Deck 7: C: Social Inequality

Question 1

Ideology refers to

A)principles based on empirical findings.
B)the ideas that run society.
C)just ways of stratifying society.
D)beliefs and values that support social stratification.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The anthropologist Lewis calls a fatalistic belief system held by the poor as an adaptation to systemic discrimination a "culture of __________."

A)poverty
B)resentment
C)dependency
D)dis-entitlement

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to this perspective,poor people need to work harder to transcend their poverty.

A)Scapegoat theory
B)Poor bashing
C)Blaming the victim
D)Blaming the system

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following best reflects a sociological understanding of social mobility?

A)There is a lot of movement between social classes.
B)If individuals work hard enough,they can move to a higher class.
C)There is limited movement of individuals between social classes.
D)Social mobility is measured by socio-economic status.

Question 5

A person who is born into a poor family but becomes a successful doctor is an example of

A)social class.
B)social mobility.
C)social stratification.
D)meritocracy.

Question 6

Social status refers to

A)specific positions within a given class structure.
B)positions based on biological strengths.
C)positions given to individuals by government.
D)positions outlined by social segregation.

Question 7

What do social status,social stratification,and social class have in common?

A)They are all social constructions.
B)They are all based on a person's talent.
C)They are all based on achieved status.
D)They are all based on a person's biological genome.

Question 8

Social class is based on all of the following except

A)individuals being born into positions of authority.
B)individuals being born into positions that lack resources.
C)individuals who work hard for success.
D)individuals who are biologically superior to others.

Question 9

When sociologists talk about a particular social class,they are referring to a group of individuals who share a position in a hierarchy that is based on both achievement and

A)birth.
B)gender.
C)motivation.
D)ability.

Question 10

Social mobility draws attention to

A)different motivation levels among different layers of society.
B)the existence of high paying jobs in a community.
C)co-operation between members of different classes.
D)movement between classes.

Question 11

When sociologists refer to a society's hierarchical ranking of people into social classes,they are talking about

A)alienation.
B)social stratification.
C)status group systems.
D)social mobility.

Question 12

Subjective assessments of people's worth are supported by

A)intrinsic differences between categories of people.
B)dominant ideology.
C)Individuals' capacities.
D)consensus-based decisions.

Question 13

The idea that people get what they deserve is called

A)meritocracy.
B)social stratification.
C)ideology.
D)a person's right.

Question 14

"Blaming the victim" is not aligned with the sociological perspective because

A)it assumes that individuals can succeed if they work hard enough.
B)it focuses on individual factors associated with success.
C)it focuses on the intersection of personal trouble and social structures.
D)it fails to look beyond the individual.

Question 15

The fact that women are often times paid less than men for the same job is an example of

A)social inequality.
B)social equality.
C)division of labour.
D)a just system based on equality of opportunity.

Question 16

Social stratification refers to

A)how society justly distributes wealth.
B)the separation of society into those who deserve wealth and those who do not.
C)a society's way of ranking individuals into hierarchical social classes.
D)an individual's right to have certain resources over others.

Question 17

A young woman who grows up in a poor family,wins a scholarship to university,and becomes a successful lawyer is an example of which type of mobility?

A)Intergenerational
B)Intermediary
C)Intragenerational
D)Post-generational

Question 18

All of the following are true of classism except:

A)Classism is an ideology that perpetuates social stratification.
B)Classism suggests that those who work hard will achieve success.
C)Classism results in blaming the victim.
D)The United States and Canada are not examples of classism due to each country's guiding principle of equality of opportunity.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a principle of social stratification?

A)It is based on the redistribution of materials and social rewards.
B)It is the result of a limited amount of resources.
C)Social stratification as a system is relatively stable.
D)There is no movement between social classes.

Question 20

The ability to forgo immediate pleasures in the interest of achieving greater rewards in the future is characterized as________ gratification.

A)distorted
B)deferred
C)anticipatory
D)secondary

Question 21

Factors influencing social inequality in Canada include all of the following except

A)gender and education.
B)work status and minority status.
C)family structure and age.
D)appearance and biology.

