Deck 8: Race and Ethnic Relations

Question 1

While discussing their current semester's classes, Tristan asked Jill to explain what her sociology of race and ethnicity course was about. Which of the following answers would Jill give?

A) It's about how power and resources are unequally distributed among ethnic and racial groups.
B) It's about the origins, settlement, and life experiences of different ethnic/racial social groups.
C) It's about the self-concept, identity, and feelings of nationalism among different ethnic groups.
D) It's about how groups in Canadian society go about maintaining a sense of pride in their heritage.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to the text, what is the main difference between race and ethnicity?

A) Race is physical attributes; ethnicity is cultural characteristics.
B) Race is cultural characteristics; ethnicity is physical attributes.
C) People can be multiracial, but they can't be multiethnic.
D) Racial categorizations are more scientifically determined.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In June 1939, the St. Louis ocean liner arrived off the east coast of Canada carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Germany. The Canadian government refused to allow them to enter Canada, since immigration policies restricted the entrance of people who were not white Anglo-Saxon Protestant or from the United Kingdom. What term describes this denial of entrance?

A) institutional racism
B) ethnic prejudice
C) primordialist practice
D) new racism

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Brazilians of Japanese descent who emigrate back to Japan have been told they are "too Brazilian" to fit into the conservative Japanese culture. As a result, they become "more Brazilian" by organizing samba parades, wearing brightly coloured clothing, and speaking Portuguese in public. What type of ethnic construction does this demonstrate?

A) objective
B) subjective
C) translational
D) racial

Question 5

Many schools have implemented a multicultural week into their curriculum and activities focus on the presentation of the objective elements of ethnicity. Which of the following would be addressed during this week?

A) a sense of belonging, or a shared "we feeling"
B) dish, dance, dialect, and dress of various groups
C) labels and definitions applied by different ethnic groups
D) categorization into ethnic groups based on self-identification

Question 6

Which of the following terms identifies race by a typological categorization?

A) Québécois
B) Asian
C) Mongoloid
D) Ontarian

Question 7

Whenever the newspaper reports a crime incident that involves a nonwhite person, Samantha's immediate comment is "Well, what do you expect from that group of people?" What is her attitude and reaction an example of?

A) new racism
B) discrimination
C) practical racism
D) prejudice

Question 8

A friend says to you, "Seriously, you might zip along Dundas Street in Mississauga to find a Korean joint for dinner, but do you think they'd really want you to live in their community, or vice-versa? I respect their differences, but oil and water don't mix." According to the text, which of the following terms best defines this kind of view?

A) new racism
B) prejudice
C) bigotry
D) discrimination

Question 9

Which of the following statements best reflects Barker's concept of "new racism"?

A) Racial differences are cultural differences that correspond to differences in colour.
B) It broadly defines races as different and says that bringing them together creates problems.
C) New racism is simply old racism, based upon racial categorizations of people.
D) Racial differences that are defined as real are real in their consequences, such as discrimination.

Question 10

Tarik's parents encouraged him to participate in activities in their Bosnian community in Canada, but he refused, telling his parents that he was "Canadian." Five years later, however, he became active in the community, volunteered at a Bosnian cultural centre, and called himself "Bosnian." What does this case study demonstrate?

A) Group ethnicity is stronger than individual ethnicity.
B) Denying one's ethnicity is problematic.
C) Ethnicity can change.
D) Growing up in Canada is confusing for immigrant youth.

Question 11

Which of the following can we conclude about ethnic categories?

A) They are in a constant state of flux.
B) They are clearly racist designations.
C) They are defined by only outgroups.
D) They are only recent creations.

Question 12

According to the text, how do sociologists view race and ethnicity?

A) as factors of racism affected by in-group and out-group conflict
B) as a kind of achieved status acquired by virtue of social definition
C) as a consequence of geography, language, religion, and history
D) as ascribed statuses that are endowed upon people at birth

Question 13

"We support immigration, but we are also concerned about maintaining the Canadian image." What is this statement an example of?

A) blatant racism
B) new racism
C) institutional racism
D) authentic racism

Question 14

Tuan and his parents moved to Canada from Vietnam when he was eight years old. Now, at the age of 24, he is filling out a census form and he registers himself as a Canadian, even though the form would allow him to acknowledge his ethnic roots. What does this imply about the concept of ethnicity?

