Deck 9: New Americans, Assimilation, and Old Challenges

Question 1

The nation that sent the most immigrants in 2012 was ______.

A) Cuba
B) the Philippines
C) India
D) China
E) Mexico

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere?

A) Mexico
B) Dominican Republic
C) El Salvador
D) Cuba
E) Haiti

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following statements about Haitian immigrants is true?

A) Haitians are still mostly first-generation immigrants.
B) Haitian immigrants tend to be mestizo.
C) Haitians do not have trouble communicating in English because it is spoken in Haiti.
D) Haitian immigrants tend to be highly educated.
E) Haitian immigrants tend to arrive in the United States with high levels of human capital.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following groups has a higher percentage of college graduates, in comparison to non-Hispanic Whites?

A) Haitian Americans
B) Jamaican Americans
C) Vietnamese Americans
D) Arab Americans
E) Ethiopian Americans

Question 5

Arab Americans make up 30% of the population of ______, the highest percentage of any city in the nation.

A) Trenton, New Jersey
B) Jacksonville, Florida
C) Sacramento, California
D) Dearborn, Michigan
E) New York, New York

Question 6

Recent data show that the largest groups of African immigrants came from ______.

A) Ghana and Eritrea
B) Ethiopia and Gambia
C) Nigeria and Ethiopia
D) Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone
E) South Africa and Malawi

Question 7

Which of the following statements about Nigerian immigrants is true?

A) They are not recent immigrants and therefore do not have a high representation of first-generation members.
B) Nigerian immigrants tend to have low levels of skill and education.
C) The majority of Nigerian immigrants were admitted as refugees.
D) Nigerian immigrants have a low level of English fluency.
E) Nigerian immigration contributes to a brain drain in the home country.

Question 8

The U.S. government defined ______ as economic refugees ineligible for asylum.

A) South Korean immigrants
B) Nigerian immigrants
C) Cuban immigrants
D) Haitian immigrants
E) Ethiopian immigrants

Question 9

Contrary to popular opinion, undocumented immigrants ______.

A) do not contribute to the Social Security system
B) place a burden on the nation's economic resources
C) do not contribute to the economy
D) pay a disproportionate amount of taxes
E) receive payroll tax deductions

Question 10

Which of the following industries has the greatest demand for undocumented workers?

A) fishing and forestry
B) automotive
C) manufacturing
D) health care
E) mining

Question 11

One of the best-known attempts to limit benefits to illegal immigrants occurred in 1994, when ______ voters passed Proposition 187.

A) Nevada
B) California
C) Florida
D) New York
E) Arizona

Question 12

What do Jamaica and Nigeria have in common?

A) They are both former Spanish colonies.
B) They are both former French colonies.
C) They are both former Italian colonies.
D) They are both former Portuguese colonies.
E) They are both former British colonies.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about Arab Americans is true?

A) Arab Americans are not urbanized.
B) Arab Americans tend to have low levels of education and skills.
C) Arab Americans include both Muslims and Christians.
D) Arab Americans rank relatively low in terms of income and occupation.
E) Arab American men are overrepresented in occupations involving manual labor.

Question 14

Efforts to decrease the flow of illegal immigration through denying access to services ______.

A) have been met with overwhelming public approval
B) have deterred attempts at entering the United States
C) have improved access to jobs for U.S. citizens
D) have been declared unconstitutional
E) have proven to be effective

Question 15

Two recent studies provide support for Gordon's theory of assimilation by suggesting that most contemporary immigrant groups are acculturating and integrating at the "normal" ______-generation pace.

A) five
B) four
C) three
D) two
E) one

Question 16

Which of the following groups is most likely to be trapped by very low levels of human capital?

A) Nigerian immigrants
B) Iranian immigrants
C) Egyptian immigrants
D) Dominican immigrants
E) Colombian immigrants

Question 17

Compared to Nigerian immigrants, immigrants from Ethiopia are more likely to ______.

A) be highly educated
B) be fluent in English
C) be highly skilled
D) have high incomes
E) be refugees

Question 18

Which of the following statements about Arab Americans is true?

A) Arab American men are underrepresented in sales-related occupations.
B) Arab American men are overrepresented in occupations involving manual labor.
C) Arab American women have the lowest rate of employment of any immigrant group.
D) Arab Americans are underrepresented in the highest occupational group.
E) Arab American women are heavily involved in domestic work.

Question 19

______ is the term for the loss of more-educated citizens to other nations.

A) Intellectual loss
B) Brain drain
C) Brain transfer
D) Capital loss
E) The immigrant's paradox

Question 20

According to the chapter text, Arab American women have the lowest employment rate of any immigrant group due to ______.

A) their high level of education
B) workplace discrimination
C) traditional gender roles and family norms
D) their low level of education
E) their refugee status

Question 21

______ immigrants have incomes and educational levels that are somewhat comparable to those of colonized minority groups.

