Deck 8: Race and Ethnicity As Lived Experience

Question 1

A state is called ________ when whites are less than half the population.

A) pluralistic
B) postmodern
C) minority
D) majority-minority

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Sociologists define a minority group as a group

A) that makes up less than 50 percent of the total population.
B) that makes up less than 20 percent of the total population.
C) with members who are denied access to power and resources.
D) that is smaller than the dominant group.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Regarding racial categories, modern science has determined that

A) there is greater diversity between racial populations than within them.
B) biologically, there is no such thing as a pure race.
C) some racial groups are genetically predisposed to be more intelligent than others.
D) some racial groups are genetically predisposed to be more athletically inclined than others.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Marco is a fourth-generation Mexican American. Both his grandparents and parents were born in the United States. Neither he nor his parents have learned Spanish and he does not often think of his heritage. Most of his friends do not think of him as Hispanic or Latino. However, on Cinco de Mayo, Marco likes to go out and celebrate by eating Mexican food and wearing a sombrero. Marco's relationship with his ethnicity can be described as

A) situational.
B) symbolic.
C) institutional.
D) conscious.

Question 5

A young person from Southern California has four German grandparents. She lived in Los Angeles all her life before accepting a job in Milwaukee. She has never really thought about her German heritage. In Milwaukee, she discovers many other people with similar ancestries and begins using her ethnicity as a way to develop social and professional relationships. Of what is this an example?

A) symbolic ethnicity
B) passing
C) situational ethnicity
D) the disparities in racial consequences

Question 6

How do we decide when to display situational ethnicity?

A) We decide based on the holiday.
B) We follow our family's demands.
C) We only consider religious holidays.
D) We do a cost-benefit analysis.

Question 7

How can you tell that whites are still the dominant group in California despite demographic shifts?

A) They discriminate against other racial and ethnic groups.
B) They have more power, resources, and representation in social institutions.
C) They are overrepresented in prisons.
D) They are overrepresented as victims of violent crimes.

Question 8

The fact that immigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America tended to be shorter than native-born Americans was taken as evidence that there were inherent racial differences between these populations. However, the immigrants had children who grew up to be as tall as anyone else. Geneticists now understand that, although there can be considerable variation in height within a group due to genetics, height differences between groups are largely caused by diet. What does this demonstrate?

A) Race will always be an important way to understand physical traits.
B) There are essential differences between racial populations.
C) Some physical features, like blood type, are correlated with race.
D) Racial differences are socially constructed and not genetic.

Question 9

The issue associated with race and ethnicity that Chris Rock's "driving while black" selfies represent is

A) situational ethnicity.
B) cultural appropriation.
C) racial profiling.
D) symbolic ethnicity.

Question 10

The current demographics of California challenge the way the term "minority" has been used in the past because

A) Latinos are a numerical minority but are socially powerful.
B) there are far fewer African Americans in California than in the rest of the country.
C) whites are now less than half of the population of California.
D) California is more tolerant of its ethnic diversity than is the rest of the country.

Question 11

Brazilians have many other racial categories including moreno, mulato, neguinho, and pretinho. Most of these terms do not have an equivalent in the United States. What does this tell you?

A) Race is a social construct.
B) Brazil places more importance on symbolic ethnicity.
C) The United States is less diverse than Brazil.
D) Brazil has never used science to classify its population.

Question 12

The 2000 census was the first time that Americans were allowed to ________ when identifying their race.

A) provide genetic proof
B) indicate they had none
C) select a different box than their fathers
D) check more than one box

Question 13

In the 1900s, there was a strong prejudice against Irish immigrants and their descendants. What does this tell you about the history of the Irish in the United States?

A) The Irish were once considered to be a separate race.
B) Racial hostility is permanent.
C) There were significant biological differences between Irish people and American people.
D) Ireland must have changed a great deal over the course of the twentieth century.

Question 14

Sociologists define ethnicity

A) as people who share a common physical characteristic.
B) as people with the same skin color.
C) as a group with a shared ancestry or shared cultural heritage.
D) the same way they define race.

Question 15

Casimir Pulaski Day is an important holiday in Chicago, which has more Polish Americans than anywhere else in the United States. Although not well remembered in the rest of the country, Pulaski was a Polish-born hero of the American Revolution and a cavalry general. What concept helps to explain why this holiday is so much more important to people who trace their ancestry to Poland?

A) racial passing
B) symbolic ethnicity
C) situational ethnicity
D) the social construction of race

Question 16

Pablo lives in the United States, where most people assume that he is Arab until they learn his name and hear his accent. They are surprised when Pablo tells them that he is from Spain and identifies as white, not Latino. Some people even tell Pablo that he isn't really white. What does this suggest about race?

