Chapter 3 Test Questions
Multiple Choice
1. All of the following accurately describe changes in schools in the past half century EXCEPT
a. New demands and expectations are placed on schools and teachers by the information age.
b. Increased requirements for providing excellent equal educational opportunities to all students.
c. Decreasing enrollment in U.S. schools.
d. Increasing complexity of U.S. schools.
2. The total number of public school students in the United States has
a. doubled in the past 50 years.
b. decreased by 50% in the past 50 years.
c. remained steady in the past 50 years.
d. tripled in the past 50 years.
3. All of the following are ways that schools are dealing with school enrollment changes EXCEPT
a. temporary mobile classrooms.
b. larger class sizes.
c. split scheduling.
d. fewer teachers.
4. The number of school districts in the United State is approximately
a. 10,000.
b. 14,000.
c. 20,000.
d. 24,000.
5. The legislation that provided a massive infusion of federal dollars to improve schools’ science,
mathematics, engineering, and foreign language programs is
a. NCLB.
b. IDEA.
c. NDEA.
d. Section 504.
6. The legislation that resulted in improvements in special education programs, including new
requirements for teachers trained to work with students with visual or hearing impairments, behavior
disorders, and other exceptionalities is
a. NCLB.
b. PL 94-142.
c. Title IX.
d. Title I.
7. The legislation that provided for the education of veterans is
a. Lanham Act.
b. GI Bill.
c. NSF Grant.
d. Categorical Federal Aid.
8. Access to a similar education for all students, regardless of their cultural background or family
circumstances is
a. special education.
b. bilingual education.
c. multicultural educational opportunity.
d. equal educational opportunity.
9. Teaching children at home rather in formal schools is
a. special education.
b. magnet schooling.
c. homeschooling.
d. alternative schooling.
10. Janet teaches her two children at home rather than sending them to the local public school. Her
teaching philosophy involves allowing her children to learn through whatever they naturally do without
providing formal instruction. Janet’s philosophy is
a. cooperative learning.
b. naturalism.
c. unschooling.
d. parochialism.
11. The legislation that provided adult basic education funding to help adults learn to read and write is
a. Economic Opportunity Act.
b. NCLB.
c. Lanham Act.
d. GI Bill.
12. All of the following are recommendations made by the Committee of Ten EXCEPT
a. high school should consist of grades 9-12.
b. courses should be arranged sequentially.
c. students should be given very few electives in high school.
d.one Carnegie unit should be awarded for each separate course that a student takes each year.
13. According to the Seven Cardinal Principals, students should receive an education in all of the
following fields EXCEPT
a. driver’s education.
b. health.
c. worthy home membership.
d. civic education.
14. The first formal teacher training school in the Western world was
a. Cambridge University.
b. Harvard University.
c. Goddeshous College.
d. Teachers’ College.
15. The first type of American institution devoted exclusively to teacher training was
a. Latin grammar school.
b. dame school.
c. monitorial school.
d. normal school.
16. The educator who was instrumental in establishing the first state-supported normal school in
Lexington, MA was
a. Horace Mann.
b. Ella Flagg Young.
c. Friedrich Froebel.
d. Maria Montessori.
17. Procedures used to enable teachers to critique their own performance in the classroom is
a. informal note-taking.
b. standardized assessment.
c. analysis of teaching.
d. mentoring.
18. The movement to improve teaching performance based on the outcomes of educational research is
a. progressive teaching.
b. standards-based teaching.
c. effective teaching.
d. national board teaching.
19. A learner’s acquisition of facts, concepts, and principles through mental activity is
a. psychosocial development.
b. emotional development.
c. cognitive development.
d. behavioral development.
20. Dana is a kindergartener in Ms. Jones’ class. Ms. Jones’ observes that Dana learns best through
language and concepts. Which stage of cognitive development is Dana most likely in?
a. sensorimotor.
b. preoperational.
c. concrete operations.
d. formal operations.
21. According to Benjamin Bloom, all of the following factors can predict learning outcomes EXCEPT
a. scores on standardized tests.
b. cognitive entry behaviors.
c. affective entry characteristics.
d. quality of instruction.
22. B.F. Skinner was responsible for developing
a. behavioral theory.
b. cognitive theory.
c. social theory.
d. educational theory.
23. According to the authors of the textbook, one of the most dramatic changes to affect education in the
United States in the last sixty years comes as a result of the
a. increased understanding of history helping contemporaries to improve education.
b. increased emphasis on standardized testing.
c. increased involvement of the federal government in education.
d. rate of inflation.
24. Since World War II, education has grown in all of the following EXCEPT
a. enrollment.
b. budget.
c. federal influence.
d. local control.
25. The phenomenal growth in school enrollment over the last half of the twentieth century is due to all of
the following reasons EXCEPT
a. overall population growth.
b. the average number of children per family is increasing.
c. greater percentages of people are going to school.
d. people are staying in school much longer.
26. School consolidation has resulted in
a. the establishment of more school districts.
b. the increase in the number of one-room schools.
c. an increase in the number of school buses required.
d. a decrease in the number of teachers needed to staff schools.
27. The number and percentage of students who are bused to school has increased considerably in the
last half century. The majority of this increase can be attributed to
a. parental demands for transportation to be provided.
b. a decrease in the number of city public transit routes.
c. an increase in the number of schools.
d. consolidation of school districts.
