SOCIOLOGY 322
MINORITY GROUPS IN THE U.S.
Study Test #2 (Fall, 1998)
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This is a copy of an old test that I've given in the past.  I do not repeat questions, but suggest that you go over this test and know the issues that are covered.  Since I've provided notes and study questions, everything presented to you via lecture, readings, or the text is "fair game" for the test. Study hard and good luck! 
 

Name_______________________________

 

You have 75 minutes to complete this test. Each of the multiple choice questions has one best response. If you are not sure of the correct answer for a particular question, eliminate the responses you know to be incorrect and choose among the remaining alternatives. You will not be penalized for guessing. Also, record your answers to the multiple choice questions on the NCS ANSWER SHEET. The second part of the test contains essay questions worth 25 points. I suggest that you allow yourselves at least 30 minutes to answer this question. When you are done pledge your work-- "On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this test."

 

Part I: Multiple Choice/True-False

 

1. As noted in class and in the text, the first known group of African immigrants to land in Jamestown in 1619 were

    a. slaves.                 c. British mercenaries.
    b. soldiers               d. indentured servants.
2. According to our text, which of the following immigrant groups would NOT be considered "old" immigrants (Chapter 5) to this country?
     a. the Dutch     b. the Swedes    c. the Italians    d. the French
3. According to lecture, estimates of the Native American population of both North and South America at the time of Columbus's discovery varied tremendously but overall, Parrillo estimates that it was approximately __________ million. a. 10     b. 20    c. 30    d. 40 4. According to our text's chapter on African Americans, which is NOT a factor in the emergence of "racism" in the 16th and 17th centuries? a. This was a period of European exploration and colonization bringing Europeans into contact with physically different peoples.
b. Myths about black racial inferiority emerged as a rationalization of slavery.
c. The influence of Christianity which linked slavery and skin color with the curse of Ham.
d. Classical writings from Greek and Roman antiquity. 5. The act of Congress that called for the expulsion of all native Americans from the southeastern states was called a. the Termination Act.     b. the Indian Removal Act.     c. the Dawes Act.     d. the Relocation Act. 6. Bartolome De Las Casas, the Spanish cleric, regarded Native Americans a. as a superior culture that should serve as a model to the Spanish Crown.
b. as savage people who should be tamed by the military might of Spain.
c. as a useful source of labor for the colonizing Spaniards.
d. as innocent children, both artistically and mechanically inclined who were willing to coexist with the Spanish intruders. 7. According to material presented in lecture which of the following groups of high school seniors reported the least amount of parental encouragement to go on to college after completing high school? a. black females    b. black males    c. white females    d. white males 8. Thomas Sowell refuted recent arguments made by William Schockley and Arthur Jensen regarding the intellectual inferiority of Blacks. Which of the following was one of the points Sowell made in his analysis? a. Shockley and Jensen falsified their data making up much of it from scratch.
b. Ethnic groups that scored low in the 1920's actually improved their scores by as much as 25 points in the 1970's after experiencing upward mobility.
c. The blacks that Shockley and Jensen tested were not representative of the entire black population.
d. Shockley and Jensen limited the white sample only to highly educated professionals.  9. According to the text, which of the following is an example of "cultural drift"? a. Gradually, over time, values emerge in the larger society that foster mutual respect and cooperation between all races of people.
b. Italian cuisine moves west into America in the 1900's.
c. Computers play an increasing role in the everyday lives of all Americans.
d. European colonists conquer the new world and subjugate its peoples. 10. According to our text, the persistence of Dutch culture in the United States results from a number of reasons. Which of the following is one of them?
     a. The Dutch were self-sufficient and enjoyed high social standing in American society-- (they supported the American revolution).
    b. Their church had very little to do with their social life.
    c. A lack of any migration into Dutch communities from the old world made them self-sufficient.
    d. The Dutch male was dominant in the family.
11. According to lecture and the text, the income gap between blacks and whites had __________ in the decade of the 1980's.
    a. widened    b. remained the same    c. closed    d. at first widened and then closed 
12. Which of the following arguments is part of the "declining significance of race" thesis made by William J. Wilson and others? (Be careful. Read this one carefully). a. Death, retirement, and entry into judicial, political, or corporate careers has removed most effective civil rights leaders preventing remedies for worsening racial problems.
b. Blacks in corporate, government, or university settings occupy "token" positions and have little real decision making power where it really counts.
c. Black leaders have remained preoccupied with racial bias and have ignored the reality of a bipolarization of American blacks along social class lines.
d. Racism is found in all social institutions. Economics is only one narrow facet of society and shouldn't be considered only by itself.  13. According to lecture, analysis of the age distribution of American blacks and whites show a. both races have equal sex ratios in the age category ranging from 25 to 45 years.
b. whites have a larger percentage of young people.
c. Whites have a higher sex ratio (more males) in the 25-45 year old group than do blacks.
d. Blacks have a higher sex ratio (more males) in the 25-45 year old group than do whites. 14. According to the text, which of the following is NOT one of the differences found to exist between black African and black American college students? a. African students tend to show some contempt for and arrogance toward black American students.
b. African students are more achievement oriented than black American students.
c. African students are less likely to participate in interracial primary relationships-- dating and marriage-- than black American college students.
d. African students are more competitive and opportunistic than black American college students. 15. Which of the following is one of William Petersen's five types of migration? a. mass        b. native        c. industrial        d. modern   16. According to the text and lecture, which of the following  marked Irish Catholics as strangers in the early 1800's and lead to what our text describes as "the most overt discrimination and hostility any ethnic group had ... encountered [up to that time in America]?
