Question 1

Which of the following laws would be the most likely to be examined by the Supreme Court using the inherently suspect standard to determine its constitutionality?

Accepted Answer

The inherently suspect standard is typically used in cases involving race or ethnicity, making option D the most likely to be examined using this standard. The other options may involve discrimination, but not specifically on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Question 2

Which of the following situations would most likely be a violation of Title IX?

Accepted Answer

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities, including sports programs. If a college or university spends significantly more money on sports programs for males than females, it could be seen as a violation of Title IX. While all of the options could be seen as discriminatory, only option C specifically involves education programs, which is the primary focus of Title IX.

Question 3

The NAACP fought against __________.

Accepted Answer

The NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was founded in 1909 and has been a leading civil rights organization fighting against racism and promoting the rights of African Americans.

Question 4

Which of the following accommodations would an employer most likely need to implement in order to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Accepted Answer

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, which may include physical accommodations such as installing ramps, widening doorways or providing accessible bathrooms. A, B, and C are not accommodations required by the ADA.

Question 5

Which of the following happened during Reconstruction?

Accepted Answer

During Reconstruction, many African American men held state and federal offices, despite facing significant challenges and opposition from white southerners. While some former Confederates did hold public office and seek to limit the rights of freed slaves, this was not the dominant trend during Reconstruction. Similarly, while many African Americans did move to northern cities during this time, this was not a defining characteristic of the period. Finally, while it is true that historically, property ownership was often a requirement for political office, this was not the case during Reconstruction when African American men were given the right to vote and run for office.

Question 6

Which of the following affirmative action programs would be a clear violation of the Supreme Court's decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)?

Accepted Answer

In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas, such as setting aside a certain percentage of admissions slots for specific racial groups, are unconstitutional. However, the Court also held that race can be considered as one of many factors in the admissions process.

Question 7

If a group of people were systematically discriminated against in the past,which of the following would constitute an affirmative action policy designed as a remedy to help the members of this group overcome this legacy of discrimination?

Accepted Answer

Affirmative action policies are designed to provide preferential treatment to members of a group that has been discriminated against in the past. Option B is the only option that fits this definition. Options A, C, and D do not provide any advantage or disadvantages to members of the discriminated group, therefore, they cannot be affirmative action policies.

Question 8

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was designed to overturn which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was designed to overturn Jim Crow laws, which were a series of state and local laws in the United States that enforced racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s. The act was intended to end segregation in public places and prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It did not involve integration, nonviolent resistance, or Reconstruction.

Question 9

For which of the following would the Supreme Court most likely apply an "intermediate scrutiny" standard of review to determine whether the policy is an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause?

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court applies intermediate scrutiny to cases involving discrimination based on gender or legitimacy. Choice D, having different minimum ages for men and women to marry, involves gender discrimination, which is why intermediate scrutiny would most likely be applied.

Question 10

Majority rule is most likely to conflict with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Majority rule may conflict with individual liberty because it allows the majority to impose their will on the minority, potentially infringing on their individual rights and freedoms. The principle of equality and consent of the governed can still be upheld through a system of majority rule as long as there are measures in place to protect the rights of the minority. Natural law is a separate concept and not directly related to majority rule.

Question 11

What was the basis for the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)that upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities?

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was based on the belief that the Constitution did not prohibit segregation as long as the facilities were equal in quality. This became known as the "separate but equal" doctrine and was used to justify racial segregation in many areas of American life for decades. The court ruled against the plaintiff, Homer Plessy, who argued that the segregation law violated his rights under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, stating that the law did not discriminate against him on account of race, and that, it was, therefore, constitutional.

Question 12

If you thought you were getting an inferior public education because of your ethnicity,which part of the Constitution would you rely on most heavily to justify your case?

Accepted Answer

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law to all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity. Therefore, if someone believed they were receiving an inferior education because of their ethnicity, they could argue that their right to equal protection under the law was being violated. This amendment has been used in numerous cases related to education and discrimination.

Question 13

The Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)primarily enhanced the civil liberties of __________.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) struck down a Texas law that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual activity, thereby enhancing the civil liberties of gays and lesbians. The Court held that intimate consensual sexual conduct was part of the liberty protected by substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 14

According to the Supreme Court's decisions in the Civil Rights Cases (1883),in which of the following areas could racial discrimination occur?

Accepted Answer

In the Civil Rights Cases, the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional because it attempted to prohibit discrimination in private businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and theaters. Therefore, racial discrimination could occur in hotels according to the Court's decision.

Question 15

In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision,the Supreme Court held that __________.

Accepted Answer

The Dred Scott v. Sandford decision declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, meaning that Congress did not have the power to ban slavery in federal territories. This decision was a major victory for pro-slavery advocates and undermined efforts to contain the spread of slavery. The Court also declared that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be citizens of the United States.

Question 16

What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. United States (1944)regarding the internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry living in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court decided that the internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry was permissible under the circumstances of World War II. The decision has since been widely criticized as a violation of civil liberties and constitutional rights.

Question 17

In Adarand Constructors v. Peña,the Supreme Court determined that __________.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court in Adarand Constructors v. Peña determined that affirmative action policies must be scrutinized using the same suspect standard that is used for other policies classifying people by race. This means that such policies must be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest, with the burden of proof on the government to demonstrate that such policies are necessary to address discrimination.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of de jure segregation?

Accepted Answer

Jim Crow laws were laws that mandated racial segregation, making it an example of de jure segregation.

Question 19

What strategy did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)successfully use to fight against school segregation?

Accepted Answer

The NAACP successfully used litigation, or legal action, to fight against school segregation. They strategically targeted specific cases and challenged segregation in the courts, leading to landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. While boycotts, protests, marches, and rallies were also important tactics used by civil rights activists, it was ultimately the legal victories won through litigation that led to lasting change in the fight against segregation.

Question 20

In the South after Reconstruction,which of the following was used to prevent African Americans from having a meaningful impact on the outcome of elections?

Accepted Answer

White primaries were used to prevent African Americans from participating in the primary elections, which essentially determined the outcome of the general elections in the heavily Democratic South. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation and discrimination against African Americans in all aspects of life, not just in politics. Majority-minority districts were created to increase the political representation of minorities, including African Americans, but this happened much later in the 1990s. Affirmative action is also unrelated to preventing African Americans from having a meaningful impact on elections.

Quiz 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy