Deck 9: Race and Ethnicity: With Emphasis on Social Construction

Question 1

For many in the United States, it seems logical and natural to place Barack Obama in the racial category of "black," even in the face of clear evidence that he is of mixed biological heritage. This is an example of

A)racial awareness.
B)racial common sense.
C)selective forgetting.
D)racism.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The process by which people forget, dismiss, or fail to pass on an ethnic heritage is known as

A)involuntary forgetting.
B)involuntary ethnicity.
C)selective forgetting.
D)selective perception.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Under the U.S. system of racial classification, people with ancestors from Pakistan and Siberia are expected to identify themselves as

A)Asian.
B)Native American.
C)black.
D)white.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When Julia was doing research on her family tree she learned that she was not only of German heritage she was also Italian. She bought a flag and also read Italian history. This is an example of

A)ethnic shifting.
B)ethnic cleansing.
C)ethnic revitalization.
D)ethnic renewal.

Question 5

Which one of the following is not one of the six official racial categories in the United States?

A)white
B)Hispanic
C)Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
D)American Indian or Alaskan Native

Question 6

The tern "Hispanic," created in 1970 by the U.S. government, groups together people from, or with ancestors from, 21 Central and South American countries that were once former colonies of Spain. Now people from these countries must identify as "Hispanic." This speaks to dynamics underlying

A)a bureaucracy.
B)ethnic renewal.
C)selective forgetting.
D)involuntary ethnicity.

Question 7

When given the chance to identify with more than one race, ________________ percent of U.S. residents do so.

A)Less than five
B)15
C)20
D)30

Question 8

In 2001, Brazilian public universities

A)did away with affirmative action policies.
B)required applicants to identify with one of two racial categories-white or black.
C)removed race from their applications.
D)encouraged applicants to identify with multiracial identities.

Question 9

In 2000, the United States system of racial classification changed such that people

A)could identify with only one racial category.
B)could no longer claim racial identity.
C)can identify themselves as belonging to more than one of 63 racial categories.
D)could refuse to answer the race question.

Question 10

James identifies himself as just "Irish" even though he knows one of his grandfathers was from Spain. This example speaks to the process of

A)selective forgetting.
B)involuntary ethnicity.
C)ethnic pride.
D)ethnic renewal.

Question 11

Darius remarks "when people find out that I prefer country music to rap music they are surprised and say things like 'a black guy who doesn't like rap? What's wrong with you?" This illustrates the dynamics underlying

A)racism.
B)racial common sense.
C)racial awareness.
D)racial classification.

Question 12

Some social critics maintain that the U.S. government classifies people of Middle Eastern and Arab ancestry as "white" because

A)most Middle Easterners self-classify themselves as white.
B)the Middle East holds important symbolic values that whites with power to classify hoped to associate with their "race."
C)this ancestry group doesn't fit clearly into the "black" category.
D)the dominant population classifies Middle Easterners as "white."

Question 13

The label Hispanic is confusing because it forces people to identify themselves with conquistadors and settlers from which one of the following countries?

A)Britain.
B)Brazil.
C)Spain.
D)Portugal.

Question 14

Brazil's black consciousness movement

A)seeks to overthrow the Brazilian government.
B)promotes multi-racial identities.
C)employ a 2-category system of racial classification.
D)advocates the dismantling of racial categories.

Question 15

The categories of white (branco), brown (pardo), black (preto), yellow (amarelo), and indigenous (indigena)are part of which system of racial classification in Brazil?

A)the official categories used by the Brazilian government.
B)the categories promoted by the black consciousness movement
C)the categories used in Brazilian popular language
D)the official categories used for affirmative action purposes

Question 16

On the 2000 U.S. Census, for the first time in history, people

A)could only be one race.
B)of mixed racial heritage had to identify with one category.
C)could identify with more than one racial category.
D)could refuse to answer the race question.

Question 17

According to the U.S. system of racial classification, people of Middle Eastern and Arab ancestries are officially classified as

A)Asian.
B)black.
C)white.
D)Other.

Question 18

To _____________ racial categories is to treat them as if they are real and meaningful and to forget they are made up.

A)justify
B)question
C)reify
D)classify

Question 19

Which of the following is true about race in Brazil?

A)Most people think of themselves as one race.
B)Everyone fits neatly into a single racial category.
C)Most people think of themselves as multi-racial.
D)For most of its history, Brazil discouraged sexual relationships between whites and non-whites.

Question 20

It is significant that the U.S. definition of ________________ does not include a reference to original peoples ?

A)American Indian
B)Asian
C)black or African-American
D)white

Question 21

_______ are subpopulations within a society that are systematically excluded from full participation in society and denied equal opportunities to power, prestige, and wealth.

A)Stigmatized groups
B)Minority groups
C)The foreign born
D)The native born

Question 22

In the U.S. sexual relationships between enslaved women and their master produced not only "mixed race" offspring but also sons and daughters. Yet the system of racial classification assigned the offspring of these unions to the race of the mother. This situation speaks to the importance of ____________ in determining race.

A)chance
B)choice
C)context
D)achieved characteristics

Question 23

_____________ is the larger social setting in which racial and ethnic categories are recognized, created, and challenged.

A)Chance
B)Context
C)Choice
D)Conscious

Question 24

Which one of the following categories has the best chance of living a long life in the United States?

A)black males
B)white women
C)white men
D)Asian females

Question 25

______________ occurs when all of the important and meaningful primary relationships (dating, play, school, and fraternity groups)are confined largely to people of the same racial and ethnic groups.

A)Assimilation
B)Stratification
C)Segregation
D)Acculturation

Question 26

Melting pot assimilation

A)is a one-sided process in which a minority group is absorbed into the dominant culture.
B)exists when a minority group identifies with the dominant culture.
C)occurs when a minority group procreates with those of a dominant group.
D)is a new process of cultural blending in which the groups involved accept new behaviors and values from one another.

Question 27

In the United States, those of Native American, African, Mexican, and Hawaiian descent are examples of

A)voluntary minorities.
B)involuntary minorities.
C)dominant groups.
D)official ethnic groups.

Question 28

Which one of the following statements about minority status is false ?

A)A minority may be the numerical majority in a society.
B)Minorities do not enjoy the freedom or the privilege to move within the society in the same way that members of the dominant group do.
C)People that belong to a minority group are treated as a category, not as individuals.
D)Minority status is a sociological term that applies exclusively to racial and ethnic groups.

Question 29

Sociologists use the concept _________ in reference to those who have little to no awareness of an ethnic identity because their culture is considered normative or mainstream.

A)involuntary ethnicity
B)primary ethnicity
C)ethnic renewal
D)hidden ethnicity

Question 30

In an interview, Tiger Woods remarked, "In this country, I'm looked at as being black. When I go to Thailand, I'm considered Thai. It's very interesting. And when I go to Japan, I'm considered Asian. I don't know why it is, but it just is." Woods' observations speak to the importance of

A)choice.
B)context.
C)chance.
D)achieved characteristics

Question 31

Which one of the following categories has the greatest chance of going to prison in the United States?

A)black males
B)Asian males
C)Native American males
D)white males

Question 32

Which one of the following groups are counted as an ethnic groups in Brazil?

A)those who consider themselves brown.
B)the indigenous people who live within its borders.
C)those considered multiracial.
D)there are no official ethnic groups in Brazil

Question 33

______________ relates to those personal qualities not determined by choice or effort.

A)Chance
B)Context
C)Choice
D)Conscious

Question 34

__________ assimilation produces a newly blended cultural system.

A)Melting pot
B)Absorption
C)Involuntary
D)Voluntary

Question 35

When asked what ethnicity she is, Ruth says "I don't have an ethnicity, I'm just white." This is an example of

A)involuntary ethnicity.
B)primary ethnicity.
C)ethnic renewal.
D)hidden ethnicity.

Question 36

In the United States, "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Central or South American culture or origin" is known as

A)a conquistador.
B)a Pacific Islander.
C)a Hispanic.
D)non-white.

Question 37

Robyn noticed that international students on campus tend to interact with each other and seem to avoid interaction with Americans. The same is true for American-born students. This situation is an example of

A)absorption assimilation
B)involuntary migration
C)segregation
D)melting pot assimilation

Question 38

We do not choose our biological parents nor can we control the physical characteristics we inherit from them. These facts speak to the role of ___________ in determining race and ethnicity.

A)chance
B)choice
C)context
D)understanding

Question 39

Tiger Woods' mother is half Thai, one-quarter Chinese, and one-quarter white. His father is half black, one-quarter Chinese, and one-quarter American Indian. Tiger appears "black." Tiger's physical appearance reflects the importance of ___________ in regard to racial classification.

A)chance
B)context
C)choice
D)consciousness

Question 40

In __________ assimilation, members of a minority, ethnic, or racial group adapt to the ways of the dominant group.

A)melting pot
B)absorption
C)involuntary
D)voluntary

Question 41

"No person or corporation shall require any white female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which Negro men are placed." This Alabama law is an example of __________ Laws.

A)Civil Rights
B)Jim Crow
C)Civil War era
D)Integration

Question 42

From a sociological point of view, race is a

A)biological construction.
B)genetic construction.
C)human construction.
D)misconstruction.

Question 43

Rachel's friend who considers herself Asian does not do well on math tests. Rachel thinks she should be good at math because she is Asian. To support her stereotype Rachel sees her friend as

A)not really Asian.
B)as not trying.
C)as an "exception to the rule."
D)as more White than Asian.

Question 44

Eugenics presented itself is as

A)a science seeking to improve society through the betterment of living conditions.
B)a science seeking to improve society by ridding the world of 'degenerate' races.
C)an applied science with the purpose of identifying ways to improve the genetic composition of populations.
D)a movement encouraging racial segregation.

Question 45

The distinction between prejudice and discrimination is that

A)prejudice is a behavior, and discrimination is an attitude.
B)prejudice is an attitude, and discrimination is a behavior.
C)prejudice is an ideology, and discrimination is an attitude.
D)prejudice is an attitude, and discrimination is an ideology.

