Deck 5: Social Inequality in Canadian Society

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The Canadian government makes significant funding available to reduce poverty.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The elderly in Canada are most at risk for experiencing poverty today.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

People in the middle of the economic hierarchy enjoy a better quality of life than those at the top.

Question 5

In a closed system of stratification, people's positions are set by ascribed status.

Question 6

Canada has no official definition of poverty.

Question 7

In a meritocracy, everyone has an equal chance to compete for higher-status positions.

Question 8

The Davis-Moore thesis assumes that social stratification results in meritocracy.

Question 9

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

Question 10

A very large proportion of the poor in Canada are made up of the working poor.

Question 11

According to the text, Canada's response to poverty has been nonexistent.

Question 12

Marx and Weber had identical definitions of classes.

Question 13

According to the text, social stratification exists in all societies, in some form.

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

Wealth inequality has been slowly increasing in Canada.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Individuals with a mental illness may become homeless, but homeless individuals will not become mentally ill.

Question 19

Net worth is defined as the difference between your combined salary and assets minus your debts.
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Question 20

Evidence from various sources demonstrates that a limited number of people continue to own or control a very large portion of the wealth in Canada.

Question 21

What kind of impression about social mobility and social class do viewers get from popular television game shows that "give away" large sums of money?

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.

Question 22

What is the term used for 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 23

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 24

Ivan's family owns a chain of grocery stores. The family lives in a big house in a wealthy neighbourhood near Ivan's private school. Ivan is a member of the soccer team, takes piano lessons on Tuesdays, and joined the math club. What would Weber would argue is Ivan's biggest advantage in life?

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

Question 25

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

A)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 26

In discussions of social mobility, what term is used to refer to changes that occur within the same social location (for example, moving from one comparable job to another)?

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

Question 27

If you were to use a conflict perspective to determine social inequality, which of the following concepts would you study?

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

Question 28

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 29

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

Question 30

According to the text, what is the estimated poverty line for Canadians?

A)It is an income level below which one is eligible for welfare payments.
B)It was estimated to be lower than $40,000 income for a family of four people.
C) It is the amount at which a family spends 63 percent or more of their income on the basic necessities.
D) It is the amount at which a family spends 35 percent or more of their income on the basic necessities.

Question 31

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 32

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

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

Question 33

Which of the following beliefs would be considered true 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 34

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 35

Which province has the lowest annual family income in 2011 (according to the census profile shown in the text)?

A)British Columbia
B)Yukon
C) New Brunswick
D) Manitoba

Question 36

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 37

Janet has a learning disability and has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. According to the text, which of the following is most likely to be her experience in the workplace?

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

Question 38

A young man from a humble inner-city background works part-time to get a good education, starts a high-tech company, earns millions of dollars, buys the local NHL franchise, and later becomes a member of Canada's parliament. What term best explains why he was able to take this career path?

A)social ambition
B)social mobility
C) upward mobility
D) status gain

Question 39

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 40

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

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

Question 41

Where have most of Canada's wealthiest people gotten their wealth from, according to the text?

A)fraud and other criminal activities
B)family inheritance
C) personal earnings
D) technological innovations

Question 42

Which of the following characteristics sociologically defines a low position in the social stratification system?

A)a person who is receiving income assistance
B)a person who belongs to a racial minority group
C) someone who has little power, prestige, or wealth
D) someone who has no fixed address or residence

Question 43

What is the term used to describe 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 44

Jarred has a wife and two sons. He works full-time at minimum wage. Which of the following 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 45

Which province had the highest annual family income in 2011 (according to the census profile shown in the text)?

A)New Brunswick
B)Ontario
C) Alberta
D) Northwest Territories

Question 46

Based on Canada's low-income cut-off lines, what percentage of income spent on food, clothing, and shelter categorizes an individual or family as poor?

