Deck 5: Social Inequality in Canadian Society

Question 1

Which of the following would most accurately describe India's caste structure?

A) a gender-neutral system of stratification
B) a mixed system of stratification
C) an open system of stratification
D) a closed system of stratification

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to the text,which term describes a person's economic assets,including income from employment?

A) income status
B) prestige resources
C) financial wealth
D) economic power

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When was slavery abolished in Canada?

A) 1793
B) 1833
C) 1895
D) 1942

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Tim graduated from college and was able to get an entry level position at a large marketing firm.After working there several years Tim had worked his way up to an account executive position.What is this an example of?

A) intergenerational mobility
B) intragenerational mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) status-based mobility

Question 5

Which statement best describes the class system of stratification?

A) It is a closed system.
B) It is found in very few countries in the world.
C) It is based on various economic measures.
D) It is similar to a caste system in that individuals move from one stratum to another only with great difficulty.

Question 6

Which statement best describes the caste system in India?

A) It is disavowed in public but maintained in private.
B) It is maintained by legally mandated discrimination.
C) It has been undermined by marriage across castes.
D) It does not have a fixed number of levels.

Question 7

Which statement best describes most of the ultra-rich in Canada?

A) They live in Atlantic Canada.
B) They are foreign born.
C) They are self-made millionaires.
D) They form the top decile of income distribution.

Question 8

What does the term "capitalist class" describe?

A) any socioeconomic status category in a class system
B) the top 15 % of income earners
C) the ultra-rich
D) people who own real estate

Question 9

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

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

Question 10

Chris,a dentist,furthered his education to become an orthodontist and has an annual take-home pay of around $200,000.Evaluated together,these three factors are a measure of what type of status?

A) socioeconomic status
B) accumulated social status
C) collective status sets
D) meritocratic social status

Question 11

A young woman worked as a security guard for several years to pay her way through university.Then she started a new career as a software analyst.What has she experienced?

A) postmodernity
B) intragenerational mobility
C) intergenerational mobility
D) structural mobility

Question 12

Which statement does NOT accurately reflect slavery in Canada?

A) Canada does not actually have a history of slavery.
B) Most slaves in Canada descended from Indigenous people.
C) Slaves of African descent were brought to Canada in the 19th century.
D) In Canada the tradition of slavery differs from the American tradition in that Canadian slaves were considered citizens.

Question 13

What is slavery an example of?

A) an open system of stratification
B) a closed system of stratification
C) an unequal system of stratification
D) a divided system of stratification

Question 14

According to the text,what does the term "class system" refer to?

A) It is a definition of living standard and expectations.
B) It is an assessment of people's differing physical capabilities.
C) It is a justification for inequality,prejudice,and discrimination.
D) It is a relatively persistent economic ranking of people.

Question 15

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 16

According to the text,what are the specific measures of a person's socioeconomic status?

A) Regardless of ascribed status,it is based on meritocracy.
B) It measures people's income,education,and occupation.
C) It measures statistical assessments of social position.
D) It measures one's social standing in a given society.

Question 17

What can we conclude about the impact of caste and stratification systems?

A) Both impact the potential for social mobility.
B) Both limit people's life chances equally.
C) Both allow upward social mobility.
D) Both impact gender in similar ways.

Question 18

In discussions of social mobility,which term refers to changes that occur within the same social location?

A) immobility
B) static mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) vertical mobility

Question 19

Who was freed by the Upper Canada Abolition Act of 1793?

A) Indigenous slaves only
B) slaves of African descent only
C) slaves who entered Ontario from The United States among other places
D) all Canadian slaves

Question 20

What is the most important contributor to socioeconomic status?

A) income
B) occupation
C) education
D) aspirations

Question 21

Which term refers to the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty?

A) the feminization of poverty
B) matriarchal poverty
C) pink-ghetto poverty
D) the gendering of poverty

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a part of homelessness?

A) the unsheltered
B) the emergency sheltered
C) those who have housing but whose situation is precarious
D) travelers or tourists staying in motels or other temporary residences

Question 23

What does a low-income cutoff (LICO)measure?

