Deck 10: Black Americans

Question 1

The new black immigrants come from areas where __________.

A) their race is the majority
B) a bipartite color system prevails
C) color is a primary factor in group life
D) Africans are partially assimilated and socially restricted

Answer 1

their race is the majority

Question 2

Opponents of slavery reparations argued that __________.

A) unlike other reparation payments, no victims are alive today
B) the statute of limitations has not expired
C) identifying descendants of slaves is meaningless even with racial self-identification
D) no real harm was done to the African slaves in the long run

Answer 2

unlike other reparation payments, no victims are alive today

Question 3

Racism emerged as an ideology __________.

A) after slavery began in the United States
B) sometime in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
C) during the sectional rivalry in the early nineteenth century
D) only in the twentieth century

Answer 3

sometime in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Question 4

Myths about Black racial inferiority __________.

A) began with the ancient Egyptians
B) originated in Africa to discourage the slave trade
C) emerged as a rationalization for U.S. slavery
D) were rejected by slave owners who knew Blacks worked hard

Question 5

Looking at the TV news about inner-city black adolescents' delinquency problems, John thinks that blacks are the cause of social problems in the US. This is an example of __________.

A) overt racism
B) the subtlety of racism
C) institutional racism
D) external prejudice

Question 6

What was the difference between other ethnic groups and African immigrants in the U.S. during the years of slavery?

A) Neither other ethnic groups nor African immigrants could re-create in miniature the society they left behind.
B) The South made educating black slaves and other ethnic groups a criminal offense.
C) Through hard work and perseverance, African immigrants were able to overcome nativist fears and prejudices.
D) 200 years of master-slave relations shaped values and attitudes about whites and blacks that still linger today.

Question 7

The __________ had implications far beyond slavery as it produced a system which replicated social inferiority throughout generations.

A) master-slave social system
B) racial reparations
C) creation of African American ethnic enclaves
D) Jim Crow laws

Question 8

The principle of "separate but equal" was __________.

A) upheld by the Supreme Court in 1896
B) struck down by the Supreme Court in 1896
C) recommended by President Lincoln
D) created by Congress in 1896 with passage of the Plessy-Ferguson Act

Question 9

The gradual and pervasive change in the values of a people is known as __________.

A) value shift
B) cultural drift
C) cultural differentiation
D) value evolution

Question 10

Myrdal called the intensification of discrimination resulting from Jim Crow laws __________.

A) exponential pathology
B) cumulative causation
C) behavioral rigidity
D) societal racism

Question 11

Jim Crow Laws __________.

A) caused a massive migration of blacks to the southern states
B) reflected southern states' embracing the notion of separate but equal upheld in Plessy v. Ferguson
C) meant that segregation became the norm only in limited areas in the South
D) were common in northern states in the form of poll tax laws

Question 12

In the early twentieth century, the migration of southern blacks to the North was due mostly to __________.

A) the existence of Jim Crow laws and poor economic conditions in the North
B) better educational opportunities in the North
C) more political freedom in the South
D) religious persecution in the South

Question 13

In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan spread northward and __________.

A) added Jews, Catholics, and foreigners to its list of targets
B) focused on the urban blacks who had migrated from the South
C) were ignored by almost everyone
D) seized control of several state legislatures

Question 14

In 1954, the landmark desegregation order covered __________.

A) schools only
B) transportation only
C) any public establishment
D) any form of segregation, including housing

Question 15

Since the mid-1960s, the number of elected black officials has __________.

A) increased slightly
B) increased dramatically
C) decreased slightly
D) decreased dramatically

Question 16

The measurable impact of the massive civil rights legislation was its __________.

A) changing of people's attitudes
B) creation of the welfare system
C) provision of equal life opportunities for African Americans
D) exclusion of Native Americans

Question 17

The 1960s sit-ins and freedom rides are examples of which minority response pattern?

A) Avoidance
B) Defiance
C) Deviance
D) Self-justification

Question 18

The 1980s Miami riot __________.

A) was black versus Asian
B) was caused by black resentment against the Cuban community
C) was about protesting the war in Vietnam
D) lasted for 13 years

Question 19

The 1992 Los Angeles riot __________.

A) was a black versus white riot like the 1965 Watts riot
B) did not involve Latinos
C) was a black versus white and Korean riot
D) was a multiracial riot with various conflict combinations

Question 20

The National Commission on Civil Disorders said a major cause of the 1960s riots was/were __________.

A) police practices
B) low unemployment
C) the rise of affordable housing
D) religious persecution

Question 21

The Bell Curve says the best explanation of wealth, status, poverty, and social pathologies is __________.

A) education
B) intelligence
C) occupation
D) work ethic

Question 22

Critics attack the Bell Curve for its __________.

