Deck 8: Social Stratification

Question 1

According to the textbook,how are patterns of income inequality usually depicted?

A) as fractions
B) as quintiles
C) as ladders
D) as arithmetic means

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Ryan is interested in working at a multinational corporation as a manager.In order to increase his chances of getting hired there,he has enrolled in the Business Administration program at his university.What is he investing in by going to university?

A) cultural capital
B) developmental capital
C) social capital
D) human capital

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What do we call the organization of society into a hierarchical structure?

A) human capital
B) economic inequality
C) bureaucracy
D) social stratification

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the textbook,which of the following is becoming an increasingly important determinant of income and occupation in Canada?

A) human capital
B) cultural capital
C) social capital
D) developmental capital

Question 5

The share of all pre-tax income enjoyed by the top 20 percent of Canadians increased at the expense of which group?

A) the bottom 20 percent
B) the middle 60 percent
C) 40 percent of those in the middle
D) 20 percent of those in the middle

Question 6

Figure 8.3 in the textbook shows the distribution of market income.What has happened to income inequality between 1951 and 2008?

A) It has decreased significantly.
B) It has increased dramatically.
C) It has stayed the same.
D) It has vanished.

Question 7

Garrett is interested in working at a large multinational manufacturing company. His uncle knows the family who owns the company,so Garrett asks his uncle if he can help get him an interview.What is Garrett making use of in asking his uncle?

A) cultural capital
B) network capital
C) social capital
D) human capital

Question 8

If Daniel's family earned $79 000 in 2008,how would their earnings rate,relative to other Canadian families at that time?

A) They would be far above average.
B) They would be above average.
C) They would be average.
D) They would be below average.

Question 9

Why do writers and filmmakers often use "shipwrecks" to talk about society?

A) because during a shipwreck, typical inequalities between people are stripped away
B) because shipwrecks provide an interesting story that most people relate to
C) because a shipwreck allows people to analyze the relationships between passengers
D) because shipwrecks provide a romantic backdrop for love stories

Question 10

According to the textbook,why can the welfare state be compared to Robin Hood?

A) because it acts like an outlaw
B) because it reallocates income
C) because it is just as fictional
D) because the central figure responsible for it is from the upper class

Question 11

Which fictional character does the textbook suggest that the welfare state should be likened to?

A) Robin Hood
B) Zorroc. A Power Ranger
C) The Joker in the Batman series

Question 12

Why are Marilyn and Peter able to buy so much more for their family today than a family in the 1950s would have?

A) because money is worth more now
B) because inflation is lower now than in the 1950s
C) because Marilyn and Peter both work for pay
D) because economic productivity decreased because workers' skills increased

Question 13

According to the textbook,which comparably rich country has the lowest income inequality?

A) Japan
B) Ireland
C) United States
D) Denmark

Question 14

For most Canadians,which of the following plays a major role in income level?

A) genetics
B) occupation
C) the existence of a welfare state
D) patterns of inequality

Question 15

According to the textbook,which comparably rich country has the highest income inequality?

A) Japan
B) Ireland
C) the United States
D) Denmark

Question 16

In terms of extremes regarding income inequality,between which two rich countries is Canada placed?

A) Japan and Ireland
B) United States and Denmark
C) Sweden and Norway
D) Australia and Korea

Question 17

Kate has just finished law school and is keen to gain a position with a prestigious corporate law firm in Vancouver. Besides her talent and education,which of the following would be the most help to her in being hired there?

A) cultural and social capital
B) human and developmental capital
C) human and network capital
D) social and network capital

Question 18

Ruth has spent much of her adolescence away at school where,besides academic subjects,she was taught other skills such as how to speak and walk properly,manners,and public speaking.What has Ruth invested in by learning these skills?

A) cultural capital
B) network capital
C) social capital
D) human capital

Question 19

Roselynn and her partner are both on disability benefits from the government due to chronic illness,and this is their only source of income.According to Figure 8.3 in the textbook,which shows the distribution of market income,what percentage of all income in Canada do they,along with others in their position,earn annually?

