Question 1

In Brazil, race is not merely a matter of skin color but also includes consideration of ________.

Accepted Answer

In Brazil, race is determined by a combination of factors, including physical characteristics, ancestry, cultural practices, and socioeconomic status. Wealth and education are particularly important factors in determining someone's racial identity, as people with higher levels of education and income are often considered to be whiter or more socially privileged than those with less education and income. Therefore, choice D, wealth and education, is the best option.

Question 2

When did the cultural practice of the "one drop of blood" rule end in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The cultural practice of the "one drop of blood" rule, which classified individuals with any African ancestry as black, has not officially ended in practice. While laws have changed and racial classifications have shifted, the belief in the importance of ancestry in determining race still persists in society.

Question 3

The hidden cultural curriculum, a reflection of how we are all taught racial biases, often leads us to:

Accepted Answer

The hidden cultural curriculum involves messages that we pick up unconsciously from our society and culture, including racial biases. This can lead to unintentional microaggressions, such as making assumptions or stereotypes based on a person's race, without realizing the harm it can cause. Therefore, the best choice is C, committing microaggressions, as it accurately reflects the impact of the hidden cultural curriculum on our attitudes and behaviors. Choices A, B, and D do not accurately reflect the impact of the hidden cultural curriculum on our actions.

Question 4

Chinese immigrants to the United States were quickly separated according to an arbitrary set of characteristics, including slight differences in skin color. The Irish immigrants were similarly segregated, despite having white skin. What was one of the bases on which the Irish were segregated and racialized?

Accepted Answer

One of the bases on which the Irish were segregated and racialized was their religion. They were discriminated against because of their Catholicism, which was viewed as inferior by the Protestant majority.

Question 5

What do we call laws in the United States that allowed such things as "white only" swimming pools, restaurants, schools, beaches, and the like, similar to apartheid in South Africa?

Accepted Answer

These laws were known as Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans in public places and institutions.

Question 6

A set of popular ideas about race that allows the discriminatory behaviors of individuals and institutions to seem reasonable, rational, and normal is referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

A set of popular ideas about race that justifies discriminatory behaviors is referred to as racial ideology. While white supremacy and nativism are both factors that contribute to racial ideology, they are not the same as racial ideology itself. Racialization, on the other hand, refers to the process through which people are categorized and given a particular racial identity.

Question 7

What continuing aspect of racism in the United States is illuminated by the Susie Phipps case?

Accepted Answer

The Susie Phipps case revealed the continuing aspect of hypodescent, which is the practice of assigning an individual to a subordinate racial group based on their ancestry. In this case, Susie Phipps, who identified as white, was classified as black under Louisiana's "one drop rule" because one of her ancestors was black. This highlights how racial hierarchies are still enforced through legal and societal norms, and how even individuals who identify as white can be subject to racial discrimination based on their ancestry.

Question 8

When an individual acts on personal prejudiced beliefs and discriminates against someone based on imagined differences between them, this is referred to as what kind of racism?

Accepted Answer

Individual racism refers to beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that are based on their conscious or subconscious prejudices and discriminatory beliefs towards people of a different race or ethnicity.

Question 9

To apply stereotypical traits to people based on their supposed racial ancestry is referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

Racialization is the process of assigning racial identities or characteristics to a group of people based on their physical or cultural differences. It is often used to perpetuate stereotypes and discrimination towards certain racial groups. Discrimination refers to unequal treatment based on a person's race, while microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination that can be unintentional. Segregation is the separation of groups based on race.

Question 10

What rule assigns the children of racially mixed unions to the subordinate group?

Accepted Answer

Hypodescent, also known as the "one-drop rule," assigns individuals with any amount of ancestry from a subordinate racial group to that group, regardless of their appearance or societal status. This rule has been historically used in the United States to assign the children of racially mixed unions to the subordinate group.

Question 11

After the Civil War, many states passed laws mandating the segregation of American citizens of European and African descent. These laws were the result of what existing beliefs?

