Deck 36: Contemporary California Society

Question 1

The Native American issue in California that captured the greatest public attention in the late twentieth century was

A)the "repatriation" of Native American artifacts.
B)legalized gambling on tribally owned lands.
C)the drop in the Native American population of Los Angeles.
D)fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Answer 1

legalized gambling on tribally owned lands.

Question 2

By far the fastest-growing ethnic group in California during recent decades were

A)African Americans.
B)Latinos.
C)Native Americans.
D)Asian or Pacific Islanders.

Answer 2

Asian or Pacific Islanders.

Question 3

Between 1980 and 2000,California's prison population

A)declined because of lenient sentencing policies.
B)remained constant.
C)nearly tripled.
D)diminished slightly due to frequent executions by lethal injection.

Answer 3

nearly tripled.

Question 4

California's African American population in the early 2000s

A)continued to confront barriers of prejudice and discrimination.
B)increased in numbers from about 7 percent to 10 percent.
C)outnumbered the Latino population in East Los Angeles.
D)achieved significant gains in political power in the state's urban cores.

Question 5

In 1995 the reading comprehension scores of California's fourth-graders were

A)the highest in the nation.
B)the lowest in the nation.
C)above those of most other major states,such as New York and Illinois.
D)second only to those of Massachusetts.

Question 6

Budget cuts at the University of California led to

A)fewer course offerings.
B)increased class sizes.
C)additional time needed by students to graduate.
D)all of the above

Question 7

A high-speed rail system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco was

A)designed to make the trip in about 2 and a half hours.
B)rejected by voters in 1998 and again in 2008.
C)completed in 2010.
D)opposed by the Obama administration as a "excessive luxury for well-heeled Californians."

Question 8

Lacking sufficient funds,California's community colleges

A)abandoned newly established "learning centers."
B)quadrupled registration fees.
C)reduced by 40 percent the costs of administration.
D)turned increasingly to underpaid part-time faculty.

Question 9

In 2000 the Census Bureau introduced a new category:

A)"multirace."
B)"non-Hispanic white."
C)"Asian or Pacific Islander."
D)"legion."

Question 10

After more than a decade of massive efforts to improve outcomes,the reading scores of California's fourth- and eighth-graders in 2009

A)had risen to the highest in the nation.
B)remained about average among the 50 states.
C)were tied for last place with Louisiana.
D)won praise from outgoing President George W.Bush.

Question 11

"Ninja loans" were loans

A)issued to Japanese Americans.
B)funded by investment banks in Japan.
C)in which borrowers did not have to state their financial resources.
D)offered by lenders at public auctions.

Question 12

Citing "horrifying" conditions in the state prison health care system,a federal judge in 2005 ordered a

A)federal takeover.
B)reopening of Alcatraz and other abandoned facilities.
C)closure of Pelican Bay and San Quentin prisons.
D)release of more than 500 "medically damaged" felons.

Question 13

California's affordability rate was

A)among the lowest in the nation.
B)the highest for any state in the Sunbelt.
C)reflected in lower rents in major urban areas.
D)about average among the states.

Question 14

During recent decades,the most noticeable change in the state's system of public education was the

A)proliferation of charter schools.
B)collapse on-line instruction.
C)increasing diversity of the school-age population.
D)lengthening of tenure-requirements for teachers.

Question 15

According to the textbook,the most basic cause of the housing debacle was the

A)reduction of property taxes mandated by Proposition 13.
B)sale of foreclosed properties.
C)decline in numbers of first-time home buyers.
D)proliferation of subprime mortgages.

Question 16

The AIDS epidemic

A)first appeared in San Francisco during the "beat generation" of the 1950s.
B)has not yet experienced any significant decline in the rates of infection or mortality.
C)struck young white males at a rate nearly ten times higher than African Americans.
D)none of the above

Question 17

In the early 2000s,the only California ethnic group that was declining numerically as well as proportionately were

A)Asian or Pacific Islanders.
B)Native Americans.
C)non-Hispanic whites.
D)African Americans.

Question 18

Demographers predict that by the year 2050 the population of California will swell to nearly

A)40 million.
B)60 million.
C)80 million.
D)100 million.

Question 19

By the early 2000s,California ranked ______ among the states in providing health access for low-income children and adults.

A)first.
B)tenth.
C)twenty-fifth.
D)forty-ninth.

Question 20

According to the textbook,traffic congestion worsened in California because the

A)increase in the number of motorists far outpaced the increased capacity of the highway system.
B)profitability of highway construction declined sharply.
C)petroleum industry began offering deep discounts to "high-mileage" drivers.
D)none of the above

Question 21

The University of California's affirmative action recruitment policy was significantly strengthened during the 1990s.

Question 22

During the 1990s the allocation for the California Department of Corrections was the fastest-growing portion of the state budget.

Question 23

The fastest growing region in southern California was the Inland Empire of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Question 24

Demographers predicted that Latinos will constitute the state's largest ethnic group by the year

A)2016.
B)2030.
C)2042.
D)2086.

Question 25

The nation's city with the highest proportion of "limited English speakers" was San Francisco.

Question 26

According to the textbook,the latest epidemic to threaten the state's health was gingivitis.

Question 27

By the early 2000s the median income of Latinos in California had nearly reached that of non-Hispanic whites.

Question 28

The underlying causes of the 1992 riot in South Central Los Angeles were the same as those which led to the Watts riot in the mid-1960s.

Question 29

Los Angeles was the home of one of the largest population of Native Americans in the United States.

Question 30

The first American of Asian descent to serve in the cabinet of a United States President was

A)Ming Chn.
B)Chang-Lin Tien.
C)Norman Mineta.
D)S.I.Hayakawa.

Question 31

By 2010 one in five Californians had no health insurance.

Question 32

California's program of bilingual education was significantly expanded during the late 1990s.

Question 33

As late as 1996 California's classrooms had fewer computers per student than any other state in the nation.

Question 34

When Republican legislators in 2009 blamed illegal immigrants for the state's "budget mess," Governor Schwarzenegger heartily agreed.

Question 35

By 2005 more than two-thirds of California's students were members of ethnic minorities.

Question 36

During recent decades African Americans suffered the loss of political power in California.

Question 37

Antonio Villaraigosa

A)was a master in the art of "crossover appeal."
B)served as speaker of the state assembly.
C)was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 2005 and 2009.
D)all of the above

Question 38

The major barrier to solving California's transportation problems in recent years has been the enormous cost.

Question 39

In spite of major increases in the state's population,traffic congestion on California freeways was reduced during the 1990s.

Question 40

In 2005 California ranked second among the states in its rate of homeownership.

Question 41

Assess the state of public education in California in the early 2000s.What problems and challenges confront public education at all levels in California during the early twenty-first century?

Question 42

Describe the nature of California's diverse population in the early twenty-first century.What are the state's major ethnic groups and their relative sizes? What are the major challenges facing these groups? In your view,what is the likelihood of California meeting the "challenge of diversity" in the years ahead?

Question 43

Assess the state of health care in California in the early 2000s.What problems and controversies plague the system and what are the prospects of dealing successfully with these difficulties?

Question 44

Summarize the major issues confronting California's criminal justice system in recent decades.What changes have been implemented,and how effective have these changes been in reducing crime?

Question 45

Explain the problem of growing congestion on California's streets and highways.What recent measures have been taken to alleviate this condition? What alternative forms of transportation hold promise for California's future?