Deck 6: Civil Rights

Question 1

One reason the NAACP's strategy of using the courts to further black civil rights worked was that it

A) avoided focusing on the clearest abuses.
B) presented broad economic demands to whites.
C) avoided direct confrontation with a conservative Supreme Court.
D) did not require a broad legislative alliance.
E) avoided the complications that often surround appellate processes.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

As its rationale for the decision in Brown, the Supreme Court relied primarily on

A) the intent of the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment.
B) the intent of Congress in the Fourteenth Amendment.
C) social science evidence.
D) a narrow interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
E) the redress of grievances clause in the First Amendment.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Blacks were finally able to advance their interests during the 1950s and 1960s in part by

A) relying less on white allies, especially northern liberals.
B) downplaying their grievances.
C) shifting their struggle from Congress to the courts.
D) setting their sights lower.
E) refocusing their efforts in individual states.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In 1880, the Supreme Court struck down a Virginia law requiring that _______ be composed of only white males.

A) legislatures
B) law school faculty
C) gubernatorial staff
D) state prison authorities
E) juries

Question 5

The ________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution appeared to guarantee equal rights for blacks.

A) First
B) Fourteenth
C) Twenty-first
D) Twenty-fifth
E) Twenty-sixth

Question 6

Adolph Plessy had a tremendous impact on the interpretation of the Constitution when he attempted to

A) ride a bus.
B) enter law school.
C) run for political office.
D) ride a train.
E) vote.

Question 7

Southern resistance to integration of the schools finally collapsed in the

A) 1940s.
B) 1950s.
C) 1960s.
D) 1970s.
E) 1990s.

Question 8

In 1955, the Supreme Court ruled that desegregation should be

A) implemented with due concern for public safety.
B) monitored by local school officials.
C) implemented "with all deliberate speed."
D) monitored by civil rights groups.
E) delayed until there were significant shifts in population.

Question 9

Which statement best summarizes the correct understanding of civil rights?

A) Laws cannot make distinctions among people.
B) Laws cannot discriminate.
C) Laws must treat everyone equally.
D) Laws can make distinctions, but not all distinctions are acceptable.
E) Laws can discriminate as long as they do not make distinctions.

Question 10

The Supreme Court probably relied on social science studies in the Brown decision because the justices realized that

A) the Fourteenth Amendment did not address segregation.
B) the authors of the Fourteenth Amendment may not have intended to outlaw segregated schools.
C) the Constitution did not address racial discrimination.
D) the equal protection clause was not applicable to the states.
E) most Americans accepted social science as a legitimate source of constitutional law.

Question 11

The principle of mandating busing plans to remedy school segregation patterns was approved in the case of

A) Brown v. Board of Education.
B) Sipuel v. County Trustee.
C) Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
D) Green v. County School Board of New Kent County.
E) Plessy v. Ferguson.

Question 12

The Supreme Court delegated the power to oversee the implementation of its school integration decision to

A) local federal district courts.
B) the president.
C) Congress.
D) the Civil Rights Commission.
E) the state legislatures.

Question 13

In the 1940s, President Roosevelt had ___________ removed from their homes and placed in relocation centers.

A) Japanese Americans
B) convicted felons
C) illegal aliens
D) habitual criminals
E) German Americans

Question 14

Blacks in the United States did not receive widespread white support for civil rights until the

A) 1940s.
B) 1950s.
C) 1960s.
D) 1970s.
E) 1980s.

Question 15

The difference between de facto and de jure segregation is that

A) the former results from private choices, the latter from public law.
B) the former results from public law, the latter from private choices.
C) the former existed in the past, the latter continues in the present.
D) the former continues in the present, the latter existed in the past.
E) the former deals with perceptions, the latter deals with verified facts.

Question 16

Lloyd Gaines had a tremendous impact on the interpretation of the Constitution when he attempted to

A) ride a bus.
B) enter law school.
C) run for political office.
D) ride a train.
E) vote.

Question 17

In order to discourage segregation, federal laws began to

A) fire teachers in segregated schools.
B) impose harsh grading standards on white students.
C) remove accreditation from public schools in the southeastern United States.
D) regulate textbooks that were critical of the Brown decision.
E) withhold federal funds from segregated schools.

