Deck 8: Social Stratification

Question 1

What is the effect of taxes and government transfers on income inequality in Canada?

A) They make inequality greater.
B) They make inequality lower.
C) They increase incomes of the rich.
D) They decrease incomes of the poor.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following sociological explanations of social inequality is Robinson Crusoe most consistent with?

A) Marx's
B) Weber's
C) Davis and Moore's
D) Bourdieu's

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Why do writers and filmmakers 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 5

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 while workers' skills increased

Question 6

How has quintile distribution of income in Canada changed between 1976 and 2011?

A) All quintiles except the top one earned a smaller share.
B) All quintiles except the bottom one earned a larger share.
C) All quintiles except the top one earned a larger share.
D) All quintiles except the bottom one earned a smaller share.

Question 7

Which of the following refers to the organization of society into a hierarchical structure based on wealth, power, and status?

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

Question 8

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

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

Question 9

Ryuichi's parents have decided to send him to a private high school. Which of the following assets contributing to high income can they reasonably hope that he will gain there?

A) natural talent
B) social conscience
C) cultural capital
D) enlightenment

Question 10

Which of the following is most likely to earn an amount of income influenced by genetics?

A) an auto mechanic
B) an insurance agent
C) an NHL hockey player
D) a University of Ottawa professor

Question 11

Garrett is interested in working at a large multinational manufacturing company. His uncle knows the family that owns the company, so Garrett asks his uncle to help get him an interview. What is Garrett using in this situation?

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

Question 12

The Gini coefficient for North American countries is between 0.3 and 0.4, and for Latin American countries it is between 0.4 and 0.5. What does this tell us about income inequality in these regions?

A) Income inequality in Latin America is growing.
B) Income inequality in North America is decreasing.
C) Income inequality is greater in Latin America than in North America.
D) Income inequality is greater in North America than in Latin America.

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

A) natural talent
B) occupation
C) welfare state
D) effort

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

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 17

According to the textbook, which of the following factors of employment income is social capital most closely associated with?

A) effort
B) cultural capital
C) natural talent
D) education

Question 18

The following figures are income shares of the lowest quintiles in four societies. Which indicates the highest level of income inequality?

A) 5 percent
B) 4.5 percent
C) 4 percent
D) 3.5 percent

Question 19

Which of the following kinds of people are best to have in one's social network in order to increase one's chances of high work rewards?

A) members of the same cultural group
B) close friends
C) helpful people
D) well-positioned people

Question 20

How has the degree of income inequality in Canada changed between 1976 and 2011?

A) It has increased faster than in the U.S.
B) It has increased slower than in the U.S.
C) It has increased slower than in Denmark.
D) It has decreased slower than in Denmark.

Question 21

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) inequality
B) training
C) assistance
D) redistribution

Question 22

Ruth has been to a finishing 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) economic capital

Question 23

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 24

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

A) homelessness
B) absolute poverty
C) relative poverty
D) the cycle of poverty

Question 25

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

A) It is social degradation.
B) It is relative poverty.
C) It is a result of social inequality.
D) It is absolute poverty.

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

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

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

Question 28

What is the relationship between income and wealth?

A) They are perfectly related.
B) They are strongly related.
C) They are related but not strongly.
D) They are not related at all.

Question 29

According to the textbook, why might redistributive policies such as progressive income tax not have much effect on the roots of economic inequality?

A) Because they have little effect on the rich.
B) Because they have little effect on the distribution of wealth.
C) Because they have little effect on the distribution of income.
D) Because they have little effect on the poor.

Question 30

What is the main source of wealth for the three richest families in Canada?

A) paper mills
B) media
C) inheritance
D) telecommunications

Question 31

Fifty-eight-year-old Maryann lost her job last year and has been unable to find another because employers think 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 the most probable 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 32

William and his family experienced a dramatic increase in their wealth since 1999. Given what is known about which groups experienced increases in family wealth, in which group 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 33

Ashok and Lucy both work full-time at minimum-wage jobs and have just enough money to pay their rent and buy groceries and absolutely necessary clothing. They have not been able to afford to order pizza or go to a film in eight months. What does their situation illustrate?

A) homelessness
B) absolute poverty
C) relative poverty
D) the cycle of poverty

Question 34

Which of the following is an accurate description of Canada's low-income cutoff line?

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 whether single people are poor.

Question 35

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 most help her to get hired?

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

Question 36

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. Which of the following are they trying to calculate?

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

Question 37

How do income inequality and wealth inequality in Canada, measured by quintile shares, compare to each other?

A) Income inequality is greater than wealth inequality.
B) Wealth inequality is greater than income inequality.
C) Wealth inequality is increasing, while income inequality is decreasing.
D) Income inequality is increasing, while wealth inequality is decreasing.

Question 38

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

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 the homeless
D) because there is no official definition of poverty

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

What percentage of Canadians owe more than they own?

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

Question 41

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

Question 42

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 does Jared's father's ideas represent?

A) macrolevel explanation
B) structural explanation
C) individual-level explanation
D) microlevel explanation

Question 43

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

A) disability
B) bad attitude
C) high unemployment levels
D) low-wage work

Question 44

Sebastian is five years old and lives in a poor single-parent family. In which of the following categories is popular mythology about poverty likely to put him?

A) the undeserving poor
B) the deserving poor
C) the transitory poor
D) the permanently poor

Question 45

Which of the following definitions of poverty refers to consumption of basic necessities?

A) absolute poverty
B) relative poverty
C) communal poverty
D) culture of poverty

Question 46

Rajesh works at a local convenience store where she earns the minimum wage of $14.00 per hour. Although she has asked for extra shifts, her boss will guarantee only 20 hours per week. Which of the following myths about people who are poor does this situation contradict?

