The word stratification comes from the geological concept of ‘strata’. What does strata mean?
Correct answer C. Rock layers
Topic / 82 questions
Social Stratification MCQs
Social Stratification MCQs are sociology questions on how societies rank people into layers based on wealth, power, prestige, caste or class, and on theories that explain inequality. They help CSS, PMS, UPSC and lecturer candidates revise Marx, Weber and functionalist views, and each question shows its correct answer instantly.
- Methods and Research 94
- Culture 87
- Social Stratification 82
- Social Institutions 78
- Theory and Perspectives 74
- Social and Cultural Change 71
- Social Control 66
- Religion Education and Health 64
- Social Groups 57
- Introduction to Sociology 55
- Development of Sociology and Important Sociologists 54
- Population and the Environment 48
- Sociology and Society 45
- Socialization 45
- Crime and Deviance 45
- Race and Ethnicity 39
- Social Mobility 37
- Technology & Media 36
- Globalization 35
- Population Growth 32
- Personality 31
- Sociology as a Science 30
- Groups and Organizations 30
- Political and Economic Power 29
- Community 26
- Role & Status 25
- Cities and Urban Life 20
- Social Interaction and Everyday Life 19
- Poverty in Pakistan 19
- Civil Society 18
- Work, Government and the Economy 17
- Urbanization in Pakistan 16
- Nations, War and Terrorism 14
- The Process of Socio-Economic change in Pakistan 13
- Poverty,Social,Exclusion and Welfare 12
- Aging in Pakistan 12
- Immigration Issues in Pakistan 11
- literacy in Pakistan 6
- Drug Abuse in Pakistan Society Its Causes and Consequences 5
A stratum of people occupying similar positions on the social status continuum is known as what?
Correct answer C. Social class
What determines a person’s social class?
Correct answer D. All of the above
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Among which groups does the socialisation of children take place?
Correct answer D. Both A and C
Social relations are directly proportional to what?
Correct answer B. Social class
Why were the capitalist class of the mid-twentieth century said to have joined the upper class?
Correct answer D. Owned companies and financial assets that generated wealth through corporations
How did Weber define a class situation?
Correct answer C. A person's position in the capital, product and labour markets based on their economic resources
What does mass-society theory suggest?
Correct answer B. The media manipulate the masses as vulnerable passive consumers
Marx argued that the labour movement, growing out of factory-based production, would turn the working class into what?
Correct answer C. A class for itself
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Which of these thinkers is NOT associated with functionalism?
Correct answer C. Ralf Dahrendorf
Arlie Hochschild’s ‘The Managed Heart’ is an influential application of which approach?
Correct answer C. Symbolic interactionism
Into which category does stratified sampling fall?
Correct answer C. Probability sampling design
What is a system in which people find it very hard to change their status called?
Correct answer B. Closed system
What does economic standing include?
Correct answer A. Wealth (what people own)
Which method of identifying social classes treats class as a statistical category created by researchers using income, occupation, education or a mix of these?
Correct answer D. The objective method
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What are life chances?
Correct answer C. The likelihood that individuals and groups will enjoy desired goods, services, experiences and opportunities for living long and healthy lives
What do critics of the culture of poverty thesis argue?
Correct answer D. The poor have had their access to achievement blocked by the social order
Carolyn supported her family as an administrative assistant while attending law school. After passing the bar, she joined a small firm specialising in family law. What kind of mobility did she experience?
Correct answer A. Vertical mobility
Why, according to functionalists, must society be concerned with motivation?
Correct answer D. Are not equally pleasant
Martha and Susan work ten-hour days, five days a week, at a local factory for the minimum wage with no overtime, insurance or benefits. Frustrated that they never get ahead, they agree to volunteer for Sunday shifts, believing a little more effort will raise their status. What would Marx say they are showing?
Correct answer B. False consciousness
About Social Stratification MCQs
This category examines structured social inequality. Questions cover Karl Marx's theory of class conflict and proletarian revolution, the role of class consciousness, the conflict tradition that begins with Marx, and debates about capitalist classes in the twentieth century. You will also meet methods of identifying class, such as reputational and objective approaches, slavery as the most extreme legal inequality, life course stages, emotional labour from Hochschild's The Managed Heart, and feminist views on gender stratification.
Stratification is central to sociology syllabi and to public service exams that ask about inequality, caste and class in South Asia. Questions often test which thinker proposed which idea, so careful revision of theorists pays off. Practising these MCQs also prepares you for essay questions on poverty, social mobility and gender inequality. Many questions also link stratification with education, occupation and income.
Key facts to remember
- Social stratification is a system of ranking people in a hierarchy of unequal layers.
- Karl Marx divided capitalist society mainly into the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
- Max Weber identified class, status and party as dimensions of stratification.
- Slavery is the most extreme form of legalised social inequality.
- Caste is a closed system of stratification based on birth.
- Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups between social positions.
Exams that include Social Stratification MCQs
Pakistan
- CSS
- PMS
- PPSC
- FPSC
- Lecturer tests
India
- UPSC CSE
- UGC NET
- State PSC exams
Bangladesh
- BCS
- University admission tests
- Government job tests
How to prepare for Social Stratification MCQs
- Compare Marx and Weber on stratification in a two-column table covering class, status, power and the future of capitalism.
- Learn the main systems of stratification, slavery, caste, estate and class, with whether each is open or closed.
- Revise the three methods of identifying social class, objective, subjective and reputational, with the setting where each works best.
- Link key terms such as emotional labour and class consciousness to the sociologists who introduced them.
Frequently asked questions
What is social stratification?
Social stratification is the arrangement of individuals and groups in a hierarchy of unequal positions based on factors such as wealth, income, power, prestige, caste or gender. It is a feature of society as a whole and persists across generations.
How many Social Stratification MCQs are on MCQs360?
MCQs360 has 87 Social Stratification MCQs, each with an instant answer. You can practise free without registering and revise theories of class and inequality alongside other sociology topics. Focus first on questions about Marx and Weber, which appear most often.
Which exams ask Social Stratification MCQs?
These questions appear in CSS and PMS Sociology papers and in PPSC and FPSC lecturer tests in Pakistan. In India they feature in UPSC CSE Sociology optional, UGC NET and state PSC exams, and in Bangladesh in BCS and university admission tests.
How did Weber's view of stratification differ from Marx's?
Marx saw stratification mainly in economic terms, with class based on ownership of the means of production. Weber argued for three separate dimensions: class based on market position, status based on social honour, and party based on political power.
Last reviewed October 2026