Question 18

The importance of the Brown v. Board of Education civil rights case was that the Supreme Court

A) declared unconstitutional laws creating schools that were separate but obviously unequal.
B) declared unconstitutional laws supporting schools that were separate but unequal in subtle ways.
C) ruled that racially separate schools were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional.
D) ruled that schools discriminating on the basis of race could be denied access to federal funds.
E) ruled that segregation was lawful if mandated by a state constitution.

Question 19

An example of a difference in treatment toward certain groups that qualifies as reasonable is

A) classifying people according to race.
B) taxing different classes at different rates.
C) classifying people according to ethnic group.
D) testing for AIDS according to class.
E) classifying people according to religion.

Question 20

In a critical 1883 decision, the Supreme Court distinguished between _____ and _____ racial discrimination.

A) official; private
B) individual; group
C) corporate; community
D) legal; institutional
E) local; regional

Question 21

Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was given in front of

A) the White House.
B) the Washington Monument.
C) the Capitol.
D) the Lincoln Memorial.
E) the Library of Congress.

Question 22

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the 1992 Supreme Court ruling concerning school integration?

A) Busing continues to be the most effective means of achieving school integration.
B) Busing is an effective means of achieving school integration if parents are afforded some degree of choice within school systems.
C) School integration must be fully achieved in all communities regardless of housing patterns.
D) Efforts made in good faith to achieve integration must be taken into account before mandating further busing between communities.
E) Busing can be ended if segregation is caused by shifting housing patterns.

Question 23

The philosophy of civil disobedience suggests that there is value to

A) protesting against laws that are not enforced by civil authorities.
B) peacefully violating the law.
C) violating all laws with respect to civility.
D) protesting in a legal manner, with respect for civil authority.
E) using violence when laws are not conducive to civil society.

Question 24

Congressional opponents of civil rights legislation had traditionally been able to rely on all of the following except

A) the Senate Judiciary Committee.
B) the House Rules Committee.
C) the majority whip.
D) the Senate filibuster.
E) Both A and B

Question 25

Rosa Parks had a tremendous impact on the civil rights movement when she attempted to

A) ride a bus.
B) enter law school.
C) run for political office.
D) ride a train.
E) vote.

Question 26

One factor helping to break the deadlock that developed in the civil rights movement during the early 1960s was the

A) media coverage of violence by white segregationists.
B) Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
C) decentralization of power in the House and Senate.
D) civil unrest that shook several northern cities.
E) election of Republican presidents.

Question 27

"Bull" Connor of Birmingham, Alabama, became a symbol of

A) brutal white resistance to black demands.
B) a new breed of moderate southern politician.
C) black separatist attempts to control the civil rights movement.
D) nonviolent black leadership.
E) moderate whites who supported the civil rights movement.

Question 28

In a case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, blacks protested policies that resulted in the arrest of crack dealers, a majority of whom were black. The Court dismissed the complaint because

A) crack arrests were already decreasing.
B) crack was not considered a dangerous drug.
C) there was no evidence that dealers of other races were not also being arrested.
D) there was no evidence that crack was in high demand.
E) most crack dealers had been arrested previously.

Question 29

A key to the passage of major civil rights laws was the breaking of the Senate filibuster with

A) a cloture motion.
B) round-the-clock sessions.
C) a quorum call.
D) a substitute motion.
E) point of personal privilege.

Question 30

The origins of the movement to give women the right to vote date back to

A) the 1890s.
B) the 1860s.
C) the 1840s.
D) the 1790s.
E) the 1770s.

Question 31

To the federal courts, the presumption of the intent to discriminate is created by

A) the minutes of school board meetings.
B) differences in black and white achievement scores.
C) residence south of the Mason-Dixon line.
D) the existence of all-white or all-black schools with a history of segregation.
E) the statements of school officials.

Question 32

A black person probably has the highest chance of attaining elective office as a

A) state representative.
B) governor.
C) judge.
D) member of a board of education.
E) county commissioner.

Question 33

The very effectiveness of black demonstrations in putting civil rights on the public agenda conflicted with the need to

A) avoid too much publicity too early.
B) win key cases in the Supreme Court.
C) enlist the president in the ranks of sympathizers.
D) build a broad coalition in Congress.
E) win key cases in state intermediate courts of appeal.