Accepted Answer

The laws enforcing segregation were based on the belief in white supremacy and the inferiority of African Americans. These beliefs were deeply entrenched in American society and had been used to justify slavery before the Civil War.

Question 12

Brazilians have hundreds of ways of categorizing people according to race. The particular system they use is a continuum of ________.

Accepted Answer

The Brazilian system of racial classification is based on a continuum of color shades, reflecting the country's complex history of colonization, slavery, and immigration, which has resulted in a highly diverse and mixed population.

Question 13

President Barack Obama's mother was a white woman from Kansas and his father was a black man from Kenya. What deeply embedded concept of racial division is revealed by the way people regard his race and even debate his birthplace?

Accepted Answer

Hypodescent, often referred to as the "one-drop rule," is a concept where a person with even one ancestor of sub-Saharan African ancestry is considered black. This concept is revealed in the way people regard Obama's race, emphasizing his African heritage over his white heritage despite being of mixed ancestry.

Question 14

Despite the initial racist attitudes directed toward Irish, Jewish, and Italian immigrants, these groups eventually "became white" through:

Accepted Answer

Irish, Jewish, and Italian immigrants faced discrimination and were not initially considered "white" in the United States. However, over time, intermarriage and upward mobility enabled these groups to assimilate and be accepted as "white" in broader society.

Question 15

What do anthropologists call common, everyday slights that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists call common, everyday slights that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion "microaggressions."

Question 16

Since racial categorization in Brazil is not exclusively a function of skin color, Brazilians can change their racial identity through a change in ________.

Accepted Answer

In Brazil, racial identity can be influenced by social status and economic factors, meaning that as individuals become more affluent, their perceived racial category can change. This reflects the complex interplay between race, class, and social mobility in Brazilian society.

Question 17

The failure of the New York State school system to add $5.6 billion to the annual school budget in order to ensure that all students received the same level of funding reflects what aspect of racism?

Accepted Answer

Institutional racism refers to policies, practices, and procedures within institutions that result in significant negative outcomes for racially marginalized groups. In this case, the failure of the New York State school system to ensure equal funding for all students creates a system where certain racial groups are disproportionately affected.

Question 18

Patterns by which racial inequality is structured through key cultural institutions, policies, and systems are referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

Institutional racism refers to the ways in which racial inequality is perpetuated through the systems and policies of major institutions, such as schools, healthcare, and criminal justice. This type of racism may not be intentional or overt, but rather is built into the fabric of societal structures and practices. Discrimination (A) refers to individual acts of prejudice and bias towards a particular race, while racialization (B) refers to the process of categorizing and assigning characteristics to a particular racial group. Racial ideology (D) refers to the attitudes, beliefs, and values held by individuals or groups about race and racism, rather than systemic patterns of inequality.

Question 19

What is the one term we might expect to see, but do not, in the variations of names given to different racial categories in the Dominican Republic?

Accepted Answer

While there are variations in the terms used to describe different racial categories in the Dominican Republic, the term "black" is not commonly used. This is likely due to historical and cultural factors, including the country's complex racial makeup and a preference for lighter skin tones.

Question 20

What do we call the process of categorizing, differentiating, and attributing a particular racial character to a person or group of people?

Accepted Answer

Racialization refers to the process of categorizing and attributing a particular racial identity to a person or group of people based on perceived physical, cultural, or behavioral characteristics. It involves the use of stereotypes and can lead to discrimination and marginalization of certain groups.

Option A (stereotyping) is related but refers specifically to the act of applying preconceived notions or beliefs about a certain group to individuals without regard for their individual traits or characteristics.

Option C (discrimination) is the act of unfairly treating individuals or groups based on their perceived differences, which can be related to race but can also encompass other characteristics such as gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

Option D (hypodescent) refers to assigning a person to a particular racial category based on the belief that they are descended from a group considered to be of lower social standing, such as the one-drop rule in the United States where any person with any amount of African ancestry is considered black regardless of their appearance or other ancestry.

Quiz 6: Race and Racism