A) It is situational, variable, and flexible.
B) It no longer applies after 15 years in a new country.
C) It is fixed, static, and measurable.
D) It is inferior to racial definitions.

Question 15

According to the text, which of the following is a conclusion of the scientific community concerning racial differences?

A) Racial classification is based on sound science.
B) Outward appearance definitions are reasonable.
C) Genetic differences are behaviourally significant.
D) Genetic differences between groups are small.

Question 16

Which of the following conclusions was presented in the text in regards to the concept of race?

A) Race is a hollow biological concept.
B) Race is a category that will erode over time.
C) Race is a sound scientific concept.
D) Race separates differing hereditary groups.

Question 17

A man speaking about his hiring practices explains that he doesn't hire people from visible minorities because his clients prefer working with Caucasians. He goes on to say: "I'm not racist. I'm a business man meeting my client's needs." Which of the following reasons explains why this is an example of new racism?

A) The speaker believes his view is not racist.
B) The speaker believes his view is practical.
C) The speaker believes his view is following provincial law.
D) The speaker believes his view is in the best interest of his business.

Question 18

Ana Celia Zentella's research in the United States identified that Puerto Ricans are sometimes accused of "acting white." For example, this can happen when they learn to speak English without a Spanish accent or when they dress to fit into "corporate America." What aspect of ethnic identity do these Puerto Ricans demonstrate?

A) Ethnicity can be hidden.
B) Ethnicity can be embarrassing.
C) Ethnicity is an achieved status.
D) Ethnicity is an ascribed status.

Question 19

According to the text, how do sociologists define racism?

A) mostly a biological category or a form of census data categorization
B) largely a myth or a thing of the past in today's politically correct world
C) as both an ideology and a certain kind of institutional practice
D) as primarily associated with radical countercultures looking for change

Question 20

What are the specific subjective approaches to ethnicity based upon?

A) labels and definitions applied by out-groups
B) a sense of belonging, or a shared "we feeling"
C) biology, national origin, religion, and ancestry
D) linguistics, language, and language boundaries

Question 21

Historically, there have been occasions where social or economic tensions have resulted in members of the dominant group relieving their tensions by taking them out on a minority group. Which of the following theories was used to explain this?

A) frustration-aggression theory
B) tension-aggression theory
C) release-valve theory
D) pressure-cooker theory

Question 22

The school board abolished an old regulation that no students from Country X would be admitted. The regulation had been put in place because the board had believed (at the time) that people from Country X were less intelligent and unable to achieve appropriate academic standards. The reasoning for this old regulation is an example of which of the following?

A) prejudice
B) normative theory
C) frustration-aggression
D) primordialism

Question 23

A Canadian general presided over a United Nations mission ill equipped to stop tribal warfare in Africa and the slaughter of one tribe ensued. He has since voiced the opinion that a black person's life in Africa is not treated as being worth the same as a white person's life in Eastern Europe because there are no economic interests in that part of Africa. Which ethnic relations theory coincides with the general's statement?

A) normative-theory
B) north-south theory
C) power-conflict theory
D) primordialist theory

Question 24

A young man grew up in the U.S. Deep South; his grandfather, and father were both members of the Ku Klux Klan, and he is a member of the Klan-with an abiding hatred of minorities. Which theory of ethnic relations predicts this man's prejudice?

A) normative theories
B) social-psychological theories
C) power-conflict theories
D) primordialist theories

Question 25

Justine attends a high school that has two predominant cliques-keeners who are very academically inclined, and the jocks-students who are very involved in sports. Both groups have very negative and stereotypical notions of the other. Which of the following terms best describes these negative beliefs?

A) racism
B) bigotry
C) discrimination
D) prejudice

Question 26

A little boy uses a racist term when describing a neighbour, and rather than telling him how inappropriate that label is, his parents laugh. From this experience, the boy learns that his parents think he is funny when he uses racist language and he repeats the practice. What explanation would be used to explain this construction of racism?

A) primordialism
B) social psychology
C) power-conflict theory
D) socialization theory

Question 27

A correctional service had a physical abilities screening test that included lifting heavy bags and carrying them, and operating push-pull machines with minimum weight requirements. Virtually all of the females failed the test because they could not handle the weights. Consequently, few females were hired as correctional officers. What term used by sociologists best identifies this practice?