A) selective use of data
B) poorly trained scientists
C) use of graduate students as analysts
D) conflict of interest with regard to funding

Question 23

The major criticism against using intelligence testing to compare the capabilities of races is __________.

A) the presumption that genetic factors explain differences in scores
B) the presumption that cultural factors explain differences in scores
C) no significant or consistent differences in scores occur
D) whites outnumber blacks, giving them an unfair advantage

Question 24

Language may subconsciously encourage racial prejudgment __________.

A) if people use nasty words
B) because if you hear words, you believe them
C) of the negative connotations of some
D) of their frequent repetition

Question 25

What percentage of Latino voters did Obama receive in 2012?

A) 7%
B) 20%
C) 52%
D) 71%

Question 26

Today, many African Americans still lack __________.

A) basic services and amenities
B) educational opportunities
C) legal rights
D) political representation

Question 27

Blauner's "internal-colonialism" refers to __________.

A) the rise in tenement housing
B) the large number of African Americans trapped in ghettos
C) racial pride
D) a negative mindset found in Blacks

Question 28

Population movement since 1960 from inside to outside central cities __________.

A) involved few African Americans
B) reduced the percentage of African Americans living outside central cities
C) kept the proportion of African Americans living outside central cities fairly constant
D) resulted in most African Americans living outside central cities

Question 29

Segregation for Blacks has __________ over the last 20 years.

A) increased
B) decreased
C) remained the same
D) been impossible to measure

Question 30

In terms of income, which group has benefited most from all the civil rights actions?

A) Black poor
B) Black middle class
C) Both the black poor and the black middle class
D) Neither the black poor nor the black middle class

Question 31

Black men are more likely than white men to be employed as __________.

A) high school principals
B) university professors
C) food-service workers
D) sanitation workers

Question 32

Analysis of the age distribution of American blacks and whites shows __________.

A) blacks have a larger percentage of young people
B) whites have a larger percentage of young people
C) a fairly even age distribution between the two races
D) both blacks and whites are experiencing a new "baby boom"

Question 33

The black middle class __________.

A) has earnings that are comparable to the white middle class
B) has businesses that are more susceptible to failure because of government intervention
C) still endures various forms of racism
D) is increasingly returning to Africa

Question 34

Wilson maintains that denial of upward mobility to the black poor results from __________.

A) social class barriers that limit life chances
B) racial discrimination
C) cutbacks in government support programs
D) job competition from Hispanic immigrants

Question 35

What percentage of blacks believe that major conflicts still exist between the races?

A) 47%
B) 35%
C) 75%
D) 53%

Question 36

Immigration from Haiti will likely __________.

A) continue for a long time
B) be limited in number and duration
C) surpass that from Mexico
D) eliminate all problems related to poverty

Question 37

African-born Americans tend to __________ than American-born African Americans.

A) be better educated
B) have lower income levels
C) own their homes in lower numbers
D) be more represented in popular media

Question 38

__________ constitute the largest non-Hispanic immigrant population from the Caribbean.

A) Haitians
B) Jamaicans
C) Cubans
D) Kenyans

Question 39

__________ are routinely denied refugee status in the United States.

A) Haitians
B) Jamaicans
C) Cubans
D) Kenyans

Question 40

Immigration from Africa __________.

A) is virtually nonexistent
B) is down to a small trickle
C) has been steadily declining since European colonial rule ended
D) has been significantly increasing in recent years

Question 41

African immigrants and black Americans __________.

A) identify with each other because of the racial bond
B) seldom interact because of the cultural differences
C) are alike, since both are African Americans
D) come into frequent conflict with one another

Question 42

Native-born blacks __________.

A) rarely face racial issues in their social acceptance
B) raised in the Northeast tend to differ in lifestyles and interaction patterns compared to those from the South
C) are pretty homogenous as a group
D) are completely integrated into society

Question 43

According to the interactionist view, __________.

A) skin color often triggers negative responses about busing, crime, housing, jobs, and poverty
B) oppression of blacks is the result of American capitalists' exploitation
C) the question of who benefits is the most significant issue in black-white relationships
D) slavery provided cheap labor in the South as a social function

Question 44

The interactionist view on the experiences of African Americans stresses that __________.

A) beliefs about a people are culturally transmitted and reinforced by external conditions
B) differences or alleged inferiority lead to class differentiation
C) the opposition to integration efforts usually comes from a fear of how social roles and institutions will be altered
D) slavery provided cheap labor in the South as a social function

Question 45

With regard to ethnic inequality, the functionalist view suggests that __________.

A) inequality exists in all societies because of distinct ethnic mentalities
B) in a society, a value consensus develops about the functional importance in meeting the needs and priorities of society
C) slavery offered the south an effective means of finding a consensus between whites and blacks
D) ethnic differences are really just a struggle for class status and social position

Question 46

While Aaron does not condone slavery, as a(n) __________ theorist, he understands that it served a purpose by allowing the Southern states to develop an agricultural based economy.

