Race & Racism

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions related to race and racism from the lecture notes.

What is race?
a) A scientifically proven biological difference between humans
b) A socially constructed category based on perceived differences
c) A genetic trait inherited from ancestors
d) A classification system used only in the 20th century

• b) A socially constructed category based on perceived differences

When did the modern concept of race emerge?
a) In ancient civilizations
b) During the Enlightenment period
c) In the 21st century
d) During the Industrial Revolution

b) During the Enlightenment period

Before race was invented, societies classified people based on:
a) Skin color
b) Religious beliefs and language
c) Genetic differences
d) Political affiliations

b) Religious beliefs and language

What is ethnicity?
a) A biological category based on race
b) A cultural identity based on shared traits and traditions
c) A government classification system
d) A temporary social status

b) A cultural identity based on shared traits and traditions

How does ethnocentrism differ from racism?
a) Ethnocentrism views one's own culture as superior but doesn’t dehumanize others
b) Racism is about cultural differences, while ethnocentrism is about skin color
c) They are the same concept
d) Racism is a new phenomenon, while ethnocentrism is ancient

a) Ethnocentrism views one's own culture as superior but doesn’t dehumanize others

What is a major flaw in the idea of race as biology?
a) Genetic differences between races are vast
b) No biological traits are exclusive to any one race
c) Race has a clear scientific basis
d) Each race has its own unique genetic makeup

b) No biological traits are exclusive to any one race

How did European colonialism contribute to race construction?
a) By encouraging cultural exchange
b) By creating a system of domination based on skin color
c) By promoting genetic diversity
d) By rejecting racial classification

b) By creating a system of domination based on skin color

What ideology justified racial exploitation during colonialism?
a) The belief in racial equality
b) The idea that non-Europeans were less human
c) The rejection of slavery
d) The promotion of multiculturalism

b) The idea that non-Europeans were less human

Which rule classified individuals with any Black ancestry as Black?
a) The Blood Quantum rule
b) The One-Drop rule
c) The Jim Crow law
d) The Indigenous Recognition rule

b) The One-Drop rule

What did the Blood Quantum rule determine?
a) The percentage of European ancestry a person had
b) The legal classification of Indigenous people
c) The racial superiority of different groups
d) The division of races in colonial America

b) The legal classification of Indigenous people

What is racism?
a) A belief in human equality
b) A system of classifying people based on physical traits
c) The attribution of superiority or inferiority to racial groups
d) A modern economic policy

c) The attribution of superiority or inferiority to racial groups

What is color-blind racism?
a) The active fight against racial discrimination
b) The belief that race should be ignored to promote equality
c) A scientific method to study race
d) A form of explicit racial hatred

b) The belief that race should be ignored to promote equality

Which of the following is an example of color-blind racism?
a) "I don’t see race!"
b) "Racism is a serious issue."
c) "We should acknowledge racial differences."
d) "Let’s talk about racial inequality."

a) "I don’t see race!"

Why is color-blind racism problematic?
a) It acknowledges racial disparities
b) It ignores systemic racism and historical inequalities
c) It promotes racial awareness
d) It helps minorities succeed

b) It ignores systemic racism and historical inequalities

What is institutional racism?
a) Racism that only exists in schools
b) Discrimination that occurs within social and legal structures
c) A personal prejudice against people of color
d) A conscious effort by individuals to be racist

b) Discrimination that occurs within social and legal structures

What was redlining?
a) A law protecting minority neighborhoods
b) A discriminatory housing policy denying loans based on race
c) A process of increasing diversity in cities
d) A program to support minority homeownership

b) A discriminatory housing policy denying loans based on race

Which law created harsher penalties for crack than powdered cocaine?
a) The Civil Rights Act
b) The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act
c) The Fair Housing Act
d) The Voting Rights Act

b) The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act

What was the impact of the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act?
a) Equal sentencing for drug offenses
b) A decrease in incarceration rates
c) Harsher punishments for crack users, disproportionately affecting Black communities
d) The legalization of certain drugs

c) Harsher punishments for crack users, disproportionately affecting Black communities

What are racial microaggressions?
a) Large-scale racist attacks
b) Subtle, often unintentional discriminatory acts
c) Physical violence against minorities
d) Government policies that promote equality

b) Subtle, often unintentional discriminatory acts

Which is an example of a racial microaggression?
a) Refusing to hire someone due to their race
b) Saying, “You’re so articulate” to a person of color
c) Passing laws that target minority groups
d) Physically attacking someone due to race

b) Saying, “You’re so articulate” to a person of color

What does internalized racism mean?
a) Discrimination based on economic class
b) When people of color adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves
c) Racism that happens in private spaces
d) A conscious rejection of racial inequality

b) When people of color adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves

Which concept states that race is shaped by social and cultural factors?
a) Social construction of race
b) Biological determinism
c) Eugenics
d) Racial essentialism

a) Social construction of race

How did slavery contribute to racial categorization?
a) It reinforced the belief in racial inferiority
b) It promoted equality among races
c) It had no impact on race as a concept
d) It was unrelated to racial ideologies

a) It reinforced the belief in racial inferiority

What does genetic interchangeability imply?
a) Races have distinct genetic differences
b) Humans share more than 99% of their genetic makeup
c) Racial groups should be kept separate
d) Genetic traits determine behavior

b) Humans share more than 99% of their genetic makeup

What is systemic racism?
a) Discrimination by individuals in everyday interactions
b) Prejudice that only exists in the past
c) Policies and practices embedded in institutions that disadvantage certain racial groups
d) A temporary form of racism

c) Policies and practices embedded in institutions that disadvantage certain racial groups