A) Asian Indian
B) Korean
C) Filipino
D) Chinese
E) Vietnamese

Question 22

According to the chapter text, researchers find that, in general, undocumented immigrants ______.

A) are provided pathways to citizenship
B) find the United States to offer fewer opportunities than their home country
C) use more welfare benefits than U.S. citizens
D) are concentrated in jobs where U.S. citizens do not want to work
E) negatively impact the economy

Question 23

Less-skilled immigrants provide cheap labor for the low-wage secondary job market. Who are the primary beneficiaries of these immigrants?

A) documented and undocumented immigrants
B) employers and U.S. consumers
C) employers and immigrants
D) U.S. consumers and immigrants
E) consumers in immigrants' homelands

Question 24

The classic assimilation model holds best for immigrants from ______.

A) Africa
B) Asia
C) Europe
D) the Middle East
E) South America

Question 25

About 55% of all unauthorized immigrants are from ______.

A) Mexico
B) Italy
C) Africa
D) Vietnam
E) the Philippines

Question 26

The issues of the "traditional" minority groups--African Americans and Native Americans--have not been resolved, although new immigrant groups continue to arrive. This was predicted by which social theorist?

A) Park
B) Gordon
C) Blauner
D) Noel
E) Massey

Question 27

Neoliberalism creates unequal conditions by placing the control of production in the hands of transnational corporations, at the expense of local workers. This observation would most likely be made by which social theorist?

A) Weber
B) Noel
C) Massey
D) Gordon
E) Marx

Question 28

Which of the following data regarding contemporary immigrants provide support for the traditional model of assimilation?

A) The second generation tends to have higher incomes and levels of education than their parents.
B) As some immigrants Americanize, new immigrants will replace them and maintain ethnic cultures.
C) Some Hispanic groups face great barriers to accessing the middle class.
D) Immigrants who arrive with high levels of human capital enter the primary labor market.
E) Since the 1960s, interest in ethnic and racial heritages has increased.

Question 29

Haller and colleagues argue that contemporary immigrants face different barriers to successful adaptation because ______.

A) there are no likely interruptions to weaken cultural traditions
B) it is easier to remain connected to one's homeland
C) primary sector jobs require high levels of education they often do not have access to
D) rates of upward mobility have increased
E) the second generation is likely to have higher levels of education

Question 30

One explanation for anti-immigrant sentiment is that prejudice and racism are linked to competition between groups for scarce resources. This observation would most likely be made by which social theorist?

A) Weber
B) Noel
C) Lenski
D) Blauner
E) Marx

Question 31

State Bill 1070, passed by the Arizona legislature in the spring of 2010, required law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of anyone they stopped, detained, or arrested if they had a "reasonable" suspicion that the person might be in the country illegally. This process is similar to ______.

A) crime algorithms
B) police brutality
C) racial prejudice
D) living while Black
E) racial profiling

Question 32

Filipino Americans' educational and occupational profiles are similar to those of ______.

A) Chinese Americans
B) African Americans
C) Nigerian Americans
D) Mexican Americans
E) Native Americans

Question 33

The profiling of Arab Americans at airports is an example of ______.

A) community policing
B) public racism
C) modern racism
D) the social construction of danger
E) institutional discrimination

Question 34

The problems of exclusion and continuing prejudice and sexism are exacerbated by a number of trends in the larger society, including the continuing shift in subsistence technology from manufacturing to the service sector, which privileges groups who (in the past and today) have had access to education. This observation would most likely be made by which social theorist?

A) Myrdal
B) Noel
C) Lenski
D) Blauner
E) Gordon

Question 35

Neoliberalism creates impoverished conditions in less-developed nations by ______.

A) creating barriers to the movement of capital
B) driving local farmers and manufacturers out of business
C) providing resources for local farmers to develop their businesses
D) expanding the size of the governmental sector
E) creating more opportunities for immigration across the globe

Question 36

Korean American immigrants have entered the economy through ______.

A) the ethnic enclave
B) getting high levels of education
C) the primary sector
D) agriculture
E) positions in science and technology

Question 37

In June 2012, the Obama administration enacted a program under which DREAMers ______.

A) were required to pay income taxes
B) could apply for a pathway to citizenship
C) have access to some citizenship rights, such as voting
D) were granted work permits and the ability to attend college
E) did not ever have to fear deportation

Question 38

Immigration typically flows from the Global South to the Global North due to ______.

A) Global South nations constantly being at war
B) racism experienced in Global South nations
C) the underdevelopment of Global South nations by neoliberal policies
D) Global North nations having more advanced democracies
E) poor farming conditions in the Global South

Question 39

Douglas Massey identified which of the following as a crucial difference between past and contemporary assimilation?

