Deck 5: Equal Rights: Struggling Toward Fairness

Question 1

In 2007 the Supreme Court ruled that the pursuit of racial integration in public schools through busing

A)was a practice that should be left to state governments to adopt or reject.
B)should be enacted and monitored by the federal government to ensure full compliance.
C)was as necessary to ensure racial justice as was the ending of de facto segregation in 1954.
D)was a permanent solution to an intractable problem.
E)deprived students of their Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The Fourteenth Amendment applies to discriminatory action by

A)government only.
B)private parties only.
C)both government and private parties.
D)the president specifically.
E)Congress specifically.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Disadvantaged Americans have generally gained their rights

A)through the enlightened policies of advantaged Americans.
B)through judicial action only.
C)through a continual struggle for greater equality.
D)mainly through action by the states rather than the federal government.
E)by waiting patiently for public opinion to back their cause.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is true?

A)Public schools are more racially segregated now than they were at the beginning of forced busing programs.
B)Busing was found to improve student's racial attitudes and minority students' performance on standardized tests.
C)White flight to suburban schools has made it more difficult to desegregate urban schools.
D)The Supreme Court prohibited forced busing across school district lines in cases where those lines were not drawn deliberately to keep races apart.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

In the 1967 decision of Loving v.Virginia,the Supreme Court

A)first explicitly applied the strict-scrutiny test.
B)ruled that Virginia could restrict marriage between adults.
C)held that interracial marriage did not have constitutional protection.
D)countered judicial reasoning it had used thirteen years earlier in its Brown decision.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 6

Culminating in a historic victory in 1954,advancement of civil rights for African Americans in the early 20th century came mostly through

A)legal action.
B)legislative action.
C)presidential decree.
D)bureaucratic action.
E)campaigning through mass media.

Question 7

One example of a policy that aimed chiefly to overcome de facto discrimination is

A)the Equal Rights Amendment.
B)the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
C)busing to achieve racial integration in the schools.
D)the Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka,Kansas ruling.
E)the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 8

The modern civil rights movement had a peak moment with the March on Washington in ________.

A)1954
B)1960
C)1963
D)1968
E)1973

Question 9

Any law that includes a gender classification is subject to the

A)reasonable-basis test.
B)strict-scrutiny test.
C)intermediate-scrutiny test.
D)precedent-basis test.
E)suspect-classification test.

Question 10

The Supreme Court's ruling in the Swann case on busing differed from the Brown decision in that Swann

A)addressed the problem of de facto discrimination.
B)applied to many northern communities in addition to communities in the South.
C)sanctioned the use of busing in desegregation.
D)dealt specifically with the issue of busing.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

A)brought about greater rights to the disabled.
B)came in response to the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
C)was conducted by women seeking fairer treatment in the workplace.
D)was conducted by women seeking the right to vote.
E)was conducted by African Americans seeking equality of rights.

Question 12

In applying the reasonable-basis test,courts tend to

A)require government only to show that a particular law is reasonable.
B)assess whether a law had the support of a two-thirds majority of legislators at the time of passage.
C)determine whether a law is working well and,if so,to allow it to remain in effect.
D)prohibit any law that results in the unequal treatment of Americans.
E)interpret the equal protection clause in a strict manner.

Question 13

The Supreme Court concept of suspect classifications suggests that

A)it is impossible to impose quotas fairly because they require classifications of merit based on race.
B)it is inherently suspect to classify one school district or public facility reserved for a particular race as inferior or superior to another.
C)laws that classify people differently on the basis of their race or ethnicity are presumed to have discrimination as their purpose.
D)any form of classification of people based on race or gender is not a sufficient basis on which to overturn an established federal law.
E)any law designed to specifically affect members of different genders in different ways is inherently discriminatory.

Question 14

The focus of civil liberties is ________,and the focus of civil rights is ________.

