Question 1

Recent government data indicate:
A) blacks aged 18-64 years are more likely to die an early death than whites.
B) blacks aged 35-64 years are much more likely to endure high blood pressure than whites.
C) blacks aged 18-49 years are far more likely to die from heart disease than whites.
D) blacks are more likely to die from all major cancers than whites.
E) All the above

Accepted Answer

Recent government data and health studies consistently show disparities in health outcomes between racial groups in the United States. Blacks are more likely to die an early death than whites, endure high blood pressure, die from heart disease at younger ages, and die from major cancers at higher rates. These disparities are attributed to a variety of factors including access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and systemic racism affecting health outcomes.

Question 2

In the major 1968 Supreme Court case, __________________________, the famous progressive white Justice William O. Douglas argued that the true curse of racism is what it has done to the white man.
A) American Commercial Lines, Inc. v. Louisville & Nashville R. Co.
B) Hanover Shoe, Inc. v. United Shoe Machinery Corp.
C) Jones et ux. v. Alfred H. Mayer Co.
D) Lee Art Theatre, Inc. v. Virginia
E) United States v. Southwestern Cable Co.

Accepted Answer

In Jones et ux. v. Alfred H. Mayer Co., Justice William O. Douglas highlighted the detrimental impact of racism on white individuals, emphasizing the broader societal harm caused by racial prejudice.

Question 3

What is social alexithymia?
A) concrete, realistic, logical thinking, often to the exclusion of emotional responses to racism
B) confusion of physical sensations often associated with racial emotions
C) difficulty identifying racial emotions
D) difficulty describing racial feelings to whites
E) difficulty dealing well with any group that is different socially from oneself.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is social alexithymia?
A) concrete, realistic, logical...

Question 4

Some decades back, Gunnar Myrdal, a Swedish social scientist, and his U.S. colleagues conducted a major study of Jim Crow segregation, reported in the influential 1944 book titled, ______________.
A) An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy.
B) Negro is a Country: Race and the Unfinished Struggle for Democracy.
C) The Equality Issue: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy.
D) Whites' Racism: A Problem for Democracy.
E) Social Trends in America and Strategic Approaches to the Negro Problem.

Accepted Answer

Gunnar Myrdal's major study on Jim Crow segregation was reported in the influential 1944 book titled "An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy."

Question 5

Some decades back, Gunnar Myrdal, a Swedish social scientist, and his U.S. colleagues, representing the small liberal wing of the U.S. elite, argued that whites were under the spell of the ______________.
A) American creed.
B) American exceptionalism.
C) American nationalism.
D) American patriotism.
E) ideology of Americanism.

Accepted Answer

Gunnar Myrdal argued that whites were under the spell of the "American creed," which he defined as the set of values and beliefs including liberty, equality, justice, and fair opportunity that supposedly defined the American way of life.

Question 6

White families have paid a high price for residential and neighbourhood segregation, including:
A) higher housing costs.
B) long-distance commuting.
C) pollution from automobiles.
D) problems associated with central city decline.
E) All the above

Accepted Answer

Residential and neighborhood segregation often leads to a variety of negative outcomes for white families, including higher housing costs due to increased demand in certain areas, long-distance commuting as jobs may be located far from segregated neighborhoods, pollution from automobiles as a result of longer commutes, and problems associated with central city decline, such as decreased property values and reduced public services, as people move away from city centers.

Question 7

Residential segregation and ____________ have been shown in some cases to negatively affect overall metropolitan economic growth.
A) education/career mismatch
B) education-to-job mismatch
C) mismatch in job market affecting economic growth
D) residence/job mismatch
E) trade/education mismatch

Accepted Answer

Residential segregation and residence/job mismatch can lead to inefficiencies in the labor market, as individuals may not be able to access job opportunities that match their skills due to geographic barriers, thus negatively affecting metropolitan economic growth.

Question 8

Several studies have shown that whites who live mostly segregated lives:
A) are often fearful of blacks and other people of color with whom they have few or no equal-status contacts.
B) and who have greater privileges and power, do not have the experience necessary to view other Americans with accuracy and sensitivity.
C) do not understand the oppressive reality faced by Americans of color.
D) All the above

Accepted Answer

All the options describe consequences of living a segregated life, including fear and misunderstanding towards people of color, lack of experience to view others with accuracy and sensitivity, and an inability to understand the oppressive realities faced by Americans of color.

Question 9

A majority of whites are very defensive when reminded of their white privilege and position in society's racial hierarchy.

Accepted Answer

Research and social observations have shown that discussions of white privilege often provoke defensive reactions among many white individuals, as acknowledging such privilege can challenge their view of meritocracy and individual achievement.

Question 10

Each white generation benefits from societal transmission processes that pass earlier unjustly gained economic and cultural capital to future white generations.