A) female discrimination
B) gender discrimination
C) systemic discrimination
D) institutional discrimination

Question 28

Which of the following supports the primordialist explanation of prejudice?

A) Humans have a natural affinity/liking for "nonfamily" members.
B) Nepotism is about playing favourites with immediate family members.
C) Prejudice is a way of maintaining the economic status hierarchy.
D) Ethnic prejudice and racism are ways of maintaining in-group solidarity.

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of frustration-aggression?

A) racial tensions acted out by youth gangs supposedly engaged in inner-city turf wars
B) frustration as displaced aggression taken out on minorities as powerless and safe targets
C) acts of civil disobedience carried out by visible minorities over frustrations about discrimination
D) riots perpetrated by visible and ethnic minorities in the streets over a lack of jobs

Question 30

After the terrorist bombings in the United States in 2001, some airline passengers overheard a group of other passengers speaking Arabic and demanded that the foreigners be taken off the plane. The airline employees had the foreign-born passengers disembark. What term best describes this incident?

A) prejudice
B) racism
C) discrimination
D) bigotry

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of institutional racism?

A) increasing opportunities for certain ethnic and racial groups
B) institutional practices that arose from democratic ideas
C) Canadian Status Indians being denied the right to vote until 1960
D) the basing of institutional practices on explicitly inclusive ideals

Question 32

Which thesis is based on the idea that people have an innate tendency to seek out others of similar ethnic and racial attachments?

A) the discrimination thesis
B) the primordialist thesis
C) the socialization thesis
D) the normative thesis

Question 33

A group of young people are discussing prejudice and discrimination, and one young woman states that she is not prejudiced, but just feels naturally more comfortable with people "... of [her] own kind." Which theory of ethnic relations would incorporate such perceptions in its formulation?

A) socialization theories
B) normative theories
C) power-conflict theories
D) primordialist theories

Question 34

Damian is a member of a visible minority and has worked on the factory line for 10 years. He feels he deserves a chance as a manager. The last new manager hired was a man who had worked for the factory for only five years, but was Caucasian. Damian believes that he was passed over because of his skin colour. Which of the following does Damian believe he has experienced?

A) the glass ceiling
B) discrimination
C) frustration-aggression
D) institutional racism

Question 35

An immigration reform lobby group argues that high immigration levels make it more difficult to achieve Canada's fiscal objectives. When immigrants come to Canada, they cost the Canadian taxpayer (in health care and education, for example) while not contributing their "fair share" in taxes. Which of the following terms characterizes this argument?

A) racial profiling
B) primordialist accounting
C) normative control
D) scapegoating

Question 36

Airport security records from a large international airport were analyzed, and it was discovered that 80 per cent of the persons subjected to enhanced screening procedures and more stringent pre-boarding checks tended to be travellers who were Arab, Muslim, Black or Hispanic. What term would be used to describe this situation?

A) terrorist targeting
B) counter-terrorist measures
C) racial profiling
D) random selection

Question 37

With respect to race and ethnicity, what are socialization theories about?

A) They are about individually ascribed mental and physical advantages and disadvantages.
B) They are about racial prejudices and attitudes caused by inbred, biological dispositions.
C) They are about social problems caused by the nature of economic inequality in society.
D) They are about racial prejudices and attitudes learned through social interactions.

Question 38

Which of the following is an example of systemic discrimination?

A) specifically naming Aboriginal peoples in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms
B) the Parliament of Canada apologizing to Aboriginal peoples for residential school abuses
C) awarding Japanese Canadians cash awards for wrongs suffered during World War II
D) fitness tests for screening applicants for police work that are standardized on male candidates

Question 39

Which of the following is a critique of the primordialist/sociobiologist thesis?

A) Primordialist theory offers no explanation for conflict at all.
B) Primordialist theory accounts for prejudice and discrimination against minorities.
C) Shared ethnicity or race does not prevent in-group conflict.
D) Primordialist theory is too closely linked to split labour market theory.

Question 40

In a sociology class discussing racism, Brendon asserts that the Canadian government is racist, given the ways by which it has exploited and unfairly treated the Aboriginal population. What type of explanation is Brendon giving?

