Chapter 1 The Study of Minorities
1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Aristotle said, “We like those who resemble us, and are engaged in the same pursuits.” Which of the following concepts best represents Aristotle’s statement?
A) similarity and attraction
B) identical preferences
C) opposites attract
D) group identification preference
E) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 4
Skill: Knowledge
2) Social distance studies have found
A) an erratic pattern, depending on world or economic situations.
B) a fairly consistent pattern over the decades.
C) greater distance only between racial groups.
D) elimination of social distance between groups after two generations.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 5
Skill: Knowledge
3) Which of the following is not a result found by a 2001 study of social distance?
A) increased diversity in society
B) decreasing level of acceptance of diverse groups among college students
C) social distance continues to shrink
D) increased diversity amongrespondents
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 6
Skill: Comprehension
4) Despite the removal of more assimilated groups and the addition of less assimilated groups to the list in 2001,
A) the upward trend in social distance continued.
B) no significant differences were found.
C) there was an increased level of diversity.
D) the downward trend in social distance continued.
Answer: D
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 6
Skill: Comprehension
5) Natives usually perceive strangers
A) objectively.
B) hospitably.
C) categorically.
D) indifferently.
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Knowledge
6) Social distance studies capture social acceptance of groups
A) over a period of ten years.
B) at a given moment in time.
C) only in the bottom rankings.
D) before 9/11.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 7
Skill: Comprehension
7) Which of the following is an example of categoric knowing?
A) If a new Japanese immigrant moves to a town, neighbors throw a party to make friends with him/her.
B) If a visiting Korean asks for pizza rather than sushi, the host may conclude that all Koreans like pizza.
C) white Americans go to a Chinese festival to learn Asian culture
D) all of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Application
8) Which of the following does not explain the relationship between strangers and natives?
A) Strangers have a higher degree of subjectivity about the natives because the strangers’ geographic mobility reflects mobility in their minds as well.
B) The stranger is physically present and participating but also outside the situation as a result of being from another place.
C) Natives perceive the stranger in an abstract, typified way, and so the individual becomes the totality, or stereotype, of the group.
D) The stranger perceives the natives in concrete, individual terms.
Answer: A
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Comprehension
9) In a new social setting, strangers
A) experience every situation as potentially problematic.
B) lack the natives’ knowledge of shared realities.
C) are acutely aware of things unnoticed by the natives.
D) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Knowledge
10) Which of the following is the example of intersubjective understanding?
A) Americans jogging in parks
B) Americans saying “hello” or “how are you?” when they see each other
C) American men shaving every morning
D) all of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Application
11) As acculturation takes place,
A) strangers’ consciousness decreases because the freshness of their perception is lost.
B) the natives’ abstract typification about the strangers become more concrete through social interaction.
C) the stranger becomes less questioning about daily activities.
D) both A and C
E) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 9
Skill: Comprehension
12) Which of the following is not a fact regarding a minority group?
A) It designates a group’s numerical representation.
B) It indicates a group’s relative power in society.
C) It indicates a group’s relative status in society.
D) all of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Knowledge
13) Which of the following best describes Parrillo’s idea of the adjustment from stranger to neighbor?
A) movement along a continuum with friction
B) assimilation is not inevitable
C) process of social interaction among different groups of people
D) both A and C
E) both B and C
Answer: D
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 9
Skill: Knowledge
14) Which of the following is the right matching?
A) emigration: Jose, Mexican, moves to San Antonio from Mexico City
B) immigration: Paul, Russian, leaves Russia to move to China
C) emigration: Jean, Korean, comes to the U.S. from Seoul
D) immigration: Buddy, Indian, gets a job in San Francisco and moves to the U.S.
E) all of the above
Answer: E
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 9
Skill: Application
15) A minority group is
A) numerically smaller than the dominant group.
B) less powerful than the dominant group.
C) more powerful than the dominant group.
D) both A and C.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Comprehension
16) Which of the following is not Louis Wirth’s conception of minority groups?
A) describing only biological features or national traits
B) including the consequences of such distinctions as group consciousness and differential treatment
C) broadening the definition of minority group to encompass any physical or cultural trait
D) leading to a focus on prejudice, discrimination, and oppression
Answer: A
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Comprehension
17) Which of the following best describes the power relationship between groups?
A) increase of European tourists in South America
B) European colonization of African and Asian populations
C) cultural differences among Asian countries
D) both B and C
Answer: B
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Application
18) According to Parrillo, a category of people who share visible biological characteristics and are regarded as a single group isa(n)
A) race.
B) ethnic group.
C) social deviant.
D) status.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Knowledge
19) When marrying, members of a minority group usually practice
A) endogamy.
B) exogamy.
C) polyandry.
D) polygamy.
E) all of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Knowledge
20) Which of the following is not true for minority groups?
A) The group receives unequal treatment as a group.
B) The group is easily identifiable because of distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics that are held in high esteem.
C) The group feels a sense of group identity, that each of them shares something in common with other members.
D) Membership in the minority group has ascribed status.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Comprehension
21) Which of the following is the best example of a person who is a member of both dominant and minority groups?