A) Movement into the primary sector is now occurring at a faster rate than in the past.
B) It is likely that contemporary immigration will be interrupted by restrictive policies.
C) When contemporary immigrants arrive to the United States, they cut off communication with their homelands.
D) Contemporary immigrants face racism that White ethnic groups did not.
E) It is unlikely that contemporary immigrants' cultural traditions will lose prominence because of Americanization.

Question 40

An executive order in 2012 allowed DREAMers who met certain criteria to stay in the United States for a renewable 2-year term, without fear of deportation.

Question 41

Many studies find that immigration generally creates negative burdens on the economy.

Question 42

Nations that send today's immigrants are economically less developed, and most have long-standing relations with the United States.

Question 43

Haitian Americans today are mostly first-generation immigrants.

Question 44

Salvadorans tend to reside in the East (40%), mostly in New York.

Question 45

Much like their Cuban counterparts, Haitians were defined by the U.S. government as political refugees eligible for asylum.

Question 46

The Asian stream of immigrants consists primarily of highly educated professionals seeking opportunities to practice their careers and expand their skills.

Question 47

According to the chapter text, Nigerian immigrants tend to be not only well-educated but also English-speaking.

Question 48

Recent immigrants from Egypt consist mostly of individuals with very little human capital.

Question 49

The primary labor market includes jobs in landscaping, construction, and the garment industry.

Question 50

Nigerians and Ethiopians are small minorities, consisting of about 0.2% of the total U.S. population.

Question 51

Immigrants who enter the primary labor market upon or soon after arrival tend to be highly educated, skilled professionals, and businesspeople.

Question 52

According to recent research, there seems to be a correlation between pessimism about the economy and the perception of immigrants as threats.

Question 53

The use of services by undocumented immigrants is generally limited by their vulnerable legal status.

Question 54

In terms of structural integration, contemporary immigrant groups are narrowing the income gap over time, although many groups are handicapped by very low starting levels of human capital.

Question 55

A study found that most contemporary immigrant groups are acculturating and integrating at a fifth-generation pace.

Question 56

Americans tend to see immigrants as individuals acting on their own free will and often as individuals who participate in illegal activity.

Question 57

Immigration contributes to the wealth and affluence of more developed societies, particularly the dominant groups and elite classes of these societies.

Question 58

Indian immigrants to the United States are the Asian American group with the least human capital.

Question 59

According to the chapter text, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an example of a neoliberal policy.

Question 60

Colombia is, to some extent, less developed than most other Central and South American nations.

Question 61

Neoliberal policies promote economic development in less-developed nations through the elimination of barriers to the movement of goods and capital.

Question 62

The speed and ease of modern transportation and communication will maintain cultural and linguistic diversity.

Question 63

Racial prejudice is a barrier to incorporation faced by contemporary immigrants that was not faced by European immigrants.

Question 64

The program enacted by President Obama that grants a 2-year, renewable reprieve from deportation for DREAMers has faced little political critique.

Question 65

The majority of immigrants are eligible for most publicly funded services (e.g., Medicaid, "food stamps").

Question 66

Incorporation via the secondary labor market is more typical for immigrants with lower levels of education and fewer job skills.

Question 67

Higher rates of poverty among Ethiopians is due to their lower educational performance compared to national norms.

Question 68

Contemporary immigrants face an economy with greater opportunities for upward mobility when compared with European immigrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Question 69

Over the past 50 years, immigration has flowed from the Global North to the Global South.

Question 70

Based on the case studies discussed in this chapter, discuss recent immigration from the non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Africa to the United States. List and discuss the differences in human capital between these groups. How have their experiences in the United States differed from one another?

Question 71

How do Americans feel about immigration (especially illegal immigration) today? What factors contribute to Americans' views on immigration and, more specifically, about immigrants? What are the costs and benefits of immigration? What legislative changes regarding immigration do you see in our future? What are the positive and negative consequences of those legislative changes?

Question 72

Analyze the evidence presented in support of the traditional and segmented theories of assimilation, and choose a side in the debate using evidence from the chapter text. What will be the implications of minority groups adhering to either process?

Question 73

Describe the policies and practices that have been employed to control the flow of undocumented immigrants. How effective have these efforts been? What impacts have these efforts had on the broader society?

Question 74

Describe the impact of 9/11 on immigration and the reception of immigrants.

Question 75

Compare and contrast the Hispanic and Asian immigrant groups. What differences exist in terms of human capital and modes of incorporation?

Question 76

Examine the factors that influence the pathways of contemporary immigrants' incorporation into the economy.

Question 77

As discussed in the chapter, evidence currently supports both the segmented and traditional theories of assimilation for new immigrant groups. How might the Noel and Blauner hypotheses contribute to our understanding of which groups will follow which pathway? How do new immigrants differ from European immigrants and other groups discussed in the text?

Question 78

Explain the significance of globalization and neoliberalism in shaping immigration trends.

Question 79

How do ideas about what it means to be an American shape perceptions of immigration? Inversely, how does the continued influx of new immigrants influence what it means to be an American?