Social Inequality Exam Materials
Course Introduction
This course explores the various dimensions and dynamics of social inequality, focusing on how disparities in wealth, power, and status are produced, maintained, and challenged within societies. Students will examine the intersection of race, class, gender, and other factors that contribute to unequal access to resources and opportunities. Through the study of theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and case studies, the course analyzes the consequences of social inequality on individuals and communities, as well as policies and movements aimed at promoting social justice and equity.
Recommended Textbook
New Society 7th Edition by Robert J. Brym
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21 Chapters
2434 Verified Questions
2434 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Sociology
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116 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following factors best explains the absence of women in early sociology?
A) Women had a lack of interest in becoming sociologists.
B) Women had limited occupational choices due to 19th-century societal norms.
C) Women had a lack of intellectual capacity.
D) Women were more attracted to other high-profile public occupations.
Answer: B
Q2) According to the text, what does sociology ultimately offer for the resolution of challenges faced by society?
A) a true path to salvation
B) scientific explanations of social issues
C) no easy solutions
D) clear solutions
Answer: C
Q3) Why would a sociological theory be referred to as tentative?
A) Some theorists are biased and fake their evidence.
B) Further research could make the theory invalid.
C) Many theories are based on overgeneralizations.
D) Subjectivity and bias are a big problem in theorizing.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Culture
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Sample Questions
Q1) Jason was recently demoted at work because of his lack of productivity and reliability. From a sociological perspective, which of the following terms best reflects this cultural practice of demotion in the workplace?
A) demoted sanction
B) social sanction
C) positive sanction
D) employment sanction
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following best demonstrates our ability to adhere to norms?
A) the ability to cooperate
B) reflexes and responses to stimuli
C) the ability to make sounds
D) the ability to make meaning
Answer: A
Q3) Postmodern culture has caused an overwhelming majority of Canadians to reject established religions for rites of passage.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Socialization
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Sample Questions
Q1) Friends accused Sandra of being too dedicated to her daily responsibilities, thereby making everyone else look bad. As a result, she has decided to intentionally make mistakes and fall behind on her work in order to fit in better with the others. However, she wants to be a hard-working, conscientious individual and she may decide to go back to her old ways. If this is a statement about Sandra's socialization priorities, which demographic group does she most likely belong to?
A) children under 12
B) adolescents
C) adults
D) seniors
Answer: B
Q2) Tiffany and Eric have decided to have their first child. Neither has any idea how to raise an infant but they are both willing to learn and adapt to whatever parenthood involves. What would a sociologist call this process?
A) advanced socialization
B) adult socialization
C) anticipatory socialization
D) parent socialization
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Gender and Sexuality
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116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the text, which of the following is a critique of essentialism?
A) Essentialists include historical and cultural variability in their analysis.
B) Essentialists employ rigorous and reliable research techniques.
C) Essentialists focus on variations within gender groups.
D) Essentialists ignore the fact that gender differences are declining.
Q2) Using three of the six critiques of essentialism offered in the text, explain why the majority of sociologists today find the essentialist position on sexuality and gender to be problematic.
Q3) Despite media portrayals of men and women, Joe feels that his wife can choose (as can he) to be dominate or submissive in their love life, based on their personal preferences in the moment. What sociological phenomenon is characterized by Joe's willingness to accept nontraditional behaviour in his relationship with his wife?
A) compulsory sexuality
B) sexuality
C) sexual pluralism
D) gender pluralism
Q4) Compare and contrast the official positions of the five major world religions on sexual issues.
Q5) Explain the difference between one's sex and one's gender.
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Chapter 5: Communication and Mass Media
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the text, why does Canadian television drama often lack a distinctly Canadian character?
A) Canadians lack a strong and distinct national identity.
B) Our tastes are North American, not Canadian, by nature.
C) Producers create programs appealing to all nationalities.
D) Programs are produced to attract advertisers and revenue.
Q2) Deviance and disorder tend to be framed in the media as social phenomena caused by social forces.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Identify and describe the three types of news sources. As a consumer of media, which of these news sources do you think has the greatest impact on viewers? Explain your reasoning.
