Social Inequality

Some people believe that Canada is socially structured so that individuals have the same opportunities to achieve success, and that if you work hard enough, you can improve your status. What is one example of achieved status?

• gender
• education
• age
• race

In his youth, Guy Laliberté spent much of his time as a youth busking or performing in the streets. He is now the CEO of the highly successful Cirque de Soleil. When we compare Guy’s first job to his last job, what type of social mobility has he experienced?

• ascribed status
• social mobility
• intra-generational mobility
• intergenerational mobility

In Canada, a tool is used to represent the income level at which a family may face hardship because it must spend a greater proportion of its income on food, shelter, and clothing than the average family of similar size. What is this tool called?

• ow-income measure (LIM)
• market basket measure (MBM)
• gini index
• low-income cut-off (LICO)

Muhammad is a first-generation Canadian; his parents immigrated to Canada from Iran before he was born. Muhammad went to private elementary and secondary schools, and he believes he was able to become more successful than his parents because of this education. To what does Muhammad attribute his success?

• an aspect of his ascribed status
• an aspect of his gender
• an aspect of his achieved status
• an aspect of his race

Dmitri teaches math at a secondary school in his community. His parents are proud of him because he the first in their family to go to university, and because he was able to break the family trend of working in a factory as an automotive parts technician. What has Dmitri experienced?

• intra-generational mobility 
• intergenerational mobility
• ascribed status
• social mobility

Darla is an emergency room doctor who works 12-hour shifts five days a week. She is also on-call for a 24-hour period one day a week. She rarely has time to socialize but she lives a comfortable life and enjoys helping people and saving lives. In Canada, which social class would best characterize Darla?

• upper - middle class
• lower class
• working class
• lower-middle class

John is the CEO of a successful marketing firm. During the week, he is often in the office from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On the weekends, he loves to meet up with his fellow members at the exclusive golf and country club for a round of golf. In Canada, which social class would John be a part of?

• upper middle class
• lower-middle class
• upper class
• working class

The caste system in India, in which individuals are born into fixed groups based on their societal roles, is an example of which type of society?

• a closed system society where status is based on ascription 
• an open system society where status is based on achievement 
• a stratified system based on ethnicity 
• a stratified system based on social class

People in Canada are divided into social classes that are typically measured in economic terms. Since Canadians have the ability to move between and within these classes, how is Canada classified?

• as a closed system society where status is based on ascription
• as a stratified system based on ethnicity
• as a stratified system based on social class
• as an open system society where status is based on achievement

We live in a socially stratified society in Canada, and the ability to move between or within strata is usually determined by the individual’s status. What is one example of ascribed status?

• gender
• occupation
• marital status
• education