Deck 9: Global Stratification

Question 1

Marx's definition of workers is no longer relevant to advanced capitalist societies.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Income is defined as your salary plus your assets minus your debts.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

People from the upper and middle classes typically have better life chances than those from the working class.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Because of the variety of low-paying jobs,working-class families have less financial security than middle-class families.

Question 5

Approximately 50 percent of Indigenous children are living in poverty.

Question 6

In an open system of stratification,boundaries between levels are flexible.

Question 7

Most of the wealthiest people in Canada have inherited their fortunes.

Question 8

The position of working-class women varies based on their participation in the division of labour at home.

Question 9

The working poor account for about 20 percent of the Canadian population.

Question 10

In Karl Marx's view,alienation develops as workers manufacture goods that embody their creative talents but do not own the goods.

Question 11

According to Max Weber,entrepreneurs and rentiers have very much in common.

Question 12

For Karl Marx,class position is determined by people's work situation or their relationship to the means of production.

Question 13

Hunger is a contemporary social problem in Canada.

Question 14

Intergenerational mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.

Question 15

The majority of the wealthiest people in Canada earned their income within the last 20 years.

Question 16

Poverty in Canada is randomly distributed,with each person having about the same chance of ending up poor.

Question 17

As economic status increases,health status increases.

Question 18

Jobs such as teacher and paramedic are examples of jobs in the lower class.

Question 19

Erik Olin Wright argued that classes in modern capitalism cannot be defined simply in terms of different levels of power,prestige,and wealth.

Question 20

Slavery was a form of social stratification more commonly found in the United States.

Question 21

Which concept does Wright (1997)suggest is key to understanding Marx's assertion that interests are generated by class relations?

A) alienation
B) exploitation
C) class conflict
D) false consciousness

Question 22

Many hard-working people with full-time jobs live in poverty.

Question 23

Which statement does NOT describe Peter Newman's findings on wealthy people in Canada?

A) They share strong feelings of ingroup solidarity.
B) They are part of a large number of individuals who yield an enormous amount of power.
C) They tend to belong to the same exclusive clubs.
D) They are consumers of high culture.

Question 24

Who developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth,prestige,and power?

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Dennis Gilbert
D) John Porter

Question 25

What percentage of Canadians make up the working poor?

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

Question 26

Which term best describes the text's definition of poverty?

A) lack of money
B) homelessness
C) deprivation
D) persistent hunger

Question 27

Educational opportunities and life chances are indirectly linked.

Question 28

Canada has an official definition of poverty.

Question 29

Class conflict is the feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people.

Question 30

Visible-minority women are especially likely to experience the feminization of poverty.

Question 31

Canada has higher child poverty rates than Denmark.

Question 32

According to Erik Olin Wright,criteria used to determine the class placement of all workers in a capitalist society must take into account race/ethnicity.

Question 33

How would Karl Marx refer to Parliament,your university,and places of worship in your community?

A) as substructure
B) as superstructure
C) as ecostructure
D) as infrastructure

Question 34

Family income is highest in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.

Question 35

Suppose Jack and Annie's parents were teaching them about living in a meritocracy.What key lesson would they need to learn?

A) Their position in the stratification system depends strictly on their ascribed statuses.
B) They must justify their wealth by working hard.
C) All members of society equally share resources.
D) Their own share of the resources of a society is based on their qualifications and effort.

Question 36

Children born into poor families are at a much greater risk of dying during their first year of life.

Question 37

The distinction between the upper-upper and lower-upper class can be summarized as the difference between "old money" and "new money."

Question 38

Sociologists often use a combined measure that attempts to classify individuals,families,or households in terms of indicators such as income,occupation,and education to determine class location.What is this measure called?

A) social class
B) social standing
C) prestige ranking
D) socioeconomic status

Question 39

In which dimension do Mother Teresa and other people whose life work is primarily to help the less fortunate rate highly?

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

Question 40

Which of the following has resulted from the introduction of computers and other forms of technology?

A) job deskilling
B) job security
C) expansion of the upper-middle class
D) cost-saving among the capitalist class

Question 41

Which statement reflects a functionalist perspective on education?

A) Schools are agencies that reproduce the capitalist system.
B) Education perpetuates social inequality.
C) Students in poor neighbourhoods lack essential equipment and teaching resources.
D) Education is an elevator to social mobility.

Question 42

From a Marxist perspective,what keeps relations between employees and employers antagonistic?

A) differences in moral values
B) differences in work ethic
C) differences in income
D) differences in material interests

Question 43

What did Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrate in her research?

A) It is possible to live on the income of the working poor.
B) The working poor do not develop keen strategies for survival.
C) Year-round minimum-wage jobs cannot cover the full cost of living even without taking into consideration the needs of children.
D) Society overestimates the challenges of the working poor.