A) an American white woman who is a Buddhist
B) an African American man born in Texas who lives in New York City
C) an American citizen who visited Tanzania
D) an African American woman with disabilities
Answer: A
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Application
22) Which of the following does not consist of race?
A) body build
B) facial features
C) hair texture
D) personality traits
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Knowledge
23) Which of the following is not true for racism?
A) It is a human invention.
B) It links the psychological conditions of a human mentality with alleged sociocultural capabilities and behaviors to assert the superiority of one race.
C) The subordinate group experiences prejudice and discrimination, which the dominant group justifies by reference to such invidious perceptions.
D) It prevails when people believe that one race is superior to another because of economic advantages or specific achievements.
Answer: B
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Comprehension
24) Ethnicity is
A) another term for “race.”
B) a false and arbitrary classification of people.
C) a term used to refer to European peoples.
D) learned or acquired cultural traits shared by a people.
Answer: D
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Knowledge
25) Which of the following is an ethnic group?
A) Native Americans
B) Asian Americans
C) Black Americans
D) Bulgarian Americans
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 12
Skill: Comprehension
26) Which of the following categories differs from the rest?
A) Hindus and Latins
B) Japanese and British
C) whites and blacks
D) Catholic Arabs and Muslim Arabs
Answer: C
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 14
Skill: Application
27) Susan, a Texas cattle rancher, thinks the Japanese custom of eating raw fish is disgusting. This is an example of
A) ethnicity.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) poor taste.
D) cultural relativism.
Answer: B
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 12
Skill: Application
28) Juan believes that Hispanic families are superior to white families. This belief is an example of which theory?
A) social-referent group theory
B) ethnic preference theory
C) social-identity theory
D) outgroup discrimination theory
Answer: C
Diff: 8 Page Ref: 13
Skill: Application
29) By ingroup, sociologists mean
A) agroup immigrating into the country.
B) the dominant group.
C) the group to which an individual belongs and feels loyalty.
D) the reference group others imitate.
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 13
Skill: Knowledge
30) Social identity theory helps explain
A) upward mobility.
B) ethnic antagonism.
C) ingroup favoritism.
D) immigration quotas.
Answer: C
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 13
Skill: Knowledge
31) Which of the following is not true?
A) The assumption that “we” are better than “they” generally results in ridicule, contempt, or hatred toward the outgroup.
B) The ingroup always views the outgroup as inferior.
C) Groups have often retained their values and standards while recognizing the superiority of another group.
D) Countless people reject their own ingroup by becoming voluntary exiles, expatriates, and so on.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 13
Skill: Comprehension
32) An example of an ascribed status is a
A) writer.
B) Mormon convert.
C) female.
D) new immigrant.
Answer: C
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Application
33) Which of the following is not a historical example of ethnocentrism?
A) Manifest Destiny in the U.S.
B) “white man’s burden” in England
C) the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations in Austria
D) the Crusaders in the Middle Ages
Answer: C
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 13
Skill: Application
34) Underrepresenting non-European material exemplifies
A) Afrocentrism.
B) Eurocentrism.
C) categoric knowing.
D) reciprocal typification.
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 14
Skill: Knowledge
35) Arguing Western civilization derives from the black African influence on Egyptian civilization is a bolder form of
A) Afrocentrism.
B) categoric knowing.
C) false consciousness.
D) interactionist theory.
Answer: A
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 14
Skill: Application
36) In American culture, such things as freedom, individualism and equal opportunity are deemed to be highly desirable. In sociological terms these concepts are
A) mores.
B) desires.
C) norms.
D) values.
E) folkways.
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 15
Skill: Application
37) Pluralist advocates criticize which of the following?
A) Afrocentrism
B) ethnocentrism
C) Eurocentrism
D) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 14
Skill: Comprehension
38) The main focus or unit of analysis for sociologists is
A) the group.
B) the individual.
C) the stranger.
D) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 15
Skill: Knowledge
39) Studying race and ethnic relations is
A) easier than most other subjects because of our familiarity with minority problems.
B) easier because most people are sensitive to the problems and needs of others.
C) difficult because our values, attitudes, and experiences make our objectivity almost impossible.
D) difficult because the subject defies a logical or scientific explanation.
Answer: C
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 15
Skill: Comprehension
40) Which of the following illustrates the Dillingham Flaw?
A) emphasis on preserving one’s culture
B) distrust of political solutions to end discrimination
C) criticism of an immigrant group, compared to an earlier one
D) assumption that a minority group is lazy or immoral
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 16
Skill: Knowledge
41) An ethnic group held up as a role model in contrast to a newly arrived group was probably
A) once an object of scorn and condemnation itself.
B) the beneficiary of governmental assistance.
C) large in numbers to deter criticism about their immigration.
D) quick to learn English and assimilate.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 16
Skill: Comprehension
42) Mills states that an issue is a public matter when it is
A) not relevant to group behavior study in sociology.
B) less important than the welfare of the group.
C) only important to sociologists after thorough study of the group.
D) intricately connected to the larger historical context of society.
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 16
Skill: Knowledge
43) Which of the following examples best describes the concepts of structural changes and institutional contradictions of C. Wright Mills?
