Deck 4: Group Differences

Question 1

Three of the following alternatives describe reasons why, for cultural reasons, children may be relatively quiet in class.Which alternative is false?

A)In some cultures, children rarely hear spoken language until age 3 or 4.
B)Children from some cultural backgrounds may have been taught that it's rude to initiate a conversation with an adult.
C)In some cultural groups, children are accustomed to learning more from quiet observation than from asking questions.
D)In some cultures, attentive listening is valued more highly than speaking.

Answer 1

In some cultures, children rarely hear spoken language until age 3 or 4.

Question 2

What impact does teacher wait time have on students' classroom performance?

A)When wait time is several seconds, students are more likely to answer questions.
B)If wait time is increased beyond two seconds, students will be embarrassed by the awkward silence and not answer.
C)Wait time of about one second is optimal.If it is much longer, students will get distracted and forget the question.
D)Increased wait time is only necessary when working with low-ability learners.Average and above-average learners don't need much wait time.

Answer 2

When wait time is several seconds, students are more likely to answer questions.

Question 3

When we say that different cultural and ethnic groups have different worldviews, we mean that

A)Their basic assumptions about how the world operates may be different.
B)They tend to think of their country of origin as being the best possible place in which to live.
C)They may have little understanding of geographic regions other than their own.
D)Their native language inevitably distorts how they think about their physical and social environments.

Answer 3

Their basic assumptions about how the world operates may be different.

Question 4

Ten-year-old Svana has recently immigrated from Iceland to the United States.If we say that Svana is undergoing acculturation, we mean that she is:

A)Refusing to speak any English at school
B)Maintaining all of the customs of her homeland
C)Adopting some American behaviors and attitudes
D)Afraid to engage in social activities with her American peers

Question 5

Three of the following are likely to give you reasonable clues about a student's cultural background and/or ethnic group membership.Which one is probably least dependable as an indicator of a student's cultural background and ethnicity?

A)The color of a student's skin
B)The ethnicity of the student's parents
C)What language is most often spoken at home
D)The cultural and religious activities in which a student regularly participates

Question 6

Three of the following are differences that teachers may find among children from some cultural backgrounds.Which behavior is probably not the result of a student's cultural background per se?

A)Some students may feel uncomfortable performing new skills in front of their teacher and peers.
B)Some students may say that certain smells bring back especially vivid childhood memories.
C)Some students may often touch the people they are talking to.
D)Some students may frequently interrupt their classmates.

Question 7

You have several students in your class who speak a dialect other than Standard English.If you follow the textbook's recommendation for handling this situation, you will:

A)Teach them to speak and write Standard English exclusively, and as quickly as possible.
B)Allow them to use their own dialect or version of English exclusively in all school classes and activities.
C)Strongly discourage them from speaking their dialect, even when they are off school grounds.
D)Ask them to use Standard English in formal situations
E)g., oral reports)but encourage them to use their own dialect in other situations.

Question 8

A student says to you, "My momma she be singin' all da time." This student appears to:

A)Have grown up in Northern Ireland and so is using idioms typical of that country
B)Be using African American English, a dialect with some grammatical constructions different from those of Standard English
C)Have had little exposure to language during a critical period in her language development
D)Have a speech disorder that sometimes results from environmental toxins
E)g., lead-based paint)

Question 9

Which one of the following teacher statements most clearly reflects a cultural lens as the textbook uses the term?

A)"What are some possible reasons why Christopher Columbus risked his life by sailing off into uncharted seas?"
B)"People who live in the Andes of South America have very different lifestyles from people who live in the Central American desert.In what ways might their lifestyles be related to their differing environments?"
C)"Pushing Rachel off the slide was unacceptable behavior.Fortunately, she wasn't badly hurt."
D)"Marie's parents are really irresponsible.They can never seem to get to parent- teacher conferences on time."

Question 10

Knowledge about group differences enables us to:

A)Determine when particular students should begin formal education
B)Make fairly accurate predictions about individual students' academic performance but not about their social skills
C)Make fairly accurate predictions about individual students' social skills but not about their academic performance
D)Form tentative hypotheses about instructional strategies that might be effective for different students

Question 11

Three of the following are differences that teachers may find among children from some cultural backgrounds.Which behavior is probably not the result of a student's cultural background per se?

A)Some students may look down at their feet as a way of showing respect for authority figures.
B)Some students may feel that teachers' personal questions are intrusive and perhaps have been specifically taught not to answer certain kinds of questions.
C)Some students may be accustomed to "talking back" to authority figures when they disagree.
D)Some students may have trouble being punctual for appointments and after-school activities.

Question 12

Three of the teachers below are using strategies appropriate for a culturally diverse classroom.With the textbook's discussion of student diversity in mind, identify the teacher who is probably not promoting the classroom success of some of her students.

