Deck 6: Creating Classrooms That Address Race and Ethnicity

Question 1

Which of the following might be considered true of classrooms that actively address issues related to race and ethnicity?

A) Teachers become active agents of change.
B) Teachers reach out to community organizations.
C) Students interact with community groups involved in change efforts.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

All of the following might be good uses of content area knowledge in a classroom that is sensitive to race and ethnicity, EXCEPT:

A) the history of diversity in the United States.
B) the concepts of genotype and phenotype.
C) ethnocentric-oriented textbooks and resources.
D) unbiased content materials.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

One problem with some standardized assessments is that:

A) they have been normed on only one racial or ethnic group.
B) they are "aimed" at only one group of students.
C) they may be very difficult.
D) they are often too easy.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The term that refers to the belief that one's own "ways" are good, natural, and right is:

A) relativism.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) constructivism.
D) adjustment.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an extreme case of prejudice?

A) racism
B) hate groups
C) racial profiling
D) ethnocentrism

Question 6

Which of the following correctly describes the adjustment function of prejudice?

A) prejudicial attitudes that protect self-concepts
B) prejudicial attitudes that aid in dealing with a complex world
C) prejudicial attitudes that demonstrate one's own virtues
D) prejudicial attitudes that offer criteria for making decisions about outgroups

Question 7

Which of the following correctly describes the value-expressive function of prejudice?

A) prejudicial attitudes that protect self-concepts
B) prejudicial attitudes that aid in dealing with a complex world
C) prejudicial attitudes that demonstrate one's self-image to others
D) prejudicial attitudes that offer criteria for making decisions about outgroups

Question 8

All of the following are the components of prejudice, EXCEPT:

A) the behavioral component.
B) the adjustment component.
C) the affective component.
D) the cognitive component.

Question 9

A true statement about the cognitive component of prejudice is that:

A) it refers to the feelings that accompany a person's thoughts about members of a particular group.
B) it is the component most often thought of when people think of prejudice.
C) it refers to the need people have to simplify the world around them.
D) it is the discriminatory behavior that people who harbor negative prejudices direct toward others.

Question 10

The practice of racial profiling is best described as:

A) a marketing strategy.
B) a practice of law enforcement that targets the minority group.
C) a political practice that hopes to ensure votes for a candidate.
D) all of these answers are correct.

Question 11

A true statement about the affective component of prejudice is that:

A) it refers to the need people have to simplify the world around them.
B) it is the discriminatory behavior that people who harbor negative prejudices direct toward others.
C) it refers to the feelings that accompany a person's thoughts about members of a particular group.
D) it is the component people avoid considering when they think of prejudice.

Question 12

According to the authors, the best conditions under which social contact can be improved include:

A) equal status contact, subordinate goals, ability grouping, and personal familiarity.
B) equal status contact, subordinate goals, justified hierarchies, and personal familiarity.
C) school norms encouraging intergroup interaction, grouping by ability, personal familiarity, and subordinate goals.
D) personal familiarity, school norms encouraging intergroup interaction, equal status contact, and superordinate goals.

Question 13

It is wise to be cautious when applying the contact hypothesis (bringing students from different groups together) because:

A) monocultural schools are not good places to try the contact hypothesis.
B) students never believe anything teachers say anyway.
C) equal status within the school may not translate to equal contact outside of the school.
D) change is difficult.

Question 14

The authors of this text make the following recommendations to teachers for creating classroom environments that encourage critical thought, EXCEPT:

A) setting aside a specific time each day to practice critical thinking skills.
B) creating an environment of safety, trust, and respect.
C) maintaining a balance between student talk and teacher talk.
D) emphasizing metacognition.

Question 15

Improving self-confidence and self-acceptance in students:

A) often increases prejudice.
B) often decreases prejudice.
C) doesn't affect prejudice very much.
D) leads to the formation of ingroups.

Question 16

Prejudice implies a lack of thought or care in making a judgment about others.

Question 17

Although racial and ethnic prejudice can be expressed in both positive and negative ways, in the United States it has primarily positive connotations.

Question 18

In classrooms that address race and ethnicity, teachers, especially those working primarily with children from the majority culture, need to be aware that their students do not always understand the role of race in their lives.

Question 19

The term "phenotype"
refers to visible traits such as skin color, while the term "genotype"
refers to the shared genetic material.

Question 20

Prejudicial attitudes that make the stereotypical knowledge of one's ingroup the basis of one's personal judgments and actions illustrate the ego-defensive function of prejudice.

Question 21

Children may learn prejudice as a survival technique, as a way to fit into a group.

Question 22

The term "hate group"
refers to any organized body that denigrates or advocates the use of violence against select groups of people based on their race, religion, or sexual orientation.

Question 23

Cognitive complexity refers to the degree to which an individual differentiates or makes distinctions between discrete aspects of an event, and/or makes connections or relationships among these elements.

Question 24

The term "metacognition"
refers to becoming aware of how one has come to a decision.

Question 25

Cooperative learning strategies refer to a set of approaches that modify standard academic topics in such a way that the materials are learned in small, oftentimes interethnic, cooperative learning groups.

Question 26

Briefly define three functions of prejudice, and discuss their roles in prejudice formation.

Question 27

Katz has proposed that one of the reasons that prejudice is so common, and so hard to eliminate, is that it has several functions in an individual's life. Briefly name these functions, and describe how they work in people's lives.

Question 28

Consider the effects that the media has on children today. What negative attitudes presented by the media concern you the most? How could the presentation of negative attitudes be changed to present a more balanced view of different groups? What would a balanced view look like in this case?

Question 29

Briefly discuss the concept of "white privilege,"
and give some examples of privileges that whites have in a society.

Question 30

List at least three factors that influence the development of critical thinking, and describe how each factor might help an individual to reduce his or her own prejudice.