Organizational Behavior, 17e (Robbins)
Chapter 2 Diversity in Organizations
1) Kimberly Ortiz strongly believes in working for a company that promotes diversity. She
believes that such organizations are respectful of differences and allow employees more
exposure. She recently attended an interview where she was told that the company follows
policies that focus on organizational diversity. However, when she finally joined the company,
she had a strong feeling that the company’s claim was not true. Which of the following, if true,
weakens Kimberly’s belief that the company does not encourage diversity?
A) Eighty-five percent of the top management positions in the company are held by men.
B) She is the only African-American member in the entire workforce.
C) The workforce is not dominated by any specific ethnic or racial group.
D) The previous company she worked for made a conscious effort to employ an equal number of
men and women.
E) Her team members believe that they are treated equally in spite of differences in performance.
2) ________ diversity refers to diversity in observable attributes such as race, ethnicity, sex, and
age.
A) Psychographic
B) Additive
C) Surface-level
D) Disjunctive
E) Conjunctive
3) Which of the following is true with respect to surface-level diversity?
A) It refers to psychographic characteristics of the members of a group.
B) People with surface-level diversity will also share deep-level diversity.
C) It indicates differences of values, emotions and personality traits between people.
D) It refers to differences in easily perceived characteristics, such as gender and race.
E) It represents a person’s or group’s thought processes and feelings.
4) Differences in ________ indicate surface-level diversity.
A) personality
B) values
C) style of work
D) ethnicity
E) attitudes
5) Which of the following most likely indicates surface-level similarity?
A) Tim and Jake are colleagues who take risks and are quick decision makers.
B) The employees at GenSys prefer teamwork over individual assignments.
C) Nina and Chuck are colleagues who share similar views on corporate social responsibility.
D) Jane and Sara grew up in the same town and went to school together.
E) Hannah and Nate are both introspective and tend to be slow to reach decisions.
6) ________ diversity refers to diversity with respect to attributes that are less easy to observe
initially but that can be inferred after more direct experience.
A) Surface-level
B) Additive
C) Demographic
D) Deep-level
E) Conjunctive
7) Which of the following best represents deep-level similarity?
A) colleagues who both hail from the same neighborhood in Alabama
B) employees who are college graduates with a degree in business management
C) employees who speak Spanish and share similar religious values
D) employees who seek challenges in assignments and like to work collaboratively
E) employees in their mid-thirties with 10 years’ work experience in the publishing industry
8) Malcolm Industries recently hired a large number of workers for the company’s new
construction factory in Colorado. During the hiring process, the management made a clear effort
to recruit physically strong individuals because the work at the factory involves manual labor.
The jobs need to be performed by individuals who have the energy and physical stamina to work
for long hours. Which of the following surface-level characteristics did the company most likely
concentrate on when selecting the new workers?
A) age
B) values
C) beliefs
D) religion
E) personality
9) A difference in ________ would indicate deep-level diversity.
A) gender
B) age
C) ethnicity
D) disability
E) values
10) ________ differences between people represent deep-level diversity.
A) Race
B) Age
C) Ethnicity
D) Gender
E) Personality
11) The management at Climate Action Development needs to recruit campaign managers for its
Renewable Energy Project. They are looking for candidates who are assertive, extroverted, and
who can tackle challenges head-on. Which of the following deep-level characteristics should
they focus on to best help them recruit the right candidate for the job?
A) race
B) age
C) ethnicity
D) values
E) personality
12) Over the past 50 years, the earnings gap between whites and other racial and ethnic groups
has decreased significantly.
13) Demographics mostly reflect deep-level rather than surface-level diversity.
14) Two colleagues who bond over similarities of growing up in a French-speaking locality can
be said to have deep-level similarities rather than surface-level similarities.
15) Differences in easily perceived characteristics, such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, and
disability, give rise to surface-level diversity. The Atalissa scandal serves as a reminder that true
fairness is not just a warm feeling toward the disabled, but the ethical responsibility of us all.
16) List some of the concerns that HR managers are likely to face with a changing workforce.
17) Explain the play of surface-level similarity and deep-level diversity in a workplace
environment with the help of an example.
18) Define surface-level diversity and deep-level diversity.
19) The human resources department of Orbit Bank believes in being unbiased toward all
employees and treating them fairly. They believe it is crucial that the company treat all their
employees equally. However Susan Daniels, an employee at the bank, recently filed a lawsuit
against the company, claiming that she was discriminated against. Which of the following, if
true, best justifies Susan’s action?
A) The company did not give her preferential treatment even though she was from the host
country.
B) She was asked whether she was over eighteen during the first round in the interview process.