A)Ms.Andreas forms small, multicultural groups in which students describe and compare their diverse perspectives about a recent international conflict.
B)Ms.Boynton uses competitive activities to get all students motivated to do their best.
C)Ms.Champas explores the ways in which children from different backgrounds are alike as well as different.
D)Ms.Delaney makes sure she presents both the American and Mexican views of the Mexican-American War.

Question 13

Which one of the following statements is most accurate regarding individual achievement and competition in many Native American, Mexican American, and Southeast Asian cultures?

A)Students from these cultures may get so caught up in competition that they lose track of what's most important for them to learn.
B)Students from these cultures may compete with each other for the lowest grade in class, thereby intentionally failing their tests.
C)Students from these cultures are uncomfortable with competition and may prefer to help their classmates rather than compete with them.
D)Students from these cultures have a greater-than-average need to achieve individual recognition so that they can make their parents proud.

Question 14

Which one of the following is the most accurate statement about group differences among students?

A)When we have knowledge about typical group differences, we have a very good idea of how individual students are likely to perform in the classroom.
B)We can make fairly accurate predictions about individual students when we know their ethnic background, but not when we know their gender.
C)We can make fairly accurate predictions about individual students when we know their gender, but not when we know their ethnic background.
D)The average for two groups may be different, but variability within each group keeps us from predicting individual performance.

Question 15

Rani has just moved here from a Middle Eastern country where most women remain at home serving their husbands and taking care of their children.She seems confused when she is asked to perform the same school tasks as her male classmates.Rani's situation illustrates:

A)Why gender schemas are irrelevant to some cultures
B)Cultural differences in personal space
C)The importance of wait time
D)Cultural mismatch

Question 16

Which one of the following teaching strategies best reflects the textbook's definition of multicultural education?

A)Ensuring that all classes include students from diverse cultures
B)Fostering ongoing communication
C)Considering the perspectives of different cultural groups regularly throughout the school year
D)Devoting at least one month of each school year to an intensive exploration of diverse cultures
E)g., through "pen pal" letters or e-mail messages)with students from other countries

Question 17

Which one of the following is the best example of playing the dozens?

A)When Alegria finishes her own classwork, she goes to the assistance of classmates who appear to be struggling with theirs.
B)Tariq devoutly follows Muslim practices
C)Jameel says to Ronald, "Your momma's so fat her picture takes two frames." Ronald responds, "Yeah? Well, your momma's so fat it took three cows to make her a pair of shoes."
D)Helena tells her friend Mary that Wendy has been saying unkind things behind Mary's back.She then goes to Wendy and tells her that Mary has been saying unkind things behind her back.
E)g., praying five times a day, fasting during Ramadan)on weekends and school holidays, but he tries to behave as his American classmates do on days when he attends school.

Question 18

When considering students' cultural and ethnic backgrounds, it is important to keep in mind that:

A)Some students may simultaneously be active participants in two or more cultural groups.
B)Students' ethnic identities are almost always stronger than their need to "belong" to mainstream Western culture.
C)Students' need to "belong" to mainstream Western culture is almost always stronger than their ethnic identities.
D)In the elementary grades, students typically have little conscious awareness that their ethnic backgrounds might be different from those of their classmates.

Question 19

Which of the following pairs of students best illustrates the idea of student diversity with respect to different dialects?

A)Telly was born in Greece, and Fritz was born in Germany.Fritz has an easier time learning English than Telly does because German uses the same alphabet that English does, whereas Greek does not.
B)Ralph speaks English as it is spoken in rural Mississippi; Kyle speaks the English of inner-city Chicago.
C)Margaret speaks English fluently; Anna knows fewer words and speaks in simpler sentences because she immigrated from Romania only six months ago.
D)Elena speaks Spanish and Maria speaks Portuguese-two languages with similar vocabulary and syntax because of their shared Latin roots.

Question 20

Other things being equal, which one of the following students is most likely to keep her feelings to herself?

A)Colleen, who is Irish
B)Saori, who is Japanese
C)Rosita, who is Mexican
D)Melanie, who is American

Question 21

Three of the following are recommended strategies for addressing students' stereotypes about cultures and ethnic groups very different from their own.Which one is not recommended?

A)Invite professionals from diverse ethnic groups to speak to students about topics related to the curriculum.
B)Gently discourage students from talking openly about racism in the local community.
C)Assign short stories and novels set in various cultures.
D)Create cooperative groups in which students from diverse backgrounds each have unique talents to offer.

Question 22

Three of the following situations reflect how peer relationships often exacerbate gender differences.Which situation is not typical?

A)Molly says to Debra, "Wow, what a great Barbie doll collection you have!"
B)Ed says to Trudy, "We need to get this lab experiment done.You read what we need to do, and I'll do it."
C)Helen says to Vicki, "Oh, there's Sherry.Don't talk to her-she's a real math nerd."
D)Fred says to Mike, "Did you sign up for that cooking class? Maybe I'll sign up too."

Question 23

Three of the following are more common for students from middle-income homes than for students from low-income homes.Which one is not necessarily more common for middle-income students?

A)Safe drinking water
B)Air pollution
C)Availability of organized sports programs
D)Regular interaction with other children of the same age

Question 24

All of the following strategies are certainly beneficial, but only one is likely to foster resilience in students who live in difficult and challenging circumstances

A)Show students how academic tasks are relevant to their personal lives.
B)Give students both positive and negative feedback when it is appropriate to do so.
C)Be an active and visible participant in community programs in students' neighborhoods.
D)Take a personal interest in students' welfare and show them that they can turn to you in times of need.
E)g., extreme poverty, abusive family members).Which strategy is known to foster resilience?

Question 25

Research on gender differences in students' sense of self tells us that:

A)Boys are more likely than girls to see themselves as being cooperative and easy to get along with.
B)Both boys and girls tend to have greater self-confidence in "gender-appropriate" activities.
C)In adolescence, girls rate their physical appearance more positively than boys do.
D)On average, girls have a better overall sense of self than boys.

Question 26

Mr.Sanders teaches in a school district where students are predominantly Native Americans.In this situation, which one of the following would best illustrate culturally responsive teaching?

A)Conducting math "races" in which students in a particular row go to the chalkboard and try to solve math problems more quickly than their classmates
B)Asking students to take turns responding to teacher questions during whole-class discussions
C)Conducting cooperative learning activities in which students work together to create maps of their local community
D)Posting a class "honor roll" of students who get the five highest scores on class spelling tests each week

Question 27

Three of the following describe environmental factors that contribute to gender differences we see in school-age children.Which statement is not an accurate description of how the environment contributes to gender differences?

A)Most characters in books and television shows behave in gender-stereotypical ways.
B)Parents have higher expectations for their daughters regarding acceptable levels of educational achievement.
C)Boys' typical games are more likely to foster visual-spatial skills.
D)Girls' typical toys are more likely to promote the development of social skills.

Question 28

Differences between boys and girls may be due in part to factors at school.Which statement is not accurate about possible school factors that promote gender differences?

A)Typical "boy" play groups are larger than those for girls and so call for more assertive behavior.
B)Some reading materials portray males and females in stereotypical ways.
C)Teachers interact with girls more frequently than with boys.
D)Teachers more often reprimand boys than girls.

Question 29

Ms.Youmans has a class of 24 sixth graders-12 girls and 12 boys.Given what we know about gender differences in verbal ability and visual-spatial ability, which one of the following is Ms.Youmans justified in concluding about her students?

A)Her highest reading group will have almost all girls, and her lowest reading group will have mostly boys.
B)All of the boys should do better than all of the girls on a test of visual-spatial ability in other words, there is no overlap between the two groups).
C)About 80% of the boys should do better than 80% of the girls on a test of visual- spatial ability.
D)Ms.Youmans probably won't notice differences in the average abilities of boys and girls.

Question 30

Three of the following are accurate statements about differences between boys and girls.Which statement is not accurate?

A)Boys are physically stronger than girls beginning at birth.
B)Girls are more aware of people's subtle "body language."
C)Boys are more physically aggressive than girls.
D)Girls are more likely to form close, intimate friendships.

Question 31

In general, boys participate more actively than girls in class discussions.Three of the following are possible reasons for this gender difference.Which one is unlikely to be a reason?

A)Girls think that appearing intelligent may interfere with their popularity.
B)Girls are more afraid of looking stupid in front of their classmates.
C)Boys are more willing to take academic risks.
D)Girls have less confidence in their social skills.

Question 32

Sam tells himself, "I'm really upset about my parents' divorce, but I need to put on a 'tough guy' front so my friends don't think I'm a crybaby." This situation illustrates as a factor contributing to gender differences.

A)cultural mismatch
B)self-socialization
C)hormonal differences
D)resilience

Question 33

Compared to their wealthier peers, students from low-income families are less likely to attend and graduate from college.One reason, of course, is that students from low- income families have fewer financial resources.But another important reason is that many public schools in low-income neighborhoods are of poor quality.Three of the following characteristics are typical of schools in low-income school districts.Which characteristic is not typical?

A)Outdated and poorly maintained equipment
B)Little or no discipline for serious behavior problems
C)Lower expectations for students' achievement
D)Fewer opportunities to engage in advanced thinking skills

Question 34

Which one of the following factors is least likely to be considered in determining a family's socioeconomic status?

A)Family income
B)Parents' education levels
C)Children's achievement test scores
D)The kinds of jobs that parents have

Question 35

Considering research on gender differences, what is the likely result when Ms.Wolf assigns small-group lab activities in her seventh-grade science class?