Question 34

One factor helping to break the deadlock that developed in the civil rights movement during the early 1960s was the

A) Democratic landslide of 1964.
B) Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
C) centralization of power in the House and Senate.
D) civil unrest that shook several northern cities.
E) election of Republican presidents.

Question 35

In 1964 and 1968, a majority of whites believed that the pace of change on racial matters

A) was too slow.
B) was about right.
C) was too fast.
D) was slowing down.
E) had come to a grinding halt.

Question 36

The text mentions presidents who declared their opposition to school busing for integration. They included all of the following except

A) Ronald Reagan.
B) Jimmy Carter.
C) Gerald Ford.
D) Richard Nixon.
E) Both B and D.

Question 37

In their struggle for equal treatment, women, unlike blacks, had to deal with a legal tradition that

A) claimed to be protecting them.
B) regarded them as chattel.
C) had always treated them as equal in theory.
D) had consistently ignored them.
E) had accorded them special rights and responsibilities.

Question 38

In the Swann case, the Supreme Court approved of which of the following remedies for past discrimination?

A) Racial quotas in teacher assignments
B) Racial quotas in student assignments
C) Redrawing of district lines
D) Court-ordered busing
E) All of the above

Question 39

Evidence of the growing political strength of southern blacks over the past two decades is the fact that in 2001

A) more than 9,000 blacks held elective office.
B) four southern governors were black.
C) six southern senators and twelve southern House members were black.
D) for the first time, two blacks from the same southern state were elected to the Senate and House.
E) three state supreme courts had black justices.

Question 40

Women were first give the right to vote in states that were

A) more highly populated and economically advanced.
B) part of the original thirteen colonies.
C) in the South.
D) in the Midwest.
E) in the West.

Question 41

An example of a court decision allowing gender-based differences is that

A) the navy may allow women to remain officers longer than men without being promoted.
B) both men and women may be punished for statutory rape.
C) business and service clubs can exclude women from membership.
D) girls can be barred from Little League baseball teams.
E) states can set two different drinking ages for men and women.

Question 42

In order for a law to discriminate between men and women constitutionally, it must

A) rest on some ground of difference between males and females.
B) be substantially related to a legitimate legislative goal.
C) treat similar persons similarly.
D) be reasonable and not arbitrary.
E) do all of the above.

Question 43

A great change in the status of women took place when

A) many of them were successful on Wall Street in the 1930s.
B) they began to serve as presidents of several prestigious law schools.
C) they began to outperform men in civil service tests.
D) millions were hired in defense plants during World War II.
E) they formed a congressional caucus in the 1920s.

Question 44

The Supreme Court has argued that the right to privacy can be found in ______ of the provisions in the Bill of Rights.

A) all
B) legislative interpretations
C) penumbras
D) the Founders' explanations
E) Thomas Jefferson's view

Question 45

In 1965, the Supreme Court found an invasion of a "zone of privacy" when a state attempted to prevent the sale of

A) personal diaries.
B) films on marriage.
C) wedding guides.
D) sexually explicit magazines and novels.
E) contraceptives.

Question 46

Under the reasonableness standard, an example of a decision that barred gender-based differences is that

A) all women are eligible for the draft.
B) the navy may not allow women to remain officers longer than men without being promoted.
C) states cannot give widows a property-tax exemption not given to widowers.
D) girls cannot be barred from Little League baseball teams.
E) California cannot define rape in such a way that only males can commit the offense.

Question 47

Laws that address public order and the safety and morals of citizens have traditionally been considered the focus of

A) Congress.
B) state judiciaries.
C) state bar associations.
D) police powers.
E) all of the above.

Question 48

The Supreme Court first found a "right to privacy" in the ________ case.

A) Griswold
B) Roe
C) Webster
D) Casey
E) Gonzales

Question 49

Congress responded to the feminist movement by passing laws that

A) prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender in employment and among students in any school receiving federal funds.
B) gave women equal access to the entering of all private organizations.
C) outlawed all-male schools.
D) provided free day care and maternal care to all working mothers.
E) prohibited gender discrimination except when there was a compelling justification.