Question 22

The operator of a small business in Alberta is a member of which social category?

A)Petit bourgeoisie
B)Upper middle class
C)Middle class
D)Lower middle class

Question 23

The relationship between a society's economic development and its social inequality is illustrated by the graphic representation known as the

A)Gini index.
B)Kuznet curve.
C)GDP (gross national product)score.
D)low-income cut-off (LICO).

Question 24

The universality of women's wage discrimination is known as the

A)double ghetto.
B)pink ghetto.
C)feminization of poverty.
D)femininity of poverty.

Question 25

Whereas _____percent of non-Indigenous Canadian children live in poverty,_______percent of First Nations children live in poverty.

A)12;40
B)8;50
C)15;30
D)5;25

Question 26

Karl Marx posits all of the following in relation to social inequality except:

A)Inequality is institutionalized.
B)Social stratification promotes social instability.
C)There is a struggle between the proletariat (owners)and the bourgeoisie (working class).
D)There is a struggle between the proletariat (working class)and the bourgeoisie (owners).

Question 27

As discussed in your text,what are two components of inequality?

A)Property and status
B)Property and socio-economic status
C)Occupational prestige and power
D)Property and occupational prestige

Question 28

Paying $100 for a designer T-shirt would be an example of what Veblen calls conspicuous ________________.

A)waste
B)consumption
C)leisure
D)display

Question 29

A closed system refers to

A)a system that is based on ascribed status.
B)a system that is based on achieved status.
C)a system that is closed to foreigners.
D)a system closed to inequality.

Question 30

Socioeconomic status refers to all of the following except

A)income.
B)occupational prestige.
C)education.
D)intelligence quotient.

Question 31

The Davis-Moore thesis states that

A)social inequality is functional.
B)social inequality is dysfunctional.
C)social class serves important functions.
D)positions are filled by society's elite.

Question 32

The primary economic resource among the upper class in Canada,as in any other capitalist economy,is

A)income.
B)accumulated wealth.
C)monies accrued from rental properties.
D)executive salaries.

Question 33

Stratification systems,from a Marxist perspective,do which of the following to social inequality?

A)Challenge
B)Institutionalize
C)Create
D)Reduce

Question 34

According to _____________,society needs to attract the best people to fill important social roles.

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)feminism

Question 35

The difference between income and wealth is that income is what you ________ and wealth is what you __________.

A)earn;own/have
B)get paid;inherit
C)pay the most taxes on;pay the least taxes on
D)receive in your lifetime;pass down to your children

Question 36

Which of the following is not a major factor influencing social inequality in Canada?

A)Religious affiliation
B)Family structure
C)Visible minority status
D)Geographic location

Question 37

From a Weberian perspective,people who share similar social status,lifestyles,worldviews,occupations,and standards of living share a/an

A)social class.
B)political party.
C)occupational group.
D)status group.

Question 38

According to the Davis-Moore thesis,social inequality instills in those who are assigned highly rewarded positions the desire to

A)get ahead socially.
B)complete their duties and responsibilities.
C)transcend class differences.
D)fulfill their destinies.

Question 39

The Indian Constitution abolished the caste system in the year

A)1900.
B)1918.
C)1950.
D)2001.

Question 40

All of the money you receive from salaries,fees paid for services,rents,grants,support payments,government assistance,and interest paid from stocks and bond holdings is your

A)wealth.
B)income.
C)net worth.
D)economic value.

Question 41

Martha has a part-time job at a preschool.Every month,she puts $300 of her paycheque into her savings account.She's saving this money for a trip to Cuba at the end of the year.This is an example of

A)the American Dream.
B)deferred gratification.
C)meritocracy.
D)competitive individualism.

Question 42

Which of the following is an example of a meritocratic system?

A)A prestigious university admits only those students who earn a very high grade point average.
B)Students and seniors get 10 percent off of their purchases at a grocery store the first Tuesday of every month.
C)At the beginning of the academic year,first year students are randomly assigned to tutorial groups.
D)Matthew gets a summer job working for his aunt's landscaping company.