A)Ken and Bill will sit back and watch, making Amelia and Sally do all the work.
B)Donna will direct the activities, Miranda will measure, and Jeff and Scott will both take notes.
C)Millie will set up the experiments, Linda will take measurements, James will write down the results, and John will watch.
D)Steven will set up the experiments, Roger will do the measurements, Jennifer will take notes, and Ruth will watch.

Question 36

Marianna is a high school student.Considering what psychologists have learned about the effects of gender schemas, and without knowing anything else about Marianna, in which area would you expect her to have the highest motivation to achieve?

A)Poetry
B)Engineering
C)Body building
D)Auto mechanics

Question 37

Poor nutrition is a problem for many children who live in poverty.Which one of the following situations is likely to be associated with poor nutrition?

A)Hilda has problems with mathematics but is otherwise a bright and attentive student.
B)Even though Yvonne tries hard in school and pays attention most of the time, she has difficulty learning anything abstract.
C)Jill appears to have trouble remembering things and does not seem motivated to achieve in school.
D)Lonnie learns things easily but does not work very hard in class.He is often too busy fooling around with friends to pay attention in class.

Question 38

Three of the following depict challenges that children from lower-income homes are likely to face.Which situation is least typical?

A)Thomas's only meal of the day is the free lunch he gets at school.
B)Trina rarely comes to school on Tuesday, because her family likes to take advantage of the free-admission policy that many city museums have on Tuesdays.
C)Theresa is sometimes late for school because her father and mother are fighting about overdue bills and thus are preoccupied when it is time to take her to school.
D)Timothy's family moves frequently, requiring him to change schools at least once a year.

Question 39

Biological differences appear to play a role in three of the following gender differences.Considering research findings presented in the textbook, choose the difference that is least likely to be the result of biology.

A)Preference for short versus long hair
B)Differences in physical aggression
C)Preferences for "boy" versus "girl" toys
D)Differences in visual-spatial ability

Question 40

Which one of the following forms of aggression are we more apt to see in girls than in boys?

A)Pulling someone's hair
B)Poking a nearby classmate
C)Spreading a malicious rumor
D)Throwing a pencil at someone across the room

Question 41

Which one of the following descriptions best reflects how educators typically define students at risk?

A)Students unlikely to acquire the basic academic skills necessary for success in the adult world
B)Students with a strong probability of becoming long-term substance abusers
C)Students who show a pattern of criminal behavior by age 14
D)Students who have been found guilty of one or more felonies

Question 42

Three of the following students show warning signs of being at risk.Which student is least likely to be at risk?

A)Ann never stays after school for extracurricular activities, and she seems to have no friends at school.
B)Barbara is so busy with student government, cheerleading, and varsity sports that her grades have gone from As to Cs and Ds.
C)Carol is 14 years old and still in sixth grade, so she has little in common with her classmates.
D)Donna has gotten low achievement test scores since elementary school.

Question 43

Although students from middle-SES families have many advantages that students from low-SES families don't have, in some respects students from low-SES have the upper hand.Which one of the following has been shown to be more true of students from low- income families than of students from middle-income families?

A)Ability to improvise using everyday objects
B)Facility in making correct change from a dollar
C)Knowledge of how to use a map to get around town
D)Skill in talking respectfully to people from diverse backgrounds

Question 44

The school principal tells you that Mary, a new student who just joined your classroom this morning, currently lives at a homeless shelter.Which one of the following strategies does the textbook not recommend for helping Mary succeed in your classroom?

A)Pair Mary with a classmate who can show her around the school building and introduce her to other students.
B)Find some school supplies, including a clipboard to write on, that Mary can use to do her homework at the shelter.
C)Ask Mary's parents to meet with you in your classroom after school.
D)Enlist the aid of volunteers to provide tutoring for Mary at the shelter.

Question 45

Which one of the following characteristics are teachers least likely to see in students who are homeless?

A)A short attention span
B)Gaps in academic skills
C)Eagerness to go to school
D)Inappropriate classroom behaviors

Question 46

Three of the following strategies are likely to help students at risk stay in school.Which one is not likely to do so?

A)Discourage students from participating in extracurricular activities so that they can focus on getting their grades up.
B)Communicate your expectation that students can do well and that you will help them achieve instructional objectives.
C)Assign activities that have obvious relevance to students' own lives and needs.
D)Identify students at risk as early as possible in order to provide long-term academic support.

Question 47

Which one of the following students best fits the pattern associated with being at risk?

A)Sal started kindergarten a year later than his peers because his parents wanted to be sure he was ready for school.
B)Wesley has recently failed sophomore algebra, and he is frustrated because he now has to go to summer school.
C)André isn't doing very well in any of his classes; he will have to pull up his grades or he won't be allowed to continue to participate in varsity football.
D)Evan is doing poorly in all of his classes because of repeated absenteeism and failure to turn in assignments.