Work and Society Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Work and Society explores the complex relationship between human labor and social structures, examining how work shapes and is shaped by cultural, economic, and political forces. The course investigates the evolution of work from traditional to modern societies, the division of labor, workplace dynamics, and the impact of globalization and technology on employment. Students analyze issues such as inequality, gender, and race in the workforce, as well as the meaning and value of work in different social contexts. Through theoretical frameworks and case studies, the course encourages critical thinking about the changing nature of work and its implications for individuals and society as a whole.
Recommended Textbook
Work Industry and Canadian Society 7th Edition by Harvey Krahn
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14 Chapters
375 Verified Questions
375 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Historical Perspectives on Work 1700-1950s
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Sample Questions
Q1) In one or two sentences for each, describe one of the main contributions to the sociology of work made by Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, and Max Weber.
Answer: Adam Smith is known for his contribution to the sociology of work through his concept of the division of labor, which emphasized the efficiency and productivity gains that come from breaking down tasks into specialized roles. Karl Marx's main contribution was his analysis of the capitalist system and its impact on the alienation of workers from their labor and the exploitation of labor by the bourgeoisie. Émile Durkheim focused on the concept of mechanical and organic solidarity in the workplace, highlighting the shift from traditional, collective forms of solidarity to more individualized, specialized forms in modern industrial societies. Max Weber's main contribution was his theory of rationalization and the impact of bureaucracy on the organization of work, emphasizing the role of rational-legal authority and the increasing rationalization of economic and social life.
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Chapter 2: Contemporary Debates on Work 1950s to Present Day
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Sample Questions
Q1) "Creative destruction," according to Joseph Schumpeter, is best characterized by which of the following?
A) The impact of the "managerial revolution" on traditional family-run businesses.
B) The breaking down of old industrial structures and their replacement by more competitive, efficient, and high-technology alternatives.
C) The demise of state socialism and the emergence of capitalism in Russia.
D) The impact of "free trade" on Canada's cultural industries.
Answer: B
Q2) "Live-in caregiving" is a good example of which <b>two types </b>of work?
A) Interactive service work and mobile work.
B) Emotional labour and knowledge work.
C) Telework and mobile work.
D) Nonstandard work and service work.
Answer: A
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4
Chapter 3: Canadian Employment Trends
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following individuals would be <b><u>excluded</b> </u>from the calculation of the labour force participation rate?
A) Jonathan, who is 45 years old and unemployed.
B) Mary, who is 70 years old and working part-time as a "greeter" at a large retail store.
C) Elliot, who is 14 years old and working part-time at Burger King.
D) Christine, who is 35 years old and self-employed as a daycare operator.
Answer: C
Q2) In a few sentences, discuss how where you live in Canada impacts labour force participation rates as well as the types of jobs available (industry and occupation).
Answer: I live in Toronto, Ontario, which is a major urban center in Canada. The high population density and diverse economy in Toronto contribute to a high labour force participation rate, as there are many job opportunities available in various industries such as finance, technology, healthcare, and education. Additionally, the city's multicultural population also leads to a wide range of available occupations, including roles in customer service, hospitality, and skilled trades. Overall, living in Toronto provides access to a dynamic and competitive job market with a wide range of employment opportunities.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs
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26 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sally works part-time at a local farm while on her summer vacation from school. Which of the following does<b><u> not</u></b> describe her job?
A) Nonstandard work.
B) Limited-term contract work.
C) Seasonal work.
D) Temporary work.
Q2) Which of the following is correct about Canadian unemployment trends?
A) Unemployment rates in the past decade have generally been higher than they were in the 1980s and 1990s.
B) Youth unemployment rates have been systematically higher than adult rates for the past few decades.
C) There are few noteworthy regional differences in unemployment rates.
D) Unemployment was higher in the 1980s than in any other decade in the past century.
Q3) Which of the following is an example of an extrinsic job reward?
A) Job satisfaction.
B) Diversity in day-to-day tasks.
C) Health benefits.
D) Autonomy on the job.
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Chapter 5: Labour Markets: Opportunities and Inequality
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Sample Questions
Q1) As noted in Chapter 3, Canada's population is becoming increasingly diverse. With immigrants now coming to Canada from many different countries, how is access to primary labour market jobs being affected? What issues does this trend toward greater population diversity create for employers, the government, and workers themselves?
Q2) Which of the following have been demonstrated by status attainment research?
