Q.Distinguish between ascribed status and achieved status, giving an example of each.

Status can be either handed to a person at birth or built up through their own effort. …

An ascribed status is a social position a person occupies simply because of birth, or takes on involuntarily, without personal effort or choice — the most common bases are age, caste, race and kinship position. Simple, traditional societies tend to be organised heavily around ascribed status, where a person's place is largely settled from birth. Caste in traditional India is a clear example: an individual's caste position, and the social standing that came with it, was determined entirely by the family they were born into.

An achieved status, by contrast, is a social position a person occupies voluntarily, through their own personal ability, effort, choices or accomplishments — common bases include educational qualifications, income and professional expertise. Modern societies are distinctively organised around achievement, which is why phrases like 'you have to prove yourself' are so familiar. A person's professional qualification, such as becoming a doctor or an engineer through years of study and examination, is a clear example of an achieved status — it results from personal effort rather than being assigned at birth. …