A) primordialist
B) Marxist
C) systemic
D) functionalist

Question 41

In the text, the internal colonial model analyzes power imbalances, inequality, and exploitation of which group?

A) Aboriginal people
B) foreign minorities
C) visible minorities
D) language minorities

Question 42

Indian was a label externally imposed on Canada's indigenous peoples. What factors have contributed to the renaming of Canada's indigenous population?

A) indigenous people acquiring more power and renaming themselves
B) the powerlessness of First Nations people to rename themselves
C) an inability to develop a collective identity by First Nations people
D) the dominant culture's apologies and renaming efforts

Question 43

Steven argues that the reason Aboriginal people are destitute is a direct result of their poor work ethic and the fact that they don't strive for economic success and achievement. What can Steven's position be related to?

A) colonialization model
B) culture of poverty thesis
C) split labour market theory
D) conflict theory

Question 44

What are ethnic and racial labels about?

A) power
B) politics
C) wealth
D) correctness

Question 45

What is the central thesis of the internal colonial model of Aboriginal development?

A) Aboriginal people failed to adequately adapt to changing social conditions.
B) Aboriginal lands were needed to allow settlement of people from Europe.
C) Aboriginal peoples were disempowered by paternalistic government policies.
D) Aboriginal lands were confiscated because of conflicts between colonies.

Question 46

What conclusion does sociologist Steinberg reach when he critiques a "culture of poverty" explanation?

A) The culture of poverty is the result of poverty, not the cause of poverty.
B) The culture of poverty causes groups to lag behind or get ahead precisely because of their cultural values.
C) The culture of poverty is the cause of continuing and persistent poverty for Aboriginal people.
D) Poverty is all about culture-some cultures simply lack an adequate work ethic.

Question 47

Which of the following was a feature of residential schools for Indians in Canada?

A) The curriculum was primarily academic, not about manual and domestic labour skills.
B) The goal was to reinforce Aboriginal culture and enhance traditional ways of life.
C) The children could not speak their native tongue or speak with opposite-sex siblings.
D) The residential schools were boarding schools adjacent to or near reserves.

Question 48

What was the main goal of the federal government's early policy on Aboriginal people?

A) to segregate Aboriginal peoples into reserves to be among themselves
B) to bring Christianity to all Aboriginal people as part of assimilation
C) to assimilate Aboriginal people into mainstream Canadian society
D) to eliminate poverty by providing training designed to help Aboriginal people

Question 49

An academically outstanding First Nations boy is teased by his reserve chums, who call him an apple: red on the outside, but white on the inside. Embarrassed about not fitting in, this young man's grades soon fall. Which theoretical perspective best predicts this kind of behaviour?

A) split ethnicity theory
B) culture of poverty thesis
C) frustration-aggression thesis
D) new racism theory

Question 50

According to split labour market theory, which of the following is the most likely to discriminate?

A) highly paid nonwhite workers competing with immigrants for the same jobs
B) recent immigrants from different countries competing for the same jobs
C) white workers (expensive labour) being displaced by immigrants (cheap labour)
D) the state, discriminating against immigrants by limiting access through head taxes

Question 51

What was the basis of the dominance that the Anglophone elite exercised in Quebec, beginning in the eighteenth century?

A) control of social-service institutions
B) the position of the visible minorities
C) control of economic and political affairs
D) the position of informal social structures

Question 52

According to the power-conflict perspective, what is racism?

A) It is the result of solidarity among minority groups, particularly recent immigrants.
B) It is a consequence of biological differences between people, regardless of economics.
C) In a capitalist society, it is an ideology justifying exploitation of minorities and immigrants.
D) It is something that will disappear as class-consciousness increases in capitalist society.

Question 53

What did the Catholic Church do in Quebec during the 19th century?

A) It encouraged the masses to obtain more education.
B) It discouraged workers from forming and joining unions.
C) It promoted Québécois political and economic interests.
D) It advocated that Québécois join labour unions.

Question 54

Over the last 30 years, Canada's "original" settlers have fought to rebrand themselves, renaming their communities, and renaming the overarching label of Indian to Native, Aboriginal, and First Nations. What, essentially, is this process about?

A) prejudice
B) power
C) racism
D) discrimination

Question 55

According to power-conflict theories, what is a consequence of racism in capitalist society?

A) Racism in capitalist society encourages the exploited to work harder to get ahead.
B) Racism is based on the competition for scarce resources between companies.
C) Racism serves capitalists by inhibiting class consciousness among the exploited.
D) Racism and class usually coincide, meaning the underclass experiences less exploitation.

Question 56

Canada grants visas for foreigners to enter the country at various times and for various reasons. For example, visas are granted to let female Jamaicans work as nannies, to let Mexicans harvest crops, and to let female Russians work as exotic dancers. When these visas expire, the people have to go home. Which theory of ethnic relations best accounts for this kind of practice?

A) primordialist theory
B) social-psychological theory
C) split labour market theory
D) normative theory

Question 57

According to the text, which of the following statements represents a primary distinction between orthodox Marxist theorists and split labour market theorists on racism?

A) Orthodox Marxists assume the middle class is the engine of racist thinking, while split labour market theorists assume that the capitalist class is.
B) Orthodox Marxists assume that the capitalist class is the engine of racist thinking, while split labour market theorists assume that the working class is the engine of racist thinking.
C) Orthodox Marxists assume that the working class is the engine of racist thinking, while split labour market theorists assume that the capitalist class is the engine of racist thinking.
D) Orthodox Marxists assume the working class is the engine of racist thinking, while split labour market theorists assume that the middle class is.

Question 58

Carrie lost her job to an immigrant from Country X. Carrie is upset because she knows that the immigrant is working for $5 less per hour, so the company is making more profit. However, Carrie's hostility is focused on the immigrant, not the company. What theory would best be used to describe Carrie's reaction?

A) power-conflict theory
B) split labour market theory
C) primordialism
D) Marxist theory

Question 59

Which of the following poses a problem for the Marxist position on race?

A) minority workers discriminating against majority workers
B) the existence of minority-group elites in the capitalist system
C) the fact that racism is a direct, conspiratorial plot of capitalists
D) the lack of evidence that capitalists conspire to be racist

Question 60

Through much of the dinner conversation, Jayden grew increasingly angry with her father who insisted that the people living north of the tree line were Eskimos. She finally left the table, exclaiming that "You don't know what you're talking about." Why would Jayden say this to her father?

A) because there are no people who live north of the tree line
B) because in Canada, the name Inuit has replaced the earlier name Eskimo
C) because in Canada, the preferred name is First Nations
D) because in Canada, the proper terminology is Aboriginal peoples

Question 61

Which term is utilized to describe those who define the Québécois as possessing a particular history, culture, ancestry, and language?

A) primordialists
B) ethnic nationalists
C) neoromanticists
D) civic nationalists

Question 62

Which of the following nineteenth-century Quebec circumstances fuelled Québécois nationalism?

A) French-Canadians were worse off than English-Canadians in every material way.
B) French-Canadians were the minority group (numerically) in their own province.
C) Capitalists were predominantly French and labourers were mostly English.
D) Conditions of the English and the French, socially and economically, were equal.

Question 63

Immigrants from Country X gathered in front of city hall. They were celebrating their nationality of origin as well as demanding rights for their community. What was this event a sign of?

A) social nationalism
B) Canadian nationalism
C) ethnic nationalism
D) civic nationalism

Question 64

Which of the following are "charter groups," as identified by John Porter?

A) Aboriginal, Inuit, and Métis
B) Ukrainians, Italians, and Poles
C) Americans and Canadians
D) French and English

Question 65

Lukas and Joshua were discussing the merits of increasing and/or decreasing Canadian immigration rates. Lukas tended to favour the idea of increasing immigration levels as a result of reading what demographers were forecasting for Canada if immigration rates were to decline. What demographic prediction was Lukas referring to?

A) an increase in illegal immigrants
B) a population in decline by 2015
C) the aging of the Canadian population
D) lower taxes for the next generation

Question 66

According to the text, what was the Catholic Church's net effect in Quebec during the nineteenth century?

A) It encouraged people to have smaller families.
B) It encouraged French-Canadians to enter business.
C) It ensured the survival of French-Canadian culture.
D) It conserved the status quo and resisted change.

Question 67

Nicholas was skyping with his friend Raul from Argentina. When asked how his immigration to Canada application was going, Raul responded, "I passed." What was Raul referring to?

A) achieving a minimum of 67 points on the form to enter Canada as a skilled worker
B) achieving a minimum of 67 points on the form to enter Canada as a political refugee
C) submission of a 500-word essay that demonstrates the applicant's ability to communicate in English
D) approval based on physical and psychological testing

Question 68

Two young people are discussing the pros and cons of national citizenship versus global citizenship. In the end they agree that nations bounded by set geographic boundaries are best. What term best describes the citizenship they have endorsed?

A) civic nationalism
B) civic allegiance
C) national citizenship
D) national endorsement

Question 69

Delun Qian has resided in Canada for the past four years, while attending university to earn his medical degree. Rather than return to China, he's applied with Citizenship and Immigration Canada for permanent residency status. What category would he most likely fall into?

A) self-employed immigrants
B) Canadian experience class
C) provincial nominee program
D) skilled workers group

Question 70

In a heated debate on immigration policies, Amanda's father asserted that all immigrants come to Canada and then enjoy the Canadian lifestyle at the taxpayers' expense. Amanda retorted that there are immigrants who are wealthy, and help to create jobs for Canadians. What was Amanda referring to?

A) self-employed immigrants
B) immigrant investors
C) venture fund immigrants
D) family class immigrants

Question 71

Gaston, who was born and raised in Quebec, was asked by his friend Amy to define what it meant to be Québécois. Gaston then proceeded to explain the history and culture of the province to Amy. Gaston could be considered to be which type of nationalist?

A) nonfrancophone nationalist
B) ethnic nationalist
C) civic nationalist
D) sovereign nationalist

Question 72

Which of the following terms translated from French reflects one "Québécois" notion of ethnicity?

A) 100 percent Canadian
B) 100 percent Québécois
C) cultural nationalist
D) pure wool

Question 73

In the 1950s, how were Italian immigrant men seen by immigration bureaucrats?

A) They were unwilling to become members of trade unions, and least likely to be activists.
B) They were better suited to service occupations: waiting on tables, delivery men, etc.
C) They were unwilling to earn less money than Caucasian Canadian men.
D) They were suitable for irregular employment, low wages, and physical labour.

Question 74

In the late 1950s and early 1960s a young French Canadian man defied his parent's wish that he attend church, found a job in the provincial civil service, moved in with his girlfriend and never got married, and talked hopefully with like-minded people about Quebec becoming a nation unto itself some day. What term was later given to this young man's era in Quebec's history?

A) Quebec Emancipation
B) secularization
C) Quiet Revolution
D) rapprochement

Question 75

According to John Porter's description, which of the following terms describes a society where ethnic groups tend to occupy different and unequal positions?

A) institutional discrimination
B) ethnic nationalism
C) a nonracial hierarchy
D) a vertical mosaic

Question 76

Which of the following characterized the Quiet Revolution in Quebec?

A) Catholic control of education slowly tightened.
B) It occurred primarily during the late 1800s.
C) It involved questioning the Church's authority.
D) It was a growth and then stabilization of the habitants.

Question 77

A woman tells her husband, "I am going to hire Julie to clean the house because she is from Country X and immigrants from there are very hard workers." Which of the following is this woman reinforcing?

A) prejudice
B) discrimination
C) institutional racism
D) racial stereotyping

Question 78

John van den Hoven worked and saved for many years in order to emigrate from Holland to Canada with his two sons, buy land, and live his dream life as a farmer. According to Canadian immigration policy, what category would John fit into?

A) immigrant investor
B) self-employed immigrant
C) skilled worker
D) family class immigrant

Question 79

According to the text, what kind of prerogative do the English and French charter groups have in Canada?

A) They are able to set the terms under which others are admitted to the country.
B) Both charter groups use their influence to make a more equal society.
C) The English are unable to wield power over the other main charter group in Canada.
D) The French wield power to control the other main charter group in Canada.

Question 80

What did John Porter conclude about "entrance status" groups in Canadian society?

A) Entrance status groups are relegated to lower occupational positions.
B) Entrance status groups are more powerful than Charter groups.
C) Entrance status groups are overrepresented in higher-paying jobs.
D) Entrance status groups are culturally inferior to the original groups.