Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Educational practices in American schools during the twentieth century have tended to be based on
1. A) a cultural deficit model.
2. B) lower-class, non-sectarian, rationalistic values.
...
Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Educational practices in American schools during the twentieth century have tended to be based on
1. A) a cultural deficit model.
2. B) lower-class, non-sectarian, rationalistic values.
3. C) middle-class, sectarian values.
4. D) the melting pot philosophy.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) During the 20th century, educational practices in American schools typically reflected middle class, sectarian values. The melting pot philosophy involved bringing students from different cultures into the mainstream of American society.
Page Ref: 168
Skill: Understanding
2) The cultural-deficit model suggests that immigrant students
1. A) achieve higher than American students because of their greater motivation.
2. B) are just as prepared for school as students who are born in this country.
3. C) come from an inferior culture that leaves them at a disadvantage.
4. D) deserve special treatment given the obstacles they have overcome.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) The traditional philosophy was that immigrant students come from an inferior culture that leaves them at a disadvantage. This philosophy engendered the cultural deficit model for educating these students.
Page Ref: 168
Skill: Knowledge
3) The rules and traditions that guide the behavior of a group comprise its
1. A) culture.
2. B) ethnic heritage.
3. C) racial identity.
4. D) social status.
Answer: A
Explanation: A) Culture is defined as the rules and traditions that guide the behavior of a group. People are members of groups, not of cultures. The multicultural education movement strongly supports valuing diverse cultures in our society.
Page Ref: 158
Skill: Knowledge
P: .75
D: .20
4) Ivan is a male Caucasian of Russian heritage who is living in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Knowing this information would give his teacher
1. A) accurate data about the types of interventions that Ivan needs.
2. B) motivation for creating a self-fulfilling prophesy.
3. C) nothing of value for understanding Ivan’s needs.
4. D) some useful information about how Ivan is likely to behave.
Answer: D
Explanation: D) The description of Ivan’s characteristics is hardly conclusive for knowing him as a person or predicting how he will behave. Knowing Ivan’s cultural background does, however, provide some useful information about how he is likely to behave. This information needs to be viewed cautiously, but it is still useful for planning for Ivan’s needs.
Page Ref: 159-161
Skill: Understanding
P: .68
D: .37
5) Membership in what cultural group is the best predictor of cultural differences?
1. A) Ethnicity
2. B) Gender
3. C) Race
4. D) Social class
Answer: D
Explanation: D) No one variable is the single predictor of cultural differences, but social class is the variable that seems to have the strongest relationship with cultural differences. Ethnicity, gender, and level of intellectual functioning are variables that also contribute to cultural differences, depending on the specific situation, but social class remains the strongest predictor.
Page Ref: 162-163
Skill: Knowledge
6) Which one of the following students BEST illustrates the concept of learned helplessness as an explanation for failure by low socioeconomic status children?
1. A) Trina seeks help from her older sister in completing practically all of her homework assignments.
2. B) Michael decides that he has no chance of passing the seventh grade or getting out of school.
3. C) Brook never volunteers an answer, but hopes that the teacher will call on her.
4. D) Josh will only compete against smaller children while playing sports after school.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) Learned helplessness is a condition characterized by accepting failure as inevitable. An example would be a student (Michael, in this instance) deciding that he has no chance of passing.
Page Ref: 163
Skill: Understanding P: .79 / D: .21
7) Mark decides that he doesn’t want to be like the “rich kids who sell themselves out to the system.” Accordingly, he prides himself on not learning what the school is trying to teach. Which of the following concepts best characterizes his behavior?
1. A) Academic anti-socialization
2. B) Learned helplessness
3. C) Resistance culture
4. D) Tracking
Answer: C
Explanation: C) A resistance culture is represented by lower-class students’ rejection of middle-class values. This behavior is exemplified by Marko’s purposeful attempt to not learn what the school is trying to teach (to “the rich kids”).
Page Ref: 165
Skill: Understanding
P: .82
D: .35
8) Which one of the following student situations is predictive of tracking practices?
16. A) Andy, who continued to be a low achiever throughout grade school, remains in school after reaching the age of 16.
17. B) Marie, who was placed in the low reading group in the third grade, is counseled in the eighth grade into home economics instead of beginning algebra.