A) The criteria used to determine a person's race does not vary across culture or time.
B) Race is socially defined, and the criteria used to determine a person's race varies.
C) Race isn't always obvious, but Pablo could take a DNA test to determine his race.
D) Race is no longer important in the United States.

Question 17

In the early 1900s, native-born Americans, usually Protestants, did NOT consider Irish, Italian, or Jewish immigrants to be white. What does this illustrate?

A) racial passing
B) an enactment of minority group
C) the social construction of race
D) racial pluralism

Question 18

In the United States, ________ would have the MOST freedom in choosing whether or not to display their race or ethnicity.

A) Asian Americans
B) Hispanic Americans
C) African Americans
D) Irish Americans

Question 19

What are displays of ethnic identity that only occur on special occasions?

A) celebratory ethnicity
B) symbolic ethnicity
C) situational ethnicity
D) religious identity

Question 20

Race is defined by sociologists

A) as a group with a shared cultural heritage.
B) in the same way they define ethnicity.
C) as the difference between Mongoloid, Negroid, and Caucasoid people.
D) as a social category based on real or perceived biological differences.

Question 21

The "Jim Crow" laws, which mandated separate facilities for whites and blacks, were an example of

A) population transfer.
B) assimilation.
C) individual discrimination.
D) institutional discrimination.

Question 22

________ occur(s) when minority group members are prejudiced against themselves or their own group.

A) Internalized racism
B) Individual discrimination
C) Microaggressions
D) Color-blind racism

Question 23

In 1993, six African American Secret Service agents filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against Denny's for refusal of service. They argued that the restaurant took much longer to serve them than other customers. Thousands of other African Americans came forward with similar allegations after the complaint was filed. What are these allegations evidence of?

A) situational ethnicity
B) assimilation
C) institutional discrimination
D) individual discrimination

Question 24

An example of discrimination is

A) refusing to sell someone a house because of their race.
B) believing that Asians are good at math.
C) thinking that African Americans are better dancers than white people.
D) believing that the Irish drink too much.

Question 25

________ is an action or behavior that results in the unequal treatment of an individual because of their membership in a racial or ethnic group.

A) Prejudice
B) Discrimination
C) Pluralism
D) Passing

Question 26

The goal of affirmative action is to

A) increase diversity.
B) disadvantage white students.
C) achieve reverse discrimination.
D) provide a justification for reverse racism.

Question 27

What could be seen as evidence of individual discrimination if a landlord was found guilty of discriminatory practices for refusing to rent to Latino tenants?

A) The landlord was following the instructions of the local business association.
B) Other Latino tenants were able to find places to rent in the area.
C) Latino tenants had a hard time finding someone who would rent to them.
D) The landlord was supported by all the other big landlords in the area.

Question 28

Texas has never had a Hispanic governor, and the percentage of Hispanic Americans in Texas state government is low. However, many Hispanic Americans live in Texas. In 2012, they made up nearly 40% of the state's population. Would a sociologist in Texas call Hispanic Americans a minority group?

A) No, because they make up so much of the state's population.
B) Yes, because a minority group refers to any group that is not the largest numerically.
C) Yes, because they are denied access to power and resources.
D) No, because they are the racial group with the most power and wealth.

Question 29

Many immigrants to the United States have gotten in trouble for keeping livestock in urban areas, especially chickens, goats, and pigs. Their neighbors feel it is acceptable to own a 150-pound mastiff, but "unsanitary" to have a 50-pound goat that provides milk. In this case, what is driving racism?

A) the need to generate finance capital
B) the assumption that differences between groups are innate or biologically based
C) a negative view of a group's cultural characteristics
D) the linguistic barriers that prevent communication

Question 30

Racial and ethnic minorities are often portrayed in visual representations as animalistic or subhuman, often as monkeys or chimpanzees. Why might racist imagery so often use animals?

A) Representing someone as a primate is the worst possible insult for Europeans.
B) Many minority cultures have cultural associations with monkeys.
C) Racists are not really very imaginative, so they simply recycle the same stereotypes.
D) Animal imagery supports the assumption that differences between groups are innate or biologically based.

Question 31

An enormous controversy erupted in 1991 after five Los Angeles police officers were caught on tape beating a motorist named Rodney King. Many people see it as a blatant act of discrimination, although there continues to be much controversy regarding the event. Under what circumstances would this beating be considered institutional discrimination?

