Deck 10: Ethnicity and Race

Question 1

Joan believes that most drug dealers are black. She continues to hold this belief even though she read in the newspaper that more whites sell drugs than blacks. Joan's attitude is an example of:

A) prejudice.
B) discrimination.
C) segregation.
D) institutional racism.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Soo Young is a fashion model who has difficulty getting work in the international modeling industry because of an industry-wide bias against fashion models who appear to be of non-European ancestry. This is an example of:

A) interpersonal racism.
B) institutional racism.
C) multiculturalism.
D) scapegoating.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Consider a society that enacts legislation that only allows members of a particular racial group to hold public office; this system further solidifies the categorization of people into distinct groups. This would be an example of:

A) racialization.
B) nationalism.
C) ethnicity.
D) prejudice.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The term that describes the differences in human physical characteristics arbitrarily used to categorize large numbers of diverse individuals is:

A) ethnicity.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) race.
D) racism.

Question 5

Thinking in terms of fixed and inflexible categories, such as believing that all Muslims are religious fundamentalists, is best described as:

A) stereotyping.
B) discriminating.
C) racializing.
D) projecting.

Question 6

The term that describes cultural practices and outlooks of a given community that have emerged historically and tend to set people apart is:

A) ethnicity.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) race.
D) racism.

Question 7

According to the textbook, which of the following statements concerning race is true?

A) Race can be understood as a classification system that assigns individuals and groups to categories that are ranked or hierarchical.
B) There are clear-cut physical differences between races.
C) The genetic diversity between races is greater than the genetic diversity within them.
D) Race as a social construct is no longer important.

Question 8

Which of the following statements concerning minority groups is true?

A) Any group that is less than 50 percent of the population is considered a minority group.
B) All members of the group share the same physical features.
C) All members of the group have some sense of group solidarity.
D) Members have the ability to leave the minority group and assimilate into the dominant one.

Question 9

From the fifteenth century onward, as Europeans came into increased contact with people from different regions of the world, they attempted to categorize these people based on their physical attributes. These categories (which did not previously exist) became the basis of systems that shaped and constrained the people's daily lives. This is an example of:

A) aggregation.
B) eugenics.
C) racialization.
D) generalization.

Question 10

Although Scott, an African American, was more qualified than Bernardo, a Hispanic American, Bernardo was hired instead of Scott because the owner believed that Hispanic Americans are better workers than African Americans. Denying Scott the job is an example of:

A) prejudice.
B) discrimination.
C) projection.
D) institutional racism.

Question 11

Adolph Hitler was able to convince the German population that Jews were to blame for the country's economic troubles. Jews in this example can be considered a(n):

A) stereotype.
B) scapegoat.
C) victim.
D) minority group.

Question 12

In 1735, Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus grouped human beings into four basic categories-Europaeus, Americanus, Asiaticus, and Africanus. His assumption about these four groups was that:

A) they had developed cultural differences but were essentially very similar.
B) they had innate qualities that were different but that could be modified through socialization.
C) their different cultural practices eventually produced physical differences.
D) they had innate qualities that were different and unable to be altered.

Question 13

Many activists argue that "stop and frisk" policing tactics disproportionately profile men of color because over 80 percent of those stopped are African American and Latino. According to these activists, this practice is an example of:

A) interpersonal racism.
B) institutional racism.
C) racialization.
D) ethnicity.

Question 14

In order to justify the institution of slavery, beliefs about the inferiority of enslaved people from Africa were developed and persisted after American slavery was abolished. This fits most closely with which of the following statements about racism?

A) Racism is a form of prejudice focusing on cultural differences between people.
B) Racist attitudes became entrenched during the period of Western colonial expansion.
C) Racist attitudes are found in all human societies because humans are designed to notice and dislike people who are different.
D) Racism resides in the individual conscience only.

Question 15

Blaming immigrants for high unemployment rates is an example of:

A) scapegoating.
B) racializing.
C) institutional racism.
D) discrimination.

Question 16

Jody is a white woman who has Irish ancestry on her father's side and enjoys celebrating St. Patrick's Day in her hometown of Boston. In most aspects of Jody's life, however, being Irish American has no meaningful impact on her day-to-day life. This example illustrates that:

A) ethnicity has become less important in the United States.
B) tension between racial and ethnic groups has declined over time.
C) whites in the United States have a choice of whether or not to be ethnic.
D) pluralism is growing in the United States.

Question 17

A white couple does not hold prejudicial attitudes about black people. However, they steer away from purchasing a home in a predominantly black neighborhood because they are worried about declining property value. Though they feel uncomfortable, they stick to white neighborhoods where the property is considered a better financial investment. This shows that:

A) only prejudiced people will discriminate.
B) discrimination is unavoidable, but prejudicial attitudes are not.
C) patterns of discrimination are easily fixed by individuals.
D) discrimination is possible from people who are not prejudiced.

Question 18

The attribution of characteristics of superiority or inferiority to a population sharing certain physically inherited characteristics is known as:

A) racism.
B) antiracism.
C) relativism.
D) nativism.

Question 19

People who, because of their distinct physical or cultural characteristics, find themselves in situations of inequality within a society are known as:

A) an ethnic group.
B) a racial group.
C) a minority group.
D) scapegoats.

Question 20

According to the textbook, the transferring of ideas or emotions from their true source to another object is called:

A) transference.
B) stereotyping.
C) discrimination.
D) displacement.

Question 21

Driven by a series of potato famines, 1.5 million people migrated to the United States from ________ in the nineteenth century and settled mostly in ________ areas.

A) Germany; rural
B) Germany; urban
C) Ireland; rural
D) Ireland; urban

Question 22

The practice of keeping racial and ethnic groups physically separate is called:

A) multiculturalism.
B) assimilation.
C) segregation.
D) pluralism.

Question 23

Which group was forcibly removed to relocation centers in World War II?

A) German Americans
B) Americans
C) Japanese Americans
D) Mexican Americans

Question 24

More than 99 percent of the people in the United States are descended from:

A) immigrants.
B) Europeans.
C) Africans.
D) Native Americans.

Question 25

The Holocaust was the systematic, planned destruction and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime. The Holocaust is an example of:

A) genocide.
B) assimilation.
C) segregation.
D) pluralism.

Question 26

According to the textbook, what were the immediate consequences of the 1964 Civil Rights Act?

A) It banned discrimination in public facilities, education, employment, and any agency receiving government funds.
B) It outlawed discriminatory voting practices.
C) It outlawed discrimination in the rental or purchase of homes.
D) It banned all race-based legal restrictions on marriage.

Question 27

Which Hispanic group is the largest in the United States?

A) Mexican Americans
B) Puerto Rican Americans
C) Cuban Americans
D) El Salvadoran Americans

Question 28

Compared to earlier decades, a greater proportion of international migrants today are women. This illustrates which of the characterizing tendencies of global migration identified by Castles and Miller?

A) feminization
B) diversification
C) globalization
D) demasculinization

Question 29

Which group of Americans has the highest college graduation rate?

A) non-Hispanic whites
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Hispanics

Question 30

Industrial development in the North of the United States, combined with the mechanization of agriculture in the South, produced a progressive movement of __________ northward starting at the beginning of the twentieth century.

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Latin Americans
D) Native Americans

Question 31

Birgitta is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She wants to move to the US and become a permanent citizen. This is an example of:

A) immigration.
B) emigration.
C) assimilation.
D) racialization.

Question 32

Most immigrants admitted to the United States since 1965 have been from:

A) northwestern Europe.
B) southern and eastern Europe.
C) Africa.
D) Latin America or Asia.

Question 33

Which model best fits the experience of Switzerland?

A) assimilation
B) melting pot
C) segregation
D) multiculturalism

Question 34

In 1954, which U.S. Supreme Court case unanimously decided that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal"?

A) Dred Scott v. Sandford
B) The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes
C) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
D) Roe v. Wade

Question 35

Assimilation is defined as:

A) the acceptance of a minority group by a majority population, as the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture.
B) the idea that ethnic differences can be combined to create new patterns of behavior drawing on diverse cultural sources.
C) a model for ethnic relations in which all ethnic groups in a society retain their independent and separate identities yet share equally in the rights and powers of citizenship.
D) the viewpoint according to which ethnic groups can exist separately and share equally in economic and political life.

Question 36

Which is now the largest minority group in the United States?

A) African Americans
B) Hispanic Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Native Americans

Question 37

The early wave of immigrants to the United States, from the 1820s to the 1880s, was mostly from:

A) northwestern Europe.
B) eastern Europe.
C) southern Europe.
D) Latin America.

Question 38

Members of which Latino immigrant group are more likely to be educated and come from white-collar and professional backgrounds?

A) Mexicans
B) Puerto Ricans
C) Cubans
D) Haitians

Question 39

Which group has lived in the United States longer than all other immigrant groups besides Anglo-Saxons, yet faces the segregation and poverty that was only a transitional phase for the other groups?

A) eastern European Americans
B) southern European Americans
C) Irish Americans
D) African Americans

Question 40

Due to the conflict in Syria, millions of people have been displaced, and 2.5 million have fled across borders into neighboring countries as refugees. This forced relocation of people from their original homeland is also known as:

A) immigration.
B) emigration.
C) diaspora.
D) assimilation.

Question 41

Who argued that race is of diminishing importance in explaining inequalities between whites and blacks?

A) Lawrence Bobo
B) Joe Feagin
C) William Julius Wilson
D) Elijah Anderson

Question 42

Your textbook notes that racial discrimination can occur at the individual behavioral level but also at the institutional/societal level. One context in which both forms of racial discrimination might occur is in hiring for employment. Consider a scenario in which two job candidates are being considered for a position and the racial-ethnic identity of each candidate is known. Construct a hypothetical scenario in which racism is occurring at the individual level and at the institutional level (institutional racism), giving specific examples of each type of racism. Explain how each example of racism illustrates either individual or institutional racism.

Question 43

When comparing the difference in infant mortality rates between the wealthiest white Americans and the poorest African Americans, the infant mortality rates for blacks in the bottom 20 percent of income compared to whites in the top 20 percent was:

A) 2 times lower.
B) the same.
C) 2 times higher.
D) 5 times higher.

Question 44

Which group of Americans has the highest median household income?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
D) Hispanics

Question 45

According to the textbook, what can we conclude about the patterns of segregation in the United States?

A) Neighborhood segregation has declined significantly over the past quarter century.
B) Studies show that discriminatory practices toward black clients in the housing market have disappeared.
C) Black children and white children still attend separate schools in most rural areas of the South.
D) There is a high level of educational segregation in larger cities.

Question 46

Which statement is most consistent with the textbook's conclusions about race?

A) Racism is no longer a significant problem for blacks.
B) In explaining racial inequality between blacks and whites, gender disadvantages are more significant than racism.
C) In explaining racial inequality between blacks and whites, class disadvantages are more significant than racism.
D) Although class disadvantage can partially explain racial inequality, it is not the primary explanation.

Question 47

William Julius Wilson has argued that racial inequality is decreasing, and he asserts that inequality between groups is now more about distinctions based on:

A) immigration status.
B) social class.
C) individual effort.
D) cultural habits.

Question 48

Before the 1970s, which group would Robert Blauner most likely classify as willing immigrants?

A) Irish Americans
B) Native Americans
C) African Americans
D) Puerto Rican Americans

Question 49

In a couple of sentences, explain the main difference between prejudice and discrimination. Does prejudice always precede discrimination?

Question 50

What fraction of all families headed by African American or Latina women lives in poverty?

A) 1/10
B) 1/4
C) 1/2
D) 3/4

Question 51

In American Apartheid (1993), Douglas Massey and Nancy A. Denton argue that ________ is/are responsible for the perpetuation of black poverty and the continued polarization of black and white people.

A) the history of racial segregation
B) impersonal market forces
C) the biological inferiority of blacks
D) the cultural inferiority of blacks

Question 52

In a couple of sentences, please define institutional racism and explain how it differs from racial discrimination at the individual level. Give examples of each (individual and institutional racism), specifying how your examples illustrate the difference between individual-level and institutional racism.

Question 53

Which category of full-time workers had the lowest weekly earnings in 2012?

A) Latina women
B) white women
C) black men
D) white men

Question 54

Jennifer Lee notes that Asian American students may see boosts in their academic performance if their teachers assume they are smart and hardworking. Lee labels this dynamic:

A) stereotype promise.
B) model minority stereotype.
C) positive ethnic prejudice.
D) Asian American exceptionalism.

Question 55

In a short paragraph, please explain the concept of racialization. How does this term help us understand race relations historically and in the present?

Question 56

Following the defeat of Senator Carol Moseley-Braun in 1998, the U.S. Senate had:

A) 0 black members until 2004.
B) 1 black member, who defeated Senator Carol Moseley-Braun.
C) 15 black members, but only from Northern states.
D) 15 black members, but only from Southern states.

Question 57

Which group of Americans saw the most significant increase in household family income in the 1990s?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Hispanics
D) Asian Americans

Question 58

What is a minority group and what are the key characteristics that define a minority group in the field of social science? Why might the term minority cause confusion, and what would a reasonable alternative label be?

Question 59

In a couple of sentences, please describe three factors the textbook authors mention in explaining the historical rise of racism. In your answer, discuss Joseph Arthur de Gobineau's classification of races.

Question 60

In 2007, whites on average could expect to live ________ years longer than African Americans.

A) 2.1
B) 3.8
C) 15.4
D) 25.6

Question 61

In examining recent trends in global migration, Stephen Castles and Mark Miller (1993) have identified four tendencies that they claim characterize migration patterns today and that are expected to persist in the coming years. In a couple of sentences, please identify and describe each of these.

Question 62

In a short paragraph, please explain the four models of ethnic integration mentioned in your textbook-assimilation, melting pot, pluralism, and multiculturalism. What model (or models) characterize ethnic integration in the United States, past and present?

Question 63

According to the textbook, Cuban Americans are relatively more successful than Mexican Americans. How can this difference be explained? Please answer in a few sentences.

Question 64

In a short paragraph, explain the persistence of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States. Choose two of the following three perspectives in your response: 1) Robert Blauner; 2) William Julius Wilson; and 3) Douglas Massey and Nancy A. Denton. Which one do you think best explains the persistence of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States? Explain.