18. C) Sylvia, who experienced considerable academic success in elementary school, is admitted to a prestigious university on an athletic scholarship.
19. D) Vincent, who was accelerated from second to fourth grade because of his outstanding ability test score, had difficulty with social interaction in high school.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) Tracking is predictive of students’ success and academic choices in later grades. Accordingly, Marie, who was placed in the low reading group as a third grader, becomes identified five years later as being better served by a less academic program (home economics as opposed to algebra).
Page Ref: 165-166
Skill: Understanding
P: .75
D: .32
9) Which one of the following variables is MOST likely to correlate positively and highest with children’s school achievement?
1. A) Ethnicity of the family
2. B) Level of the parents’ education
3. C) Parents’ attitudes toward education
4. D) Total family income
Answer: C
Explanation: C) The strongest correlations between SES and school achievement occur when SES is measured in terms of family atmosphere variables such as parents’ attitudes toward education. Variables such as family income, parents’ education, and parents’ occupations correlate positively, but more weakly, with school achievement.
Page Ref: 167
Skill: Knowledge
P: .77
D: .20
10) Which one of the following statements is technically TRUE regarding the term minority group?
1. A) It is a category composed of people who have biologically transmitted traits.
2. B) It is a term that refers to a numerical minority compared to the total population.
3. C) It refers to a group of people who receives unequal or discriminatory treatment.
4. D) The number of these groups is decreasing slightly in nearly every one of the states.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) The term minority group technically refers to a numerical minority in a population compared to the total population. Sociologists use the term to label a group of people who receive discriminatory treatment.
Page Ref: 168
Skill: Knowledge
11) Researchers generally believe that differences between ethnic groups in cognitive abilities occur primarily as a result of
1. A) biases inherent in most standardized tests.
2. B) different experiences in and out of school.
3. C) different levels of motivation among the groups.
4. D) natural abilities of the various groups.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) Researchers generally believe that differences between ethnic groups in cognitive abilities mainly occur as a result of different experiences in and out of school. For example, minority groups must contend with fewer resources and discriminating practices. These factors make it more difficult for them to be successful in school compared with white students.
Page Ref: 168
Skill: Knowledge
P: .69
D: .31
12) The outcomes of the Brown vs. Board of Education case relative to the original goals for the ruling are generally viewed today as
1. A) favorable for minorities who are high in SES.
2. B) highly negative.
3. C) highly successful.
4. D) only slightly successful.
Answer: D
Explanation: D) The outcomes of the Brown vs. Board of Education case have been only slightly successful. The problem is that, despite segregation being declared illegal, many of today’s students attend schools in which the student body is predominantly of one race. This is called de facto segregation.
Page Ref: 169-170
Skill: Knowledge
13) What is the major reason for the development of prejudice?
1. A) Dislike of certain people or groups
2. B) Economic competition among different groups
3. C) Instinctive mistrust of people who are different
4. D) Learning cultural values
Answer: D
Explanation: D) Prejudice develops as a result of learning certain cultural values of a certain cultural group. Typically, prejudice produces negative views. Page Ref: 170-171 / Skill: Knowledge
14) Mr. Kennedy, a middle-class Caucasian teacher, assigns lower grades when evaluating the work of two Native American students in his high-school physics class than he does for comparable work from other students. The most valid interpretation of Mr. Kennedy’s behavior is that he appears to
1. A) be conforming to conventional ethnic values.
2. B) be demonstrating a laissez-faire personality.
3. C) have a negative schema regarding Native Americans.
4. D) mistrust people who are culturally inferior.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Mr. Kennedy appears to have a negative schema (stereotype) regarding Native Americans. As a result, he is discriminating against them (perhaps unknowingly) in his grading practices.
Page Ref: 171
Skill: Understanding
P: .86
D: .12
15) Which one of the following quotations MOST clearly represents the concept of stereotyping?
1. A) “Boys should line up to the right and girls to the left.”
2. B) “If he’s one of your friends, tell him not to apply.”
3. C) “Matthew just doesn’t seem interested in spelling.”
4. D) “People from that region just aren’t ambitious.”
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