Eitzen, In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society, 14th Edition, Test Bank
Chapter Fourteen: Education
Multiple Choice Questions
TB_Q14.1.1
The formal system of education in all societies is _____, because the avowed function of the schools is to teach
newcomers the attitudes, values, roles, specialties, and training necessary for the maintenance of society.
a. conservative
b. progressive
c. transformative
d. to nurture individualism
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.2
According to the chapter, which course is most likely to be opposed in U.S. public high schools?
a. Survey of British Literature 1800–1950
b. The Life and Teachings of Karl Marx
c. Particle Physics and the Big Bang
d. Survey of 19th Century Russian Literature
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.3
Americans’ faith in education is based on the assumption that
a. an educated citizenry is more patriotic.
b. educated people earn more money and pay more taxes.
c. a democratic society requires an educated citizenry.
d. educated people are easier to manipulate.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.4
Chapter Fourteen: Education
Many problems in U.S. schools are related to the lack of student interest. According to the chapter, this is the downside
of
a. upward mobility.
b. boring teachers.
c. American youth.
d. compulsory education.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.5
Approximately what percentage of public high school students in the United States will drop out before graduation?
a. 54%
b. 30%
c. 15%
d. 5%
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.6
In 1940, about 38% of people in the United State age 25 to 29 had completed high school. What was that figure
for 2013?
a. 99.9%
b. 86.6%
c. 68.8%
d. 28.4%
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.7
In Mrs. Clark’s third-grade classroom in a Wisconsin suburb, subjects begin and end _____. This is an example
of the preoccupation with order and control in American schools.
a. whenever Mrs. Clark wants them to.
b. when all the kids agree that it is time to move on to something new.
c. at the same time.
d. sometime before lunch.
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q14.1.8
According to Zuckerman, the system of American education is no longer relevant because
a. the subjects have not been updated for the 21st century.
b. democracy no longer requires an educated citizenry.
c. it is no longer focused on preparing people to work in factories.
d. it is a factory-based school system for an information age.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.9
According to the National Center for Education Statistics in 2010, _____ million children were being home-
schooled rather than attending public or private schools.
a. 1.5
b. 2.9
c. 6.0
d. 11.0
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.10
Critics of educational reforms such as private schools, charter schools, and voucher systems point out that these
trends are working against
a. segregation and home-schooling.
b. inclusiveness and desegregation.
c. high-quality learning.
d. the separation of church and state.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.11
Chapter Fourteen: Education
Public schools are primarily controlled at the _____ level.
a. federal
b. state
c. local
d. family
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.12
What is one of the problems related to local control of public schools identified in the chapter?
a. Schools are funded with state taxes, so local control means some taxpayers have no say in how their money is
spent.
b. Schools are funded with federal taxes, so local control means some taxpayers have no say in how their money
is spent.
c. Schools are funded with local taxes, so wealthier areas have better schools than poorer ones.
d. Schools are funded with local taxes, so poorer areas have better schools than they deserve.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q14.1.13
Which of the following is a negative lesson that can be learned by children in schools with a competitive
environment?
a. A rising tide lifts all boats.
b. Their classmates are their friends.
c. They should be motivated by curiosity.
d. They should be motivated by fear of failure.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.14
Kathy, a student in a typical U.S. school, is not a competitive person. Which of the following is NOT an area in
which her participation is determined by competetion among her classmates?
a. Enrolling in Freshman English
b. Playing on a varsity athletic team
c. Being cast in a lead role in a play
d. Playing first trumpet in the marching band
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What Your Know
TB_Q14.1.15
According to the chapter, school is analogous to a conveyer belt with people of all social classes getting on at the
same time. They leave the conveyer belt
a. by social class—the lower the class, the longer the ride.
b. by social class—the lower the class, the shorter the ride.
c. with all the necessary skills and abilities that prepare them to be citizens of a democracy.
d. with all the necessary skills and abilities that prepare them for college.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.1.16
In the 1990s, studies conducted at Wellesley and by the American Association of University Women argued that
_____ were being shortchanged by schools. In the 21st century, other researchers say that _____ are the ones who are
not being well-served by schools.
a. Latinos; Blacks
b. Blacks; Latinos
c. girls; boys
d. boys; girls
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.17
Which of the following is a statistic the chapter cites as support of the idea that schools serve girls better than
boys?
a. On average boys are a year and a half behind girls in math and science.
b. Each year men receive more bachelor and master degrees than women.
c. Boys are less likely to be held back a grade, drop out, and be suspended from school.
d. Boys are less likely than girls to graduate from high school .