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

Question 47

Barbara believes that poor people cannot help their situations because they have been taught low self-esteem, low motivation, instant gratification, and no proper work ethic as children. Which of the following explanations does her thinking represent?

A) culture-of-poverty explanation
B) indoctrination explanation
C) social-learning explanation
D) acculturation explanation

Question 48

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 whose platforms deal with the issue.
B) They will be less likely to elect politicians whose platforms 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 49

Why is it possible for Canadians working full time to still be poor?

A) the cost of living in Canada is too high
B) they take too much time off
C) their families are too large
D) the minimum wage is too low

Question 50

Approximately what percentage of Canadians experience low income?

A) 9 percent
B) 19 percent
C) 29 percent
D) 39 percent

Question 51

According to the textbook, poverty is most appropriately measured by reference to which of the following?

A) employment income
B) government transfer income
C) consumption of basic necessities
D) consumption of good-quality goods

Question 52

According to the textbook, why do definitions matter when it comes to discussing poverty?

A) because social policies and programs 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 group
D) because people need to be able to compare themselves to others so they understand their position

Question 53

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

A) 92 percent
B) 72 percent
C) 52 percent
D) 22 percent

Question 54

Besides family size, which of the following factors do the Canadian low-income cutoffs consider?

A) number of employed family members
B) size of the community
C) availability of social services
D) number of children in the family

Question 55

Which of the following categories of Canadians has experienced increasing prevalence of low income since the mid-1990s?

A) children in single-parent families
B) children in intact families
C) youths
D) seniors

Question 56

According to the textbook, which of the following influences rates of poverty among immigrants to Canada?

A) age at arrival to Canada
B) length of residence in Canada
C) residence in a rural area
D) country of origin

Question 57

Marxists argue that "the reserve army of labour"-the unemployed-enhances the profitability of capital. This argument is consistent with which of the following explanations of poverty?

A) economic-organization explanation
B) social-policy explanation
C) ideology explanation
D) individual-level explanation

Question 58

Approximately what percentage of Canadians who experienced poverty during one year are likely to remain poor for more than two years?

A) 38 percent
B) 28 percent
C) 18 percent
D) 8 percent

Question 59

Rajesh has been able to find a job at a convenience store; however, they want her to work 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 situation contradict?

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

Question 60

Lifelong Toronto residents Ron and Carol spend almost 60 percent of their income on basic necessities. Poverty advocates consider them poor, because an average Torontonian household spends no more than 40 percent of income on basic necessities. Which definition of poverty are the advocates using?

A) relative poverty
B) absolute poverty
C) flexible poverty
D) substantial poverty

Question 61

According to the textbook, which of the following concepts explains the connection between ideology and poverty?

A) income redistribution
B) public policy
C) discrimination
D) minimum wage

Question 62

For her class presentation, Janessa decides to discuss Marx's theory of social change with particular emphasis given to the force that drives it. What will Janessa focus on?

A) economic inequality
B) the petite bourgeoisie
C) class conflict
D) wealth accumulation

Question 63

Many Canadians are poor because they work in occupations that are non-unionized, low-skilled, low-waged, and often seasonal and part-time. Which of the following causes their poverty?

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

Question 64

In which social system is one class required to protect another class that then gives a portion of its agricultural labour and crops in return?

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

Question 65

In Canada, which of the following is a progressive tax?

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

Question 66

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 of the following explanations of poverty?

A) individual-level explanation
B) structural explanation
C) cultural explanation
D) microlevel explanation

Question 67

What was the main problem faced by early capitalists in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe?

A) shortage of capital
B) shortage of technology
C) shortage of workers
D) shortage of public support

Question 68

According to the textbook, what is the main effect of minimum-wage legislation?

A) eradication of poverty
B) creation of a group of working poor
C) creation of a group of unemployed poor
D) motivation for the poor to escape poverty

Question 69

Why might regressive taxes be a more important expense to Paulo than they are to Maria?

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

Question 70

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) ideal consciousness

Question 71

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 type of explanation of poverty does racist and sexist discrimination against June reflect?

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

Question 72

Which of the following theoretical orientations has the least interest in social stratification?

A) symbolic-interactionist
B) functionalist
C) Weberian
D) Marxist

Question 73

In seventeenth-century Britain, landowners turned cropland into pastures and drove peasants off the land. Which of the following did this change benefit?

A) capitalists
B) peasants
C) British monarchy
D) British colonialism

Question 74

Which of the ideas below is central to the Davis and Moore theory of stratification?

A) Often people rise to their highest level of incompetence, not their qualifications.
B) To attract the best people, the most important positions are greatly rewarded.
C) The most important positions are often filled by the most connected people.
D) No one position is more important for the survival of societies than another.

Question 75

Support for which of the following is most likely to be a manifestation of workers' class consciousness?

A) nationalism
B) internationalism
C) regressive taxes
D) progressive taxes

Question 76

What were the most compelling forces undermining feudalism in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?

A) the expansion of exploration and trade, and subsequent increasing demand for goods and services
B) the growth of universities and theological colleges and the subsequent decrease in religious conviction
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 77

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 credits to ensure that regressive taxation does not hurt them.

Question 78

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

Question 79

Jocelyn is a single mother who works two jobs but every month must choose between paying the electric bill and buying food. Which term best classifies Jocelyn's kind of poverty?

A) capitalist pauper
B) relative poverty
C) working poor
D) straitened circumstances

Question 80

Which of the following statements about the feminization of poverty is NOT true?

A) Women are more likely to be low-income earners than men.
B) The female-male poverty gap is largely a function of women's position in the labour market.
C) The low-income gap between women and men is growing.
D) Women typically live longer than men so their financial resources have more time to deplete.