Free Social Stratification MCQs with Answers

• A. the process of growth
• B. the process of aging
• C. infant period
• D. None of these

Explanation: Senescence means the biological process of ageing, involving gradual decline in bodily functioning over the life course. It is therefore different from growth or the infant period.

• A. a medical condition
• B. a period of life
• C. a state of mind
• D. a social category

Explanation: Constructionist approaches treat old age as a social category whose meaning is shaped by culture, institutions and social interaction. This contrasts with viewing it only as a medical condition or biological period.

• A. the size of working population supporting the young and the old
• B. the number of children dependent upon the adults in a family
• C. the amount of care both give and received by older people
• D. the number of welfare professionals that support a population

Explanation: The dependency ratio compares people outside the usual working ages, especially children and older people, with the working-age population that economically supports them. Option a is the closest description, although technically the ratio is a comparison rather than simply the population size.

• A. take on full-time paid employment
• B. take on less taxing and important roles
• C. take one new and demanding civic roles
• D. take on more active political roles

Explanation: Disengagement theory argues that gradual withdrawal from demanding work and major social roles can benefit both older people and society by allowing role transfer to younger members. Thus, less taxing and less important roles fit the theory.

• A. 19.4%
• B. 12%
• C. 20%
• D. None of these

Explanation: Western or developed countries generally have a higher proportion of older people because of longer life expectancy and lower birth rates. In the source context, that proportion is given as 19.4%.

• A. sixteen
• B. Seventeen
• C. Eighteen
• D. None of these

Explanation: In most legal systems, adulthood begins at 18, bringing full legal capacity for matters such as contracts, voting or independent decision-making. The exact rules can vary by jurisdiction, but 18 is the standard sociological and legal reference.

• A. have no specialized and enduring work groups governments, or standing armies
• B. exhibit increased power of the state and size of the territory it controls
• C. experience the emergence of social stratification due to production of a social surplus
• D. have complex divisions of labor and exchange relationships

Explanation: Horticultural societies can produce a surplus beyond basic subsistence, allowing unequal control of resources and the emergence of social stratification. Complex states, standing armies, and highly specialized divisions of labour are more characteristic of advanced agrarian or industrial societies.

• A. systematic difference in wealth and income between global firms
• B. systematic differences in wealth and income between countries
• C. systematic differences in wealth and income within countries
• D. systematic differences in wealth and income between poorer countries

Explanation: Global economic inequality compares the distribution of wealth and income across countries, especially between richer and poorer nations. Differences within one country describe domestic inequality rather than global inequality.

• A. Wholesale and retail
• B. manufacturing
• C. agriculture
• D. services

Explanation: Agriculture employs about two-thirds of the world’s working children, particularly through family farming and informal rural labour. Manufacturing, retail and services account for smaller shares.

• A. 15%
• B. 25%
• C. 50%
• D. 75%

Explanation: High-income countries concentrate roughly three-quarters of annual global wealth output, reflecting their control of advanced industries, finance and technology. The lower percentages underestimate this concentration.