A) The amount of education individuals possess has little impact on the status of the jobs they hold later in life.
B) Canadian society is a meritocracy.
C) Women are less likely than men to translate their educational attainment into higher paying jobs.
D) Immigrants experience the same upward job mobility as Canadian-born workers, as long as they have similar education levels.
Q3) Briefly define cultural capital, with a few examples. How does it relate to socioeconomic status?
Q4) In general, what are the labour market experiences of people with disabilities in Canada, compared to the rest of the population?
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Chapter 6: Gender and Paid Employment
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a few sentences, explain the difference between horizontal and vertical gender stratification within occupations.
Q2) Which of the following is correct about the proportion of women enrolled in full-time university in 2006-2007 in Canada?
A) Roughly the same proportion of women and men were enrolled in education programs.
B) More women than men were enrolled in health professions programs.
C) Overall, more men than women were enrolled in undergraduate programs.
D) Roughly the same proportion of women and men were enrolled in engineering programs.
Q3) What has the government, as well as employers, done to work toward gender equality in the workplace in Canada? How successful have their initiatives been? In your opinion, what further steps does each group need to take in the future?
Q4) Briefly describe how female and male labour force participation rates vary in Canada. Identify some of the factors responsible for these differences.
Q5) Outline Elizabeth Moss Kanter's theory of gender inequality in work organizations.
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Chapter 7: Household, Family, and Caring Work
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26 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Time-use studies help us understand how participation in housework has changed over time. Which of the following best describes trends in women's and men's participation in housework?
A) The gender gap has decreased, as men have dramatically increased their time spent on housework.
B) The gender gap has increased, with women spending more time and men spending less on housework.
C) In general, men and women now spend an equal amount of time on housework.
D) A narrowing of the gender gap is mostly due to reductions in the amount of time women spend on housework.
Q2) Which of the following is correct about women's participation in paid work in the 20th century?
A) Participation steadily increased throughout the century.
B) The 1920s saw participation rise dramatically.
C) Participation spiked in the 1940s, only to decline in the 1950s.
D) Participation remained fairly low throughout the entire century.
Q3) Define the various types of conflict involving family and work. What are the consequences of such conflict for workers, families, and employers?
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Chapter 8: Organizing and Managing Work
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following criticisms have organizational researchers made about bureaucracies?
A) Workers have too much autonomy.
B) Positions within bureaucratic organizations are not regulated.
C) They are resistant to change.
D) They lack a defined system of authority.
Q2) Kareem has worked for a large technology company for the past 10 years. During his last performance review, his manager told him his efficiency is declining because he is trying too hard to follow organizational rules and job procedures. Which of the following terms best describes Kareem's behaviour?
A) Organizational commitment.
B) Bureaucratic personality.
C) Alienation.
D) Managerial authority.
Q3) In general, which of the following is the most important role of managers?
A) Ensure workers do their jobs correctly.
B) Obtain compliance from workers and prevent opposition to authority.
C) Enforce the rules and regulations of the organization.
D) Identify workers worthy of promotion.
Q4) Briefly describe human relations theory and outline one of its major criticisms.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: In Search of New Managerial Paradigms
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Q1) List the key features of what organizational analysts call a "high-performance workplace" (HPW). Which of these features, if any, are unique to the HPW approach to management?
Q2) Which of the new managerial paradigms discussed in Chapter 9 is likely to be the most influential in Canada 20 years from now, given current labour force and labour market trends? Explain your prediction.
Q3) Proponents of "high-performance workplaces" advocate, among other things, involving employees in decision making, training them to do a variety of tasks, providing incentives for improved performance, and encouraging teamwork. If Frederick W. Taylor were asked to evaluate this management approach, with which of these approaches would he likely agree?
A) Employee involvement in decision making.
B) Training employees to perform a variety of tasks.
C) Providing incentives for improved performance.
D) Encouraging teamwork.
Q4) Six central themes can be identified when reviewing the variety of new managerial paradigms that have emerged in the past several decades. In a sentence or two for each, identify and explain at least three of these themes.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Conflict and Control in the Workplace
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Sample Questions
Q1) Aisha is an office worker in a large insurance company. Her job basically consists of responding to customer enquiries and complaints by telephone. Aisha's manager recently asked her to design a spreadsheet to record the different types of customer enquiries and complaints she and other office workers received. Which of the following would be the best description of what has taken place?