C) Her colleagues expressed their dissatisfaction over their pay and severance packages.
D) She had faced a similar situation of discrimination in her previous company.
E) She was given the same incentives as her colleagues in spite of performing better than them.
20) In a workplace, ________ involves overt threats or bullying directed at members of specific
groups of employees.
A) intimidation
B) risk aversion
C) inequity aversion
D) optimism bias
E) ambiguity aversion
21) April’s colleague Nathan has consistently pestered her to go out on a date with him. Though
she has refused his offer several times, he keeps persisting. She found an envelope on her desk
from Nathan with inappropriate pictures and cartoons, which left her infuriated. She now intends
to go discuss the matter with the human resource department of her company. Which of the
following forms of discrimination is April most likely to cite?
A) sexual harassment
B) cyberstalking
C) mobbing
D) exclusion
E) electronic harassment
22) Which of the following refers to a kind of discrimination that refers to overt threats or
bullying directed at members of specific groups of employees?
A) intimidation
B) impact bias
C) inequity aversion
D) framing effect
E) benefaction
23) Which of the following is the best example of the use of intimidation?
A) Anya’s boss, Kira, sets difficult targets and hints that Anya may lose her job if she doesn’t
meet them.
B) Jill’s manager, Steve, rarely considers her business ideas, but he consistently praises the
contributions of Jill’s colleague, Emily.
C) Natasha’s colleagues often make jokes using cultural or ethnic stereotypes.
D) Although Kathleen had spent a longer time in the organization, her colleague Gary was
promoted to a management position.
E) Jane’s colleagues recently forgot to invite her to a team lunch, a fact that caused her great
distress.
24) Hazel Samuels has been working at her company for the past two years and consistently gets
yelled at by her manager even when she is not at fault. He often makes derogatory references to
her ethnicity. In addition, during team meetings, she is his target for practical jokes and nasty
pranks. She is extremely upset and decides not to be subjected to such treatment any longer.
Which of the following kinds of discrimination is she most likely to report to the human resource
department in such a situation?
A) intimidation
B) sexual harassment
C) hazing
D) mobbing
E) whistle-blowing
25) Which of the following is the best example of mockery as a tool of discriminatory treatment
in organizations?
A) Rifka’s supervisor often stereotypes Rifka because of her ethnic heritage and makes jokes
about her ethnicity.
B) Because she is considerably older than the rest of her team, Hannah’s colleagues often do not
invite her to team lunches or informal team get-togethers.
C) Joan’s boss sets impossible targets and reprimands her in front of her colleagues if she fails to
complete them on time.
D) Sheena is the only African-American employee in her department and often feels left out of
office jokes and gossip.
E) Most of Leanne’s co-workers are male and share inappropriate jokes at the office.
26) A person who is made fun of because he is an Arab-American is being subjected to
________, a kind of discrimination in work environments.
A) mockery
B) vandalism
C) cyberstalking
D) gaslighting
E) monomania
27) Stacy Hanes is an African-American woman who has recently taken her first job and does
not seem to like the work environment at all. Her colleagues put down her ideas at team meetings
and refer to them as “stupid.” In addition, they make fun of her race and often ask her if she is
educated enough to work for the company. Which of the following kinds of discrimination is
Hanes most likely subject to?
A) mockery
B) sexual harassment
C) stalking
D) deception
E) subterfuge
28) ________, which may occur intentionally or unintentionally, refers to keeping certain people
in a work place away from job opportunities, social events, discussions, or informal mentoring.
A) Exclusion
B) Mockery
C) Stalking
D) Ragging
E) Bullying
29) Jill Ivey has been working as a sales executive at Orbit Bank for the last two years. However,
she has noticed that she is often not given an opportunity to attend training programs that her
team members attend every quarter. She also is disappointed about the fact that she never gets to
handle corporate clients, which provides better chances of a promotion. Which of the following
kinds of discrimination is she most likely to have been subjected to?
A) exclusion
B) mockery
C) gaslighting
D) destabilization
E) mobbing
30) Women being assigned marginal job roles that do not lead to promotion is an example of the
________ form of discrimination.
A) hazing
B) gaslighting
C) coercion
D) exclusion
E) battery
31) Which of the following is true with respect to workplace discrimination?
A) Discrimination occurs more at lower levels in the organization than higher levels.
B) It may lead to reduced productivity and citizenship behavior.
C) Only intentional discrimination is addressed by diversity management efforts.
D) Forms of discrimination like exclusion are easy to root out.
E) The discriminators are invariably aware of their action toward the victim.
32) Unfair discrimination involves noticing and being aware of individual characteristics among
people in a group.
