1. The two groups projected to increase dramatically in the United States over the next half
century are:
2. The population of the United States is currently:
3. Which of the following is not one of the defining characteristics of a minority group?
4. The largest minority group in the United States is:
5. Which of the following would be classified as primarily an ethnic minority group?
6. People classified as “Asian and Pacific Islander”:
7. In the next 50 years, the total percentage of minority group Americans is projected to
increase to:
8. The social or physical characteristics that mark the boundaries between groups are usually:
9. Which of the following is not an example of a cultural trait that may be associated with
minority status?
10. Skin color is an important marker of group membership in our society because it:
11. Which of the following characteristics is not typical of ascribed status?
12. Laws on miscegenation referred to laws that prevented:
13. Stratification is another term for:
15. Marxism is a theory of history and social change in which ____ is a central concept.
16. “The most important source of inequality arises from a person’s relationship to the means
of production.” This statement might be heard from a:
17. Marx believed that conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was inevitable and
that the ultimate result of this class struggle would be:
18. Which of the following people best illustrates the difference between prestige and class?
19. In examining inequality, Weber might argue that a famous and wealthy rapper might rank:
20. Max Weber thought that Marx’s ideas about inequality were too:
21. In opposition to Marx, Weber argued that there are _____ dimensions of inequality.
22. According to Weber, a person who became rich by cleaning septic tanks would be higher
on_____ but lower on _____.
23. Gerhard Lenski is important because he linked the nature of inequality to the _____ of a
society.
24. The United States is often referred to as a(n):
25. According to Weber, a princess who was rich but “fell on hard times” and lost all of her
wealth would be:
26. According to Lenski’s theory, inequality in a postindustrial society would center on control
of:
27. Stratification is an important concept in the study of minority groups because:
28. In Western Europe, scientific and philosophical interest in the concept of race began:
29. Variations in human skin color:
30. The most visible marker of minority group membership is skin color, and it is:
31. Women can be viewed as a minority group because:
32. At the individual level, the “thinking/feeling” dimension of minority group mistreatment is
called:
33. “History generally has been written from the standpoint of the winners.” This statement can
be reflected in which of the following?
34. The “feeling” aspect of prejudice is called the ______ dimension.
35. A person sees a Mexican American male and assumes he is an illegal immigrant. This is an
example of:
36. When entire groups are treated unfairly and unequally in the institutions of the larger
society, this is called:
37. The unequal treatment of a group or individual based on his or her group membership is:
38. You work at the local bank as a loan processor. Although you believe that whites and
African Americans should be treated equally, your boss demands that you turn down any loans
requested by African Americans. According to your text, you are a(n):
39. Minority group status affects access to different “life chances” including:
40. A social situation in which prejudice is strongly approved and supported might:
41. The distinction between prejudice and discrimination is:
42. Institutional discrimination is often difficult to identify and measure because:
43. According to your book, which of the following could not be considered minorities?
44. Which of the following would Lawrence Hill (Developing a Racial Identity) disagree with
based on his own experiences growing up in Canada?
45. Which of the following is false regarding gender?
46. Societies that have a tradition of male dominance where men have more control over the
economy and leadership positions in religion, politics, and other institutions are:
47. Researchers taking a “nurture” perspective argue that women and men are different
because:
48. Michelle is a poor African American woman. Her race, class, and gender may combine to
produce a unique kind of inequality. The concept that describes this phenomenon is known
as:
49. The primary goal of Samaritans on the Border is to:
50. The level of analysis that considers individuals is called the __________ level of analysis,
whereas the level that considers groups is called the __________ level of analysis.
51. Tamara comments to her partner that their neighbor, Sam, must be a “welfare cheat”
because Sam receives food stamps but just purchased a new smartphone. Tamara’s comment
illustrates an example of
52. Compared to the past, American prejudice today can best be described as more
53. The increasing interconnectedness of people, groups, organizations,
and nations is referred to as
54. How did the North American Trade Agreement of 1994 affect immigration in the United
States?
55. Which dimension of globalization is key to understanding contemporary immigration?
56. Class, prestige, and power are three dimensions of a(n)
57. The traditional American perception of race as based primarily on skin color has no scientific
validity.
58. Racism a prerequisite for prejudice; in other words, prejudice cannot exist without racism.
59. The Declaration of Independence was inconsistent with the actions of the dominant group
at that time.