    a. their tendency to settle out in the frontier of the new nation.
    b. their peasant culture
    c. their strong pro-British feelings
    d. their relative wealth
17. Although people of Irish descent were themselves, the victims of harsh ethnic discrimination in America, they demanded curtailment of Chinese immigration and fiercely resisted the abolition of slavery. According to our text, these actions against other minorities are explained largely by a. Internal Colonialism theory.
b. Power Differential Theory.
c. Split Labor Market Theory.
d. Functional Labor Theory. 18. According to lecture, which of the following European colonial powers defined as one of its primary goals the conversion of the Native American population to Christianity. 
    a. Holland     b. Britain     c. Italy    d. France
19. Which of the following abolished the quota system regulating immigration to the United States?
    a. The Literacy Bill of 1917.
    b. The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924.
    c. The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952.
    d. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
20. According to the text and lecture, total immigration to the United States peaked in which of the following decades? a. 1870 to 1880     b. 1900 to 1910    c. 1920 to 1930    d. 1970 to 1980 21. Our text states that a high proportion of second- and third- generation Slavic Americans have lower income and educational levels than Greek- and Jewish-Americans. Which of the following is given as a reason for the Slav's slower rise up the socio-economic ladder? a. Greek- and Jewish-American immigrants came from more rural areas and could thus establish effective community organizations more quickly in this country.
b. Slavs tended to settle in mining and industrial areas where child labor tended to slow vertical class movement.
c. Slavs had trouble "passing" as the dominant group due to their distinctive physical features.
d. Slavs had "too much" education compared to other groups. 22. Our text reports that a variant of the extended-family system of southern Italian society was adapted to Italian life in the United States. Which of the following was a characteristic of that system? 
    a. Non-Italians (if successful) were warmly welcomed as role models for children.
    b. Family and honor were given heavy emphasis.
    c. Individual achievement was strongly emphasized.
    d. Relatives were respected but were not the principal focus of social life. 
23. Which of the following was a "pull" factor influencing Irish migration to the United States between 1847 and 1854?
    a. America's need for labor to build railroads and canals.
    b. the "Great Potato Famine"
    c. availability of cheap and reliable transportation.
    d. the declining price of farmland in Ireland.
24. Which of the following represents a major value orientation of Native American culture in general? a. In all cases, individual possession of land was prohibited and tribal ownership was the norm.
b. Native American children grow up under the encouragement and discipline of the nuclear family rather than the extended family.
c. Native American children are raised in competitive, non-emotional atmosphere.
d. Special emphasis was placed on the giving of one's word and lying was tolerated only in a few special circumstances. 25. According to lecture and our text, Native Americans in the United States now number a. under 2 million.     b. approximately 5 million.    c. between 7 and 8 million.   d. slightly over 10 million. 26. According to the text, the most serious social problem facing Native Americans today is a. suicide among the elderly.     b. low fertility.    c. alcohol abuse.    d. education. 27. With regard to natural resources on Indian reservations, today, which of the following statements is TRUE?
    a. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has failed to protect many Native American interests when approving the extraction of natural resources from reservations.
    b. The reservations contain little of value in such resources as natural gas, coal, etc.
    c. Most Native American tribes have profited well from the natural resources found on their lands.
    d. In recent decades, the Federal Government has respected Native American rights to natural resources on the reservations.
28. Which of the following is TRUE regarding urban Native Americans? a. Native Americans living in urban areas experience significantly more poverty then their counterparts remaining on the reservations.
b. Native American migration to urban areas has lessened in recent times.
c. Urban living has helped to spawn the Pan-Indian movement.
d. Urban living has encouraged the rapid movement of Native Americans into mainstream American society. 29. Which of the following is one of the reasons why colonists in the New World preferred Africans to Native Americans as slaves? a. Africans had developed a highly advanced system of agriculture that was effective in hot climates.
b. Native Americans were less likely to respect their masters.
c. African slaves were cheaper to obtain than Native Americans.
d. Native Americans were totally incapable of adjusting to the whites’ way of life. 30. Our text describes Gypsies in the United States as a "persistent subculture. Which of the following is a reason for this? a. Gypsies family (familia) is a major support institution that offers safe haven from outsiders.
b. Most Gypsies can read and write and actively participation in larger social institutions such as education.
c. Gypsies maintain unclear distinctions between themselves (Rom) and outsiders (gadje).
d. Gypsies comprise a highly vocal minority that constantly draws attention to itself to ensure that it is properly represented in government statistics. 31. Which of the following statements BEST presents the functional perspective as to why immigrant workers labored for low wages under harsh working conditions? a. They did not understand the language and customs.
b. They were unaccustomed to an industrialized society.
c. Their labor was needed and they were able to obtain the necessities of life.
d. They were taken advantage of by the industrialists. 32. The case of the Cherokee Indians' embracing English customs, traditions, and styles of life while not actually mixing with the dominant group represents a. pluralism.         b. interactionism.        c. amalgamation.     d. assimilation. 33. According to the text and lecture, When was the first Native American appointed as Commissioner of Indian Affairs (in the Bureau of Indian Affairs)? a. the 1820's         b. the 1880's         c. the 1920's        d. the 1960's 34. According to our text, the "Know Nothing Movement" of the 1850's is an example of a. cultural pluralism.     b. xenophobia.    c. a persistent subculture.      d. amalgamation. 35. Which of the following is one of Ravenstein's "laws" of migration?
    a. Most moves are long-distance moves.
    b. Migration occurs in stages (chain migration).
    c. Few streams of migration produce counter-streams.
    d. Technological development decreases the amount of migration.
36. T F During the 1700's the French were the largest minority group to enter what is now the United States.