A) 6 percent
B) 12 percent
C) 18 percent
D) 24 percent

Question 20

Figure 8.2 in the textbook shows the average annual earnings by distance up the CN Tower.How far up the CN Tower would the "average"-earning workers be located?

A) approximately 67 percent to the top
B) approximately 42 percent to the top
C) approximately 28 percent to the top
D) approximately 5 percent to the top

Question 21

William and his family experienced a dramatic increase in their wealth between 1984 and 2005. Given what is known about which groups experienced increases in family wealth,in which of the following groups do William and his family most likely belong?

A) the top 20 percent of families
B) the second highest 20 percent of families
C) the middle 20 percent of families
D) the second lowest 20 percent of families

Question 22

According to the textbook,"definitions matter" when it comes to discussing poverty.Why do these definitions matter?

A) because social policies and programs have to refer to specific definitions to set up criteria for inclusion and exclusion
B) because people need to know how to categorize themselves so they are motivated to work harder
C) because people feel more secure when they know they belong to an identifiable, defined group
D) because people need to be able to compare themselves to others so they understand their position

Question 23

According to the textbook,the Thomsons are Canada's richest family.How much more in assets do the Thomsons own than the Westons,the next richest family Canada?

A) approximately two times more
B) approximately three times more
C) approximately four times more
D) approximately ten times more

Question 24

If Canadians believe that poverty is a significant problem in Canada,which of the following is most likely to happen?

A) They will be more likely to elect politicians who have identifiable platforms to deal with the issue.
B) They will be less likely to elect politicians who have identifiable platforms to deal with the issue.
C) They will be more likely to attempt to find out how other nations deal with the issue.
D) They will be less likely to attempt to find out how other nations deal with the issue.

Question 25

Phillippe has just won the lottery. He celebrates his winnings by vowing to spend $1000 per day and not investing any of it.By the third year after his win,he is out of money.According to the textbook,how much did he win?

A) $100 000
B) $750 000
C) $1 000 000
D) $1 750 000

Question 26

Terri-Lynn and Brian both work,but have only been able to find part-time work.However,after they pay their rent for the month, they have nothing left with which to buy food and must use the local food bank.What does their situation illustrate?

A) homelessness
B) absolute poverty
C) relative poverty
D) at-risk for poverty

Question 27

Chase and Riela are attempting to figure out their situation by subtracting what they still owe on their possessions from what all the possessions are worth.What is the term for what they are trying to figure out?

A) income
B) wealth
C) social class
D) caste

Question 28

What is the relationship between income and wealth?

A) It is perfectly related.
B) It is related strongly.
C) It is related but not strongly.
D) It is not related.

Question 29

What percentage of Canadians owes more than they own?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 30

Why does Canada have no statistics on the number of poor people living in the nation?

A) because, relative to poverty in other nations, Canada has no "real" poor people.
B) because there are so few of them that it is not worth counting
C) because it is too difficult to count poor people
D) because there is no official definition of poverty

Question 31

Approximately what percentage of families in Canada owns almost no assets?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 32

Ashok and Lucy both work full-time at minimum-wage jobs and have just enough money to pay their rent,buy groceries,and buy clothing when it is absolutely necessary.They have not been able to afford to order pizza in eight months,nor go to a movie. What does their situation illustrate?

A) homelessness
B) absolute poverty
C) relative poverty
D) generational poverty

Question 33

For the three richest families in Canada,what is the main source of their wealth?

A) textiles
B) media
C) inheritance
D) telecommunications

Question 34

Jackson has been homeless for 15 years.With regard to income distribution in Canada,what position does Jackson occupy?

A) near the top
B) the middle
C) near the bottom
D) the bottom

Question 35

What does the acronym LICO stand for?

A) Least Income for Climbing Out of poverty
B) Level Income Collection Office
C) Low-Income Cut-Off line
D) Limited Individual Canadian Outsourcing

Question 36

According to the textbook,approximately how many minimum-wage earners could the recent increase in the Thomsons' fortunes support annually?

A) 10 000
B) 100 000
C) 1 000 000
D) 1 000 000 000

Question 37

Fifty-eight-year-old Maryann lost her job last year and has been unable to find any other job because employers feel she is too old to hire and train.She has no family to assist her and is worried because her meagre savings are nearly depleted.What is one common outcome of this situation?

A) Maryann will fake a disability and defraud the government for benefits.
B) Maryann will receive money from an anonymous benefactor.
C) Maryann will eventually become homeless.
D) Maryann will organize a group of similarly situated older ex-employees to bring media attention to their plight.

Question 38

Lifelong Toronto residents,Ron and Carol,together earn just over $22 000 annually,spending almost 60 percent of that on their basic necessities.Which of the following terms is used by advocates to describe their situation?

A) poverty line
B) culture of poverty
C) at risk for poverty
D) generational poverty

Question 39

In the United States,how much of the increase in wealth in the 1990s went to the richest 20 percent of the population?

A) 99 percent
B) 78 percent
C) 62 percent
D) 53 percent

Question 40

Which of the following has been increasing rapidly in Canada over the past 20 years?

A) social stratification
B) poverty
C) income inequality
D) wealth inequality

Question 41

Jocelyn has been brought up to believe that Canadians pay taxes in order to take care of members of society who are not able to care for themselves.What do her views represent?

A) rugged collectivism
B) rugged individualism
C) collective responsibility
D) individual responsibility

Question 42

Sebastian and his parents often have to access the food bank to have enough food for the month.Which of the following is Sebastian keeping company with?

A) a tenth of the nation's children
B) a quarter of the nation's children
C) a third of the nation's children
D) one half of the nation's children

Question 43

Jonathan and Claire own a janitorial company,getting as many contracts as they can manage between the two of them.Sometimes companies do not renew their contracts due to their own insecure finances,which leaves Jonathan and Claire with less income until they can find replacement contracts.Which of the following myths about people who are poor does this scenario contradict?

A) Most poor people are immigrants.
B) Most poor people are welfare cheats and frauds.
C) Most poor people are lazy.
D) Most poor people are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Question 44

With regard to poverty,what is the outcome of confusing cause and effect?

A) blaming the individual for poverty
B) blaming social groups for poverty
C) blaming society for poverty
D) blaming everyone for poverty

Question 45

Which of the following is a progressive tax in Canada?

A) the GST
B) the HST
C) retirement savings plan tax
D) income tax

Question 46

Jared has been told by his father that poor people are generally poor because they are either lazy or unintelligent or unskilled.What level of explanation do Jared's father's ideas represent?

A) macrolevel explanation
B) structural explanation
C) individual-level explanation
D) small-group-level explanation

Question 47

Approximately what percentage of Canadians experienced a low-income situation for at least one year between 2002 and 2007?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 48

Which families are the most at risk for poverty in Canada?

A) females with non-full-time earnings and children
B) non-employed couples with children
C) non-employed males with children
D) non-employed females with children

Question 49

Barbara firmly believes that poor people cannot help their situations because they have no control over having been taught low self-esteem and low motivation,they lack the ability to put off instant gratification,and they don't have a proper work ethic.Which of the following explanations does her thinking represent?

A) a culture-of-poverty thesis
B) a transmission-of-values thesis
C) a social-learning hypothesis
D) a poverty-mentality-value-transmission thesis

Question 50

Which of the following is most representative of who is likely to be poor in Canada?

A) Doljit, who recently immigrated to Canada three years ago
B) Candace, who is a Canadian-born single parent
C) Amarit, who immigrated to Canada 40 years ago
D) Robert, who is a Canadian-born man with a wife and two children

Question 51

Approximately what percentage of Canadian children lived in a low-income situation between 2002 and 2007?

A) 10 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 20 percent
D) 25 percent

Question 52

Rajesh has been able to find a job at a local convenience store; however,they want her to work all night shifts and she is unable to find anyone to care for her toddler overnight.Which of the following myths about people who are poor does this scenario contradict?

A) Most poor people are trapped in a cycle of poverty.
B) Most poor people are lazy.
C) Most poor people are immigrants.
D) Most poor people are welfare cheats and frauds.

Question 53

Regressive taxes cost Paulo more than they cost Maria.Why?

A) because Maria is wealthier than Paulo
B) because Paulo is wealthier than Maria
C) because Paulo is an immigrant and ineligible for tax breaks
D) because Maria is a woman and is able to get gender-related tax breaks

Question 54

Rajesh works at a local convenience store where she earns the minimum wage of $8.75 per hour.Although she has asked for extra shifts,her boss will only guarantee her 20 hours per week,with additional hours on call when he needs her to cover a co-worker's shift.Which of the following myths about people who are poor does this scenario contradict?

A) Most poor people are immigrants.
B) Most poor people are trapped in a cycle of poverty.
C) Most poor people are lazy.
D) Most poor people are welfare cheats and frauds.

Question 55

Which of the following is reflected by the fact that many people have occupations that are non-unionized,low-skilled,low-waged,and often seasonal and part-time ?

A) a weak work ethic
B) a strong work ethic
C) a lack of "good" jobs
D) a surplus of adequate jobs

Question 56

Approximately what percentage of Canadians who experienced poverty during one year were able to bring themselves out of a poverty situation over a two-year period?

A) 90 percent
B) 75 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 25 percent

Question 57

Leif believes that poverty is caused by the boom and bust cycles of a capitalist economic system and by people's tolerance of low-wage jobs and union busting.His views are consistent with which level of explanation of poverty?

A) individual level explanation
B) structural explanation
C) policy level explanation
D) small group explanation

Question 58

Of the Canadians who experienced one or more years of poverty over a five year period,approximately what percentage experienced a poverty situation that lasted from four to six years?

A) 20 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 10 percent
D) 5 percent

Question 59

According to the textbook,when did the prevalence of low income peak for Canadians?

A) 2005
B) 2001
C) 1996
D) 1993

Question 60

According to culture-of-poverty reasoning,which of the following causes poverty?

A) having a disability
B) having a bad attitude
C) having high unemployment levels
D) having low-wage jobs

Question 61

What name did Weber give to organizations who seek to impose their will on others?

A) classes
B) status groups
C) parties
D) prestige

Question 62

Mr.Ernesto owns a small shoe manufacturing company,which makes fine leather shoes for men.He and his eight employees take great pride in their work,and they often put in long hours together to get orders produced on time.Which of the following Marxist terms characterizes Mr.Ernesto?

A) lumpen-proletariat
B) proletariat
C) petite-bourgeoisie
D) bourgeoisie

Question 63

What did Weber refer to as the ability to get one's own way,despite resistance?

A) class
B) status
C) stratification
D) power

Question 64

Which of the following were the most compelling forces undermining feudalism in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?

A) the expansion of exploration and trade and increasing subsequent demand for goods and services
B) the growth of universities and theological colleges and the subsequent decrease in a crafts-based economy
C) the increased demand for military personnel to assist with foreign campaigns and subsequent lowered birth rates
D) the increase in infectious diseases and subsequent decline in population

Question 65

Which of the following terms is used by neo-Marxists today to refer to the class of supervisors and managers who take direction from the owners and give direction to the workers?

A) nouveau riche
B) petite bourgeoisie
C) new middle class
D) lumpen-proletariat

Question 66

Yuri has been feeling increasingly resentful at the long hours he is forced to work in dangerous conditions without being paid adequately,while his boss is taking more exotic vacations every year.In the lunchroom at work,the other workers are beginning to echo Yuri's discontent,and a union organizer is finally called to come to talk to the workers. What Marxist concept do the actions of Yuri and his co-workers represent?