Question 43

Which of the following is not a criticism of the Davis-Moore thesis?

A)In most societies,discrimination prevents many people from rising into elite positions.
B)The thesis does not account for the importance of market forces in determining salaries.
C)Often the children of social elites assume the same benefits as their parents,regardless of whether or not they are as skilled as their parents.
D)Social inequality has become far less extreme in recent years.

Question 44

Classism is grounded in the idea that

A)some people have more opportunities to succeed than others.
B)everyone in society starts out with the same chances of success.
C)the "American Dream" is not a realistic idea of how society actually works.
D)meritocracy is unable to solve the problems of people who live in poverty.

Question 45

The mayor of a small town decides to stop funding a nonprofit job agency that helps under-employed people find work.She explains her decision by stating that underemployed people need to use their own resources to find jobs,instead of relying on taxpayers to fund programs to help them.This is an example of

A)blaming the system.
B)blaming the victim.
C)blaming the culture of poverty.
D)deferred gratification.

Question 46

Which of the following statements about occupational prestige is not true?

A)Occupational prestige is not always related to income.
B)Occupations dominated by women and visible minorities tend to be less prestigious.
C)Most prestigious occupations require university education.
D)Gender differences in Canadian occupational prestige are slowly increasing.

Question 47

Social inequality

A)is based on objective measures of people's abilities such as IQ scores and aptitude tests.
B)becomes less of a problem as societies become more advanced.
C)is based on subjective,ascribed criteria such as gender and minority status.
D)does not occur when societies are meritocratic.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Weber agreed with Marx's assertion that capitalism led to class conflict.
B)Unlike Marx,Weber felt that economic production was the most useful way of understanding social inequality.
C)Unlike Marx,Weber did not think that the ownership of property was important for gaining influence in society.
D)Marx and Weber both argued social stratification was unavoidable.

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of a "double ghetto"?

A)Marilyn works at a factory all day,and spends most of her evening looking after her children and doing housework.
B)Marilyn lives in an impoverished neighbourhood situated next to a very wealthy neighbourhood.
C)Marilyn's boss refuses to let her take time off of work when her children are ill.
D)Marilyn needs to work two jobs outside of the house in order to provide for her children's needs.

Question 50

In a study conducted by sociologists Huber and Form,most wealthy and middle-class Americans

A)believed that their success was the result of their own abilities,skills,and effort.
B)believed that their success was primarily the result of luck.
C)believed that their success was primarily the result of structural factors in society.
D)believed that poor people suffered because of the failure of society to provide adequate schooling for all citizens.

Question 51

Socioeconomic status is made up of three loosely related measures of social position.What are they?

A)Class,wealth,and education
B)Class,occupational prestige,and wealth
C)Education,income,and class
D)Occupational prestige,education,and income

Question 52

What best describes the following? After a long day's work,Mary comes home,takes the kids to soccer practice,picks them up,cooks dinner,cleans the house,gets the kids ready for bed,and reads them a good night story.

A)The pink ghetto
B)The double shift
C)Social stratification
D)Gender inequality

Question 53

Matthew is the first member of his family to earn a Ph.D.This is an example of

A)meritocracy.
B)intergenerational mobility.
C)intragenerational mobility.
D)social opportunity.

Question 54

Matthew buys an expensive Louis Vuitton suit,despite already owning four other suits.This is an example of

A)conspicuous consumption.
B)conspicuous leisure.
C)conspicuous waste.
D)conspicuous classism.

Question 55

Assets including,homes,land,automobiles,jewellery,factories,and stocks represent an individual's

A)occupation.
B)income.
C)wealth.
D)prestige.

Question 56

According to Weber,status groups

A)are composed of citizens who live under the same economic conditions.
B)are composed of citizens who are considered "elite" in society.
C)are composed of people who share similar social status,lifestyles,and standards of living.
D)are composed of people who share similar political beliefs.

Question 57

Closed systems are those social systems where people are ranked according to _________ characteristics such as ______________.

