Deck 2: Theoretical Perspectives

Question 1

________ is derived from two Greek words. These terms refer to people who identify with one another on the basis of common ancestry and cultural heritage.

A) Race
B) Ethnicity
C) Minority group
D) Dominant group
E) Social group

Answer 1

Ethnicity

Question 2

Samantha is a sales clerk in a clothing store. She refuses to serve any Asian women who come into the store, even if all the other sales reps are busy. Samantha is therefore engaging in a form of ___.

A) Prejudice
B) Stereotyping
C) Discrimination
D) Ethnic alienation
E) Biased socialization

Answer 2

Discrimination

Question 3

Ellen is the daughter of Edward, who is "black" and Molly, who is "white."
In North America she is identified as "black", but in Brazil she is classified as part of their "whiter"
Categories. This example illustrates that:

A) Race is a biological reality in contemporary societies
B) Some societies misclassify a person's race
C) Cultural characteristics are the basis for racial classifications
D) Race is a social classification
E) Notions of race are disappearing in contemporary societies

Answer 3

Race is a social classification

Question 4

According to sociological research, athleticism is determined by ____ more than by ____.

A) Race; motivation
B) Motivation; race
C) Body type; attitude
D) Biology; social context
E) Social context; biology

Question 5

Today, most sociologists would agree that _____ depends more on the society in which we live than on our biological characteristics.

A) Ethnicity
B) Culture
C) Race
D) Sex
E) Wisdom

Question 6

The ways in which language, symbols and communication are used to convey racist perceptions concerning 'visible minorities' in Canada is referred to as:

A) Racist ideology
B) Racist discourse
C) Polite racism
D) Institutional racism
E) Normative behaviour

Question 7

Racism can be a(n) ____________ phenomenon.

A) Psychological
B) Behavioural
C) Institutional
D) Social
E) All of the above

Question 8

Some students in this course might consider themselves to be 'black', 'brown' or 'white'. These statements represented a form of

A) Medium racism
B) Systemic racism
C) Racialization
D) Sexist racism
E) Race essentialism

Question 9

The term 'anti-racism' refers to

A) Discourses which critically examine 'race' and racism
B) Educational-oriented strategies aimed at changing institutional systems of oppression
C) Policies that are implemented to maintain the status quo in Canada
D) Both A and B
E) All of the above

Question 10

According to Henry et al, laughing at someone else's racist joke is an example of

A) Overt racism
B) New racism
C) Passive racism
D) Neo-colonial discourses
E) Strong racism

Question 11

The behavioural component of racism is often referred to as

A) Racial ideology
B) Racial prejudice
C) Racial discrimination
D) Racialization
E) Stereotyping

Question 12

You are applying for a job as a technical engineer - a position that you are highly qualified for. After conducting a brief interview, the manager tells you that your degree from the University of the West Indies is not accredited. This is an example of:

A) Individual prejudice
B) Cultural racism
C) Institutional racism
D) Active racism
E) Discourse of binary polarization

Question 13

What do sociologists call the unfair treatment of people due to their group membership?

A) Prejudice
B) Discrimination
C) Weak racism
D) Assimilation
E) Multiculturalism

Question 14

Although race has no biological basis, it continues to be used by sociologists because:

A) Race distinguishes immigration patterns
B) Race is a measure of social equality
C) Race has social relevance
D) Race is defined by the law in each country
E) Race determines who gets to vote

Question 15

Why are perceptions of physical differences, particularly distinctions of race, used?

A) To create and maintain social equality
B) To create and maintain social inequality
C) To demonstrate how fair Canadian society has become
D) To categorize individuals by potential
E) Because people have an innate need to see differences

Question 16

Why is it all but impossible to distinguish groups on the basis of so-called 'race'?

A) Social conditions has made every more accepting of each other
B) A high degree of inter-mixing has occurred
C) Because in terms of genetic makeup we are all constituted the same
D) Genetic differences are not too plentiful too measure
E) Race only remains a problem in the United States and Canada

Question 17

A critical race theorist would consider people's stories of their experiences as _______.

A) Fact
B) Fiction
C) Theoretically lacking
D) Subjective
E) Unimportant

Question 18

In the early and mid-20^th century, functionalism was one of the main theories adopted in the social sciences. Which of the following approaches to race and racism would have emerged out of this theoretical framework?

A) Assimilationism
B) Multiculturalism
C) Forced migration
D) Cultural pluralism
E) Equal rights

Question 19

In the United States, which variable has often been used by scholars to replace racial discrimination when explaining the continued marginality of African-Americans?

A) Age
B) Gender
C) Social Class
D) Population Density
E) Sexuality

Question 20

Dr. Jeffries brings up the theory of Social Darwinism to explain to his class why some groups are naturally higher in the racial classification system than others. He goes on to suggest that these significant differences in intelligence, self-control, and other behavioural traits can be used to explain why some groups are better suited for leadership roles than others. Identify the term that captures what Dr. Jeffries is engaging in?

A) Biological racism
B) Genetic Mapping
C) Eugenics
D) Academic racism
E) Freedom of Academic Speech

Question 21

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the natural sciences were committed to positivism, which maintains that the natural world is governed by objective laws that can also be applied to the social world. How did positivism influence the way that race was discussed and understood?

A) Race was now seen as a biological certainty
B) Race was now studied or classified in terms of obvious observable features such as skin colour
C) Race was best understood based on biblical interpretations from the high priests in the Catholic church
D) Race was something that did not really matter to society at the time because Europe was not yet enlightened
E) Race became something that was measured by statistical percentages, such as the percentage of 'white blood' a person had

Question 22

Which group was instrumental in changing the focus away from 'race relations' to 'racism' - a shift in perspective that placed emphasis on power relations in which social, economic, and political inequalities between groups existed?

A) President John F. Kennedy
B) President Barack Obama
C) Black Scholars and Activists
D) White Liberals from New York
E) Feminists

Question 23

In terms of the theoretical literature that exists on race and racism in North America, there are essentially four main themes. Identify the theme that DOES NOT appear in the academic literature.

A) Cultural Studies perspectives
B) Symbolic Interactionist perspectives
C) Anti-racist approaches
D) Race Relations models
E) Assimilation models
True & False Questions

Question 24

People are ethnocentric when they think that their race or nation is superior to others.

Question 25

Discourses that focus on supposed cultural patterns, such as laziness, single-parent households, low ambitions, and other such factors to explain why some groups have not yet improved their status are consistent with a Critical Race Theory approach.

Question 26

One of the main problems trying to study and measure covert racism in its institutional or systemic forms is that the concept of institutional racism does not differentiate between structural features inherent in institutions from the actions of groups of individuals.

Question 27

Victim testimony or the everyday experiences of individuals who are victimized by racism is usually not accepted or trusted by academic, authorities, and other decision-makers.

Question 28

The use of everyday language, like the terms 'black' and 'white' are examples of cultural racism.

Question 29

Everyday racism includes the day-to-day things that are experienced by racialized people living in Canada.

Question 30

An example of institutional racism would include a waiter in a restaurant who routinely provides bad service to South Asian customers, except when his boss is there.