A) It would be seen as institutional discrimination as long as none of the officers involved had a financial motive.
B) Under no circumstances could this be institutional discrimination, as it was carried out by individuals.
C) It would be considered institutional discrimination if the leadership of the Los Angeles Police Department condoned or encouraged this type of behavior on a regular basis.
D) It would be considered institutional discrimination if it could be shown that at least one of the officers was truly racist.

Question 32

________ is a set of beliefs about the superiority of one racial or ethnic group compared to another.

A) Discrimination
B) Racism
C) Prejudice
D) Assimilation

Question 33

How is prejudice different from discrimination?

A) Prejudices can only be negative; discrimination can be either negative or positive.
B) Prejudice only occurs within minority groups, but discrimination can happen anywhere.
C) Prejudice requires the negatively affected group to be a minority group while discrimination does not.
D) Prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is an action.

Question 34

How is institutional discrimination different from individual discrimination?

A) Institutional discrimination involves attitudes or opinions.
B) Institutional discrimination can be either positive or negative.
C) Institutional discrimination is more systemic and widespread.
D) Institutional discrimination is less harmful.

Question 35

Plantation owners in early America often argued that enslaved Africans were better off because they did not have the mental capacity to run their own lives. Today, this seems both racist and idiotic. How could such racist beliefs flourish?

A) People are by nature hostile and look to blame their problems on others.
B) Such beliefs justify social arrangements between dominant and minority groups that benefit those who accept them.
C) People knew much less about world history then, so it seemed more plausible.
D) Nineteenth-century science was not well developed, so no authority figures could debunk racist beliefs.

Question 36

An example of prejudice is

A) not hiring someone because of their ethnicity.
B) giving African Americans higher mortgage interest rates.
C) only searching people of certain ethnicities at the airport.
D) believing that Asians are better at math.

Question 37

The Bell Curve by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray generated an enormous amount of controversy because it suggested that racial differences in IQ scores were due to genetically driven differences in intelligence. It argued that "both genes and the environment have something to do with racial differences." For those who disagreed, this seemed like a familiar argument because

A) racism usually is reducible to a group's cultural characteristics.
B) this is the same argument that was made by the founding fathers to justify the treatment of Native Americans and Africans.
C) it leaves education policy at the center of a racial controversy.
D) racist beliefs are often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are genetic.

Question 38

What would a sociologist call the belief that members of one racial group are genetically predisposed to be more intelligent than members of another racial group?

A) discrimination
B) prejudice
C) racial passing
D) pluralism

Question 39

The belief that all Irish are drunks is an example of

A) discrimination.
B) miscegenation.
C) passing.
D) prejudice.

Question 40

Banks often offer customers with low credit scores subprime loans that have higher-than-normal interest rates. What is the bank guilty of if it gives three times as many subprime loans to black Americans than to white Americans even when they have the same credit scores?

A) individual discrimination
B) reverse racism
C) institutional discrimination
D) microaggressions

Question 41

What racial issue does functionalism help to explain?

A) the persistence of racial divisions in America today
B) the assimilation of European ethnic groups into larger society
C) the continued existence of a distinct Latino identity and culture in the United States
D) the everyday mechanisms of racial passing

Question 42

According to William Julius Wilson, racism has created a black underclass, but this underclass is perpetuated by

A) prejudice.
B) individual racism.
C) racial passing.
D) economic factors.

Question 43

What is the relationship between race and class, according to sociologists such as Michael Omi and Howard Winant?

A) Race is not a side effect of class; rather, it permeates every aspect of daily life.
B) Race is a secondary phenomenon that results from the class system.
C) Class is an unintended consequence of racial hierarchies.
D) Both race and class are created by biological factors inherent in being human.

Question 44

What is the real source of racism according to conflict theory?

A) the need for social equality for capitalism to function
B) the people who attempt to live as if they were members of a different racial group
C) the struggle between groups over power and control
D) the desire for assimilation of minority groups into majority groups

Question 45

What is it called when members of the dominant group-whites, in the case of race-believe they are discriminated against because of their race?

A) white nationalism
B) color-blind racism
C) microaggressions
D) reverse racism

Question 46

A very tanned white businessman in Texas adopts a stereotyped Hispanic persona to help him sell used cars. He creates commercials in which he speaks in an accent, wears a sombrero and a poncho, and plays "Jarabe Tapatío," or "The Mexican Hat Dance" song in the background. What is this an example of?

A) cultural appropriation
B) color-blind racism
C) race consciousness
D) embodied identity

Question 47

Halloween costume makers and retailers make generous profits from selling costumes that allow their wearers to be Indian princesses or gypsies. What are they engaging in by profiting from the stereotypical display of marginalized groups without fully understanding and appreciating the culture?