37. T F According to Ravenstein, the most potent force influencing migration is individual psychology.

38. T F According to the text, during the colonial period in North America religious differences caused social problems more frequently than did nationality.

39. T F According to our text, the common Native American practice of scalping is one "Indian" stereotype that is supported by fact.

40. T F According to lecture, many Irish immigrants to the United States in the 1840's were not destitute, but moved because they saw so many of their countrymen and women moving.

41. T F In 1952 Native Americans were concerned with the new legislation affecting them especially since the person in charge of the program had also directed the Japanese-American internment camps during World War Two.

42. T. F Juan Gines de Sepulveda argued against the enslavement of the Native American population by Spanish colonizers.

43. T F According to lecture, Europeans' superior "germ pool" (that resulted in the decimation of Native American populations) resulted in large measure from the fact that Europeans domesticated more animals.

44. T F German settlers to North America in the early 1700's were disliked by many British colonists because large numbers of them were pacifists.

45. T F The Immigration Act of 1990 discussed in class contains no provisions that directly or indirectly discriminate against immigrants from third world countries.

46. T F The 1954 Supreme Court ruling overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine is the most far-reaching legislation against racial discrimination ever passed in this country's history and resulted immediate access to equal education by all races.

47. T F Slaves in Latin America had greater family stability and greater freedom conditions than their north American counterparts.

48. T F The emergence of Jim Crow Laws after reconstruction was permitted by northern legislators because they needed workers for industrialization and hoped to drive blacks to northern factories.

49. T F The National Origins Quota act of 1921 increased the number of immigrants from southern, central, and eastern European countries.

50. T F By Modern American standards, Gypsy mores concerning sex are very strict with low levels of premarital sex and prostitution.
 

Part II: Essay Questions:

Allow yourself at least thirty minutes to complete the following essay questions. You should be brief and concise in your answer, but do not neglect relevant terms and concepts.
 

1. Discuss the current debate of race versus social class as the prime cause of black difficulties.

2. In what ways can it be said that little has changed in the exploitation of Native Americans?

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