A) urban African American or Hispanic American youths dropping out of school
B) increase of undocumented aliens in the U.S.
C) rise of lower class Asian congregations
D) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 16
Skill: Application
44) Which of the following is not a correct matching?
A) functional theory: functions and solidarity
B) conflict theory: false consciousness and exploitation
C) interactionist theory: symbols and social construction of reality
D) functional theory: status positions and social structure
E) conflict theory: inequality and roles
Answer: E
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 17-19
Skill: Comprehension
45) Functional theory does not emphasize
A) social equilibrium.
B) interdependent societal parts.
C) imbalance of power.
D) adjustments to restore societal stability.
Answer: C
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 18
Skill: Knowledge
46) A 2001 study showed that more than 50 percent of newlyweds met their spouses in the workplace. Sociologically, meeting a spouse at work would be considered a
A) latent function of workplaces.
B) manifest function of workplaces.
C) latent dysfunction of workplaces.
D) a manifest dysfunction of workplaces.
Answer: A
Diff: 7 Page Ref: 18
Skill: Application
47) Karl Marx believed that the elite exploited the masses and that this exploitation created tensions and disagreements. Marx’s theory is best known as
A) conflict perspective.
B) functionalist perspective.
C) interactionist perspective.
D) unfair perspective.
Answer: A
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 18
Skill: Knowledge
48) Pursuing the question of “Who benefits?” from a particular situation suggests which likely perspective?
A) functionalist
B) conflict
C) interactionist
D) societist
Answer: B
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 18
Skill: Knowledge
49) Which of the following best describes each theory and its interpretation of North Korean communist regime?
A) functionalist theory: communist regime was created by shared expectations among individuals
B) conflict theory: communist regime maintains North Korean political entity in harmony
C) interactionist theory: dysfunctions of communist regime are temporary
D) conflict theory: communist regime was created to act against false consciousness
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 19
Skill: Application
50) A sociologist who investigates how people interpret the situations they are in is probably a
A) functionalist.
B) conflict theorist.
C) interactionist.
D) societist.
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 19
Skill: Comprehension
1.2 Short Answer Questions
1) Explain “unity syndrome”.
Answer: the coalescing of various groups against a common enemy who attacked us
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 7
Skill: Knowledge
2) Explain George Simmel’s concepts of “nearness” and “remoteness” among strangers.
Answer: nearness: Strangers are physically close.remoteness: Strangers react differently to the immediate situation and have different values and ways of doing things.
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Knowledge
3) Give examples of different perceptions of strangers and natives of each other.
Answer: The natives perceive the stranger in an abstract, typified way, and so the individual becomes the totality, or stereotype, of the group. The stranger is seen only in generalized terms, as a representative member of a different group. In contrast, the stranger perceives the natives in concrete, individual terms. Furthermore, because strangers do not participate fully in society, they have a certain mental detachment, causing them to see things more objectively.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Application
4) Explain “lack of historicity” that strangers experience.
Answer: Strangers experience a lack of historicity, a lack of the shared memory of those with whom they live. Being newcomers, they experience at least an approximation of the freshness of childhood. Also existing within the natives’ taken-for-granted world are social constructions of race and ethnicity that, to the stranger, are new realities.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 8
Skill: Knowledge
5) Explain “naturalized citizen”.
Answer: As acculturation takes place, the native begins to view the stranger more concretely, and the stranger becomes less questioning about daily activities. Use of the term implies that people are in some way odd or unnatural until they have acquired the characteristics of the natives.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 9
Skill: Knowledge
6) According to Donald Young, Americans make distinctions about people according to what two factors.
Answer: Race and National origin.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Knowledge
7) Explain five characteristics shared by minorities worldwide according to Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris.
Answer: 1. The group receives unequal treatment as a group. 2. The group is easily identifiable because of distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics that are held in low esteem. 3. The group feels a sense of group identity, that each of them shares something in common with other members. 4. Membership in the minority group has ascribed status: one is born into it. 5. Group members practice endogamy: they tend to marry within their group, either by choice or by necessity, because of their social isolation.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 10
Skill: Comprehension
8) Explain “one-drop theory.”
Answer: Someone with even a tiny portion of nonwhite ancestry should be classified as black.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Knowledge
9) Some geneticists argue that race is a meaningless concept. Explain why.
Answer: Racial classifications are often arbitrary, with individuals or society placing undue emphasis on race. Indeed, some geneticists argue that race is a meaningless concept, that far more genetic variation exists within races than between them, and that any racial traits overlap without distinct boundaries. Many social scientists have called for the deconstruction of race, arguing against the artificial boundaries that promote racial prejudice.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 11
Skill: Comprehension
10) Explain the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism using examples.
Answer: Ethnocentrism is a view of things in which one’s own group is the center of everything, and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it. On the other hand, cultural relativism includes beliefs and behaviors that are evaluated in the context of that culture.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 12-13
Skill: Application
11) Give an example of an outgroup becoming a positive reference group.
Answer: Any example where members of the ingroup perceive it as having a conspicuous advantage over their own group in terms of survival or adaptation to the environment, success in warfare, a stronger political structure, greater wealth, or higher occupational status.