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 if single people are poor.

Question 24

What social class do most Canadians commonly perceive themselves to be in?

A) capitalist
B) upper-middle
C) middle
D) working

Question 25

Which statement best describes net worth?

A) Net worth increases as income increases.
B) Net worth decreases as income increases.
C) Net worth and income are essentially unrelated.
D) Net worth increases as income increases but only for the very wealthy.

Question 26

According to the data presented in the book,which of the following best defines "low class"?

A) consists of about 10% of the population
B) engages what are referred to as "semi-skilled jobs"
C) has very little or no social mobility
D) includes the "the working poor"

Question 27

Which statement best describes the low-income cutoff measure?

A) It only includes costs for "essentials."
B) It takes regional variations in cost of living into account.
C) It is based on income before taxes.
D) It takes into account many costs routinely incurred such as those associated with education or running a household.

Question 28

According to the text,who is most at risk for heart disease?

A) a wealthy man who smokes half a pack of cigarettes each day and uses his treadmill occasionally
B) a middle-income man who eats a good diet and jogs twice per week
C) a working-class man who works out every day and eats a vegetarian diet
D) a poor man who lives on income assistance,walks everywhere,and often relies on a food bank

Question 29

It is claimed that the middle class is shrinking.What does this claim reflect?

A) Income polarization is disappearing.
B) The service industries have created millions of high-paying jobs.
C) Many full-time jobs have become part-time jobs.
D) There has been growth in the number of manufacturing jobs,which tend to be low wage jobs.

Question 30

Which measure is based on incomes less than 50% of the national median adjusted for family?

A) Low-Income Measure
B) Market Basket Measure
C) Low-Income Cutoff
D) Net Worth Index

Question 31

What is found when examining the educational opportunities of the poor and the non-poor?

A) They have the same drop-out rates.
B) Income consistently increases with level of education.
C) Those who do less well in school are no more likely than others to end up poor as adults.
D) The system of public education in Canada levels the playing field with respect to the education of the poor and the non-poor.

Question 32

With respect to regional variations in family income,which statement best describes Alberta?

A) In Alberta,the high median family income implies a low level of income inequality.
B) Alberta has a high median family income and shrinking levels of inequality.
C) In Alberta,the increase in income inequality since 2011 is attributable to the increasing wealth of the bottom 25% of the population.
D) Compared to New Brunswick,Alberta has more social inequality but a much higher median family income.

Question 33

Which term describes the growing inequality in income in Canada and elsewhere?

A) the shrinking middle class
B) the growing underclass
C) the working poor
D) inequality

Question 34

Jarred has a wife and two sons.He works full-time at minimum wage and has no additional sources of income.Which statement best reflects his family's financial situation?

A) His family is a lot better off than they would have been 20 years ago.
B) His yearly income is approximately 20 percent above the poverty line.
C) His income keeps the family just above the poverty line.
D) His income places him among the working poor.

Question 35

In Canada,who is most likely to incur debt?

A) older families
B) families without dependent children
C) families whose major income earner only has a high school education
D) families in the top 20% of earners

Question 36

The intersectionality of risk is a greater problem for which of the following groups in that more than half live in persistent poverty?

A) nonvisible minorities
B) high school dropouts
C) Indigenous children
D) children whose household family income is in the third decile

Question 37

Jason now owns his home,a vacation property,and a downtown retail space.As a result,what has he increased?

A) his income
B) his wealth
C) his net worth
D) his equality

Question 38

What have some critics argued about Canada's low-income cutoff line?

A) It does not reflect all "typical" household expenditures.
B) It disproportionately represents visible minorities as poor.
C) It can't account for the ups and downs of the economy.
D) It unfairly makes Canada look bad internationally.

Question 39

According to the text,what is one of the main structural factors that can lead to fluctuations in poverty?

A) economy
B) family size
C) education level
D) skill level

Question 40

According to a report discussed in the textbook,which statement reflects the issue of water on reserves?