A) assimilation
B) miscegenation
C) race consciousness
D) cultural appropriation

Question 48

According to theorists like Edna Bonacich, what is the effect of a split labor market in which workers belonging to one race are paid less than those of a different race?

A) The effects of racism are compounded by poverty.
B) The need to assimilate and achieve greater group cohesion is strengthened.
C) Racial tensions are lessened and conflict decreases.
D) Increasing numbers of workers may attempt to pass as another race.

Question 49

Barack Obama became the first black president in 2009. Some people feel that this election demonstrates that racism is a thing of the past. This way of thinking is typical of

A) color-blind racism.
B) institutional discrimination.
C) racial passing.
D) cultural appropriation.

Question 50

Color blindness contributes to racial inequalities because it

A) leads to overt discriminatory lending in home mortgages resulting in unequal accumulation of wealth by racial minorities.
B) serves to maintain high levels of acceptable discriminatory practices in the workplace.
C) encourages moderate prejudice and discrimination in the system of education.
D) perpetuates racial inequalities by making subtle forms of racism difficult to recognize and therefore difficult to address.

Question 51

What explanation does functionalism have for prejudice and discrimination today?

A) Prejudice and discrimination are the result of a struggle for scarce resources.
B) Prejudice and discrimination are perpetuated by economic but not racial factors.
C) Prejudice and discrimination are established on an international level.
D) Prejudice and discrimination help to increase group cohesion.

Question 52

White privilege is the idea that one group in society enjoys certain unearned privileges and that group members are

A) discriminating blatantly against minority group members.
B) actively seeking to maintain such privileges.
C) largely unaware of the unequal benefits they possess.
D) seeking to change the racial inequalities.

Question 53

What kind of sociologist believes that racial and ethnic identities bind people together and help society run much more efficiently?

A) a structural functionalist
B) a conflict theorist
C) a symbolic interactionist
D) a Weberian

Question 54

Critical race theory explores the relationship among race and what two other concepts?

A) symbolic ethnicity and situational ethnicity
B) individual discrimination and institutional discrimination
C) racism and power
D) race and ethnicity

Question 55

Michelle was born and raised in the United States, but her grandparents are from Korea. Her white classmate was also born and raised in the United States, but his grandparents are from Poland. He tells Michelle that she speaks English very well because he assumes, based on her race, that she is an immigrant. This is an example of

A) color-blind racism.
B) a microaggression.
C) white privilege.
D) reverse racism.

Question 56

Which of the following states passed a law banning affirmative action in higher education?

A) Texas
B) New York
C) Alabama
D) California

Question 57

What do recent theorists like Tomás Almaguer argue that differs from the belief that racism is a product of class differences?

A) Racist beliefs can become part of economic life.
B) Race and class have nothing in common.
C) Many minority groups benefit from government policies, and it is actually whites who are discriminated against.
D) There are very few economic differences between racial groups.

Question 58

Classical Marxist analysis often argued that everything is ultimately determined by the economy, even though, sometimes, it is through many complicated steps. Can economic factors explain racism?

A) No, almost none of the factors associated with racism can be understood in economic terms.
B) The link between race and class is very strong, and almost all sociologists accept that race is primarily a way to keep the working class divided.
C) The link between race and class is useful and important, but it does not provide a satisfactory explanation for all forms of racism.
D) Yes, although the economic origins of racism may be distant now, ultimately, racism began with economic factors.

Question 59

Which term describes the slights, insults, and misperceptions directed at members of a minority group that play out in everyday interactions?

A) microaggressions
B) cultural appropriation
C) antiracism
D) reverse racism

Question 60

Understanding that racism in the United States created and maintains inequality is characteristic of

A) color blindness.
B) race consciousness.
C) white privilege.
D) reverse racism.

Question 61

The fact that so many people are asked, "What are you?" in reference to their race is evidence that

A) race is not all that important.
B) race must be established interactionally.
C) race has a biological basis.
D) it is usually easy to tell someone's race just by looking at him or her.

Question 62

In the novel The Human Stain by Philip Roth, a professor at a college in the Northeast is forced into early retirement after he is accused of racism. The charge turns out to be ironic when the reader learns that the professor has a secret. The professor was born to African American parents and has been covering up his heritage and living as a white man his whole adult life. Of what is this an example?

A) reverse discrimination
B) hegemony
C) individual discrimination
D) passing

Question 63

African American and Hispanic communities are much more likely to be located near toxic waste dumps than white communities. What does this tell you about race in America?

A) Race is an interactional accomplishment.
B) The employment structure of inner cities has collapsed.
C) Even the structure of families is dependent on race.
D) Race can have an effect on health.

Question 64

According to diversity training studies, which of the following leads to increases in managerial diversity?

