Choose the correctly matched pair from the following.
Choose the correctly matched pair from the following.
Options
Official answer
Correct option: B — Gold collar workers are highly skilled professionals and senior specialists, a category that includes senior business executives.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: selecting option B (Gold collar worker – Senior business executive).
Hint
Gold collar = highly skilled professionals/senior executives; Blue collar = manual labour (mining); Pink collar = personal-care service roles; Red collar = government employees.
Quick oral answer
Gold collar workers are highly skilled professionals and senior specialists, including senior business executives, doctors, lawyers and pilots — distinct from blue collar (manual), white collar (office) and pink collar (personal-care service) workers.
Common mistakes
- 1.Matching 'lawyer' with red collar instead of gold collar — practising lawyers are typically classed among highly skilled gold collar professionals.
- 2.Confusing pink collar (personal-care/service roles) with any female-dominated professional occupation such as environmental science.
Analysis and explanation
This question tests the informal 'collar' classification used to describe types of workers in the tertiary/quaternary sector.
Why Option B is correct
- Gold collar workers are highly skilled professionals and senior specialists — a category that includes senior business executives along with doctors, lawyers and pilots — so 'Gold collar worker – Senior business executive' is a correctly matched pair.
Why the other options are wrong
- Red collar workers (A) generally refers to government/public-sector employees, not practising lawyers, who are usually classed as gold collar professionals.
- Pink collar workers (C) are those in personal-care/service roles traditionally associated with women (e.g. childcare, reception work), not environmental scientists.
- White collar workers (D) are non-manual office/professional employees, whereas a mining worker performing manual labour is classed as blue collar.
Interesting facts
The term 'white collar' originated from the white dress shirts typically worn by office workers, in contrast to the blue work-shirts of manual labourers, hence 'blue collar'.
New collar categories such as gold, pink and grey collar emerged as service and knowledge-based economies grew, reflecting increasing specialisation within the tertiary and quaternary sectors.
Question details
Q7 of 36 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Geography
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- MCQ
- Chapter
- Tertiary and Quaternary Activities
- Topic
- Classification of Workers (Collar Categories)
- Bloom's level
- remember
- Syllabus topic
- Fundamentals of Human Geography Unit 7: Tertiary and Quaternary Activities — New Divisions of Labour: Collar-based Worker Classification
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is a gold collar worker?
A gold collar worker is a highly skilled professional or specialist with high-demand expertise, such as doctors, lawyers, pilots and senior business executives.
What is the difference between white collar and blue collar workers?
White collar workers perform non-manual, office-based or professional work, while blue collar workers perform manual labour, typically in industries like mining, construction or manufacturing.