Statuses are marvelous human inventions that enable us to get along with one another and to determine where we "fit" in society. In our everyday lives, we mentally (1) place people in terms (2) their statuses. For example, we must (3) whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian, whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman, whether the unfamiliar person on our (4) is a thief or a meter (5) , and so on. The statuses we (6) often vary with the people we encounter, and change (7) life. Most of us can, at very high speed, assume the statuses that (8) situations require. Much of social (9) consists of identifying and selecting among (10) statuses and allowing other people to assume their statuses in (11) to us. This means that we (12) our actions to those of other people based on a (13) mental process of (14) and interpretation. Although some of us find the task more difficult than others, most of us perform it rather (15) . A status has been compared to (16) clothes. Within certain limits, the buyer can choose style and fabric. But an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince. We must choose from among the clothing (17) by our society. Furthermore, our choice is limited to a size that will fit, as well as by our pocketbook. Having made a choice within these limits, we can have certain (18) made, but apart from (19) adjustments, we tend to be limited to (20) the stores have on their racks. Statuses too come ready made, and the range of choice among them is limited.