33) Effective diversity management involves eliminating unfair discrimination.
34) Women being passed over for promotion even when they are performing better than men is
an example of a discriminatory practice.
35) Denying overseas assignments to certain deserving employees over others is a form of
exclusion, a kind of workplace discrimination.
36) Explain how surface-level similarity can lead to unfair discrimination. Substantiate your
answer with the help of a scenario.
37) Compare and contrast unfair discrimination and diversity management.
38) Explain three different kinds of workplace discrimination.
39) Compare and contrast exclusion and intimidation at workplaces with the help of an example.
40) With the help of an example, explain incivility as a form of indiscrimination at workplaces.
41) Which of the following is a biographical characteristic of an employee?
A) length of tenure
B) work preferences
C) personality
D) values
E) beliefs
42) Which of the following is true with respect to biographical characteristics?
A) They are non-objective in nature and cannot be observed.
B) They represent characteristics such as personality and work ethics.
C) They cannot be obtained from personnel records.
D) They are representative of surface-level diversity.
E) They comprise features such as motivation and commitment.
43) Which of the following explains why the relationship between age and job performance is
likely to be of increasing importance during the next decade?
A) The workforce is shrinking, and older workers are compelled to work beyond retirement.
B) A decline in immigration has opened up more entry-level positions for older workers.
C) Increasing job opportunities are opening up in the domestic sector, resulting in a dearth of
employees.
D) U.S. legislation, in effect, outlaws mandatory retirement.
E) A majority of people believe that productivity rises as a person grows older.
44) Raylon Inc. is in the process of recruiting a new operations manager. The human resources
team has narrowed the candidate list down to two candidates but cannot come to an agreement
about whom to hire. Though both candidates have the relevant qualifications for the post, one
will soon be 60 years old. The other candidate is in his early thirties. Rachel, a member of the
HR team, recommends hiring the older candidate, citing his years of experience and leadership
ability. Tim, on the other hand, strongly recommends that the company hire the younger
candidate, as he is likely to be more flexible when it comes to working. Which of the following,
if true, most strengthens Rachel’s argument?
A) The job requires frequent travel around the company’s six factories located across the country.
B) Most of the employees the operations manager will be supervising are under 30 years of age.
C) Research has shown that older workers are more prone to absenteeism for health-related
issues.
D) Almost half of the company’s top managers are in the 45-65 age bracket.
E) The company recently instituted a new production system that cuts waste by 30 percent.
45) Which of the following is the most likely reason why employers should employ older
workers?
A) They adjust to new technology promptly.
B) Older workers have extensive work experience.
C) Older workers are flexible and learn quickly.
D) They have shorter tenures and hence lower pension benefits than younger workers.
E) The rates of unavoidable absences are lower than those of younger workers.
46) Thurman Inc., a manufacturing company in Vermont, needs to hire employees for its new
office in the city. The positions require the employees to travel across the country regularly. The
management has specified that they are looking for employees below the age of 40 who are
young and dynamic. Which of the following beliefs is the management most likely to hold?
A) Younger workers make stronger judgments.
B) Younger workers are more flexible to change.
C) Younger workers have more experience.
D) Younger workers have stronger work ethics.
E) Younger workers are more committed to quality.
47) Angela Wells recently applied for a job at Spiga, a lounge in Paris. Having worked in several
restaurants and lounges in and across France, she was confident that she would get the job.
However, soon after the interview, she was informed that another candidate was offered the job,
even though the other candidate had limited experience in comparison to her. Angela feels that
she was discriminated against. Which of the following, if true, would best justify Angela’s
assumption?
A) The woman who was selected over her could speak French fluently.
B) Angela is a single mother with two young children.
C) Angela does not have a degree in hospitality management.
D) The lounge caters to elite business clientele in Paris.
E) Angela learned of the position through a friend working at the lounge.
48) Raylon Inc. needs to hire a new floor supervisor. As the company has recently made an effort
to increase diversity within the organization, the HR team wants to hire a qualified female
candidate for the role instead of adequately qualified male candidates. However, top
management insists that optimal performance is the top priority and that the candidate hired
should be the person best suited for the job. Which of the following, if true, would most
strengthen HR’s case for hiring the female candidate?
A) There are nearly as many female employees on the floor as male employees.
B) The company has recently introduced policies that provide greater benefits for working and
single mothers.
C) Most of the top-level managers in the company are female.
D) The company policy stipulates that each employee has to work at least one week per month
on a night shift.
E) Both candidates have the qualifications required to perform up to expectations.
49) ________ refers to the biological heritage people use to identify themselves.
A) Race
B) Values
C) Beliefs
D) Religion
E) GMA