A) efforts to moderate managerial bias through diversity training
B) efforts to attack social isolation through mentoring
C) efforts to attack social isolation through networking
D) efforts to establish responsibility for diversity

Question 65

In 2015, tech giant Google announced a $150 million plan to get more women and minorities into the tech field. What program did Google likely utilize to accomplish this goal?

A) sensitivity training
B) cultural appropriation
C) diversity training
D) racial passing

Question 66

Dr. Washington just completed a research project in which she interviews African American men and women about their experiences with the criminal justice system with a particular focus on the use of violence and excessive force by police officers. The narratives of her respondents vary significantly by gender and social class, and Dr. Washington believes this is a very important part of her findings. Which of the following theoretical perspectives is represented by Dr. Washington's views?

A) critical race theory
B) embodied identities
C) symbolic interactionism
D) structural functionalism

Question 67

Which term refers to romantic, sexual, or marital relationships between people of different races?

A) homogamy
B) miscegenation
C) endogamy
D) polyandry

Question 68

In Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev's 2016 analysis of 800 U.S. firms, which of the following approaches to diversity did they find was effective?

A) voluntary diversity training programs
B) hiring tests and performance ratings
C) mentoring and college recruitment programs
D) mandatory diversity training programs

Question 69

Low-income women of all ethnicities may be LESS likely to marry because they

A) are less likely to be in love.
B) feel marriage won't offer advantages that make marriage worth the risk.
C) do not value marriage.
D) are discouraged from doing so by the government's policies toward marriage.

Question 70

What is one reason that interracial relationships are still relatively uncommon even though anti-miscegenation laws have been struck down?

A) Powerful cultural stereotypes discourage them.
B) Many people do not realize that such laws have been struck down.
C) Members of interracial couples have a much harder time finding jobs.
D) Federal laws have been struck down, but state and local laws remain.

Question 71

According to a study, black defendants on trial for murder in Pennsylvania were 40% more likely to receive the death penalty than whites convicted of similar crimes. This indicates that

A) blacks are given equal treatment by the U.S. justice system.
B) whites are often the victims of reverse discrimination.
C) the criminal justice system has a racial bias.
D) African Americans commit more murders than other racial or ethnic groups.

Question 72

How do many people hope that the Internet will have a democratic influence on society?

A) It will make the economy more efficient, thus generating more wealth for all.
B) There is no way to see what other people look like in online interactions.
C) It will help train poor people to use technology.
D) It lets corporations gather large amounts of data about individual consumers.

Question 73

In what year did the Supreme Court rule that laws against interracial marriage were unconstitutional?

A) 1958
B) 1967
C) 1965
D) 1971

Question 74

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama argued that racial prejudice is one of America's defining social problems. He was implicitly acknowledging that

A) low-income women of all ethnicities see marriage as having few benefits.
B) membership in socially constructed categories of race and ethnicity can affect people's life chances.
C) race is constructed almost entirely through interaction.
D) racism is driven by economic factors, and any solution to racism must involve affirmative action.

Question 75

Which of the following factors makes someone MOST likely to drop out of high school?

A) having parents who did not attend college
B) living in a rural area
C) having a non-English-speaking background
D) living in the Midwest

Question 76

Jeffery McCune conducted an ethnographic study of gay black men in a Chicago nightclub. He details a space in which their same-sex desires could be comfortably expressed and interactional work to present a conventionally masculine, heterosexual identity was no longer required. What sociological concept is demonstrated by the efforts to maintain a heterosexual persona?

A) prejudice
B) passing
C) institutional racism
D) cultural assimilation

Question 77

What must an individual do in order to sound authentically African American when interacting with others online?

A) be able to include racially relevant content and language in interactions
B) listen to the right kind of music
C) set their avatar or picture to look like a cartoon
D) It is almost impossible, as no one trusts anything they encounter on the Internet.

Question 78

According to Twine (2011), what changes occur in the lives of white women who have families with black men?

A) They elevate their social status by proving they are not racist.
B) They lose some racial privilege through their relationships with their husbands.
C) They are less likely to become mothers because of their fears for their children.
D) They are less likely to divorce because of deeper intimacies with their husbands.

Question 79

What is it called when individuals live as if they were members of a different racial category than the one into which they were born?

A) cultural imperialism
B) racial self-hatred
C) racial passing
D) racial stereotyping

Question 80

Why are there differences in life expectancies for people of different races?

A) disparities in access to health care
B) genetic differences resulting in predispositions to various diseases
C) biological differences given that different races have radically different hormones
D) greatly increased levels of law enforcement violence directed at certain racial groups