A)the rights of individuals protected from infringement by the government; equal rights in the treatment of members of differing groups
B)equal rights in the treatment of members of differing groups; the rights of individuals protected from infringement by the government
C)the rights of individuals under a government; the rights of society as a whole
D)the rights of individuals to privacy and expression; the rights of individuals with respect to imprisonment and punishment
E)the Tenth Amendment; the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 15

A law that placed restrictions on courses girls could take in high school would be evaluated by the courts using the

A)reasonable-basis test.
B)strict-scrutiny test.
C)intermediate-scrutiny test.
D)precedent-basis test.
E)suspect-classification test.

Question 16

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was aimed at eliminating discrimination

A)by governments in their conduct of elections (e.g.,registration,placement of polling booths).
B)by private individuals in their social relations-bigoted statements and other acts of prejudice are unlawful under most circumstances.
C)by governments in their job practices and provision of services (e.g.,schools,roads).
D)by private individuals in their employment practices and in their operation of public accommodations (e.g.,hotels,restaurants).
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

Since the latter part of the busing era,the trend in public schools has been

A)toward greater integration.
B)toward greater segregation.
C)to rely more and more on busing.
D)to reinstate de jure racial segregation.
E)to retain the gains in racial integration achieved through the 1970s,but not to further them.

Question 18

Any law that attempts a racial or ethnic classification is subject to the

A)reasonable-basis test.
B)strict-scrutiny test.
C)intermediate-scrutiny test.
D)precedent-basis test.
E)suspect-classification test.

Question 19

In the case of United States v.Virginia (1996),the Supreme Court ruled that

A)strict racial quotas were a valid means of ensuring racial diversity on college campuses.
B)private colleges could refuse to admit prospective students on the basis of sexual orientation.
C)male-only admissions policy at a state-supported military academy was unconstitutional.
D)because female instructors created an undue distraction at all-male universities,the schools in question could discriminate against women in their hiring practices.
E)colleges affiliated with a particular religion could not take the religious persuasion of job candidates into consideration during the hiring process.

Question 20

The Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka,Kansas ruling (1954)held that racial segregation in schools violated the

A)due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.
B)due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
C)equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
D)Civil Rights Act.
E)establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Question 21

The 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v.Holder interpreting the Voting Rights Act

A)declared the entire Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.
B)was a victory for the Obama administration in general and Attorney General Eric Holder in particular.
C)argued that Congress had set standards for federal oversight that were no longer relevant.
D)requires states be more diligent in ensuring that minorities have full voting rights.
E)was all the more emphatic because it had a unanimous 9-0 vote.

Question 22

Which of the following had the greatest impact on increasing voting rates by African Americans?

A)Nineteenth Amendment
B)Twenty-Fourth Amendment
C)the ending of whites-only primaries
D)the Civil Rights Act of 1964
E)the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Question 23

The first Asian immigrants to come to America in large numbers

A)settled primarily in the Midwest and Northeast.
B)did not arrive until the early 20th century.
C)were welcomed as equals by most whites.
D)were brought in as laborers in mines and railroad construction.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 24

When the United States first came into being,married women were permitted to

A)vote.
B)hold office.
C)serve on juries.
D)own and dispense property without the husband's consent.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 25

How many states ratified the Equal Rights Amendment?

A)none of them
B)only a few
C)about half
D)nearly three-fourths
E)all but three of them

Question 26

Native Americans

A)have always been legal citizens of the United States.
B)were not given citizenship status en masse until the 20th century.
C)do not today have the full legal rights of other U.S.citizens.
D)are U.S.citizens unless they choose to live on a reservation.
E)have numbered roughly 10 million in the United States since the 1700s.

Question 27

Housing in America

A)falls largely outside the scope of the law-people are free to rent or sell property to whomever they want.
B)is an area where equality in practice is now nearly a reality; people of similar incomes,regardless of race or color,find it equally easy to qualify for home mortgages.
C)is an unimportant civil rights issue,since housing patterns almost completely reflect the personal preferences of people and are not substantially influenced by past or present racial bias.
D)continues to evidence a high degree of racial segregation.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 28

In 2010,the greatest percentage of immigrants to America came from

A)Europe.
B)Asia.
C)Latin America.
D)Africa.
E)Australia.