Which of the following is NOT an example of systemic racism?
a) Racial disparities in incarceration rates
b) Unequal funding for schools in minority communities
c) A person making a racist joke
d) Housing discrimination through redlining

c) A person making a racist joke

What is white privilege?
a) The idea that all white people are wealthy
b) The systematic advantages given to white people due to racial hierarchy
c) A law granting special rights to white individuals
d) A myth with no real-world effects

b) The systematic advantages given to white people due to racial hierarchy

Which of the following is an example of white privilege?
a) Facing higher incarceration rates despite committing the same crimes
b) Being less likely to be racially profiled by police
c) Having equal access to housing and job opportunities
d) Experiencing microaggressions in everyday life

b) Being less likely to be racially profiled by police

What does intersectionality mean?
a) The idea that all oppression is the same
b) The way multiple social identities (race, gender, class) overlap to create different experiences of oppression
c) A theory that only applies to gender
d) A legal term for racial discrimination cases

b) The way multiple social identities (race, gender, class) overlap to create different experiences of oppression

Who coined the term “intersectionality”?
a) W.E.B. Du Bois
b) Kimberlé Crenshaw
c) Karl Marx
d) Malcolm X

b) Kimberlé Crenshaw

What is racialization?
a) A natural process based on biology
b) The social construction of racial categories over time
c) The elimination of racial distinctions
d) A process of making all races equal

b) The social construction of racial categories over time

Which historical event contributed to the racialization of Mexicans in the U.S.?
a) The Louisiana Purchase
b) The Mexican-American War
c) The Civil Rights Movement
d) The Industrial Revolution

b) The Mexican-American War

What is scientific racism?
a) The use of scientific methods to justify racial hierarchies
b) The study of human genetic diversity
c) The rejection of race as a concept
d) The movement to eliminate racism in science

a) The use of scientific methods to justify racial hierarchies

Which landmark case ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional?
a) Plessy v. Ferguson
b) Brown v. Board of Education
c) Dred Scott v. Sandford
d) Roe v. Wade

b) Brown v. Board of Education

Which of the following policies aimed to exclude Asian immigrants from the U.S.?
a) The Civil Rights Act
b) The Chinese Exclusion Act
c) The Voting Rights Act
d) The Homestead Act

b) The Chinese Exclusion Act

Which term describes policies that favor historically marginalized groups to promote equity?
a) Racial hierarchy
b) Affirmative action
c) Segregation
d) Racial profiling

b) Affirmative action

What was the Great Migration?
a) The forced relocation of Native Americans
b) The movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban North
c) The migration of European settlers to America
d) The migration of Latin American immigrants in the 21st century

b) The movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban North

What is racial wealth inequality?
a) A myth created by the media
b) The significant disparity in wealth between racial groups due to historical injustices
c) A temporary economic fluctuation
d) A problem caused only by individual financial choices

b) The significant disparity in wealth between racial groups due to historical injustices

Which term refers to the forced assimilation of Indigenous children into white culture?
a) Redlining
b) Indian Boarding Schools
c) The Civil Rights Act
d) The Jim Crow Laws

b) Indian Boarding Schools

What is cultural appropriation?
a) Sharing cultural traditions in a respectful way
b) The adoption of elements of one culture by members of a dominant culture without understanding or respect
c) A law that protects traditional knowledge
d) A celebration of all cultural exchanges

b) The adoption of elements of one culture by members of a dominant culture without understanding or respect

Which term describes policies designed to prevent certain racial groups from voting?
a) Affirmative action
b) Voter suppression
c) Color-blind ideology
d) Redlining

b) Voter suppression

Which of the following is an example of environmental racism?
a) Minority communities being disproportionately affected by pollution and toxic waste
b) All racial groups experiencing equal environmental conditions
c) Laws that protect Indigenous land rights
d) Green energy policies benefiting all communities equally

a) Minority communities being disproportionately affected by pollution and toxic waste

What is racial profiling?
a) A strategy to promote diversity in hiring
b) Law enforcement targeting individuals based on racial stereotypes rather than evidence
c) A positive policy to encourage multiculturalism
d) The process of tracking racial demographics

b) Law enforcement targeting individuals based on racial stereotypes rather than evidence

Which of the following is NOT a common effect of racism?
a) Disparities in healthcare access
b) Equal economic opportunities
c) Higher incarceration rates for minority groups
d) Psychological stress and trauma

b) Equal economic opportunities

Which concept explains how racism is maintained across generations?
a) Racial justice
b) Structural racism
c) Colorblind ideology
d) Post-racial society

b) Structural racism

Which historical practice involved laws that prohibited interracial marriage?
a) Affirmative action
b) The one-drop rule
c) Anti-miscegenation laws
d) Racial quotas

c) Anti-miscegenation laws

What was the primary goal of the Black Panther Party?
a) To promote segregation
b) To advocate for Black self-defense, social programs, and racial justice
c) To campaign for political candidates only
d) To discourage activism in communities of color

b) To advocate for Black self-defense, social programs, and racial justice

What is ethnocentrism?
a) The belief that all cultures are equal
b) Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often viewing it as superior
c) A concept that encourages the blending of all cultural traditions
d) A scientific study of different ethnic groups

b) Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often viewing it as superior

What was the impact of the GI Bill on racial inequality?
a) It provided equal benefits to all veterans
b) It helped eliminate racial disparities in wealth
c) It disproportionately benefited white veterans while excluding many Black veterans
d) It was a law that only applied to immigrants

c) It disproportionately benefited white veterans while excluding many Black veterans