Deck 7: African Americans

Question 1

W.E.B.Du Bois argued that the primary responsibility for changing the place of blacks in American society rested with __________.

A)individuals
B)government
C)blacks
D)whites

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The most sizable population of contemporary black immigration to the United States comes from:

A)Morocco.
B)the West Indies.
C)Nigeria.
D)Uganda.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In 1963, a Birmingham church was firebombed, killing four black children; and National Guardsmen were used to carry out the court-ordered desegregation of the University of Alabama.What does this most illustrate?

A)Competitive power
B)Hostile white retaliation
C)Black militant resistance
D)Civil disobedience

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The American brand of slavery was primarily a system of:

A)European colonialism.
B)class accommodation.
C)paternalistic domination.
D)cultural assimilation.

Question 5

The higher levels of self-pride among blacks today than those of 50 years ago can be most attributed to:

A)the black power movement.
B)Reconstruction.
C)the demise of the black ghetto.
D)the work of Booker T.Washington.

Question 6

In 2011, the median family income for blacks was about __________ of the white median family income.This percentage is __________.

A)30 percent; somewhat lower than what it was in the 1960s
B)45 percent; about the same as it was in the 1960s
C)60 percent; not significantly different from what it was in the 1960s
D)75 percent; somewhat higher than what it was in the 1960s

Question 7

According to historian Winthrop Jordan (1969), the initial rationalization for the enslavement of blacks stemmed from the __________ differences between whites and blacks.

A)intellectual
B)religious
C)physical
D)educational

Question 8

The chief tactic of the black civil rights movement during the early 1960s was:

A)legal action.
B)educational attainment.
C)nonviolent protest.
D)militant resistance.

Question 9

Since the 1960s, the black community has progressed least in:

A)gaining more political clout.
B)instilling group pride.
C)changing educational curricula.
D)reducing the plight of the underclass.

Question 10

How did the Jim Crow era differ from the slavery era?

A)In the Jim Crow era, the roles of blacks and whites were complementary.
B)In the Jim Crow era, a separate set of institutions was built to serve blacks.
C)In the slavery era, blacks had their own set of institutions.
D)In the slavery era, there was no segregation.

Question 11

Which of the following statements best describes the socioeconomic class of the current black population in the United States?

A)The black population is dispersed proportionately throughout the class hierarchy.
B)The majority of blacks in both rural and urban areas are part of the depressed underclass.
C)A majority of blacks are part of the middle and upper-middle classes.
D)The black population is divided into a stable middle/working class and a depressed underclass.

Question 12

Which factor accounts for the emergence of the black civil rights movement in the late 1950s?

A)An increase in biological racist ideas after World War II
B)A decrease in economic opportunities for blacks, beginning in the 1930s and continuing during and after World War II
C)The Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka in 1954, invalidating the "separate but equal" doctrine
D)A radical turnaround on the part of most whites to open up various societal institutions to blacks

Question 13

The court decision that established the legal foundation for the Jim Crow system was:

A)the Dred Scott case (1857).
B)Plessy v.Ferguson (1896).
C)Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka (1954).
D)Roe v.Wade (1973).

Question 14

The head of household of a black family today is most likely to:

A)own a house.
B)be a single female.
C)have savings in stocks.
D)be married with no children.

Question 15

What is one major reason that blacks, as opposed to other ethnic groups, were enslaved?

A)Their physical and cultural traits were more obviously distinct.
B)They were organized into easily defined and structured communities.
C)They had litle knowledge of what agricultural labor would entail.
D)Their belief system of origin was based on Judeo-Christian ideals.

Question 16

According to the 2012 U.S.Census, about what percentage of the U.S.population identifies as either entirely or partially black?

A)2 percent
B)7 percent
C)13 percent
D)21 percent

Question 17

The critical factor in choosing blacks for enslavement over Indians was:

A)cultural compatibility.
B)differential power.
C)sheer human resources.
D)costs of labor.