Question 29

Politically,the fight to pass major civil rights legislation in Congress in the 1960s was led primarily by

A)southern Democrats.
B)southern Republicans.
C)Republicans.
D)Democrats.
E)an about equal coalition of Democrats and Republicans.

Question 30

The first large and well-organized attempt to promote women's rights came in 1848 in

A)Boston,Massachusetts.
B)San Francisco,California.
C)Minneapolis,Minnesota.
D)Seneca Falls,New York.
E)Madison,Wisconsin.

Question 31

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 addressed

A)voting.
B)hiring.
C)education.
D)housing.
E)work conditions.

Question 32

Women in America obtained the right to vote in ________.

A)1790
B)1865
C)1890
D)1920
E)1974

Question 33

In 1960,the greatest percentage of immigrants to America came from

A)Europe.
B)Asia.
C)Latin America.
D)Africa.
E)Australia.

Question 34

Native Americans were denied citizenship in the United States until ________.

A)1789
B)1856
C)1924
D)1972
E)1998

Question 35

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

A)expired in the late 1990s.
B)prohibits discrimination in voting and voter registration.
C)was strengthened by the 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v.Holder.
D)applies only to federal elections,not state and local elections.
E)has no significant provisions for enforcement.

Question 36

The movement for women's rights was initially aligned with

A)the abolition movement.
B)the Progressive movement.
C)the labor movement.
D)the modern civil rights movement.
E)the modern environmental movement.

Question 37

Which of the following groups is LEAST likely to identify with the Democratic Party?

A)Hispanics
B)African Americans
C)white women
D)white southerners
E)white northerners

Question 38

Which of the following groups is most likely to identify with the Democratic Party?

A)Hispanics
B)African Americans
C)white women
D)white men
E)white southerners

Question 39

The fight to give Hispanic farm laborers better working conditions and wages in the late 1960s was conducted primarily in

A)Arizona.
B)California.
C)Oregon.
D)Washington.
E)New Mexico.

Question 40

During the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,the important speech about the dream of an America where people are judged by character and not skin color was delivered by

A)Jesse Jackson.
B)Martin Luther King Jr.
C)Thurgood Marshall.
D)John F.Kennedy.
E)Robert F.Kennedy.

Question 41

The policy of affirmative action arose when

A)it became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal employment through the 1964 Civil Rights Act alone or through individual lawsuits.
B)the Supreme Court declared in Bakke that the Fourteenth Amendment requires government and large firms to hire more women and minorities.
C)the Supreme Court ruled that de facto discrimination is unlawful.
D)private firms decided on their own that a more diverse workforce was actually a more productive and effective workforce.
E)the Supreme Court rendered its Adarand v.Peña decision in 1995.

Question 42

One reason that affirmative action is so controversial is that

A)since the 1980s the Supreme Court has imposed it on the American public despite congressional attempts to end it.
B)most Americans admit that they oppose programs that ensure equal treatment for minorities.
C)it is applied only to private businesses and schools,not to government programs and institutions.
D)the Supreme Court has repeatedly declared it unconstitutional both in principle and in practice.
E)it is viewed as giving preferential treatment,which is unpopular,instead of simply ensuring equal treatment.

Question 43

How did the Supreme Court justify its pro-affirmative action ruling in Fisher v.University of Texas (2016)?

A)It argued the University of Texas had overstepped its bounds in its affirmative action policy,but that the federal government had no jurisdiction to either strike it down or approve it.
B)It argued the University of Texas had kept overly holistic or idealistic criteria and goals out of its admissions process with respect to minority students.
C)It argued the University of Texas's 10-percent quota for minority students reflected the bare minimum that a diverse society should strive for in higher education admissions.
D)It argued the University of Texas had very narrowly tailored its use of ethnicity and race as admission factors for a compelling interest in diversity.
E)It argued that even public education institutions,because they accept private tuition money,are allowed to make any affirmative action policy they desire.

