Deck 7: Getting a Job

Question 1

Markets balance supply and demand through the price mechanism.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The term "efficiency wage" refers to the provision of flexible hours at increased rates of pay offered by employers..

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which of the following statements is not a benefit of social networks?

A) Social networks can provide job opportunities in an area that a job seeker does not initially pursue.
B) Networks make employers' recruitment of new workers easier.
C) Social connections can help a job seeker land an interview.
D) Social networks ensure a job-seeker employment in high-status, high-paying positions.
True/False Questions

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Occupations that require a lot of innate talent and years of education:

A) Attract more men than women
B) Are in high demand
C) Pay wages and salaries that match the paraprofessions
D) Bring in large salaries to attract those willing to devote years into their education and training.

Question 5

Conventional labor market theory treats workers as a kind of commodity

Question 6

Criticisms of the emphasis on education as a means of gaining credentials include:

A) Individuals who do not pursue a formal education resent those who do.
B) Rather than pursuing education for the sake of learning, students end up pursuing education merely for the credentials.
C) Patterns of inequality are reinforced because not everyone has an equal opportunity to acquire a formal education
D) B and C only

Question 7

The federal minimum wage:

A) Is determined by the Supreme Court
B) Has not increased since the 1960s
C) Is the equivalent of a "living wage"
D) Is not automatically adjusted for inflation

Question 8

Enrollment and eventual graduation from college are correlated with

A) Past academic achievement and projected academic achievement
B) Gender and academic ability
C) Socioeconomic status and gender
D) Academic ability and socioeconomic status

Question 9

Minimum-wage legislation was first enacted in the 1930's by the Roosevelt's administration.

Question 10

The term disutility refers to something that:

A) Is unsuccessful
B) Has little use
C) Diminishes the quality of life
D) Stimulates the mode of production

Question 11

A large number of occupations offer low wages because:

A) There is a large pool of prospective workers
B) Those occupations are typically insignificant
C) Individuals in such occupations do not demand high wages
D) Employers have little respect for their workers

Question 12

The only employees who benefit from minimum wage standards are the working poor.

Question 13

Higher rates of pay will always motivate individuals to put in longer hours at work.

Question 14

Despite the advantages of acquiring a formal education, formal education does not always make workers more capable because:

A) Formal education occurs in a concentrated period of time before the worker's career begins.
B) Not all knowledge acquired through formal education is retained and applied to subsequent professional practices.
C) Formal education does not ensure essential on-the-job training.
D) All of the above

Question 15

For many employers, a college degree indicates that a job candidate:

A) Is prepared for the work they will end up doing
B) Will ask for a high salary in order to pay off their student loans
C) Is able to meet deadlines
D) A and C only

Question 16

Cultural capital refers to class-based attributes such as values, tastes, leisure pursuits, and speech patterns.

Question 17

Educational attainment is strongly correlated with the social class of a student's family.

Question 18

A formal education guarantees that an employee has acquired the skills necessary for the job he or she holds

Question 19

One criticism of the minimum wage standard is that it:

A) Benefits middle-class families rather than the working poor
B) Does not benefit minority women workers
C) Reduces employment opportunities for skilled workers who want higher wages
D) All of the above

Question 20

Human capital refers to the skills and abilities that correspond with items of physical capital that improve productivity.

Question 21

Describe both the arguments for and against minimum-wage standards. Which side of this debate are you inclined to support?

Question 22

How does Granovetter's research undermine market-based theories of employment?

Question 23

Why haven't increased educational opportunities changed the distribution of income in any significant way?

Question 24

How does credentialism perpetuate existing patterns of inequality?

Question 25

What is the difference between the minimum-wage and a living wage?

Question 26

Describe the backward-bending supply curve for labor. Why might this model not be as applicable today?

Question 27

According to labor market theory, why would a person forego an immediate job in order to spend more time in educational training?

Question 28

What is human capital? How might one add to their stock of human capital?

Question 29

Is monetary remuneration the highest priority for workers? Under what circumstances might it diminish in importance?