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.1.18
Chapter Fourteen: Education
Despite the arguments about whether boys or girls are being failed more by the schools, the fact remains that for
every statistic that indicates a gender gap, there is an even larger gap by
a. social class and race.
b. earning power.
c. age.
d. gender identity.
Learning Objective: LO 14.1: Characterize education in the United States.
Topic/Concept: The Characteristics of U.S. Education
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.2.19
In the United States there are 14,000 school districts across the 50 states. However, until the current
millennium, there had been no attempt to
a. measure graduation rates.
b. develop a standardized curriculum.
c. reduce the percentage of truant children.
d. research educational theory.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.20
In 1991 Albert _____, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, pointed out that unlike many other
countries, in the United States “there is little connection between what students are supposed to learn, the knowledge
on which they are assessed, and what we expect our teachers to know.”
a. de Salvo
b. Einstein
c. Shanker
d. Schweitzer
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.21
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
What education act was signed by George W. Bush in 2001 in an effort to standardize public education in the United
States?
a. Higher Education Opportunity Act
b. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
c. The Common Core
d. No Child Left Behind
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.22
Which of the following was a principal aim of the No Child Left Behind Act?
a. Make schools accountable for the success or failure of their students.
b. Ensure the gaps that plague education in the United States.
c. Create a common core of standard before the states did.
d. Increase teachers’ flexibility to teach however they think best.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.2.23
Under No Child Left Behind, a single statewide assessment system given annually to students from third to eighth
grade is used to measure
a. each child’s adequate yearly progress.
b. the school’s adequate yearly progress.
c. each child’s advancement in learning in three key subject areas.
d. which children will be left behind.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.24
In 2009–2010, 38% of schools were labeled as _____ under the No Child Left Behind Act.
a. making adequate yearly progress
b. failing to make adequate yearly progress
c. exceeding adequate yearly progress
d. exempt from adequate yearly progress
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Chapter Fourteen: Education
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.25
California officials predicted that by 2014, all 6,063 public schools serving _____ would be declared in need of
restructuring under No Child Left Behind.
a. the Central Valley
b. the southern part of the state
c. poor students
d. chronic failures
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.2.26
Under NCLB, each state was permitted to set its own proficiency benchmarks to be determined by standardized
tests. According to the 2007 report “The Proficiency Illusion,” improvements in the passing rates on states can
be largely explained by
a. improved teaching at schools in danger of failing.
b. setting a lower bar on the 8th grade test.
c. true growth in student learning.
d. declines in the difficulty of those tests.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q14.2.27
What is a state-driven initiative to develop international benchmarks for all states so that all students are prepared to
be competitive in a globalized market?
a. The Common Core State Standards Initiative
b. Higher Education Opportunity Act
c. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
d. No Child Left Behind Act
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.28
In Conflict and Order, 14th edition
Who set the standards for the Common Core, which have been adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia?
a. State education departments
b. Parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts across the country
c. The United States Congress
d. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.29
Critics of the Common Core argue that it
a. is based on flawed assumptions.
b. allows the states to make up their own standards.
c. takes control away from parents.
d. promotes cultural biases.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q14.2.30
Supporters of _____ argue that states have “dummied down standards” and that students should be held to a higher
expectation.
a. federal control of schools
b. local control of schools
c. No Child Left Behind
d. the Common Core
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q14.2.31
Contrary to popular myths about the Common Core
a. schools systems and teachers can choose their own materials.
b. schools systems and teachers will use standardized materials.
c. schools and districts will be graded according to state-determined standardized testing.
d. states will be graded according to federally determined standardized testing.
Learning Objective: LO 14.2: Critique the idea of Common Core.
Topic/Concept: The Common Core Controversy