Q4) A Canadian study found that heavy TV viewers are more likely to perceive the world as a dangerous place.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the underlying premises of attitudinal research on media violence and behavioural research on media violence?
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Chapter 6: Social Stratification
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Sample Questions
Q1) In this type of system, people know exactly where they fit in and there is little to no room for social mobility. For example, some members of this system will face legal barriers if they attempt to enter into Indian politics.
A) socialist system
B) capitalist system
C) caste system
D) meritocratic system
Q2) What do studies of poverty in Canada show?
A) Compared to several decades ago, youth are now a smaller proportion of the poor.
B) Among Canadians below the poverty line, single men are poorer than single women.
C) Compared to decades ago, working poor are now a larger proportion of the poor.
D) One in four Canadians can expect to be living above the poverty line in the future.
Q3) About 10 percent of Canadians are classified as poor.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What are the key issues that are debated with the ghost of Marx?
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Chapter 7: Gender Inequality
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115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Jason met with his high school guidance counsellor to discuss what courses he should be taking in order to be accepted into the nursing program at university. His counsellor told him that if he wanted to go into the medical profession he should be a doctor. What is the sociological term for the assumptions made in this statement?
A) job segregation
B) sex segregation
C) occupational patriarchy
D) opportunistic patriarchy
Q2) List the three main reasons that explain the increase of female participation in the labour force.
Q3) Which phrase describes the greater amount of time women spend doing unpaid work?
A) double employment
B) extra duty day
C) the double day
D) double jeopardy
Q4) What are the three implications of the fact that gender is learned and its content is continually renewed and altered through social interaction?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Race and Ethnic Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) After graduating from university, Natalia Hernandez sent out 100 résumés and did not receive a single reply. She sent out the next 10 as "Natalia Smith" and got three calls. This example, based on the outcome of a Canadian study, demonstrates what continuing characteristic in the job market?
A) a glass ceiling
B) a vertical mosaic
C) an ethnic mobility trap
D) a visible minority trap
Q2) Tarik's parents encouraged him to participate in activities in their Bosnian community in Canada, but he refused, telling his parents that he was "Canadian." Five years later, however, he became active in the community, volunteered at a Bosnian cultural centre, and called himself "Bosnian." What does this case study demonstrate?
A) Group ethnicity is stronger than individual ethnicity.
B) Denying one's ethnicity is problematic.
C) Ethnicity can change.
D) Growing up in Canada is confusing for immigrant youth.
Q3) Prejudice is an attitude and discrimination is an action, and both are the building blocks of racism. Explain and discuss this statement, utilizing examples in your answer.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Development and Underdevelopment
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115 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Amy's grandparents experienced the Great Depression of the 1930s and share with her the challenges they endured at a time when the unemployment rate was 30 percent. Therefore, it is no surprise that they believe which approach to be the best for the economic development of a country?
A) private market solutions
B) neoliberal policies
C) trade deregulation
D) government intervention in the market
Q2) In contrast to the progress seen in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, which area of the world has been deteriorating for a generation, with over 40 percent of its people living on less than a dollar a day?
A) Latin America
B) China
C) sub-Saharan Africa
D) Pakistan
Q3) Discuss the success of emerging economies and how and why the measures taken there have helped fuel growth in these countries.
Q4) What is popular resistance? Will it succeed?
Q5) Outline the basic tenets of a neoliberal approach to development.
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Chapter 10: Families
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Nina had just moved into the area and was talking with her neighbour. When Nina asked her how long she had lived there, Estelle responded, "The minute they instituted the no-fault divorce." In what year had Estelle moved in?
A) 1968
B) 1975
C) 1985
D) 1988
Q2) According to your text, when did the divorce rate in Canada reach its highest level?
A) 1967
B) 1975
C) 1985
D) 1987
Q3) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of households in preindustrial societies?
A) Households were economic enterprises.
B) Household composition was determined by labour requirements.
C) Households were privatized.
D) Economic needs took priority over emotional needs within a household.
Q4) What are the two key problems with the functionalist perspective on family?
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Chapter 11: Work and Occupations
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Sample Questions
Q1) An assembly-line factory worker finds no sense of fulfilment in the repetitive nature of his job, and feels powerless since he has no say in how his duties are assigned. What term best identifies his condition?
