Deck 10: Race and Ethnicity

Question 1

Which census first allowed Americans the opportunity to indicate if they were of mixed racial heritage?

A) 1900
B) 1960
C) 1980
D) 2000

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Adolf Hitler believed in the superiority of the Aryan race. This is an example of

A) racism.
B) cultural relativism.
C) Eurocentrism.
D) elitism.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true regarding race?

A) More physical variation occurs between whites and other racial categories than among whites.
B) Most biological differences among people are visible.
C) There are clear lines dividing one racial group from another.
D) People arbitrarily select physical characteristics to define racial categories.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The term race took on its contemporary connotations in the ________ century.

A) fifteenth
B) sixteenth
C) seventeenth
D) eighteenth

Question 5

What is the origin of the term Caucasian?

A) a discovery made in Africa
B) a scientific study of humans
C) a combination of religion and folk belief
D) No one is certain of its origin.

Question 6

Why do many people dislike being labeled as "Hispanic"?

A) It lumps them in a category with too many other cultures.
B) They worry about being discriminated against if people know that they are Hispanic.
C) They want to be identified as individuals not as members of a group.
D) They feel that "Latino" is a more appropriate term for people with a Spanish-speaking heritage.

Question 7

The idea that natural and immutable differences exist that separate the races is known as

A) social determinism.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) racial essentialism.
D) group superiority.

Question 8

When people are making racial distinctions, on which feature do they focus?

A) hair color
B) skin color
C) shape of the eyes
D) shape of the lips

Question 9

If you were a person of mixed race in the early-twentieth-century American South, into what racial category would you be placed?

A) The darkness of your skin color would determine your racial classification.
B) Your father's race would determine your racial classification
C) Your mother's race would determine your racial classification.
D) You would be considered colored or black.

Question 10

Who invented a classification system of four subspecies of humans?

A) Carolus Linnaeus
B) Josiah Nott
C) George Gliddon
D) W. E. B. Du Bois

Question 11

When people are perceived as sharing physical characteristics such as skin color, this is known as a(n)

A) heritage.
B) ethnicity.
C) society.
D) race.

Question 12

All the following statements regarding race and ethnicity are true EXCEPT that

A) race and ethnicity are social constructions.
B) race and ethnicity remain the same regardless of which country one is in.
C) different countries use different classifications in their census.
D) in some countries, physical appearance carries less social significance.

Question 13

What is the common ancestral lineage that all humans share?

A) Middle Eastern
B) African
C) Asian
D) Indo-Aryan

Question 14

Darker skin inhibits the skin's ability to produce ________ from sunlight.

A) vitamin B₁₂
B) melatonin
C) melanin
D) vitamin D

Question 15

When people share traditions, language, and customs, this is known as a(n)

A) race.
B) society.
C) ethnicity.
D) culture.

Question 16

Frank and Sally are a brother and sister who live in the United States. Their mother is white and their father is black. When their parents had to fill out the 2010 census form, they indicated that their children were a mix of black and white. If Frank and Sally lived in Brazil, they might be classified quite differently. Frank has black hair and a slightly darker skin tone than his sister. He has many of the features of his father. Sally, on the other hand, has very light brown hair and lighter skin. In Brazil, Frank and Sally would not be classified into the same racial category. What would explain the differences in racial classification for Frank and Sally?

A) The United States has a more extensive classification system than that of Brazil.
B) Brazil has a classification system based on a number of physical characteristics.
C) American society is more accepting of interracial people than Brazilian society.
D) Brazil has not updated its census categories, whereas the United States has kept more current.

Question 17

Many people in Africa often have dark skin. Those who live near to the equator often have the darkest skin tone. This is quite often the case for a good portion of South America as well. Around the world, skin tone has some correlation to the level of sunlight in that particular region. From an evolutionary standpoint skin tone is an adaptation to environmental conditions. What accounts for this difference in skin tone?

A) melatonin found in the skin
B) levels of dopamine in the brain
C) melanin levels found in the skin
D) serotonin levels after exposure to sunlight

Question 18

Maria and her family are from the Dominican Republic. They immigrated to Miami, Florida, about ten years ago. They live in a community with many other Hispanic people. They enjoy living in the United States, but they do miss their homeland. Maria's family has tried to retain their cultural heritage and to maintain contact with other people who also come from the Dominican Republic. They feel that they can more closely associate with those people than with the Mexican Americans they have met. What might be the reason for this?