Accepted Answer

This statement reflects the concept of systemic or institutional racism, where historical injustices and racial disparities in wealth, opportunities, and privileges are perpetuated across generations through societal norms, policies, and practices, disproportionately benefiting white populations over time.

Question 11

Powerful whites have conned much of the American white population into often thinking and speaking of "public schools" and "public spending" as "good" for whites and privatization or elimination of numerous government programs as "good" for whites.

Accepted Answer

The statement misrepresents the general discourse around public schools, public spending, and privatization. Discussions on these topics are complex and involve a wide range of viewpoints that do not uniformly align along racial lines or suggest a monolithic perspective among white Americans or those in power.

Question 12

Given overwhelming evidence that major tax cuts very disproportionately benefit elite whites, and usually do not generate much job growth or other economic benefits for ordinary workers, the majority of the white working and middle classes no longer support oligopoly capitalists and their political candidates.

Accepted Answer

Despite evidence suggesting that major tax cuts may disproportionately benefit wealthier individuals and not significantly boost job growth or economic benefits for ordinary workers, many in the white working and middle classes continue to support politicians and policies that favor deregulation and tax cuts, often due to cultural, social, or ideological reasons rather than purely economic considerations.

Question 13

From the 1860s to the 1930s, the federal government - operating under the homestead acts - gave away millions of acres of government land for little or no cost to white and Afrcian American families.

Accepted Answer

The answer of From the 1860s to the 1930s, the...

Question 14

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and their descendants were generally able to do much better economically, politically, and residentially than the still-segregated black Americans who had already resided in the country for generations before these white immigrants arrived.

Accepted Answer

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, despite facing their own challenges, were able to integrate more successfully into American society than black Americans due to systemic racism and segregation policies that limited the opportunities for black Americans in various aspects of life, including economically, politically, and residentially.

Question 15

New Deal programs favored whites.

Accepted Answer

Many New Deal programs, designed during the 1930s to alleviate the economic hardships of the Great Depression, were implemented in ways that discriminated against African Americans and other minorities, often favoring whites in their access to benefits and employment opportunities.

Question 16

Throughout the 1930s, New Deal programs provided much important aid to white farmers, bankers, and business executives, enabling them to survive the Great Depression and to thrive during World War II and the postwar years.

Accepted Answer

The New Deal, initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression, included various programs, policies, and reforms aimed at recovery and relief. While these programs were designed to benefit the American economy and its citizens broadly, many of the benefits disproportionately aided white Americans, including farmers, bankers, and business executives, due to systemic racial biases and discriminatory practices embedded within some of these programs.

Question 17

To varying degrees African Americans benefited from relief programs of the Great Depression and postwar housing and veterans' programs.

Accepted Answer

African Americans did benefit from relief programs during the Great Depression, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), although often not to the same extent as white Americans due to systemic racism and segregation. Similarly, in the postwar period, some African Americans were able to take advantage of housing and veterans' programs like the G.I. Bill, but again faced significant barriers and discrimination that limited the full potential benefits.

Question 18

Until the 1950s, most colleges and universities - except historically black colleges - were all white or nearly so. In the 1960s this had changed quite a lot.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Until the 1950s, most colleges and universities...

Question 19

The period of active school desegregation was brief and resegregation is increasingly the trend

Accepted Answer

Following the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional, there was a period of active efforts towards school desegregation. However, this period was relatively brief, and since then, many schools have been experiencing resegregation, a trend that has been increasing due to various factors including housing patterns, Supreme Court decisions limiting desegregation efforts, and changes in policy.

Question 20

Today, white students' access to first-rate college programs is still significantly greater than black students' access to first-rate college programs.

Accepted Answer

Despite efforts to increase diversity and access, disparities in education persist, with white students often having greater access to top-tier college programs compared to their black counterparts due to various systemic, social, and economic factors.

Quiz 7: White Privileges and Black Burdens: Still Systemic Racism

Recent government data indicate:

In the major 1968 Supreme Court case, __________________________, the famous progressive white Justice William O. Douglas argued that the true curse of racism is what it has done to the white man.

What is social alexithymia?

Some decades back, Gunnar Myrdal, a Swedish social scientist, and his U.S. colleagues conducted a major study of Jim Crow segregation, reported in the influential 1944 book titled, ______________.

Some decades back, Gunnar Myrdal, a Swedish social scientist, and his U.S. colleagues, representing the small liberal wing of the U.S. elite, argued that whites were under the spell of the ______________.

White families have paid a high price for residential and neighbourhood segregation, including:

Residential segregation and ____________ have been shown in some cases to negatively affect overall metropolitan economic growth.

Several studies have shown that whites who live mostly segregated lives: