Deck 4: Race As a Social Construct

Question 1

What does author Lawrence Hill suggest,based on the reading in the textbook called "Don't Call Me That Word"?

A) Members of an identified group have the right to use language, such as the N-word that non-members do not have.
B) The N-word is still a source of pain for blacks in Canada.
C) Comedians like Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock and rapper Nas should be applauded for reclaiming the N-word and stripping it of its power as hate speech.
D) Blacks and whites both use the N-word, since it no longer means what it once did.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Tanya is an Aboriginal woman who has worked for Mainstream Organization ABC for five years.During this time,she has been denied mentoring and training opportunities that are available to other people.When she asks why,Tanya is told it is because she can't get along with her co-worker Susan.Susan regularly makes jokes about Aboriginal people in the office and when asked to stop,tells Tanya she needs to lighten up.What is Tanya experiencing?

A) racial profiling
B) reverse discrimination
C) racial discrimination
D) shadeism

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In April 2014,the Immigration Watch Canada organization distributed a flyer in Brampton,Ontario,targeting the Sikh community.The flyer was called "The Changing Face of Brampton." It featured two images: the top photo showed a group of predominately white people,and the bottom photo showed a group of Sikhs.Below the second photo was the tagline "Is this really what you want? Let's make immigration work for the interests of Canadians again." What is this flyer an example of?

A) xenophobia
B) shadeism
C) tokenism
D) hate crime

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A landlord refused to rent to a South African student because he believed the student might expose him to HIV/AIDS.What is this an example of?

A) hate crime
B) Jim Crow racism
C) racial profiling
D) white nationalism

Question 5

What is one example of racial profiling in law enforcement?

A) When building a legitimate profile of a criminal, the officer focuses on the person's modus operandi (methods of operation), rather than on their race or ethnicity.
B) You are allowed to consider a person's race or ethnicity in drawing inferences of criminal activity as long as there are reliable statistics that show that persons of a given race or ethnicity are more likely than others to be arrested or convicted for certain specific crimes.
C) In appropriate circumstances, an officer can consider whether a person seems to be "out of place" (i.e., not a resident of a particular area or neighbourhood), so long as the officer does not rely on the person's race or ethnicity to reach that conclusion or to draw an inference that the person is "up to no good."
D) When making decisions about how to deal with a person, an officer should generally focus on the person's conduct, rather than on physical characteristics such as skin colour.

Question 6

Research conducted by Dr.Scot Wortley of the University of Toronto revealed that stop-and-search practices of police officers in Kingston,Ontario,resulted in black people being four times more likely to be stopped than white people.These data provide support for which of the following?

A) overt racism
B) racial profiling
C) tokenism
D) shadeism

Question 7

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is held each year on March 21.What does this date commemorate?

A) a new start coinciding with the first day of spring
B) the anniversary of the Canadian's government's official apology to Japanese Canadians for their internment during World War II and confiscation of their property
C) the anniversary of the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China
D) the anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in South Africa

Question 8

You and your friend are having a discussion about race.Your friend says "People are just people.I don't see colour.We're all just human." What are your friend's comments an example of?

A) reverse discrimination
B) white privilege
C) white supremacy
D) colourblindness

Question 9

A person you work with decides to circulate racist jokes using the company's email system.What is this an example of?

A) individual racism
B) systemic racism
C) institutionalized racism
D) reverse discrimination

Question 10

You are at lunch with some people from work and you tell them about buying your first new home in Harbourtown.One of your co-workers says,"Are you sure you want to move there? I hear that there is a lot of crime in that area,you know,robberies,drugs,and even murder.It's a black neighbourhood,you know,that's probably why." What is this co-worker's comment an example of?

A) xenophobia
B) racial prejudice
C) racial discrimination
D) shadeism

Question 11

Which researcher did NOT use racial and ethnic categories to suggest a hierarchy in abilities and attributes?

A) Samuel Morton
B) Peter Sandiford
C) Phillippe Rushton
D) David Suzuki

Question 12

What was the internment of Japanese Canadians and the seizure of their property during World War II an example of?

A) racial prejudice
B) genocide
C) individual racism
D) systemic racism

Question 13

In a job advertisement,XYZ Company asks candidates to submit a resumé before July 21.On July 19th,candidate M,who is black,arrives in person at XYZ to hand in her resumé and cover letter.The company representative appears shocked,tells M that the position is filled,and refuses to accept her resumé.The following day,using M's resumé and cover letter,M's white friend arrives in person at XYZ Company,hands in the resumé and cover letter,and is given a date for a job interview for the advertised position.What is this an example of?

A) racial prejudice
B) racial discrimination
C) racial harassment
D) racial profiling

Question 14

In an interview,what solution did Morgan Freeman propose for the problem of racism?

A) Have specific months in school curricula when children are taught the history of specific groups of people, such as Black History Month or Jewish History Month.
B) Stop creating structural barriers for people of colour.
C) Stop talking about it.
D) Create equal opportunity programs to eliminate barriers in society that are based on the colour of a person's skin.

Question 15

In the early 1800s,American physician and scientist Samuel Morton conducted a systematic analysis of hundreds of human skulls from all over the world to confirm his hypothesis that there is a relationship between race and the size of skulls.What was Morton trying to prove by using science?

A) that there is a hierarchy in brain capacity between different racial groups based on skull measurements
B) that Australian Aborigines had a larger brain capacity that Africans
C) that Africans had a larger brain capacity than Australian Aborigines
D) that English speakers had a larger brain capacity than French speakers

Question 16

A young man vandalizes a local synagogue by spray painting swastikas on the outside of the building.What is this act an example of?

A) racial prejudice
B) systemic racism
C) hate crime
D) genocide

Question 17

An advertisement for Nadinola Skin Bleaching Cream used the tagline "The nicest things happen to girls with light,bright complexions.Has your phone stop ringing lately? Perhaps your complexion is to blame." What is this an example of?

A) xenophobia
B) reverse discrimination
C) pigmentocracy
D) ethnic cleansing

Question 18

Chapter 4's In Their Shoes feature relates a student's issues of identity as a person of mixed race.What does the author suggest about people of mixed race?

A) They usually have a crisis of identity.
B) They are usually classified as black.
C) They are usually classified as white.
D) They are usually pushed to identify themselves as one race.

Question 19

The media accuses the President of ABC Company of racist hiring practices.In response,he hires a new marketing manager who is African-Canadian.He then calls a press conference with the new manager to refute the claims of discriminatory practice.What are the actions of the President of ABC Company an example of?

A) shadeism
B) xenophobia
C) racial discrimination
D) tokenism

Question 20

What is today's concept of race focused on?

A) biological divisions of humans that are based on skin colour and other physical traits
B) the categorization of humans into five distinct groups that are based on biological attributes
C) the social construction of differences between groups, with the effect of oppressing some of these groups
D) the scientific and anthropological grouping of humans into categories

Question 21

Canada signed the U.N.International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.This Convention requires Canada as a nation to commit to eliminating racial discrimination,promoting interracial understanding,and legislating against hate speech.What other commitment is required?

A) having members of different racial groups represented in all levels of government
B) criminalizing membership in racist organizations
C) establishing Human Rights Commissions to deal with complaints of discrimination
D) keeping statistics on the number of hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity

Question 22

In 2011,Justin and Nathan Rehberg erected a burning cross on the lawn of an interracial couple in Windsor,Nova Scotia.What is this an example of?

A) shadeism
B) hate crime
C) institutional racism
D) racial prejudice

Question 23

Canada's Aboriginal people have experienced years of historic disadvantage.This disadvantage was represented in treaty violations,colonialism,residential schools,and the apprehension and adoption of Aboriginal children into non-Aboriginal families.Which term best characterizes this historical disadvantage?

A) xenophobia
B) racial prejudice
C) individual racism
D) systemic discrimination

Question 24

An African-Canadian woman grew up in Africa speaking French,and she studied in France.She applied for a position as a social worker with community agency XYZ in Québec.She was the best-qualified applicant,but she was denied the position.The agency believed that its clients would not be able to relate to "how" she spoke French-that is,her accent.What is this an example of?

A) shadeism
B) language-related discrimination
C) inclusive language
D) racial profiling

Question 25

Oriental,Coloured,and Negro are examples of terms that are not acceptable when referring to a person's race.What are preferred terms such as Asian and African-Canadian examples of?

A) shadeism
B) language-related discrimination
C) inclusive language
D) racial profiling

Question 26

The failure to include the narratives,experiences,and events of racialized communities in Canadian history books is considered to be an example of what?

A) institutionalized racism
B) individual racism
C) reverse discrimination
D) tokenism

Question 27

There is an alleged police practice of picking up Aboriginal people and taking them to a distant location far away,leaving them to get home on their own.What is this called?

A) racial prejudice
B) drive and drop
C) starlight tours
D) xenophobia

Question 28

Defence lawyers in Canadian hate crime cases often point to Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Section 2 of the Charter guarantees freedom of thought,belief,opinion,and expression.How has the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on this matter?

A) Freedom of speech can be limited by law to address the problem of hate speech.
B) Freedom of speech cannot be limited by law except in the most extreme circumstances.
C) Section 2 of the Charter nullifies Sections 318 and 319 of the Canadian Criminal Code.
D) Section 2 of the Charter prevents the conviction of persons charged with the wilful promotion of hatred.

Question 29

The number of hate crimes varies from year to year in Canada,but the most common motivation for hate crimes in Canada remains consistent.What is this motivation?

A) religion
B) sexual orientation
C) mental or physical disability
D) race or ethnicity

Question 30

The rates of child poverty among Aboriginal and racialized communities are cause for concern among Canadians.The problem is most severe among children of which of the following groups?

A) Aboriginal people
B) people with disabilities
C) racialized groups
D) recent immigrants