A) They don't like Mexican Americans because many Americans view them as illegal immigrants.
B) They share an ethnicity with other people from the Dominican Republic.
C) They don't share a common racial identity with Mexican Americans.
D) They don't view Mexican Americans as Hispanic.

Question 19

Under what racial classification are Hispanic people placed?

A) white
B) black
C) Asian
D) They may be classified as any race.

Question 20

Based upon the classification of four subspecies of Homo sapiens, which was defined as stubborn and easily angered?

A) Africanus
B) Americanus
C) Europeanus
D) Asiaticus

Question 21

When the Great Depression led to a massive shortage of jobs in the United States, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans

A) voluntarily returned to Mexico where they faced less discrimination.
B) were recruited into the bracero program.
C) joined the United Farm Workers in order to collectivize and bargain with farmers.
D) were sent back to Mexico, including many American citizens.

Question 22

In Guyana, in South America, there are primarily two ethnic groups and a few smaller groups. For most of the people who live there, their ancestors came from either India or Africa. Those whose ancestors come from India make up a larger share of the population than any other racial or ethnic group. The people who are of East Indian descent are often the farmers, small business owners, and teachers. The people of African descent are more likely to control the police force and hold the political and governmental positions of power and privilege. Guyana has a history of problems with race relations between the Africans and East Indians. How were the people of East Indian descent likely to be classified?

A) as a minority group
B) as a majority group
C) as a pluralist group
D) as a dominant group

Question 23

Which of the following was among the tactics used by the United States to uproot the native population of North America?

A) political deception
B) treaty violations
C) military conquest
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 24

Amalgamation typically occurs through

A) geographic redistribution.
B) population transfers.
C) intermarriage.
D) political necessity.

Question 25

In examining the portrayal of black women in the media, it is not uncommon for those who appear to have lighter skin as well as straightened hair to be perceived as "the norm" and what is desirable. Straightening one's hair goes back to the time after slavery when black women were inundated with the message that straight hair was more socially acceptable. The practice of hair straightening is still common among black women today. How are these women responding to majority domination in this example?

A) by passing
B) by withdrawing
C) by code-switching
D) by amalgamation

Question 26

Why is Switzerland considered a pluralistic society?

A) Though it has multiple cultures, they all enjoy equal social standing and coexist on equal terms.
B) It has only one homogeneous culture, dating back many centuries.
C) Its relative isolation, thanks to the mountains that surround it, means it has not experienced an influx of people from other cultures.
D) Its location in the center of western Europe has made it a "crossroads" for centuries, resulting in toleration of "outside" cultures.

Question 27

In the 1800s, what system was created to give whites advantages over native Mexicans?

A) a closed school system
B) a racial caste system
C) a social class system
D) a system of desegregation

Question 28

What is the effect of identifying certain physical traits as socially significant?

A) People are more understanding once they see the physical differences.
B) People are less likely to stereotype and discriminate.
C) People will get more accurate perceptions of reality.
D) People create a social reality based on how they view physical and cultural differences.

Question 29

Belief that all Asian American students are smart is a

A) prejudice.
B) stereotype.
C) discriminatory act.
D) belief system.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding majority groups?

A) They are very conscious of their status and the barriers that they face.
B) They tend to have fewer resources and power.
C) They do not need to learn about minority cultures to be successful.
D) They are very aware of their status and feel fortunate for their privilege.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is accurate according to the "one-drop rule"?

A) Someone with a white mother and black father would be considered white.
B) Someone who is mixed race would be considered mulatto.
C) Someone with a white mother and black father would be considered black.
D) Someone who is of mixed ancestry would be considered white.

Question 32

Max's family recently moved to the United States from Laos. Max is in the fifth grade. He is taking English classes so that he can adequately communicate with his teacher and classmates. At home, his family speaks their native language. Many of the kids have never met a Hmong student before, even though there are a few other Hmong students at the school. Some of the kids feel that Max isn't very smart because he can't speak English very well and doesn't understand the rules of the games that they play on the playground. The teacher has told them that they need to treat Max with respect and include him in their games, and the students do so. What is Max experiencing at school with his classmates?