Question 44

Joan goes to get a payday loan because she needs to pay her rent and a dental bill for her son.To what social class is she most likely to belong?

A) upper-middle class
B) middle class
C) underclass
D) working poor

Question 45

What kind of theorist would examine the secondary forms of inequality and oppression occurring within each class?

A) conflict theorist
B) functionalist theorist
C) symbolic interactionist theorist
D) feminist theorist

Question 46

Which of the following assumptions does the Davis-Moore thesis make?

A) We experience conflict between those who own the means of production and those who work for wages.
B) We have an equal distribution of valued goods in our society.
C) We have considerable social mobility in our society.
D) We live in a meritocracy.

Question 47

What term is used to describe a level of economic deprivation in which people are unable to maintain an average standard of living?

A) event-driven poverty
B) relative poverty
C) absolute poverty
D) contingent poverty

Question 48

Which statement best describes the child poverty rate in Canada?

A) Child poverty is higher than the overall poverty rate.
B) Child poverty is a bit lower than the overall poverty rate.
C) Child poverty is the same as the overall poverty rate.
D) Child poverty is much lower than the overall poverty rate.

Question 49

Which of the following is an implication of deindustrialization?

A) job deskilling
B) decredentialization
C) occupational compromise
D) second shift

Question 50

According to Dennis Gilbert,what class has a core of people who hold relatively unskilled blue-collar and pink-collar occupations?

A) the underclass
B) the working poor
C) the working class
D) the upper-middle class

Question 51

Who argued that the access the people have to important societal resources determines their life chances?

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Dennis Gilbert
D) John Porter

Question 52

Kim owns a major corporation that manufactures energy drinks.What class is Kim part of?

A) capitalist
B) managerial
C) small business
D) large business

Question 53

Erin has a learning disability and has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.Which of the following is her most likely experience in the workplace?

A) She has been excluded from work because of her disability.
B) She is unlikely to confront environmental barriers in the workplace,given the advent of anti-discrimination policies.
C) She has fewer opportunities today than she would have had in the past.
D) She is doubly disadvantaged and will experience discrimination as a woman and as a person with a disability.

Question 54

In which system of stratification would a couple have the easiest time moving within social structure?

A) socioeconomic
B) slavery
C) caste
D) class

Question 55

Which group is more likely to experience poverty due to low income?

A) Indigenous children
B) children with disabilities
C) children with single-parent fathers
D) children in recent immigrant families

Question 56

What is one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification?

A) their link to money
B) their global integration
C) their degree of flexibility
D) their degree of control

Question 57

What is one criticism of the Davis-Moore thesis?

A) It overemphasizes inequalities based on inherited wealth.
B) It underemphasizes the role played by prestige.
C) It ignores the effect of economic rewards in favour of social rewards.
D) It ignores inequalities based on inherited wealth.

Question 58

Which statement best reflects the relationship between Marx and Weber on class and stratification?

A) Weber added to Marx's insights,offering a multidimensional view of class.
B) Marx added to Weber's insights,offering a multidimensional view of class.
C) Weber's emphasis was narrow as compared to Marx's focus on several class dimensions.
D) Both Marx and Weber saw similar futures for capitalism and the social system,but Weber was more specific in his analysis.

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a key finding from the UNICEF report on Child Poverty in Rich Nations?

A) Many countries with low poverty rates have relatively low wealth rankings.
B) Some of the wealthiest nations have the highest poverty rates.
C) Nations with low levels of poverty have invested substantially into family policies.
D) A nation's level of wealth determines its ability to prevent children from becoming poor.

Question 60

Jamal Donaldson has his sights on making it big in the business world and leading a large team.Currently,he has two employees.According to Erik Olin Wright's model,what is his class position?

A) working class
B) capitalist class
C) managerial class
D) small-business class

Question 61

Jarred has a wife and two boys.He works full-time for minimum wage.Which of the following best reflects his family's financial situation?

A) He earns a yearly income about 20 percent above the poverty line.
B) His income keeps the family just above the poverty line.
C) He cannot keep his family above the official poverty line.
D) His family is much better off now than they would have been 20 years ago.

Question 62

Caitlin is a member of the lower-upper class and her friend Jane is a member of the upper class.On which of the dimensions below are they likely to differ?

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

Question 63

A decade ago the Kramers invested in real estate,and now they live primarily off the income they receive from their multiple properties.Using Max Weber's typology,to what social class do the Kramers belong?

A) entrepreneurs
B) capitalists
C) proletariat
D) consumers

Question 64

As noted in a UNICEF report,where does Canada rank out of 35 nations for having the least child poverty in a rich nation?