A) Indigenous communities are no more likely than other communities to lack running water.
B) Currently there are fewer than a dozen Indigenous communities under a drinking water advisory.
C) The building of new treatment plants pretty much guarantees access to clean drinking water.
D) Canadian water and waste management are overseen by provincial and territorial governments,whose regulations do not apply to reserves.

Question 41

Which assumption 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 can advance based on experience,skills,and education.

Question 42

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 43

Which of the following is a structural risk factor for homelessness?

A) substance abuse
B) unemployment
C) lack of affordable housing
D) divorce

Question 44

In the Catholic Church,ordained priests all start their clerical careers at the same place;however,rising through the ranks is a competitive process based upon achievement.What kind of promotional structure is represented here?

A) good works
B) competency
C) meritocracy
D) self-sacrifice

Question 45

What prediction did Karl Marx make with his theory about social stratification in capitalist societies?

A) The emergence of an exploited working-class consciousness would result in a revolution.
B) Class conflict would occur between the bourgeoisie and the petite bourgeoisie.
C) Over time,the capitalist mode of production would produce income equality.
D) Surplus value was created by workers in feudalism but not in capitalism.

Question 46

Which statement best reflects the experience of the elderly in Canada?

A) The elderly are at great risk with respect to poverty.
B) The declining number of older people in society means that the economic situation of the elderly will likely remain stable.
C) Our experience with the elderly demonstrates that government programs designed to provide income security are effective at reducing poverty.
D) The elderly lack access to a government sponsored income.

Question 47

Which condition in a capitalist system is Marx referring to by the use of the term alienation?

A) a general sense of dissatisfaction with one's life circumstances
B) feelings of normlessness
C) the detachment that exists between workers and their labour
D) the sense that one does not belong

Question 48

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

A) property ownership and control
B) race and gender
C) prestige and rewards
D) desires and ambitions

Question 49

Which term refers to services and programs designed to lesson financial burdens experienced by low-income groups?

A) economic assistance
B) employment insurance
C) social safety net
D) social support

Question 50

Over the last several decades,what has been the trend for poverty rates?

A) They have fluctuated wildly.
B) They have gone up consistently.
C) They have gone down consistently.
D) They have remained largely unchanged.

Question 51

Which statement best describes Marx's prediction for capitalism?

A) Widespread proletarian protest would end in a revolutionary upheaval.
B) There would be a settlement on a social contract between workers and owners.
C) Increasingly profitable capitalism and a growing petite bourgeoisie would prevail.
D) There would be increasingly ineffective protests by workers against their exploitation.

Question 52

Which statement best summarizes Marx's belief about poverty?

A) Social classes emerge out a broad societal consensus.
B) It is the economic basis of capitalist society which is the source of social inequality.
C) Religion is an important avenue of social change.
D) The system of capitalism systematically disadvantages members of the bourgeoisie.

Question 53

According to Karl Marx's ideas,what is likely to happen to Carrie when she moves from designing,producing,and selling her own women's fashions to working as a seamstress for a large design company?

A) class conflict
B) alienation
C) wealth
D) anomie

Question 54

Which term describes a world in which everyone would have an opportunity to compete for higher-status positions and those most capable would be awarded the highest ranks?

A) socialist system
B) capitalist system
C) democracy
D) meritocracy

Question 55

David takes a job at the auto plant and begins to feel like a commodity at work,like his creative talents are so removed from the vehicles he has a hand in producing.What would Karl Marx suggest he is experiencing?

A) class conflict
B) anomie
C) alienation
D) exploitation

Question 56

Which of the following people would NOT be of high status in the scheme developed by Weber?

A) someone with a great deal of money
B) a politician who has control of several key public policies
C) someone whose profession is well regarded by members of the community
D) an elderly individual whose knowledge of the society is extensive

Question 57

Suppose Jack and Annie's parents were teaching them about living in a meritocracy.What key lesson would the children 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 societal resources is based on their qualifications and effort.