A) discrimination
B) implicit association bias
C) overgeneralization
D) prejudice

Question 33

Kim is an Asian woman in her thirties. She enjoys shopping and going to her local mall on the weekends when she's not working. Kim lives in a mid-sized community where there is limited ethnic diversity. Her husband is white and so are her friends. There is one particular store, where Kim and her friends shop, in which many of the clerks are white women in their late fifties to early sixties. They are very friendly and attentive to Kim's friends, but not to Kim. Kim will sometimes have to wait for a few minutes at the checkout before receiving assistance. What is Kim experiencing?

A) prejudice
B) discrimination
C) subtle manipulation
D) institutional discrimination

Question 34

Many immigrants come to the United States each year. Many will have to adapt to new climate conditions, traditions, and customs other than their own, as well as learn English as a second language in order to successfully adapt and get a job. Children tend to fare better than the older generation. What is the dominant belief or expectation in the United States regarding immigrants?

A) They will segregate themselves into cultural and ethnic groups.
B) They will be encouraged to retain their own language and customs.
C) They will establish themselves in large cities to promote ethnic diversity.
D) They will assimilate into the dominant culture.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a response of minority groups to majority-group domination?

A) passing
B) withdrawal
C) resistance
D) baiting

Question 36

The Holocaust that took place during World War II is an example of

A) segregation.
B) population transfer.
C) genocide.
D) assimilation.

Question 37

Which of the following is the largest Latino group in the United States?

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

Question 38

What is Manifest Destiny?

A) nineteenth-century white Americans' belief that they had a right and a duty to occupy the North American continent from coast to coast
B) seventeenth-century Europeans' belief that they were destined to found a new land upon which to live out God's principles
C) eighteenth-century white Americans' belief that they should "bring the light of scientific thought" to native peoples throughout the "uncivilized" world
D) seventeenth-century evangelical White Americans' belief that they were destined to spread Christianity to Native Americans

Question 39

The system of apartheid that existed in South Africa is an example of

A) separatism.
B) segregation.
C) assimilation.
D) amalgamation.

Question 40

The civil rights movement is an example of

A) resistance.
B) code-switching.
C) passing.
D) withdrawal.

Question 41

All the following statements are true regarding Arab Americans and the Arab world EXCEPT that

A) individuals from Lebanon comprise the largest subgroup of Arab Americans.
B) Arab Americans hold graduate degrees at nearly double the rate of Americans as a whole.
C) almost all Arab Americans are Muslim.
D) more than 80 percent of the world's Muslims live outside the Arab world.

Question 42

Why did the earliest Chinese immigrants come to the United States?

A) to work on the transcontinental railroad
B) to escape genocide in China
C) to find their fortunes in the California Gold Rush
D) to work on sugar cane plantations

Question 43

When transnational migrants send money to their relatives living in their homeland, this is known as

A) reparations.
B) capital transfers.
C) direct deposits.
D) remittances.

Question 44

When were Native Americans granted full, unrestricted American citizenship?

A) 1924
B) 1976
C) 1888
D) 1877

Question 45

In what can we see the most obvious influence of the early WASPs in America today?

A) liberal immigration policies
B) the Catholic religion
C) the use of the English language
D) multiculturalism

Question 46

Which ethnic group was the most powerful when the colonies were founded on the east coast of America?

A) the Norwegians
B) the Irish
C) the WASPs
D) the Catholics

Question 47

Most native peoples in the United States identify themselves

A) as American Indians.
B) as Native Americans.
C) according to tribal heritage.
D) as Native Peoples.

Question 48

Which minority group is the largest in the United States?

A) Native Americans
B) African Americans
C) Latinos
D) Asians

Question 49

What is the purpose of studies done on "whiteness"?

A) to show that whites are prejudice
B) to show that white privilege exists today
C) to demonstrate that whites had a major role to play in racial inequality
D) to show that people of color cannot stick up for themselves

Question 50

When did the earliest Arab immigrants begin arriving in the United States?

A) in the 1880s
B) in the 1960s
C) immediately following World War II
D) during the years of the Great Depression

Question 51

What did WASPs who settled the east coast of the United States typically believe in?

A) multiculturalism
B) pluralism
C) economic superiority
D) racial superiority

Question 52

What ancestry is most common in the Midwest?