A)achieved,ethnicity and gender
B)achieved,good work ethic
C)ascribed,ethnicity and gender
D)ascribed,good work ethic

Question 58

Society's hierarchical ranking of people into social classes is called

A)social inequality.
B)social grouping.
C)social meritocracy.
D)social stratification.

Question 59

According to conflict theorists,

A)the Davis-Moore thesis is the most likely explanation for the existence of social inequality.
B)status symbols demonstrate a person's social and economic position.
C)social classes are the outcome of the competition that exists between the socially powerful and socially weak members of society.
D)social classes are an unfortunate but inevitable part of society.

Question 60

Social mobility is usually measured

A)by examining inter- and intra-generational mobility.
B)by evaluating whether or not a society is meritocratic.
C)by examining patterns of social stratification.
D)by examining whether or not classist attitudes are present in a society.

Question 61

Understanding that a homeless person's plight may well be the result of the deinstitutionalization and underfunding of facilities and programs for the mentally ill is the result of

A)culture of poverty.
B)blaming the victim.
C)blaming the system.
D)Classism.

Question 62

The fact that so many people in the US want to drive huge,gas-guzzling SUVs because a lot of rich celebrities do makes them an example of

A)conspicuous leisure.
B)a status symbol.
C)conspicuous waste.
D)Classism.

Question 63

Nate is from a rural town;his parents were farmers who did not finish high school,and he is the first person from his family to move to the city,go to university,and attain a professional degree.This is an example of

A)intergenerational mobility.
B)intragenerational mobility.
C)socioeconomic status.
D)Meritocracy.

Question 64

Despite being a fairly well-paid profession,nurses are consistently ranked lower on occupational prestige rankings than doctors because nursing

A)is a female-dominated profession.
B)requires less education.
C)is shift work and therefore closer to blue collar than white collar.
D)is considered a service position.

Question 65

Canada's immigration system,which slots visible-minority immigrants into lower-paying jobs in the economy despite their levels of education,thus limiting their social mobility,is a form of

A)deferred gratification.
B)caste system.
C)class system.
D)open system.

Question 66

The fact that we see greater levels of inequality in industrial societies as compared to post-industrial societies is represented by

A)globalization.
B)the Lorenz curve.
C)the Gini Index.
D)Kuznets curve.

Question 67

The fact that managers work for the bourgeoisie and therefore are essentially proletariat yet have authority over the proletariat is an example of

A)downsizing.
B)an unequal occupational structure.
C)the petite bourgeoisie.
D)a contradictory class location.

Question 68

Nate's professional position as a college instructor compared to his father's occupation as a farmer would result in the following:

A)No IGE score could be calculated
B)A high IGE score
C)A low IGE score
D)A middle-range IGE score

Question 69

Jason is a restaurant manager and his wife,Michelle,is a school teacher.They own a small house in a suburb of a large city and have two children whom they are planning to send to post-secondary school.They would be considered members of which class?

A)Working class
B)Lower middle class
C)Upper middle class
D)The underclass

Question 70

People who oppose raising welfare rates to livable standards because they believe it will encourage laziness and unemployment are exhibiting which of the following?

A)Culture of poverty
B)Deferred gratification
C)Blaming the system
D)Classism

Question 71

When we first meet someone and we ask them "What do you do?" what we are really asking is this:

A)What kind of workplace do you have?
B)What is your class position/status?
C)How much education do you have?
D)Are you smarter than I am?

Question 72

According to Weber,bureaucrats such as government officials are highest on which of his three dimensions?

A)Class
B)Status
C)Power
D)Education

Question 73

People like the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa,who have enormous power and influence yet would rank considerably lower in terms of class and status,are examples of

A)class inconsistency.
B)status inconsistency.
C)bureaucracy.
D)culture of poverty.

Question 74

Bank machines,automated phone answering systems,self-checkout lines in grocery stores,and robotic assembly line manufacturing are all examples of

A)culture of poverty.
B)social mobility.
C)deindustrialization.
D)classism.

Question 75

Which theoretical perspective would interpret Gini Index scores by investigating how people respond to their economic situations in both rich and poor countries?

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interactionism
D)Feminism