A) acculturation
B) alienation
C) exploitation
D) segmentation
Q2) A business person running a successful bakery wants to sell franchises, and creates a franchise business model based on a precise division of labour in the bakery, and a precise division of labour for storefront sales. What term best describes this production and sales model?
A) job fission
B) Fordism
C) job breakdown
D) Taylorism
Q3) How do individuals and collectivities respond to job dissatisfaction? Under what circumstances could unions be an antidote to worker alienation?
Q4) Discuss the positives and the negatives associated with nonstandard work schedules.
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Chapter 12: Education
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116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the main moral shift in education after the late 1960s?
A) strict adherence to Christian edicts
B) critical thinking and informed choices
C) less questioning and more obedience
D) providing more Christian moral guidance
Q2) Which group of children fare better in school because of an advantaged home environment?
A) immigrant children
B) affluent children
C) intelligent children
D) Asian children
Q3) Who is considered to be the "father of public schooling" in Ontario?
A) Talcott Parsons
B) Department of Education
C) Egerton Ryerson
D) Paul Willis
Q4) Dr. Howard Gardner (1998) proposed that there are eight different kinds of intelligence. List three of them and outline their core components.
Q5) Describe and explain the ideas underlying human capital theory.
Q6) Explain how low-achieving students respond to their institutional environment.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Religion
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the five features of religious groups that would be examined in a general organizational approach?
Q2) Which of the following conclusions is outlined in the text concerning religion?
A) It is not going to disappear.
B) It is the best way to expand consciousness.
C) It has always been a repressive force.
D) It has always been a progressive force.
Q3) Mindy works in a factory to support herself, her three children and her sometimes violent husband, who is unemployed due to his abuse of alcohol. To cope with the stress and conflict of her life, Mindy spends her little spare time memorizing Bible verses that promise rewards in the afterlife. Which theorist would argue that Mindy's belief is preventing her from breaking out of this situation?
A) Taylor
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) Marx
Q4) According to the text, religion may one day disappear.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Deviance and Crime
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Sample Questions
Q1) What percentage of crime is unearthed through the efforts of police?
A) no more than 5 percent
B) no more than 10 percent
C) no more than 15 percent
D) no more than 20 percent
Q2) What is the focus of the labelling perspective? How is it different from other critical perspectives on deviance? What are some examples of what the text calls "the reactors"?
Q3) The distribution of child pornography via the internet has become the fastest-growing crime of the twenty-first century.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following are overrepresented in our prison populations?
A) Whites are overrepresented in Canadian prisons.
B) Women are overrepresented in Canadian prisons.
C) Blacks and Aboriginal people are overrepresented in Canadian prisons.
D) South Asians are overrepresented in Canadian prisons.
Q5) Explain control theory and how attachment and commitment are predictive of crime.
Q6) Discuss strain theory and its variations. Give examples.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Population and Urbanization
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Sample Questions
Q1) The demographic transition addresses changing fertility and mortality rates over time. What trend does this transition track?
A) an alarming increase in death rates in developing countries
B) dramatically increasing fertility rates in the underdeveloped world
C) increasing birth and death rates in overurbanized cities worldwide
D) a trend from high to low birth and death rates in wealthier nations
Q2) Deena and Tony loved living in the downtown high-rise within walking distance to work and all the venues they frequented every weekend, but after the birth of their daughter they wanted a backyard and a home close to parks and schools. Consequently, they moved to a house that was just a commuter train distance away from their jobs. Which of the following lifestyles have Deena and Tony chosen?
A) urbanism
B) suburbanism
C) commuterism
D) familialism
Q3) Ferdinand Tönnies distinguished between two types of social groupings-Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. What is the difference between the two? Which one did you experience prior to starting your postsecondary education? Explain.
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Chapter 16: Sociology and the Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Scott was playing a game of Jeopardy with his friends, and the answer was "a delicate threshold where a slight rise in the Earth's temperature can cause a dramatic change in the environment that triggers a far greater increase in global temperatures." What was the correct question?
A) What is climate change?
B) What is a global crisis?
C) What is a tipping point?
D) What is an environmental hazard?