A) German
B) Irish
C) Scandinavian
D) African American

Question 53

When immigrants sponsor other family members to come to the United States, this is known as

A) mass migration.
B) direct population transfer.
C) transatlantic migration.
D) chain immigration.

Question 54

What did the American South's Jim Crow laws do?

A) They ended slavery.
B) They united blacks and whites politically, if not socially.
C) They gave blacks an opportunity to own land, though it was not easy for them to do so.
D) They called for separation of blacks and whites in all aspects of life.

Question 55

Lena's extended family lives in Lebanon. She moved to the United States with her husband and two children about five years ago, and now holds dual United States and Lebanese citizenship. She hopes that many of her family members, including her parents, will eventually be able to move to the United States to join her and her family. In the meantime, she is able to Skype as often as she likes, chat with them on Facebook, and communicate through email. Why would Lena be considered a transnational migrant?

A) She maintains dual citizenship between Lebanon and the United States.
B) She retains a strong connection to Lebanon.
C) She will be able to pay for her extended family to come to the United States.
D) She plans to eventually return to Lebanon and remain there for the rest of her life.

Question 56

Upon what grounds did white Americans justify the racialization of slavery?

A) Black Africans were viewed as an inferior human subspecies.
B) Racial pseudoscience offered a hierarchical view in which Africans were "below" whites.
C) Biblical scripture was used to justify African slavery.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 57

All the following statements are true regarding Puerto Rico EXCEPT that

A) its residents can vote for president.
B) it has the right to elect its own governor.
C) it has a nonvoting delegate to Congress.
D) it is subject to U.S. law.

Question 58

Which of the following states was a "majority minority" state in 2014?

A) Minnesota
B) New Jersey
C) Mississippi
D) Texas

Question 59

During which war were Japanese Americans sent to internment camps?

A) Civil War
B) World War II
C) World War I
D) Vietnam War

Question 60

Many Americans view Asian Americans as one of the most successful groups. With statistics showing they have high levels of education, work in professional jobs, and have high family incomes, it is easy to believe that they no longer face prejudice or discrimination. While Japanese or Chinese Americans may be generally viewed as successful, there is still a struggle for many Southeast Asians, which is often overlooked. What is the myth that is being perpetuated about Asian Americans?

A) They are a heterogeneous group.
B) They are a model minority.
C) They are a minority-majority.
D) They are, as a group, divided by social class.

Question 61

What did Mahzarin Banaji and her colleagues discover when testing respondents using implicit association tests?

A) People are more open-minded than was once thought.
B) Most people have unconscious preferences for people like themselves.
C) Most people have very few biases against people of other races.
D) People are able to control and regulate feelings of prejudice.

Question 62

All of the following have contributed to undocumented workers in the United States EXCEPT

A) many workers staying after the bracero program ended in the 1940s.
B) U.S. employers recruiting laborers, including undocumented workers.
C) the border being poorly patrolled and so many workers being able to cross over.
D) displaced workers seeking opportunities in the United States.

Question 63

A member of which racial or ethnic group is most likely to live in poverty in the United States?

A) Hispanic
B) white
C) Asian
D) African American

Question 64

Which of the following describes the foreign-born population of the United States as of 2014?

A) one in eight people were born outside the U.S.
B) one in four people were born outside the U.S.
C) about 5 percent were born outside the U.S.
D) less than 1 percent were born outside the U.S.

Question 65

Which theory draws attention to the situation in which a person refrains from racist comments in public, but freely makes such comments with his or her friends and family?

A) dramaturgical
B) affirmative action
C) split market
D) minority majority

Question 66

What did Emory Bogardus and other researchers discover about social distance over the years?

A) Some found that it decreased, while others found that it increased.
B) It stayed the same.
C) It lessened.
D) It increased.

Question 67

Government and private-sector policies that discriminated against minorities and gave whites advantages are described by Oliver and Shapiro as

A) white entitlement.
B) the racialization of the state.
C) Jim Crow laws.
D) governmental discrimination.

Question 68

Which of the following conditions is necessary for effective reduction of prejudice, according to Gordon Allport's contact hypothesis?

A) Contact needs to be monitored by authorities.
B) Contact needs to occur on a college campus.
C) Contact needs to be sustained.
D) Contact groups need to be of unequal standing so that they can learn from one another.