Question 44

The Supreme Court's decision in the University of California Regents v.Bakke case

A)invalidated the principle of affirmative action.
B)ruled that Bakke could not be admitted to medical school.
C)established quota systems as a legitimate basis of affirmative action.
D)upheld the principle of affirmative action while invalidating a particular means of achieving it.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 45

Which statement about women's rights is correct?

A)The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)was ratified by the necessary 38 states in 1982.
B)The women's rights movement began in the era of World War I and within a few years achieved voting rights for women.
C)Women have made clear gains in the areas of appointive and elective offices.
D)"Comparable worth polices" that might have benefited women workers have been invalidated by the Supreme Court.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 46

What was politically significant about Geraldine Ferraro in 1984?

A)She became the first woman to be elected governor of a state.
B)She became the first woman to run on the national ticket of a major political party.
C)She became the first woman to serve as attorney general of the United States.
D)She was the first woman to hold the top position in the U.S.House of Representatives.
E)She was the first person to hold the top position in the U.S.Senate.

Question 47

Which country has the highest proportion of women serving in its national legislatures?

A)Sweden
B)United States
C)Japan
D)Germany
E)Canada

Question 48

De jure discrimination and de facto discrimination are two ways in which some Americans are treated as less equal than others.Examples of governmental actions or public policies designed to address each of these forms of discrimination are

A)the Brown decision (de jure),and affirmative action (de facto).
B)affirmative action (de jure),and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (de facto).
C)the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (de jure),and the Brown decision (de facto).
D)the Supreme Court's busing decisions (de jure),and affirmative action decisions (de facto).
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 49

Of the following states,which one has the LOWEST percentage of Hispanics in its population?

A)Washington
B)New Mexico
C)California
D)Arizona
E)Texas

Question 50

Native Americans

A)today number more than 2 million.
B)have a far higher infant mortality rate than the national average.
C)can now teach children exclusively in their native language in schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
D)are less than half as likely to finish college as other Americans.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 51

Of the following states,which tends to have larger numbers of Caribbean Hispanics?

A)California
B)Texas
C)New York
D)New Mexico
E)Arizona

Question 52

With regard to affirmative action,the Supreme Court in recent years has

A)moved to outlaw it.
B)moved to narrow its application.
C)asked Congress to clarify the policy.
D)asked the president to clarify the policy.
E)asked the state legislatures to clarify the policy.

Question 53

The first woman ever to serve on the U.S.Supreme Court was appointed by

A)President Truman.
B)President Eisenhower.
C)President Kennedy.
D)President Reagan.
E)President Carter.

Question 54

Today,women currently hold about ________ of the seats in the House of Representatives.

A)7 percent
B)19 percent
C)28 percent
D)37 percent
E)49 percent

Question 55

All of the following statements about Hispanic Americans are true EXCEPT that

A)they are the fastest-growing minority in the United States.
B)they have made major political gains in terms of electing local officials,particularly in the southwestern states.
C)they are healthier and have a longer life expectancy than would be expected from their education and income levels.
D)their average annual income is relatively close to the national average.
E)they are one of the nation's oldest ethnic groups.

Question 56

Which type of household has the LOWEST percentage of families living in poverty?

A)two-parent family
B)single-parent family
C)male-headed family
D)female-headed family
E)All of these household types have about the same percentage living in poverty.

Question 57

Equality of result policies are primarily directed at ________ discriminatory effects.

A)de jure
B)de facto
C)religious
D)gender
E)due process

Question 58

The central issue in the Bakke case was

A)school desegregation.
B)sexual harassment.
C)affirmative action.
D)Native Americans' civil rights.
E)comparable worth.