28. Inga is writing a paper comparing the curriculum taught in schools in the United States today as
opposed to 1940. Her research will show that compared to today the curriculum in 1940 was
a. narrow and designed for students entering the world of work.
b. narrow and designed for students entering college.
c. broad and designed for all students.
d. broad and designed for students entering government and public service.
29. Federal support for education programs, such as the G.I. Bill and the Vocational Education for
National Defense Education Act, have served to
a. centralize schools.
b. build schools.
c. train teachers.
d. open education to more people.
30. Federal funds for education are provided largely through what is called categorical aid. This type of
funding is designed to support
a. all educational efforts.
b. construction of school buildings.
c. specific uses defined by the government.
d. a reduction in property taxes for the disadvantaged.
31. The Garden Grove School District is seeking to expand its adult education program. In following the
lead of other school systems with well-developed adult education, they should consider including all
of the following EXCEPT
a. English language training for new immigrants.
b. job training for the unemployed.
c. classes in specific religious doctrines.
d. enrichment programs for retired individuals.
32. Ahmad wants to be as effective in the classroom as he can be. He has examined the research on
effective teaching and has decided that he will be most effective if he employs all of the following
strategies, EXCEPT
a. checking prerequisite skills before introducing new skills.
b. assuming students know nothing about a skill and beginning with first principles.
c. using prompts and cues to assist students in the initial stages of acquisition.
d. providing corrective feedback when required.
33. Tamika is about to teach a first lesson on basketball skills to her sixth grade physical education class.
If she is to employ the strategies of an effective teacher she will begin as follows
a. She will have the students take notes while she explains the rules of basketball.
b. She will randomly divide the class into teams have them play games against each other.
c. She will have them do dribbling, passing, and shooting drills while she assesses their skill levels.
d. She will invite the top player from the neighboring high school to demonstrate shooting techniques.
34. Jason is a biology teacher who has noticed that Umae, who has very high standardized test scores, is
not doing well in his class. She sits at the back of the room and has minimal interaction with the other
students. When it is time to take out the microscopes for observation she always chooses the oldest
one that does not function particularly well. Recent research shows that in order to try and help her
performance, the most important thing he can do is to
a. make certain that she gets the best microscope.
b. assign the student with the highest biology grade to be her partner.
c. assist her in developing social relationships with the other students.
d. move her to the front where she will feel more at the center of classroom activities.
35. David observed while the teacher took two identical balls of Play–Doh and rolled one into the shape of
a hot dog. When asked which of the two contained more material, David quickly pointed to the
hotdog. His older brother Paul when faced with the same demonstration, looked puzzled and said,
ʺThey’re both the same.ʺ Which of the following is true about the brothers according to Jean Paget’s
Theory of Cognitive Development?
a. David is at the sensorimotor stage while Paul is at the preoperational stage.
b. David is at the preoperational stage while Paul is at the concrete operations stage.
c. David is at the preoperational stage while Paul is at the formal operations stage.
d. David is at the concrete operations stage and Paul is at the formal operations stage.
Chapter 3 Test Questions
Short Answer
1. You are a student in the eleventh grade at Hillcrest High School taking a typical program. As you are
walking up the driveway of your home one day, Dr. Emmett Brown suddenly appears in his time
machine. Before you can think about it, he opens the door and you get in. The next day as you enter
Hillcrest High, you see a sign that says, ʺHelp us help the poor families for Thanksgiving 1949.ʺ
Compare and contrast the curriculum taught at Hillcrest in 1949 with the one that you study today.
(Learning Outcome 2.1)
2. Your text discusses the fact that public schools did not historically provide special education
programs for children with disabilities. ʺ[R]ather, they simply accommodated such children as best
they could, usually by placing them in regular classrooms.ʺ The situation began to change when
Federal legislation provided funding for special education teachers and programs grew by leaps and
bounds. Some would argue that we have now gone full circle and the policy of inclusion has once
again created a situation where the classroom teacher is responsible for students with disabilities. Do
you agree that the educational system has ʺcome full circle?ʺ Support your answer using at least four
examples. (Learning Outcome 2.2)
3. Because education is not mentioned in the United States Constitution, it is the responsibility of
individual states. Nevertheless, the federal government has become increasingly involved in
education, particularly during the last half century. Using at least three specific examples,
demonstrate how this change has taken place. (Learning Outcome 2.3)
4. You are a member of a debate team where the resolution under consideration is, ʺWhereas, the
range of required skills and amount of information in the world have exploded, especially since the
beginning of the computer age, and the accompanying need to work collaboratively with others is
becoming the norm in society, be it resolved that it is becoming increasingly difficult for a home
schooling environment to provide the type of education that will allow students to succeed in the
world.ʺ Despite the expanding complexities of a meaningful education, it is estimated that there has
been an increase in the number of parents providing home schooling for their children at a rate of
approximately 15% per year over the last decade. (Learning Outcome 2.5)
a) Give at least four reasons why you think there is such a rapid increase in the number of
parents who home school?
b) Decide whether you agree or disagree with the debate resolution and develop a series of
arguments to support your side of the issue in the most persuasive way possible.
5. Trace the origins and evolution of the educational testing movement in the United States. Explain how
you think this movement has affected education since the beginning of the movement until the
present. (Learning Outcome 2.5)
Chapter 3 Answer Key
Chapter 3 Answer Key
Short Answer
Assessment Overview:
