Deck 12: Religion, Age, Ability, Appearance, Weight, Social Class, and Work

Question 1

What is currently the largest or most prevalent religious affiliation in the U.S.?

A) Christianity
B) Jewish
C) Unaffiliated
D) Muslim

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following Amendments protects expression of religion?

A) First
B) Second
C) Fifth
D) Seventh

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following has developed under case law as a religious exemption for churches and other religious institutions?

A) may discriminate on all bases for non-ministerial positions
B) protected from all Title VII suits
C) may discriminated only on the basis of religion for non-ministerial positions
D) no exemptions; churches are treated like other employers under the law.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which would be most likely to be found a violation of Title VII?

A) An employee refuses to sign an agreement to "value" homosexual behavior that violates his religious beliefs, though his behavior is not discriminatory.
B) An employee refuses to remove offensive posters from his workplace in an attempt to change others' behavior and attitudes toward homosexuality.
C) An employee asks a co-worker why she wears a hijab.
D) An employer allows open and voluntary participation in an after-work prayer group on the premises.

Question 5

How is the workforce changing in terms of age?

A) The percentage of younger workers (16-24) is dropping.
B) The percentage of older workers (55 and above) is increasing.
C) The percentage of prime age workers (25-54) is decreasing.
D) All of the above.

Question 6

What is prohibited under the ADEA (as amended)?

A) discrimination on the basis of age for those over 16 years of age
B) most mandatory retirements
C) all differential treatment in benefits by age
D) all of these

Question 7

Most issues related to older workers in the workforce stem from

A) entitlement on the part of older workers
B) stereotypes about older workers
C) legitimate concerns with work of older employees
D) increased costs to the company

Question 8

An office recently laid off some more senior employees because of a shift to a complex electronic filing system. Management was concerned that some older employees would have difficulty learning the electronic system and it would be a inefficient and costly to invest in training them because older employees might soon retire. Is the office's decision likely prudent?

A) Yes, it is based in "business necessity."
B) Yes, research has shown significant lower learning ability in older workers.
C) No, this discrimination against the older employees is inappropriate.
D) We cannot tell from the information provided and from research on older workers.

Question 9

Joyce Head was the plaintiff in a lawsuit brought by the EEOC against the cosmetics manufacturer L'Oreal. What was the basis for this suit?

A) religious discrimination
B) disability discrimination
C) age discrimination
D) weight discrimination

Question 10

With respect to generational differences at work,

A) research shows clear differences in personality, job performance, and employee outcomes among Baby-Boomers, Generation X, and Millenials.
B) experience of certain events (e.g., a corporate merger) or holding certain roles at particular times may be as important as chronological age cohort.
C) financial benefits result to the company when generational similarity exists within a particular job category.
D) none of these.

Question 11

Retirement is often a concern for American workers. What percentage of households had no financial preparation for retirement (other than Social Security), based on a survey by the NIRS?

A) 20%
B) 30%
C) 45%
D) 65%

Question 12

An employee leaves career employment but not the labor force. This is called

A) bridge employment.
B) contingent employment.
C) phased retirement.
D) pseudo-retirement.

Question 13

How are weight and appearance different from other physical or demographic attributes of employees?

A) In most cases, the law does not address discrimination on these bases.
B) Unlike other dimensions, they may change quickly.
C) They are less commonly bases for discrimination.
D) All of these.

Question 14

Which of the following is a domain within disability?

A) communicative
B) physical
C) mental
D) all of the above

Question 15

Within the prime working age population,

A) very few individuals with disabilities are able to maintain full-time employment.
B) between 1/3 and ½ of those with disabilities are employed.
C) those with only physical abilities are more likely to be employed than those with only communicative disabilities.
D) those with disabilities show higher turnover and absenteeism rates than others.

Question 16

An accommodation is reasonable when it

A) enables an employee to perform essential job functions.
B) enhances the quality of an employee's life.
C) does not cause undue hardship for the employer.
D) is recommended by a doctor.

Question 17

What is the preferable way to refer to individuals with disabilities?

A) phrases like "handicapped" or "crippled"
B) using the phrase "suffers from [disability]"
C) referring to the person as being disabled
D) using person-first language (persons with disabilities)

Question 18

Accommodations for employees with a disability

A) typically cost nothing or very little (e.g., less than $500).
B) are required whether or not the employee requests them.
C) seldom affect co-workers.
D) are more frequent for physical impairments than for communicative or mental ones.

Question 19

What is the typical price range of an accommodation based on current reports?

A) < $500
B) < $1000
C) > $5000
D) > $7500

Question 20

Discrimination on the basis of weight and/or appearance

A) is seldom found in empirical research despite the perception that it occurs frequently.
B) is generally a violation of Title VII and/or the ADA.
C) occurs similarly for women and men.
D) though often not illegal, creates a non-inclusive climate that can be problematic.

Question 21

Social class as______ would be indicated by _______

A) structure; income level, distinctions between administration and staff.
B) style; clothing, speech pattern, and manners.
C) process; policies that define and limit routes to promotion.
D) all of these.

Question 22

During 2012, approximately how much did the top 20% earn versus the lowest 20%?

A) 90%; 5%
B) more than 50%; less than 5%
C) 25%; 15%
D) these figures have not been calculated.

Question 23

Which is true of socio-economic inequality in the US?

A) The wealth gap is bigger than the income gap.
B) Income inequality is now as high as it was just before the Great Depression.
C) It is larger than in most other countries.
D) all of these.

Question 24

In 2013, the typical CEO's pay was _________ that of the company's other workers.

A) over 300 times
B) over 100 times
C) between twice and three times
D) we don't know; these data are unavailable.

Question 25

Which of the following might denote higher class at a company?

A) a large office
B) being in an "exempt" job category
C) administrative title
D) all of the above

Question 26

What are the largest religious affiliations in the US? What are the smallest? What trends have occurred since the 1970s in religious affiliation in the US?

Question 27

Describe the Constitutional bases for protection of religious belief in the US. Explain the term "separation of church and state." Is it a formal legal protection?

Question 28

What kinds of complaints are usually filed under Title VII based on religion? How are they generally resolved?

Question 29

What difference(s) led to contrasting outcomes in the two religious discrimination cases described in the text (Peterson and Buonanno)?

Question 30

What changes are occurring in the distribution of ages in the US workforce?

Question 31

What types of age discrimination routinely occurred prior to ADEA but are now prohibited? What age discrimination is presently legal under federal law?

Question 32

Typical workforce dilemmas related to age include stereotyping, discrimination, generational differences, and retirement. Describe one example each for any two of these dilemmas.

Question 33

Six stereotypes about older workers are described in the text. Describe any two, and summarize the evidence supporting or refuting each.

Question 34

Describe one actual example of an age discrimination complaint filed with the EEOC. How was it settled?

Question 35

List the four "generations" that are often discussed in the popular press. What does research conclude about these four groups?

Question 36

Joshi and her colleagues have distinguished three ways of thinking about "generations" in organizations. One of these is the chronological age of workers. List the other two, and explain why they might be important in an organization.

Question 37

What are "bridge employment" and "phased retirement"? In what ways can they be helpful to older employees?

Question 38

Describe three retirement-related stressors for older employees. Why should diversity professionals be aware of these?

Question 39

Among the diversity dimensions discussed in this text, limited ability is different in two important ways. Explain one of these.

Question 40

Among the diversity dimensions discussed in this text, how are body size and appearance different? Give two reasons.

Question 41

What is legally required under the ADA?

Question 42

Does the ADA protect employees against discrimination based on weight or appearance? Why or why not?

Question 43

Describe two stereotypes about persons with disabilities. Are these accurate?

Question 44

Give examples of two respectful forms of language concerning those with disabilities.

Question 45

As diversity officer, you are contacted by a supervisor who is concerned about the cost of accommodating a job candidate with a disability. What would you say to this supervisor?

Question 46

In some cases, coworkers and supervisors may be concerned about employment of an individual with a disability. Other than cost of accommodation, describe two such concerns. How would you handle these situations as a diversity officer?

Question 47

Why should the diversity professional be concerned about discrimination on the basis of appearance and/or weight? What does research show about this form of discrimination?

Question 48

Explain why organizations are said to have a "class structure."

Question 49

What does it mean to say that in organizations, class can refer to "structure," "process," or "style"? Give an example of each.

Question 50

What are "exempt" and "non-exempt" employees? Show how this forms a kind of class distinction in organizations.

Question 51

Pick one work organization with which you are familiar. Do you see "class distinctions" in that organization? Why or why not?

Question 52

How does an employee union create a "class structure" in a unionized work organization?