Question 59

The average hourly pay for full-time female employees is about ________ percent of that for full-time male employees.

A)93
B)50
C)65
D)82
E)60

Question 60

The Supreme Court halted the general use of reserved funding in the granting of federal contracts to minority businesses in the 1995 case of

A)Adarand v.Peña.
B)Fullilove v.Klutznick.
C)Craig v.Boren.
D)Rostker v.Goldberg.
E)United States v.Virginia.

Question 61

In which of the following measures are Asian Americans underrepresented compared to whites and even other minorities like Hispanics and African Americans?

A)holding top business positions
B)managerial jobs in the tech sector
C)higher-income families
D)political representation
E)placement in higher education

Question 62

Public support for same-sex marriage has

A)decreased significantly since the 1990s.
B)increased significantly since the 1990s.
C)remained steady since the 1990s.
D)increased slightly since the 1990s.
E)decreased slightly since the 1990s.

Question 63

In 2015,the Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment in which case?

A)Obergefell v.Hodges
B)Loving v.Virginia
C)Grutter v.Bollinger
D)Shelby County v.Holder
E)Lau v.Nichols

Question 64

Which of the following statements is true of age discrimination in the United States?

A)The courts have not given government and employers any leeway in establishing age-based policies.
B)Forced retirement for reasons of age is not permissible even if justified by the nature of a particular job or the performance of a particular employee.
C)Age discrimination is among the forms of discrimination prohibited by the U.S.Constitution.
D)Mandatory retirement ages for most jobs have been eliminated by law.
E)Hiring bias on the basis of age is still allowed by all private companies but has been mostly abolished in government and public agencies.

Question 65

Asian Americans account for about ________ of professionals and technicians in the United States.

A)1 percent
B)5 percent
C)10 percent
D)15 percent
E)25 percent

Question 66

Which of the following is true of discrimination against the disabled in the United States?

A)The Americans with Disabilities Act grants protections to the disabled only in the employment sphere.
B)Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1975.
C)Before 1975,four million children with disabilities were getting either no education or an inappropriate one.
D)Through the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975,Congress required that schools receiving federal funding provide all children,however severe their disability,with a free and appropriate education.
E)Discrimination against the disabled is among the forms of discrimination prohibited by the Constitution,but it has also been strengthened through various statutes.

Question 67

Discuss the racial problems addressed by the Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka,Kansas decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.What provisions of the Constitution provided the basis for each of these policy decisions?

Question 68

Regarding same-sex marriage,it is true that

A)the marriage issue has been the primary focus of the LGBTQ community until recently.
B)several states have recently reversed earlier legal approval of the practice.
C)younger people are more likely to approve of it than older people are.
D)it first became legal in New York.
E)it is a state issue that is beyond federal control or influence.

Question 69

In 2004,by order of the state's Supreme Court,________ instituted same-sex marriage.

A)California
B)Texas
C)Vermont
D)Massachusetts
E)Alabama

Question 70

What is equality of result? What relation does it have to de facto and de jure discrimination?

Question 71

What is affirmative action? What is the Supreme Court's general position on affirmative action?

Question 72

What is the equal protection clause? What three tests are associated with discrimination in law?

Question 73

Describe the current state of civil rights and other measures of equality for African Americans.

Question 74

According to Gunnar Myrdal,what is America's curse?

A)greed
B)racial discrimination
C)obesity
D)street violence
E)religious intolerance

Question 75

Describe the provisions and impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Question 76

All of the following statements about Asian American rights are true EXCEPT that

A)Asian Americans have not attained a proportionate share of top business positions.
B)Asian Americans are an upwardly mobile group but are underrepresented in top positions in society due to past and present discrimination.
C)Asian Americans have the highest percentage of two-parent families of any racial group.
D)Asian Americans have made notable educational advancements.
E)Asian Americans have the second highest median family income of any group.