Question 58

Which belief would be considered fact in a meritocracy?

A) Most of us cannot go from poverty to wealth.
B) Hard work and playing by the rules do not bring financial wealth.
C) It is up to the individual to break the cycle of poverty.
D) Structural factors affect the degree of success an individual can attain.

Question 59

What kind of stratification system produces social mobility for meritocracy and achieved status?

A) caste
B) aristocratic
C) open
D) closed

Question 60

According to functionalist theory,which statement best describes inequality?

A) Social inequality defeats the goal of achieving a meritocracy.
B) Inequality often means that the least competent people can end up holding important positions.
C) Poverty persists in large part because it is beneficial to the non-poor.
D) Inequality exists in all societies.

Question 61

In a closed system of stratification,people's positions are set by inherited social standing.

Question 62

Andrea is able to get her children to stay in bed,even though they protest.According to Weber,which element of her status is Andrea employing?

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

Question 63

A social class is a group whose membership is based on prestige rankings.

Question 64

According to Weber,in which of the following measures would a member of the clergy be most likely to rank highly?

A) economic assets
B) the ability to enact one's will
C) social advantages conferred by the position
D) community experience

Question 65

Most of Canada's ultra-rich are self-made millionaires.

Question 66

When asked in surveys,most Canadians define themselves as "middle class."

Question 67

A study of social mobility discussed in the textbook reported that when social mobility did occur it was greatest for the sons of low-earning fathers.

Question 68

How do Marx and Weber differ in their understanding of the relationship between capitalism and religion?

A) Marx thought capitalism was a by-product of religion while Weber thought that religion influenced the economic system.
B) Marx thought that Judaism and Christianity had differing effects on the economic system while Weber made no distinction between types of religions.
C) Marx thought that Protestantism influenced the development of capitalism while Weber thought that capitalism influenced the development of Protestantism.
D) Marx thought that religion was a by-product of capitalism while Weber was largely silent on the issue of religion.

Question 69

Which statement best describes highly stratified capitalist societies?

A) Surplus value is not generated.
B) Some of the accumulated "surplus value" will be shared with workers.
C) Surplus value will mean more inequality than in nonindustrial societies.
D) Surplus value has been declining for decades.

Question 70

Ethnicity is the most influential contributor to socioeconomic status.

Question 71

Which of the following accurately represents the ideas of Karl Marx's theory?

A) exploitation,alienation,class conflict
B) alienation,prestige,power
C) power,prestige,wealth
D) oppression,exploitation,isolation

Question 72

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

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Michel Foucault
D) George Herbert Mead

Question 73

In Canada,the lowest cost of living is in Nunavut,Yukon,and the Northwest Territories.

Question 74

According to the text,which statement best describes current trends?

A) A single worker's real wages have not increased.
B) The gap between rich and poor families is growing wider.
C) National unemployment rates have steadily risen.
D) Income inequality has increased,but only a little.

Question 75

Which statement best describes the study of elites?

A) Elite theory holds that the power rests in the hands of a small group who wield economic and political authority.
B) The Canadian system of inequality is best described as a horizontal elite.
C) In Canada there was no real evidence of a ruling elite.
D) The members of an elite group almost never compete with each other.

Question 76

Net worth is defined as the difference between your combined salary and assets minus your debts.

Question 77

The caste system is based solely on inherited social standing.

Question 78

Which statement best describes human rights and poverty?

A) Legislation which emphasizes a human rights approach to the reduction of poverty was recently passed in Canada.
B) Federally funded food banks are a key component of a human rights approach to poverty.
C) Human rights approaches are considered to be more effective than temporary measures for breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
D) Human rights-based approaches are considered to be less effective for breaking the intragenerational cycle of poverty.

Question 79

Which statement best reflects the relationship between Karl Marx and Max 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,compared to Marx's focus on several class dimensions.
D) Both Marx and Weber saw similar futures for capitalism and the social system,yet Weber was more specific in his analysis.

Question 80

According to Max Weber,what is the term for the social advantage conferred by a particular position?

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