A) 2nd
B) 12th
C) 19th
D) 26th

Question 65

Mike works as a welder.According to Max Weber's typology,to what class does he belong?

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

Question 66

What did Karl Marx argue about class relations?

A) The bourgeoisie consists of those who must sell their labour to those who own the means of production.
B) The proletariat consists of those who own the means of production.
C) Class relationships involve inequality and exploitation.
D) Wealth,prestige,and power are all important in determining a person's class position.

Question 67

The Yees are a prominent family in southern Ontario who live in an $8.5 million home that has been in the family for generations.Where do they fit in a Weberian class model?

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

Question 68

Jessie's mother is unable to provide her son with adequate food and proper clothing.In contrast,financial security has never been a problem in Dave's family.Which statement best reflects the two boys' experience?

A) Jessie and Dave have similar life chances.
B) Dave's life chances are better than Jessie's.
C) Jessie's life chances are better than Dave's.
D) Family access to societal resources does not influence Jessie or Dave.

Question 69

Which statement would a feminist theorist agree with?

A) Indigenous children are much less likely to live in poverty than non-Indigenous children.
B) As long as they make wise financial decisions,parents with limited resources can provide the same educational opportunities for their children as middle-class families.
C) Inequality is on the decline,as evidenced in rising upward mobility through achievements in schools,especially among working-class children.
D) Given the combined effect of gender and class inequality,women in the labour force experience a double ghetto and second shift.

Question 70

Based on the low-income cutoff lines,when would an individual or family be considered poor?

A) when they spend more than 90 percent of their income on food,clothing,and shelter
B) when they spend more than 70 percent of their income on food,clothing,and shelter
C) when they spend more than 50 percent of their income on food,clothing,and shelter
D) when they spend more than 40 percent of their income on food,clothing,and shelter

Question 71

What percentage of the income "pie" do the wealthiest 20 percent of households receive?

A) 45 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 65 percent
D) 70 percent

Question 72

Kurt is able to rent an apartment and get enough food to eat,yet he is unable to save any money or afford even the kind of extras that many Canadians take for granted,such as a bus ride or movie theatre ticket.Which of the following best reflects his situation?

A) absolute poverty
B) relative poverty
C) pink-collar poverty
D) objective poverty

Question 73

What is the "deindustrialization of North America"?

A) a transformation from steam power to nuclear power
B) the loss of a large number of jobs due to automation and the transfer of jobs to other countries
C) a trend in which workers,having obtained higher education than in the past,are unwilling to take industrial jobs
D) a drastic increase in factory and other hourly rated jobs

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT a feature of relative poverty?

A) People do not have the means to secure basic necessities.
B) People are unable to maintain an average standard of living.
C) People have the means to secure basic necessities.
D) People live in societies that are based on principles equity.

Question 75

What do contemporary Marxian models do to examine class?

A) They attempt to determine how much income individuals make.
B) They attempt to determine the amount of power,prestige,and wealth associated with an individual's job.
C) They attempt to determine the extent to which money controls an individual's decision making.
D) They attempt to determine the degree of control an individual has over the decision-making process and extent he or she can plan his or her work.

Question 76

What is "event-driven poverty"?

A) a phenomenon that occurs when the poverty rate in Canada increases,as it did during the last economic recession
B) something that happens when a person becomes poor due to some change,such as divorce or widowhood
C) a situation in which a person living in poverty perpetuates his fate by spending his money foolishly
D) poverty that results from a major economic downturn in the economy,which leads to high unemployment

Question 77

In which system of stratification would Dave,a Christian,and Marta,a Muslim,NOT be permitted to marry?

A) socioeconomic
B) slavery
C) caste
D) class

Question 78

Which statement accurately describes the relationship between income and physical and mental health?

A) People who are wealthy and well educated are more likely to be healthy than are poor people.
B) Research about the effects of income and health is largely inconclusive due to individual differences and uncontrollable lifestyle factors.
C) The poor have the same life expectancy as people who are wealthy,but they have less access to resources later in life.
D) People with high incomes live in conditions of excess that produce more cardiovascular problems later in life relative to those in poverty.

Question 79

If you were to use a conflict perspective to determine social inequality,which concept would you study?

A) property ownership and control of workplace
B) race and gender
C) prestige and rewards
D) meritocracy

Question 80

What kind of impression about social class are popular television game shows that give away large sums of money framed to give viewers?

A) Upward social mobility is possible and available with little effort or time.
B) Downward social mobility is likely,especially without time and effort at maintaining one's lifestyle.
C) Upward and downward social mobility are the result of chance.
D) Winning game shows is a popular strategy to achieve upward social mobility.