Question 69

Which racial or ethnic group has the highest median family income in the United States?

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

Question 70

Which statement accurately describes the foreign-born population in the United States as of 2012?

A) The percentage of foreign born is higher than it was in the 1850s.
B) The number of foreign-born people has stayed relatively stable from 1970 to 2012.
C) The number of people who are foreign born has reached unprecedented levels.
D) Between 1970 and 2012, the percentage of foreign-born people has decreased.

Question 71

Charlotte is an African American woman. She went into her local bank and talked with a loan officer about a home loan. Charlotte had a good credit rating and was, she felt, a responsible person. She was turned down for the loan that she needed, but was offered one for a much smaller amount that would not be enough to purchase a decent home in the city in which she lived. She would have to save much more money to have enough for a down payment. She was frustrated and talked with many of her black friends regarding their experience with lending institutions in their cities. She found that quite a few had a similar experience. She began researching and found that this situation was happening to African Americans all across the country. What was Charlotte realizing?

A) She was a part of an affirmative action plan.
B) She was being subjected to individual discrimination.
C) She was being subjected to institutional discrimination.
D) She was being subjected to gender discrimination.

Question 72

Margaret and Linda met during their junior year in college at a respected public university in Minnesota. Margaret is black and came from a lower-middle-class family. Linda is white and came from an upper-middle-class family. While Margaret's family was able to help support her while she was in school, she still had to take out some student loans to cover her expenses. Linda's family had saved a considerable amount of money for her college expenses and she graduated with no debt. After college, they both found jobs and made roughly the same income. Linda was able to purchase a car right away because she had money left over, while Margaret took the bus until she was able to save enough money for a down payment on a car. Based on statistical information, who is likely to end up with more wealth, and what would explain the difference?

A) Linda, because she had considerable financial support from her family that is likely to continue
B) Linda, because she seems able to budget her money more wisely
C) Margaret, because if she works hard enough she can make up for her previous financial situation
D) Margaret, because she is more likely to benefit from social programs that will "level" her chances with those of Linda

Question 73

Which of the following best describes a field audit?

A) observing racial interactions, between strangers, in public situations
B) sending two otherwise similar, but racially different, subjects into similar situations
C) observing how public institutions, such as banks, treat people of different races and ethnicities
D) sending people of the same race, but with significant differences in education or income, into similar situations

Question 74

How did the North American Free Trade Agreement increase immigration from Mexico to the United States?

A) by normalizing the movement of laborers over the border
B) by economically undermining small-scale Mexican farms
C) by establishing the bracero temporary worker program
D) by codifying recruitment rules for American employers

Question 75

When Professor Smith is in the classroom, his lectures are often formal and well prepared. He teaches sociology and lectures to a group of about 150 students. His class is 50 minutes long. During that time, he reviews his PowerPoint slides and gives a formal lecture. He is a funny guy but tends to be more serious while in the classroom. When he is with his friends, he tells many jokes and has a good sense of humor. What accounts for the difference in behavior that Professor Smith is exhibiting in the classroom as compared to when he is with his friends?

A) He is exhibiting ethnomethodological behavior in the classroom but not with his friends.
B) He is engaging in face-saving behaviors in the classroom that are not necessary with his friends.
C) He is using back-stage behaviors in the classroom but not with his friends.
D) He is using front-stage behaviors in the classroom and back-stage behaviors with his friends.

Question 76

What is the likely outcome of color-blind racism?

A) a continuation of existing racial and ethnic inequality
B) an escalation of racial tensions
C) eventually, a color-blind society
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 77

Dramaturgical theory is a part of which theoretical perspective?

A) symbolic interactionist
B) conflict
C) feminist
D) functionalism

Question 78

Which of the following policies was part of the racialization of the state?

A) Schools were racially segregated and unequal.
B) Blacks were barred from certain occupations.
C) Blacks were prevented from selling to whites.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 79

When a university uses race as a factor in admissions decisions, this is known as

A) collective bargaining.
B) affirmative action.
C) institutional discrimination.
D) a split market.

Question 80

To which theoretical perspective does the split labor market theory belong?

A) conflict theory
B) symbolic interactionism
C) functionalism
D) feminist theory