Deck 12: Understanding Institutions: Education

Question 1

A youth and his family are homeless. His mother is single and does not have a high school diploma. They are constantly moving from place to place, and he must switch schools each time. He is a very smart student, which has allowed him to keep up with his work even with all of these problems. Based on meritocracy, the youth will most likely ______.

A) continue the status of his family and drop out of school
B) become frustrated and turn to criminal behaviors
C) finish high school and work at a minimum wage job
D) will ultimately succeed due to hard work

Answer 1

D

Question 2

As adults, most Americans ______ their parents.

A) earn higher salaries than
B) occupy the same socioeconomic status as
C) earn lower salaries than
D) occupy a higher socioeconomic status than

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which statement best describes education?

A) a socially constructed institution in which upper-class children are taught social and intellectual skills
B) a publicly run organization that focuses on producing good citizens
C) an institutionalized process in which culture and history as well as social and intellectual skills are taught
D) a privately run institution that fosters a sense of well-being and dignity

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A student in a military family must move and change schools often. How does the fact that education is institutionalized impact this student?

A) There are many aspects of different schools that are consistent so the student will experience a level of stability.
B) There are many levels of social status that will interact with the student based on family income.
C) There are different levels of education provided to different students based on military rank.
D) There are different aspects of education in different schools that will provide the student with entirely different forms of organization.

Question 5

How did the rise of manufacturing in the industrial age impact the system of education at the time?

A) With parents working away from the home, there was a need for public education.
B) With one parent working away from home, the other parent took on the role of educating children.
C) Many children were not educated because parents did not have the time or energy.
D) Private home tutoring took the place of home schooling with the advent of higher incomes.

Question 6

In which era did the United States began to establish a compulsory education system?

A) the early modern
B) the digital
C) the agricultural
D) the industrial

Question 7

A peasant child's education during preindustrial society was likely comprised of ______.

A) attending a small school where basic reading and writing skills were taught
B) working alongside their parents and learning skills and values from their family
C) receiving an education based largely from religious texts
D) studying art and philosophy in order to become an enlightened thinker

Question 8

In agrarian societies, the means of production was ______.

A) men and women
B) small, home based businesses
C) farming
D) domesticating animals

Question 9

In agrarian societies, ______ was the source of economic and social power.

A) income and investment
B) land ownership
C) political party
D) size of the family

Question 10

How did the Industrial Revolution impact education in the United States?

A) It provided the tools for creating the buildings.
B) It provided a place for wealthy factory owners to send their children.
C) It provided a means of training people to work in the new labor positions.
D) It provided the means of moving people closer to schools.

Question 11

What was a major reason for the expansion of formal education during the Industrial Revolution?

A) Fewer upper-class children were attending schools allowing for working-class youth to attend.
B) Women were encouraged to enter the public sphere and contribute financially.
C) The changing economy created a need for new skills, such as reading and writing.
D) The competition for factory jobs became more intense.

Question 12

Which generation became the largest and most highly educated, creating an increase in the demand for goods and services?

A) The baby boomer generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) The millennial generation

Question 13

As professional and service jobs have increased in number, higher-paid work requires more education and/or technical training, as well as ______.

A) stable family life
B) good mental health
C) excellent physical health
D) strong social skills

Question 14

Which theory argues that education teaches socialization skills, shared culture, and?

A) Marxist
B) Conflict
C) Functionalist
D) Symbolic interactionism

Question 15

Functionalist theorists argue that education has ______ that teaches children gender appropriate roles and behaviors.

A) a hidden curriculum
B) social constructs
C) overt functions
D) a blatant curriculum

Question 16

How would functionalists see the purpose of education?

A) as a means of producing workers who are trained to perform jobs
B) as a means of maintaining the power structure through obedience
C) as a means of conveying the symbols of the country
D) as a means of creating workers for capitalist exploitation

Question 17

Functionalists note that we learn how to behave appropriately in structured small group settings that reinforce social norms while in school. This refers to ______.

A) primary socialization
B) secondary socialization
C) pedagogical socialization
D) dynamic socialization

Question 18

How would secondary socialization impact a grocery shopping trip?

A) Shoppers use math and budget their money.
B) Shoppers know to wait in line to check out.
C) Shoppers can read the labels on the items to make decisions.
D) Shoppers create lists they can use to pick up what they need.

Question 19

According to the ______ perspective, public schools promote social mobility, as well as enable everyone to succeed and contribute to society.

A) functionalist
B) conflict
C) symbolic interactionist
D) feminist

Question 20

A sociologist who argues that education and school systems are shaped by power dynamics in society aligns with the ______ perspective.

A) feminist
B) symbolic interactionist
C) conflict
D) functionalist

Question 21

According to Jonathan Kozol, how do poor and wealthy schools differ?

A) Inequality between poor and wealthy schools manifests through poor infrastructure, few supplies, and overworked teachers.
B) Regardless of economic resources, schools provide equal opportunities.
C) Differences between poor and wealthy schools have little to do with one's success later in life.
D) Poor schools have inadequate facilities, but have access to technological resources through grant funds.

Question 22

How would a conflict theorist teach a history lessons about Westward expansion in America?

A) It portrays an exciting time in history that symbolized the ruggedness of the people who tamed the West.
B) It portrays an accurate account of the determination and interaction between settlers and Native Americans.
C) It acts to reinforce dominant ideologies that gloss over the violence inflicted on the Native American race.
D) It acts to inform future generations about the problems previous generations faced.

Question 23

Which perspective focuses on how social interactions create and reproduce meaning within school experiences?

A) symbolic interactionist
B) conflict
C) functionalist
D) feminist

Question 24

A high school football player enjoys playing the flute outside of school. He is not a part of the school band because he knows his teammates and coach would see him as an outsider. How would a symbolic interactionist explain this?

A) High school sports teams do not want members thinking about anything other than the sport.
B) High school groups often define how members should or should not interact with other groups.
C) High school sports team members have power and should not associate with lower-powered groups like band members.
D) High school groups serve to help socialize members and members should concentrate on just one group at a time.

Question 25

According to sociological research on schools, in addition to inequality between wealthy and poor schools, inequality in the classroom occurs daily. Which group is at the greatest risk for racial bias inside the classroom?

A) Black males
B) Asian females
C) Asian males
D) White males

Question 26

According to the ______ perspective, curriculum in schools focuses only on perspectives of those in power and thus reinforces the status quo and ideologies of the powerful.

A) Marxist
B) functionalism
C) symbolic interactionist
D) conflict

Question 27

According to the ______ theory, school curriculum helps create a false consciousness among poor and working-class families because they do not challenge national social and political structures.

A) conflict
B) feminist
C) functionalist
D) symbolic interactionist

Question 28

Conflict theorists argue that the ways teachers view students' social class causes ______.

A) racial harmony
B) social stratification
C) gender equality
D) religious tolerance

Question 29

A student from an economically disfranchised home has trouble getting to school on time, listening to the teacher, and rarely answers questions in class due to low self-confidence. As a result, the student will most likely be ______.

A) guided into a low skilled and low paid job
B) encouraged to work harder in order to get a better job than his parents
C) better prepared for the challenging work in college
D) tracked into higher reading level courses in order to encourage the student to do better

Question 30

How would a student from a lower-class family with parents of low levels of education most likely perform in school?

A) He will likely engage in criminal activity.
B) He will be able to participate better in structured activities.
C) He will have a better chance at getting a sports scholarship.
D) He will have a harder time adopting school norms.

Question 31

Studies show that the strongest predictor for educational success depends on ______.

A) encouragement from teachers and administrators
B) socialization skills and the ability to make friends
C) an individual's personality and sense of work ethic
D) the parents' education and income levels

Question 32

At Sunny Day daycare center, employees mainly watch the children and play games with them. How would a new administrator make changes to improve the cognitive development of a child at preschool age?

A) Increase the educational activities to maximize this time of strong brain development.
B) Increase unstructured play time to help children learn to socialize with each other.
C) Increase nap time to ensure that children in this age group are able to get enough sleep and concentrate on tasks.
D) Increase the number of snack breaks the children get so they have more energy.

Question 33

The court case ______ declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1954.

A) Loving v. Virginia
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Engel v. Ferguson School District
D) Roe v. Wade

Question 34

Two public schools, one in a poorer neighborhood of color and one in a wealthier, white neighborhood, spend state funding from property taxes the same way. How could racial inequality still be apparent?

A) The wealthier school can rely on private donations in addition to tax funding.
B) The school in the minority neighborhood may have lower local taxes and property values.
C) The school in the wealthy neighborhood may receive more state aid than the school in the neighborhood of color.
D) Both schools limit the number of students from different neighborhoods who can attend.

Question 35

An external source that affects student performance and teacher access to supplies is ______.

A) property tax revenue
B) classroom motivation
C) social norms in the classroom
D) school credentials held by administrative officials

Question 36

A minority high school student is steered toward vocational classes rather than college preparatory classes. How would tracking explain this?

A) The student would be placed in vocational classes based on the results of a personality test.
B) The student's interests would be noted throughout high school to find a career match.
C) The student would be placed based on social standing and cultural capital.
D) The student's interests and level of intelligence would dictate what the school would offer.

Question 37

When entering high school, students are separated into different groups based on their educational performance in elementary school, test scores, and academic goals. This is an example of ______.

A) hidden curriculum
B) secondary socialization
C) school choice
D) tracking

Question 38

A student would like to take Advanced Placement courses at his high school. Based on his lack of interaction with peers and his poor vocabulary, his teachers and guidance counselor do not place him into AP courses. This is an example of ______.

A) tracking
B) favoritism
C) entitlement
D) nepotism

Question 39

Which post-WWII act made higher education available to students regardless of social class?

A) Demobilization Act of 1945
B) G.I. Bill
C) No Child Left Behind
D) Pell Grant Act

Question 40

Which statement best describes the results of affirmative action?

A) It prohibits educational discrimination based on gender.
B) It guarantees equal rights for all students.
C) It increases minority populations in colleges and universities.
D) It decreases racial minorities in colleges and universities.

Question 41

A series of recent court decision on affirmative actions have determined ______.

A) schools can only consider race when the applicant's parents are both minorities
B) it is only constitutional to consider race as part of individualized assessments of each applicant
C) it is acceptable to use race as a consideration as long as the minority students accepted fit within defined quotas
D) it is never acceptable to consider race in a college application.

Question 42

A young woman receives her PhD and gets a good job in a male-dominated field. Which of the following will she most likely experience?

A) Her male coworkers will be given less respect than her.
B) Her male coworkers will receive higher salaries.
C) Her male coworkers will be jealous of her accomplishments.
D) Her male coworkers will earn benefits and pay comparable to hers.

Question 43

In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 164 governments agreed on a plan for meeting some key education goals by 2015. What has been a result of this forum?

A) They were unable to reduce the number of children and adolescents out of school.
B) School attendance increased dramatically.
C) Gender parity decreased, although it was not an original goal.
D) Close to 100 percent of primary school age children attend school.

Question 44

Which nation has the highest performance on standardized testing of secondary students?

A) Germany
B) Canada
C) The United States
D) Finland

Question 45

Using Finland as an example, how would the removal of tracking and a move toward a learner-centered approach impact educational practices in the United States?

A) It would add more options in vocational schools.
B) It would support students as they follow their own paths.
C) It would weaken vocational schools and strengthen colleges.
D) It would increase compulsory subjects in high school.

Question 46

Ninety percent of the brain's architecture develops by age ______.

A) two
B) five
C) sixteen
D) nineteen

Question 47

How would an education development specialist use the results of the Abecedarian project to decide what to concentrate on in education programs like Head Start?