Question 46

Stereotypes are supported and reinforced in a number of ways. Which of the following is one of those ways?

A)Prejudiced people fail to notice facts that support stereotypes.
B)Prejudiced people can see no exceptions to the rule.
C)Prejudiced people fail to recognize information that contradicts generalizations.
D)Prejudiced people think they are not racist.

Question 47

Mary's supervisor tells her that the only way to prevent theft is to follow black customers as they shop. Mary complies because she does not want to lose her job. Mary is a

A)nonprejudiced nondiscriminator.
B)nonprejudiced discriminator.
C)prejudiced nondiscriminator.
D)prejudiced discriminator.

Question 48

Bill notes that black athletes dominate the sport of basketball and uses that as evidence of natural leaping ability. At the same time, he does not use the same kind of logic to explain why white athletes dominate gymnastics. Bill is guilty of

A)selective perception.
B)assimilation.
C)institutionalized discrimination.
D)non-prejudiced discrimination.

Question 49

Which one of the following statements describes how minorities respond to stigmatization?

A)Minorities respond as passive victims.
B)Minorities respond in predictable, aggressive ways.
C)Minorities claim "discrimination" even when it doesn't exist.
D)Minorities respond in a variety of ways to being treated as members of a category.

Question 50

When hair is evaluated in racial terms such that "bad" hair is associated with the racial category "black" and good hair with the category "white" it is

A)reified.
B)institutionalized.
C)racialized.
D)idealized.

Question 51

"All marriages of white persons with Negroes, Mulattos, Mongolians, or Malaya hereafter contracted in the State of Wyoming are and shall be illegal and void." This Wyoming law is an example of a law that enforced

A)integration.
B)segregation.
C)absorption assimilation.
D)pluralism.

Question 52

A major real estate company trains its agents to show houses located in neighborhoods dominated by the racial appearance of their clients. The company is guilty of

A)individual discrimination.
B)racist ideology.
C)institutional discrimination.
D)prejudice.

Question 53

Modern racism

A)emerged as a way to justify European exploitation of people and resources in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
B)is a product of the civil rights movement.
C)was made illegal under Jim Crow.
D)emerged as a result of melting pot assimilation.

Question 54

When studying stigmas, Goffman maintained that the primary focus should be on

A)what he calls "mixed contacts".
B)the attribute that is defined as the stigma.
C)the three types of stigmas.
D)"normals. "

Question 55

One study found that the lightest-skin immigrants to the U.S. earn 16 to 23 cents more on the dollar than their darkest-skinned immigrant counterparts. In this case skin shade has been

A)reified.
B)institutionalized.
C)racialized.
D)idealized.

Question 56

A stigma is considered discrediting because

A)it damages the possessor's reputation.
B)it means the person cannot get financial credit.
C)it overshadows all other attributes that a person might possess.
D)it draws attention to other positive and negative characteristics.

Question 57

Goffman used the term "normal" to mean

A)healthy.
B)well-adjusted.
C)the stigma-free.
D)unique.

Question 58

Many people believe that white men can't jump and are slow based on their observations of the relatively small number of white men who play professional basketball. This belief is derived from which one of the following processes?

A)selective perception
B)assimilation
C)institutionalized discrimination
D)structural strain

Question 59

According to sociologist Erving Goffman, the very anticipation of contact can cause the "normals" and the stigmatized to try to avoid one another. This is because the two parties

A)wish to resist the social pressures pushing them to interact with one another.
B)wish to avoid discomfort, rejection, and suspicions they encounter from people in the other group.
C)believe they cannot form a relationship that matches the "ideal" kind of relationship portrayed in the media.
D)have experienced negative reactions from everyone they have encountered in the other group.

Question 60

Federal sentences issued for crack cocaine offenses are three to six times longer than those for offenses involving equal amounts of powder cocaine. Approximately 85 percent of defendants convicted of crack offenses in federal court are black, whereas 78 percent of defendants in powder cocaine cases are white; thus, the severe sentences are imposed "primarily upon black offenders". This is an example of

A)individual discrimination.
B)prejudice.
C)institutional discrimination.
D)the success of the war on drugs.

Question 61

According to ________________ theory, people do not question basic assumptions they hold about race.

A)dependency
B)modernization
C)racial formation
D)assimilation

Question 62

Consider Goffman's concepts of stigma and mixed contacts. Describe a mixed contact that you have observed where the interaction proceeded according to the possibilities outlined by Goffman. If you cannot think of an example that fits Goffman's model, describe an interaction that does not fit the model, and explain why Goffman's principles did not apply.

Question 63

Sociologists believe that "race is a construct." Explain what this means. Use Brazil's and the U.S. system as a case in point.

Question 64

What is your race? In answering this question explain how your race is a product of chance, choice, and context.

Question 65

Among other things, the Immigration Act of 1924 severely limited the number of Asians allowed to immigrate to the U.S. The law is an example of

A)integration.
B)racial common sense.
C)institutionalized discrimination.
D)absorption assimilation.

Question 66

If you were asked to give a seminar to improve race relations, what three ideas or concepts in this chapter would you be sure to emphasize? Explain why you would emphasize these three.