Q2) What discovery by scientists in 1985 led to the banning of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in 1987?
A) a hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic
B) an unprecedented rise in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere
C) particulate matter levels in the air that exceeded the World Health Organization's guideline levels
D) a causal relationship between lung cancer and chlorofluorocarbons
Q3) Who was the sociologist who developed the risk society thesis?
A) Anthony Giddens
B) Ulrich Beck
C) Robert Bullard
D) Erving Goffman
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Chapter 17: Health and Aging
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most Canadians consider individual behaviours such as diet, smoking, exercise, and stress important - but another important factor gets relatively little consideration. What is it?
A) a person's age
B) a person's disabilities
C) a person's culture
D) a person's education
Q2) Outline and evaluate the various explanations that have been proposed to explain socioeconomic and other inequalities in health in later life.
Q3) Discuss how globalization affects health and aging and poses a threat to Canadian health care.
Q4) Aboriginal populations show higher disability levels and tend to experience more suffering from chronic illnesses than non-Aboriginal populations do.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Why are physicians considered to be the gatekeepers to our health-care system?
Q6) List and discuss the five interrelated themes that characterize apocalyptic demography.
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Chapter 18: Politics and Social Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following would reflect a structuralist Marxist's view of the interplay between society and capitalism?
A) The state is independent of all class rule and acts in its own interests.
B) The nature of capitalism itself causes the state to act in the interests of capitalists.
C) The state is an instrument in the hands of big business.
D) The state is structured in a way that promotes the interests of the working class.
Q2) What is the difference between the state and civil society? Give at least three examples of each.
Q3) Do you believe that Canada will be a more democratic society 25 years from now? Discuss your position, incorporating concepts and theories addressed in this chapter.
Q4) What is universal citizenship?
A) It is the right of humanity as a whole to full citizenship.
B) It is an attempt to eliminate countries and nationalities.
C) It is a social movement to eliminate passports.
D) It is a social movement to create a planetary government.
Q5) Describe and explain Max Weber's three bases of authority. Provide examples of each.
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Page 20
Chapter 19: Globalization
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following appears to be the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions?
A) individual car usage
B) agricultural production
C) air-conditioning use
D) air travel
Q2) In 2011, a new Kentucky Fried Chicken location opens in China every 18 hours. While served with rice instead of fries, the fried chicken remains the centre of the meal. Which of the following global phenomena is this an example of?
A) global gourmet
B) cultural imperialism
C) culinary expansion
D) global dietary shift
Q3) What kinds of issues frequently come up in the debates surrounding globalization?
A) ethical
B) cultural
C) political
D) social
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Chapter 20: Research Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) For many students, the mere mention of research methods provokes a cringing reaction. What was your outlook on the subject matter prior to studying this chapter? What have you learned that you can apply when reading newspaper articles and other reports of research findings? How does understanding the various methods of research help you to acquire a deeper understanding of the social world you live in?
Q2) What is a self-administered questionnaire and when would a researcher opt to use one?
Q3) In what kind of study do researchers attempt to closely control the research environment?
A) the field experiment
B) participant observation
C) survey research
D) experimental research
Q4) Which of the following methods did Scarce's ethnographic account of salmon, biology, and the social construction of nature rely on the most?
A) surveys
B) participant observation
C) interviews
D) experiments
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Chapter 21: Networks, Groups, Bureaucracies, and Societies
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Sample Questions
Q1) In his research of small group (5-6 people) communications, social psychologist Robert Bales discovered that three roles regularly emerged in discussion groups. One person would become the task leader, another the emotional leader, and a third would be the joker of the group. Do you think these particular roles would more likely emerge in primary groups or secondary groups, or equally in both? Explain your answer.
Q2) How do triads differ from dyads?
A) Triads divide responsibilities more equally.
B) In triads, the potential for conflict increases.
C) In triads, relations are more intimate.
D) Triads share resources more equally.
Q3) If you work as a technician in a lab where they are sequencing the DNA for the gene of a pig, what type of society do you live in?
A) post technological
B) post natural
C) post industrial
D) postmodern
Q4) What are the four main criticisms that sociologists have levelled against bureaucracies?
Q5) Discuss the three types of leadership outlined in the text.
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