60. Gerhard Lenski is to __________ as Patricia Hill Collins is to __________.
61. According to Patricia Hill Collins, opportunity and experience are shaped by
62. Which of the following is an example of miscegenation?
63. Explain the phrase “ideological racism exists apart from the individuals in a society at a
particular time”
64. Institutional discrimination helps __________ the respective positions of dominant and
minority groups.
65. The degree of income inequality between African Americans and European Americans has
lessened during the past 30 years.
66. Over the past three decades, the number of immigrants arriving in the United States each
year has significantly increased.
67. The matrix of domination describes how women and men can be discriminated against
based on the overlapping components of age, race, and gender.
68. Minority groups are disadvantaged usually as the result of the actions of another group or
groups who benefit from the arrangement.
69. Ideological racism is a belief system that asserts that a particular group is inferior. In other
words, it is the group or societal equivalent of individual prejudice.
70. Scientists have concluded that skin color and other racial traits have little scientific,
evolutionary, medical, or biological importance.
71. Groups that are defined primarily by their cultural characteristics are called racial minority
groups.
72. Stratification is a basic feature of society.
73. Social classes and minority groups are correlated but vary independently.
74. The awareness of minority group members of their differentiation from the dominant group
provides the basis for strong bonds and a sense of group solidarity.
75. Interracial marriages were illegal in some states in the United States until the late 1960s.
77. Marx believed that the ultimate result of class struggle would be the victory of the working
class and a classless society.
78. According to Marx, one class owns or controls the means of production, and in the case of
an industrial society, Marx called this elite or ruling class the proletariat. The other class is the
working class, or the bourgeoisie.
79. Max Weber distinguished three different sources of stratification in society: class,
prestige, and power.
80. According to your book, Max Weber thought it was important to analyze stratification
within the level of development of a society such as whether it is an agricultural or
postindustrial society.
81. Changes in subsistence technology from agriculture to industrialization to the “information
society” do not alter the stratification system.
82. In the United States, minority group status has been and continues to be one of the most
important determinants of life chances, health, wealth, and success.
83. Institutional discrimination can be done subtly and without conscious intent.
84. There are clear dividing lines with little overlap between races.
85. The social conception of race retains a great deal of strength in everyday life in the United
States.
86. The major limitation of racial taxonomies is that they cannot provide clear lines between
racial groups.
87. Much of the history of slavery in the United States has been told from the perspective of
the slaves.
88. Racism is a prerequisite for prejudice.
89. Jane is prejudiced if she treats a person in a negative way because of that person’s
membership in a particular group.
90. Discrimination and prejudice do not necessarily occur together.
91. The relative advantage of the dominant group is maintained day-to-day by widespread
institutional discrimination.
92. Ideological discrimination is a belief system that asserts that a particular group is inferior.
93. Ideological discrimination is the societal equivalent to individual discrimination.
94. Institutional discrimination helps to sustain and reinforce the unequal positions of racial and
ethnic groups in the stratification system.
95. Whites and blacks perceive treatment by police and the court system very differently.
96. Groups that are defined primarily by their cultural characteristics are called racial minority
groups.
97. Racial and ethnic minority groups can overlap. That is, so-called ethnic groups may have
(or may be thought to have) distinguishing physical characteristics.
98. What is a minority group? Cite and explain the defining characteristics, paying special
attention to “patterns of disability and disadvantage” and “visible characteristics.” By this
definition, are women a minority group? Why or why not? How about left-handed people?
Americans with disabilities? Gay and lesbian Americans? Could these groups be defined as
minority groups? Justify your decision.
99. “History generally has been and is written from the standpoint of the ‘winners’.” Explain
this statement and provide detailed examples to support your essay.
100. “Racial variation in human beings is important only because we think it is important.”
Explain this statement using concepts from your reading.
101. Explain what is meant by stratification. Summarize some of the important theories
regarding the nature of stratification. Why is stratification an important concept in the study of
minority groups? What are the significant connections between stratification and minority
group status?
102. Using your own words, define and explain each of the following terms: prejudice (including
both affective and cognitive dimensions), discrimination, ideological racism, and institutional
discrimination. Cite an example of each from current events or from your own personal
experiences. In your examples, did a particular group benefit? How?
103. “If people would just change their attitudes about minorities then discrimination would be
a thing of the past.” Using concepts from your reading, explain why ending individual prejudice
would not end racial inequality in society.
104. The book states, “At times, institutional discrimination may operate more subtly and
without conscious intent.” Use examples from the text and your own life to support this claim.
105. Describe post-industrial society. Explain how employment, education, jobs, and region of
the country can affect post-industrial society.