Question 18

The evolution of slavery in the United States was primarily prompted by the:

A)desire to speed up industrialization.
B)demand for cheap labor in underpopulated colonies.
C)attempt to modernize existing plantation practices.
D)need to compete with European markets.

Question 19

During the Jim Crow era in South Carolina, a clause was adopted that called for two years' residence, a poll tax of one dollar, the ability to read and write any section of the U.S.Constitution or to understand it when read aloud, the owning of property worth $300, and the disqualification of convicts.These types of measures resulted in:

A)more alliances within the Populist movement.
B)an increase in fluid competition.
C)the disfranchisement of blacks.
D)the beginning of Reconstruction.

Question 20

What does the belief that blacks are innately (biologically) inferior to whites exemplify?

A)Racist ideology
B)Dysfunctional culture
C)Miscegenation
D)Slave codes

Question 21

Studies have shown that the continuation of residential segregation of blacks from whites is primarily a product of:

A)the preference of blacks to live among other blacks.
B)the distinct sociocultural practices of blacks.
C)white resistance to residential integration.
D)government policies that directly enforce residential segregation.

Question 22

Devon, a young black man with a high school education, seems to be stuck in low-paying, dead-end jobs.According to proponents of the "dysfunctional culture" hypothesis, which of the following is the most likely scenario for Devon?

A)Devon grew up in a high-crime neighborhood.
B)Devon has not fully assimilated into white-collar culture.
C)Devon grew up in a rural neighborhood .
D)Devon has limited communication skills.

Question 23

According to William Julius Wilson (2009), the black-white economic gap is primarily attributable to:

A)integration conflicts.
B)overt discrmintion.
C)rapid urbanization.
D)class factors.

Question 24

Joann and Mark, a white American couple, are planning to purchase a home in the next year or so.They approve of residential integration as a concept, but are not looking for homes in areas with a high percentage of blacks.What concept are they most illustrating?

A)Racial ambivalence
B)Dominative racism
C)Aversive racism
D)Racial tolerance

Question 25

Most white Americans:

A)approve of black-white dating.
B)believe whites work harder than blacks.
C)believe whites are more intelligent than blacks.
D)socialize with their black colleagues outside of work.

Question 26

One of the major achievements of the Civil Rights movement is the:

A)end of residential segregation.
B)virtual elimination of school segregation.
C)emergence of a large black middle class.
D)significant reduction of black poverty.

Question 27

In 1940, about __________ of employed blacks were in white-collar jobs; in the year 2000, about __________of employed blacks were in white-collar jobs.

A)2 percent; 10 percent
B)6 percent; 50 percent
C)8 percent; 25 percent
D)15 percent; 65 percent

Question 28

Regarding education, African Americans:

A)have similar high school dropout rates as whites.
B)are attending college at about the same rate as whites.
C)show achievement levels similar to whites at all educational levels.
D)have had steadily increasing rates of college attendance.

Question 29

In every economic measure:

A)blacks compare similarly to whites.
B)blacks lead all non-whites.
C)blacks lag behind all non-whites.
D)blacks lag behind whites.

Question 30

In terms of attitudes, blacks and whites differ primarily in terms of their:

A)belief in the value of education.
B)perception of discrimination in American society.
C)perception of the importance of voting.
D)belief in strong work ethics.

Question 31

Most racial discrimination in American society today is:

A)individual.
B)institutional.
C)direct.
D)indirect.

Question 32

African Americans have not followed the same path of upward mobility as other American ethnic groups largely because of the lack of:

A)income advancement.
B)residential dispersion.
C)vocational training.
D)urbanization.

Question 33

According to the idea of "black middle-class fragility," the black-white economic gap is largely attributable to:

A)marginal and tenuous second-class socioeconomic status.
B)low levels of motivation among blacks.
C)the widespread availability of welfare.
D)differences in occupation, housing, income, and education.