A) Multi-tasking.
B) Multi-skilling.
C) Electronic control enhancement.
D) Efficiency enhancement.
Q2) Which of the following definitions of a type of management control is correct?
A) "Bureaucratic control" involves the use of government laws and regulations.
B) "Responsible autonomy" involves workers regulating themselves.
C) "Technical control" is almost impossible in assembly-line manufacturing.
D) "Electronic control" might be effective, but is illegal in Canada and the United States.
Q3) "Technological innovation is the engine of both economic growth and social development." Critically evaluate this claim, making reference to theories and empirical evidence presented in this and other textbook chapters.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Unions and Industrial Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Leo Panitch and Donald Swartz use the phrase permanent exceptionalism to describe which of the following labour relations trends in Canada?
A) The shift from craft unions to industrial unions.
B) The Canadianization of formerly international unions.
C) Attempts to introduce "right-to-work" laws in Canada.
D) Repeated government intervention in collective bargaining over the past few decades.
Q2) Which of the following descriptions best defines an "industrial union?"
A) Unions with membership in the manufacturing industries.
B) Unions with their head offices in the United States.
C) Unions that focus mainly on improving wages and working conditions.
D) Unions that try to organize all the workers in a particular industry.
Q3) Which of the following would be evidence in support of Robert Michels's "iron law of oligarchy?"
A) Union leaders manipulating union activities in order to stay in power.
B) Strong worker groups opposing the decisions of union leaders.
C) High levels of attendance by members at union meetings.
D) Corporate managers influencing how union members vote during union elections.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Alternative Approaches to Economic Organization
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Sample Questions
Q1) "No fault compensation systems" for dealing with workplace health and safety issues in Canadian workplaces are characterized by which of the following?
A) Injured workers are compensated for lost wages but cannot sue their employer.
B) The system is funded by contributions provided by both workers and companies.
C) Companies' safety records do not affect how much they have to pay into the system.
D) The system is jointly funded by unions, companies, and provincial governments.
Q2) Which of the following generalizations has emerged from research on worker militancy in various countries?
A) Left-wing political parties can help workers translate their grievances about work into criticisms of the larger society.
B) British workers have generally been more militant than French workers.
C) Participating in a strike usually has a significant long-term effect on workers' militancy.
D) Umbrella organizations like the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) are effective in convincing union members to vote for left-wing political parties.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Work Values and Work Orientations
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Q1) Which of the following would be evidence that clearly<b> <u>contradicts</b></u> arguments about the impact of the "Confucian work ethic" on economic development?
A) Rapid economic growth in Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea in the 1990s.
B) Capitalist economic development in Communist China.
C) Late industrialization in Canada, compared to western Europe and the United States.
D) Rapid economic growth in India and Brazil over the past decade.
Q2) In his analysis of the class structure of Britain in the 1950s, David Lockwood described three different types of workers. Identify and define these three types and note which were becoming more common, according to Lockwood.
Q3) Kelly works extremely hard because he feels that this is the right way to live. He saves as much money as he can, and is critical of his friends who spend their money on what he thinks are nonessential things. If he could travel back in time, in which of the following religious or cultural groups would he be most comfortable?
A) In ancient Greek culture.
B) In early Hebrew or Christian culture.
C) Among the Calvinists, an early Protestant religious group.
D) Among the Lutherans, another early Protestant religious group.
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Chapter 14: Job Satisfaction, Alienation, and Work-Related Stress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on what you have read in Chapter 14, describe the type of job that you think you would find most satisfying. Outline the theory or theories that support your position.
Q2) Which of the following is a "behavioural intention" measure of job satisfaction?
A) All in all, how satisfied are you with your job?
B) Would you recommend your job to your best friend?
C) Is your current job better or worse than your last job?
D) Which term best describes your job: "poor" or "excellent"?
Q3) According to Frederick Herzberg's "two-factor theory" of job satisfaction, which of the following work situations would be likely to <u>reduce job dissatisfaction</u>?
A) A more even distribution of female and male employees.
B) Opportunities to develop skills.
C) The presence of a union in the workplace.
D) Improved physical working conditions.
Q4) When surveyed, a large majority of Canadian workers indicate that they are satisfied with their job, a finding that puzzles some sociologists. Discuss such survey findings and the explanations sociologists have provided for the high level of apparent job satisfaction.
Q5) Briefly outline Karasek's "demand-control" model of workplace stress.
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