A) By adding more activities for older children who need the continuity
B) By reducing the structured activities for younger children who are not yet ready for them
C) By increasing programs for babies and toddlers to help boost later school performance
D) By testing children at a younger age to see where they will fit in when they go to elementary school

Question 48

What were the findings in the report A Nation at Risk?

A) U.S. schools are increasingly being targeted by domestic terrorists.
B) U.S. schools have underperformed and are not globally competitive.
C) U.S. high schools rank near the top of Global North countries, but elementary schools rank much lower.
D) U.S. schools improved markedly under No Child Left Behind.

Question 49

Beginning in the 1990s, states began passing laws authorizing ______schools, which are publicly funded schools governed by parents, educators, community groups, or private organizations.

A) magnet
B) charter
C) community
D) private

Question 50

Supporters of ______ models of education argue that if a family feels their school is inadequate they can opt for an alternative.

A) nationalized
B) public
C) private
D) market

Question 51

A government funded program that allows parents to use state funded allotments for either public or private education is called ______.

A) a voucher program
B) a charter program
C) tracking
D) welfare capitalism

Question 52

Critics argue that increased use of vouchers will ______.

A) further integrate schools by class
B) result in all socioeconomic levels using vouchers to send their children to the best schools
C) diminish the resources of the public schools they leave behind
D) fill charter schools with students whose parents likely have less education and lower incomes

Question 53

What has been the outcome of No Child Left Behind?

A) The quality and competitiveness of U.S. schools have improved.
B) Test scores have improved for disadvantaged groups.
C) The emphasis on high-stakes testing has resulted in increased funding to arts and the humanities.
D) Test preparation has taken classroom time from physical education, arts, and the humanities.

Question 54

What is the intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act passed recently by Congress?

A) to take away school funding if schools don't meet a minimum standard
B) to close schools that have poor student performance
C) to require testing of students to determine school progress
D) to undo some of the negative consequences of No Child Left Behind

Question 55

What have state governments done to institutions of higher education across the country?

A) provided opportunities for high-tech training
B) funded programs for training outside the traditional college setting
C) cut funding to colleges and universities
D) supported policy options with clear evidence to support decisions

Question 56

Industrialization was the catalyst for public schools to train workers.

Question 57

Vocational schools are operating on outdated principles that do not prepare students for jobs in today's market.

Question 58

Education serves a latent function of caring for children while parents work.

Question 59

According to functionalist theory, education acts as primary socialization because it teaches obedience to authority.

Question 60

The children of parents with higher levels of education are often coached for the classroom.

Question 61

James Coleman found that the strongest determinant of students' success was the quality of the schools and teachers.

Question 62

The changing economic climate has led to many innovative adjustments by the United States in childcare and early education in order to compensate for working mothers.

Question 63

Academic tracking has been shown to aid students in career choice and improve self-esteem.

Question 64

Income-based higher education admission policies promote social class diversity but do not achieve strong minority representation.

Question 65

Today, more men than women attain a college degree.

Question 66

Student exchange programs help educate future workers about different cultures.

Question 67

The Finnish school system educates all children without tracking and requires all teachers to have at least a master's degree.

Question 68

Research indicates that early formal education strategies for toddlers does not increase the likelihood of earning a college degree.

Question 69

The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act resulted in an increase in teaching to the test.

Question 70

Explain how today's education system reflects the industrial age more than the information era.

Question 71

Discuss how schools are essential to secondary socialization.

Question 72

Discuss the intention of universal access to education.

Question 73

Explain why student exchange programs are important to businesses.

Question 74

What is the purpose of school vouchers?

Question 75

Compare and contrast the educational differences between the poorest and richest schools in the United States.

Question 76

Explain why socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of student outcomes.

Question 77

How does gender factor into higher educational achievement and success in the workplace?

Question 78

Discuss the positive factors of the Finnish system of education.

Question 79

Explain the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and its relationship to school choice.