities. Intentionally preventing someone from engaging in particular activities to uphold class differences is referred to as which of the following?

A) exclusion
B) professionalism
C) usurpation
D) credentialism

Question 59

Which of the following are criticisms of the Davis and Moore theory of stratification?

A) The theory does not explain why women are taking over very important jobs.
B) There are too many incompetent people in highly important occupations.
C) The theory does not explain how incompetent people tend to get promoted.
D) Many highly rewarded positions are not always the most functionally important.

Question 60

Joe is a plant manager in a large paint-production facility who feels superior to his subordinates, even though he makes far less than the other managers in the plant. The other managers founded and own part of the business. Joe did not. What term best classifies his position in this workplace's status hierarchy?

A) employee
B) proletarian
C) exploited employee
D) contradictory class location

Question 61

What does a low-income cutoff line (LICO) measure?

A) It is a sophisticated market basket measure of poverty.
B) It is a relative, rather than an absolute, measure of poverty.
C) It is an absolute, rather than a relative, measure of poverty.
D) It is a measure for determining if single people are poor.

Question 62

According to the text, what is the estimated poverty line for Canadians?

A) It is an income level below which one is eligible for welfare payments.
B) It was estimated to be lower than $40,000 income for a family of four people.
C) It is when a family spends more than 63 percent of their income on the basic necessities.
D) It is when a family spends more than 35 percent of their income on the basic necessities.

Question 63

People within different cultures and societies around the world struggle every day to meet basic requirements of life in order to survive. They constantly live in a state of poverty and have little to no income. How are these terrible living conditions defined?

A) It is absolute poverty.
B) It is social degradation.
C) It is unexplainable.
D) It is relative poverty.

Question 64

James never went to high school and works as a janitor. His son, Fred, is going to university and will be a lawyer by the end of next year. Fred is an example of what kind of occupational mobility?

A) education-based
B) status-based
C) intragenerational
D) intergenerational

Question 65

An organization called the Economic Council for the Status of Women runs a national advertisement campaign with the slogan, "For every $1.00 of allowance you give your son, give your daughter 75 cents." Which form of inequality best describes what this campaign is addressing?

A) social inequality
B) sexual inequality
C) gender inequality
D) income inequality

Question 66

Mark, 25, is a single male, working as a newly hired social worker in New Brunswick, earning $40,000 a year. He has $50,000 of student-loan debt. He lives in an apartment, drives a new leased car, and is paying his bills. Yet he still feels disadvantaged compared to some of his married friends who have two incomes. What is Mark suffering from?

A) income deprivation
B) social degradation
C) debt stress
D) relative poverty

Question 67

Which of the following is taken into consideration when calculating the low-income cutoff in Canada?

A) size of community
B) size of the federal budget
C) size of the provincial budget
D) the number of persons applying for assistance relative to the amount of funding available

Question 68

According to the text, what is the term for growth in white-collar occupations in industrial societies over the past half-century?

A) sector-shift mobility
B) circulatory mobility
C) structural mobility
D) exchange mobility

Question 69

According to the text, which statement describes income inequality in Canada?

A) The poorest 20 percent of households receive less than 15 percent of total income.
B) The top 40 percent of households receive over 90 percent of total income earned.
C) The top 10 percent receive over 40 percent of total income earned.
D) The top 100 highest-income occupations earn five times as much as the ten lowest-earning occupations.

Question 70

A young woman works as a security guard for several years to pay her way through university. Then she starts a new career as a software analyst. Which of the following has she experienced?

A) postmodernity
B) intragenerational mobility
C) intergenerational mobility
D) structural mobility

Question 71

The Smith family has a monthly income of $2000, of which they spend $1300, or 65 percent of their income, on food, rent, home heating, and electricity. According to Stats Canada, the Smith family is characterized as living in poverty based on which of the following measures?

A) absolute measure
B) low-income cutoff measure
C) market basket measure
D) social welfare measure

Question 72

According to the text, what is structural mobility?

A) It is movement in the stratification hierarchy due to people's talent and hard work.
B) It is movement in the stratification hierarchy due to group membership and affiliations.
C) It is mobility caused by individual development of connections and networking.
D) It is mobility caused by economic changes producing change in the occupational structure.

Question 73

The combined income of a construction labourer, and his wife, a waitress, is $40,000. They have two young children. After buying food, clothes, and medicine, and paying rent, utilities, car payments, car insurance, gas, and taxes, there is little left over. They have less than 10 percent of their income remaining. Which of the following statements categorizes these people, according to Canada's estimated poverty line?

A) Their combined family income is above average for a family of four.
B) They are living from paycheque to paycheque but above the poverty line.
C) They are classified as among the new working poor.
D) They are living below the estimated poverty line.

Question 74

Sarah lives on social assistance. She cannot afford to pay for her children to participate in extracurricular sports or music lessons. She worries that their chances in life will be severely limited. Which of the following terms best describes Sarah's economic situation?

A) guilt
B) social degradation
C) debt stress
D) relative poverty

Question 75

According to the text, which of the following is a statement about the current conditions of Canada's poor?

A) The largest percentage of poor people are white, urban Canadians.
B) Aboriginal Canadians are among the poorest members of Canadian society.
C) More of Canada's working poor live in subsidized housing than previously.
D) Aboriginal Canadians living in the city are better off than the white urban poor.

Question 76

Just after the economic recession of the 1990s, many cities tried to offset high unemployment rates by creating more jobs within the labour market. The changes in the occupational structure allowed more people to get jobs in factories and make a competitive wage. The changes in the structure of the economy that allowed for more job opportunities are known as which of the following?

A) sector-shift mobility
B) circulatory mobility
C) structural mobility
D) exchange mobility

Question 77

What do studies of poverty in Canada show?

A) Compared to several decades ago, youth are now a smaller proportion of the poor.
B) Among Canadians below the poverty line, single men are poorer than single women.
C) Compared to decades ago, working poor are now a larger proportion of the poor.
D) One in four Canadians can expect to be living above the poverty line in the future.

Question 78

How does the text describe relative poverty?

A) Having less income causes lifestyle restrictions compared to others.
B) The poverty of an individual extends to and affects a whole family.
C) It is a form of poverty where neither food nor shelter is adequate.
D) An individual is so poor that she or he has barely enough to stay alive.

Question 79

According to the text, which of the following has occurred over the past two decades?

A) A single worker's real wages have not increased.
B) The gap between rich and poor families is growing wider.
C) National unemployment rates have steadily risen.
D) Income inequality has increased, but only a little.

Question 80

Canada, unlike Britain, does not have an aristocracy. What statement most accurately reflects Canada's social stratification picture, according to the text?

A) Canada is an egalitarian and classless society where everyone is equal in stature.
B) Canada is a stratified society; however, inheritance and privilege affect only a few.
C) Canada's social stratification is equalized by greater taxation of Canada's wealthy.
D) Canada is a stratified society characterized by considerable inheritance and privilege.