A)more than 90 percent
B)more than 72 percent
C) more than 63 percent
D) more than 45 percent

Question 47

What does a "low income cutoff line" (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 48

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 49

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

Question 50

The factory workers were working long hours for very little pay, although they knew that the company was making good profits. When management announced that a reduction in pay was necessary to keep the factory open, the workers were so angry that they staged a protest and refused to let anyone into the building. Whose social theory was reflected in this protest?

A)Marx
B)Weber
C) Davis and Moore
D) Lenski

Question 51

Using Gilbert's model of class structure, Canadians commonly perceive themselves to be part of which class?

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

Question 52

What term would describe 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 53

The combined income of a construction labourer, and his wife, a waitress, is $40,000. They have two young children. After buying food, clothes, and medicine, and paying rent, utilities, car payments, car insurance, gas, and taxes, they have less than 10% of their income remaining. Which of the following statements categorizes these people, according to Canada's estimated poverty line?

A)Their combined family income is considered adequate for a family of four.
B)They are living from paycheque to paycheque but above the poverty line.
C) They are classified as among the new working poor.
D) They are living below the estimated poverty line.

Question 54

According to Max Weber, what is social position based on?

A)Education and other ascribed statuses.
B)Subjective as well as objective criteria.
C) Personal attributes such as attractiveness.
D) Power and prestige, in addition to wealth.

Question 55

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 56

Tiger Woods suffered a significant fall in status after his extramarital affair was discovered. He is still among the highest paid athletes, but he has not performed at his previous level of success. In sociological terms, what does he hope to gain by reclaiming his title as "number-one golfer in the world"?

A)mediated status
B)public status
C) economic status
D) social status

Question 57

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 58

The richest 20 percent of Canadian households control what percentage of the country's wealth?

A)between 0 and 14 percent
B)between 15 and 29 percent
C) between 30 and 49 percent
D) between 50 and 69 percent

Question 59

Which of the following 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 60

Keith Nicholson, a Calgary resident, has worked all his life at low-paying jobs. Until recently, he lived in housing for low-income earners, but the government sold his housing development to a private real-estate company and the new owners raised the rent. Now Keith lives on the street and in shelters. Which term best classifies Keith in his financial situation?

A)working poor
B)relatively poor
C) capitalist pauper
D) absolutely poor

Question 61

A poor young man born in a coastal outpost 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 62

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 63

What is the trend called 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 64

Which of the following statements 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 65

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 66

According to the text, which of the following was the wealthiest Canadian family in 2009?

A)Weston
B)Pattison
C) Laliberte
D) Thomson

Question 67

What term is used to refer to movement up or down the stratification system?

A)exchange mobility
B)circulatory mobility
C) horizontal mobility
D) social mobility

Question 68

Which term refers to socially sanctioned patterns of social inequality that exist in society and are based on distinguishable attributes such as race, age, gender, income, or occupation?

A)social mobility
B)social striation
C) social position
D) social stratification

Question 69

According to Karl Marx's ideas, which of the following 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 70

According to the text, which of the following has occurred over the past two decades?

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 71

Unlike Britain, Canada does not have an aristocracy. According to the text, what statement most accurately reflects Canada's social stratification picture?

A)Canada is an egalitarian and classless society where everyone is equal in stature.
B)Canada is a stratified society; however, inheritance and privilege affect only a few.
C) Canada's social stratification is equalized by greater taxation of Canada's wealthy.
D) Canada is a stratified society characterized by considerable inheritance and privilege.

Question 72

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 73

Mother Teresa and other people whose life work is primarily to help the less fortunate rank highly on which of the following dimensions?

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

Question 74

According to the text, what is the term used to describe a person's economic assets, including income from employment?

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

Question 75

According to Karl Marx, what do workers experience when they manufacture goods that embody their creative talents but do not belong to them?

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

Question 76

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 77

In which of the following systems of stratification would Dave, a Christian, and Marta, a Muslim, not be permitted to marry?

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

Question 78

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 79

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

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

Question 80

What have some critics argued about Canada's low income cut-off 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.