A) social consciousness
B) class consciousness
C) false consciousness
D) worker consciousness

Question 67

Why are some taxes termed "regressive"?

A) because they redistribute money from the rich to the poor
B) because they move money around from poor people to other poor people
C) because they cost wealthy families more
D) because poor families pay a greater proportion of their disposable income on taxable purchases.

Question 68

June has lived on a reserve all her life.She tried leaving once in her 20s,but was unable to get a job because people stereotyped her and refused to hire her.Which level of explanation of poverty does discrimination against June due to racism and sexism reflect?

A) individual level explanation
B) structural level explanation
C) policy level explanation
D) small group level explanation

Question 69

Mr.Ernesto owns a small shoe manufacturing company,which makes fine leather shoes for men.He and his eight employees take great pride in their work,and they often put in long hours together to get orders produced on time.Which of the following Marxist terms characterizes Mr.Ernesto's eight workers?

A) lumpen-proletariat
B) proletariat
C) petite-bourgeoisie
D) bourgeoisie

Question 70

On which issue did Marx and Weber agree?

A) Classes are economic categories.
B) Class position is determined by ownership of property.
C) Class position is determined by prestige.
D) Classes are parties that wield differing amounts of power.

Question 71

According to Davis and Moore,what motivates people to undergo long years of education and training?

A) a desire to work at a satisfying occupation
B) the promise of a large paycheque
C) the idea that they can change their identities
D) the promise of working in a job with others who are satisfied

Question 72

According to critiques of Davis and Moore,why do pools of talent lay unrealized?

A) because people do not always know where to look
B) because many talented individuals lose their "edge" due to work in menial positions
C) because many talented individuals cannot afford to take advantage of all opportunities
D) because talented people are ignored unless they exhibit the correct class characteristics

Question 73

Mr.Bigby owns a large boat sail manufacturing plant and employees 89 people to make his company's products,while he spends time mountaineering with friends.Which of the following Marxist terms characterizes Mr.Bigby?

A) lumpen-proletariat
B) proletariat
C) petite-bourgeoisie
D) bourgeoisie

Question 74

What do we call the system whereby some people are required to protect other people who then give a portion of their agricultural labours in return?

A) socialism
B) capitalism
C) communism
D) feudalism

Question 75

Ms.Collins owns a large boat sail manufacturing plant and employees 89 people to make her company's products,while she spends time mountaineering with friends.Which of the following Marxist terms characterizes Ms.Collins' 89 workers?

A) lumpen-proletariat
B) proletariat
C) petite-bourgeoisie
D) bourgeoisie

Question 76

According to Marx,which of the following reflects the basis of a social class?

A) its relationship to the means of production
B) its relationship to the industrial method of innovation
C) its relationship to the aristocracy
D) its relationship to the feudal system

Question 77

What term did Marx use to refer to the growth in workers' awareness of their exploitation under capitalism?

A) false consciousness
B) social consciousness
C) class consciousness
D) worker consciousness

Question 78

What happens when lower-income Canadians spend more of their income on consumption?

A) Regressive taxes hurt them more.
B) Progressive taxes hurt them more.
C) They are given tax credits to ensure progressive taxation does not hurt them.
D) They are given tax breaks to ensure that regressive taxation does not hurt them.

Question 79

What does the textbook conclude about the Canadian tax system?

A) That it is an effective means of redistributing income from richer to poorer.
B) That it is an effective means of diminishing poverty in Canada.
C) That it is ineffective at alleviating poverty through a redistribution of income.
D) That it effectively redistributes income but is only moderately effective at lessening poverty.

Question 80

According to the textbook,why do Canadians have twice the rate of poverty of most Western European nations?

A) because European nations have smaller populations
B) because Canada has more immigrants than European nations
C) because the Canadian government lacks the political will to reduce poverty
D) because European nations do not measure poverty as accurately as Canada does