Question 50

The _____ Amendment made clear that no state may deny the right to vote on the basis of sex.

A) Fifteenth
B) Nineteenth
C) Twentieth
D) Twenty-first
E) Twenty-second

Question 51

Drawing on rulings by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, the Supreme Court has held that

A) it is illegal for someone to request sexual favors as a condition of employment or promotion.
B) an employer is not liable if he or she does not know that a subordinate has requested sex in exchange for hiring or promotion.
C) a work environment is not deemed hostile or intimidating by a steady pattern of offensive sexual teasing, jokes, or obscenity.
D) employers are "strictly liable" for a hostile or intimidating work environment even if they did not know about the situation and did nothing about it.
E) sexual harassment claims cannot be made in the absence of at least three witnesses.

Question 52

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that a school system was not liable for the conduct of a teacher who seduced a female student because

A) the student lied to school officials in another proceeding.
B) the student never reported the actions.
C) the teacher left the school just hours after a complaint was filed.
D) school codes regarding teacher-student relations were vague.
E) school codes required several witnesses for harassment complaints.

Question 53

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that a city was liable for the sexually hostile environment that confronted a female lifeguard even though

A) she lied to city officials in another proceeding.
B) she never reported the problem to her superiors.
C) the persons responsible quitted their jobs as soon as a complaint was filed.
D) the city had clear guidelines for harassment claims that were not followed.
E) there were no witnesses to the alleged behavior.

Question 54

In the Virginia Military Institute case, the Supreme Court required __________ for single-sex schools.

A) a notable basis
B) a compelling reason
C) a compelling justification
D) a rational basis
E) an exceedingly persuasive justification

Question 55

Under the Supreme Court's decision in Roe, a woman has an unfettered right to an abortion

A) in the first trimester.
B) in the first and second trimesters.
C) in the second trimester.
D) in the second and third trimesters.
E) in the third trimester.

Question 56

Under the Supreme Court's decision in Roe, states may ban abortions

A) in the first trimester.
B) in the first and second trimesters.
C) in the second trimester.
D) in the second and third trimesters.
E) in the third trimester.

Question 57

The text suggests that the Supreme Court began to uphold state restrictions on abortion in the late 1980s under the influence of justices appointed by

A) Nixon.
B) Ford.
C) Carter.
D) Reagan.
E) Bush.

Question 58

The Hyde Amendment barred the use of federal funds for abortions

A) for those persons under twenty-one years of age.
B) except when the life of the mother was in danger.
C) except in cases of rape.
D) without parental consent.
E) in the second trimester.

Question 59

In the case of Rostker v. Goldberg, the Supreme Court held that

A) drafting only men was a denial of equal treatment.
B) drafting only women was a denial of equal treatment.
C) women could not be drafted unless war had been officially declared.
D) women in the military must be treated the same as men.
E) Congress may choose to draft men but not women.

Question 60

Which of the following statements concerning the "right to privacy" is correct?

A) It is said to emanate from provisions in the Fourteenth Amendment.
B) It is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution.
C) It is explicitly mentioned in the First and Fifth Amendments.
D) It is explicitly mentioned in the First, Second, and Fifth Amendments.
E) It is explicitly mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution.

Question 61

Supporters of equality of opportunity tend to have __________ beliefs.

A) orthodox
B) activist
C) progressive
D) libertarian
E) pluralist

Question 62

Which of the following statements regarding aliens is incorrect?

A) They cannot vote or run for office.
B) They must pay taxes and, if legally admitted, are entitled to welfare benefits.
C) They can be barred by states from serving on juries.
D) If illegally admitted, they cannot obtain a Social Security card.
E) Their children can be excluded from the public school system.

Question 63

In a 2003 case involving admissions practices at the University of Michigan law school, the Supreme Court upheld a policy that used race as a

A) numerical goal.
B) fixed quota.
C) plus factor.
D) substitute measure.
E) policy marker.

Question 64

The Supreme Court's position on quotas for minorities can best be described as

A) strongly supportive.
B) strongly opposed.
C) extreme.
D) largely unconcerned.
E) deeply divided.

Question 65

Looking over the Supreme Court's affirmative action cases, one sees that the Court

A) just about always upholds affirmative action plans.
B) very rarely upholds affirmative action plans.
C) has allowed affirmative action programs in about half of the cases that it has decided.
D) usually sees cases with very similar fact patterns.
E) has not been influenced by the views of Reagan's appointees.

Question 66

Unlike the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) considers

A) the impact on local communities.
B) qualifications and standards.
C) quotas.
D) reverse discrimination.
E) excessive costs and undue hardships.

Question 67

In the Adarand case, the Supreme Court struck down a government affirmative action program related to

A) college admissions.
B) construction contracts.
C) ownership of businesses.
D) congressional districts.
E) None of the above.

Question 68

George H.W. Bush signed legislation in 1991 that had the effect of

A) removing incentives for employers to hire minorities.
B) giving special preference to quota systems that lay off workers.
C) shifting the burden of proof in discrimination claims to employers.
D) granting special status to state quota programs that are required by law.
E) discouraging the use of voluntary preference systems.

Question 69

The Supreme Court's decision in Casey was notable because

A) it was the first unanimous decision of the Court in an abortion case.
B) the Court struck down a parental consent requirement.
C) the Court struck down a twenty-four-hour waiting period for abortions.
D) Republican appointees struck down numerous restrictions on abortion in the states.
E) Republican appointees joined in an opinion that refused to overturn Roe.

Question 70

Among the general standards for quota and preference systems that seem to be emerging from recent Supreme Court rulings is that

A) explicit numerical quotas are permissible in most cases.
B) preferential treatment is more likely to be looked on favorably than compensatory action.
C) involuntary preference systems will be easier to justify.
D) such systems must correct an actual pattern of discrimination.
E) flexible systems are looked on with suspicion.

Question 71

Today, about ____ percent of aliens who seek citizenship are successful in meeting the statutory requirements to become naturalized citizens.

A) 1
B) 5
C) 12
D) 50
E) 97

Question 72

In a 2003 case involving admissions practices at the University of Michigan, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its decision in Bakke by rejecting the use of a(n)

A) numerical goal.
B) exact numerical advantage.
C) plus factor.
D) racial measure.
E) ethnic policy mark.

Question 73

Regarding preferential treatment of minorities in the areas of hiring and university admissions, the majority of those polled

A) oppose it in both areas.
B) oppose it in hiring but favor it for university admissions.
C) oppose it for university admissions but favor it in hiring.
D) favor it in both areas.
E) have no opinion on the matter.

Question 74

The Supreme Court is more likely to favor (allow) quotas or preference systems if they are

A) voluntary.
B) required by law.
C) inflexible.
D) federal.
E) Both A and D.

Question 75

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act granted amnesty and citizenship to illegal aliens who

A) received college diplomas.
B) remained employed for more than 1 year.
C) voted in all state and local elections.
D) resided continuously in this country since January 1, 1982.
E) Both A and C

Question 76

In the aftermath of Roe, the Supreme Court has allowed which of the following regulations on abortion?

A) Mandatory 24-hour waiting periods.
B) The requirement of parental consent for teenagers
C) The required provision of pamphlets with information about alternatives to abortion
D) Mandatory consent of husbands
E) A, B and C.

Question 77

Which of the following are statutory requirements for naturalization?

A) Five years' residency (three, if married to a citizen)
B) Good moral character
C) Attachment to constitutional principles
D) Disposition to the good order of the United States
E) All of the above.

Question 78

The Supreme Court ruled in the Bakke case that

A) explicit numerical quotas are illegal.
B) busing is a legitimate tool to achieve racial balance.
C) race should be taken into account when quotas are used.
D) affirmative action programs are unlawful.
E) affirmative action plans cannot include firings.

Question 79

The Supreme Court's ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick suggested that the right to privacy protects

A) the family.
B) marriage.
C) procreation.
D) homosexual relations.
E) Choices A, B, and C.

Question 80

A supporter of equality of opportunity as a way of redressing past civil rights inequities would be most likely to advocate

A) color-blind administration of the laws.
B) preferential treatment for blacks.
C) comparable-worth pay scales.
D) busing for racial integration of schools.
E) affirmative action.