A) functionalist
B) conflict
C) interactionist
D) critical race

Question 47

Although she recognizes that slavery happened generations ago, Shilene cannot help but see the connection between the long term economic exploitation of labor and current inequalities. She is a(n) __________ theorist.

A) functionalist
B) conflict
C) interactionist
D) critical race

Question 48

According to the conflict view, __________.

A) social status of blacks depends on the functionalist orientation of the society and the availability of qualified personnel
B) inequality exists because people value certain occupational roles
C) system corrections such as federal judicial and legislative action occur when there are social dysfunctions
D) slavery is an obvious example of past economic exploitation of blacks

Question 49

The conflict view on the experiences of African Americans stresses that __________.

A) compared to the era of slavery, more recent economic exploitation of blacks may be even more obvious
B) confining blacks to marginal positions preserved better-paying job opportunities for Hispanics
C) Blauner's internal-colonialism theory is appropriate for understanding the racial oppression of blacks
D) slavery creates a meaning system that develops among slaves to communicate with one another in the presence of the dominant group

Question 50

Karl believes that racism is so interwoven into the fabric of U.S. society that our culture literally is sustained by a system of racism. Karl is a(n) __________.

A) functionalist
B) conflict theorist
C) interactionist
D) critical race theorist

Question 51

Most Africans who arrived in America from 1619 until 1808 immigrated unwillingly.

Question 52

To ease their transition to a new land, other ethnic groups re-created in miniature the society they left behind; but the Africans who came to the Unites States were not allowed to do so.

Question 53

Some ancient civilizations considered themselves superior to others, and they typically based their beliefs on race.

Question 54

Although popular in the 19th century, today the Ku Klux Klan is considered a relic from the past.

Question 55

Although African Americans found greater freedom in the North, the dominant group's animosity toward them led to majority patterns of avoidance and discrimination.

Question 56

Rosa Parks' refusal to sit at the back of the bus eventually led a federal district court to rule against segregated seating.

Question 57

The 1992 Los Angeles riot was between blacks and whites.

Question 58

Barack Obama's victory has lessened the scope of the race problem.

Question 59

The widest gaps in education for blacks occur in the Southern states that were the strongholds of slavery.

Question 60

Bipolarization refers to the economic gap among blacks only.

Question 61

Some black leaders have lobbied for slavery reparations, arguing that if President __________ had not stripped the freed slaves of the land given them by General William Tecumseh Sherman under Special Field Orders No. 15, their descendants might now control a much larger share of U.S. wealth. Proponents seek cash payments now to right an old wrong.

Question 62

The problem with racism is twofold: its __________ and its subtlety. The missing term here refers not only to racism's institutionalization within society but also to its transmission from one generation to the next.

Question 63

The 16th and 17th centuries were the period of European exploration and __________, during which Europeans came into contact with many physically different, less technologically advanced peoples.

Question 64

__________ is a gradual and pervasive change in a people's values.

Question 65

When Reconstruction ended in 1876, blacks once again found themselves in a formalized inferior status through segregation laws, voting disfranchisement, __________ (state laws designed to keep blacks in subservient positions), job discrimination, and occupational eviction.

Question 66

The South had __________ segregation, but Jim Crow-as a cause of black migration and a model for northern attitudes and actions-played an important role in the development of __________ segregation in the North.

Question 67

__________ of 1964 was the most far-reaching legislation against racial discrimination ever passed.

Question 68

The word __________ rather than Negro became the accepted way of referring to this racial group in the 1970s.

Question 69

Blauner's __________ certainly applies to the segment of the black population that is trapped in a culture of poverty.

Question 70

__________ occurs when laws attempt to legitimize differential racial treatment.

Question 71

Explain three factors that contributed to the rise of racism in the United States.

Question 72

What are "slavery reparations?" Why are they controversial?

Question 73

Explain how Jim Crow laws affected blacks in the South and why such laws caused them to migrate to the North.

Question 74

Explain black-white relations during the late 19th and early 20th century as cultural drift.

Question 75

What is the main argument of the Bell Curve? Is it a valid argument and study? Why or why not?

Question 76

Explain Gunnar Myrdal's conclusion that "discrimination breeds discrimination" using examples.

Question 77

Discuss and illustrate the concept of language as prejudice. Use examples to show how language can structure racial and ethnic relations

Question 78

Outline the current debate of race versus social class as a basis for understanding the current status of race relations. Which side in this debate do you take? Why?

Question 79

What are the general public's opinions with regard to race relations in our country? How have these opinions changed over time? What forces give shape to these opinions now?

Question 80

Apply the three major sociological perspectives to the black experience in the United States.