Chapter 5 Questions

Which of the following arguments would most likely be made by an opponent of affirmative action policies?

Affirmative action discriminates on the basis of race.

What is the status of affirmative action in college admissions after the Supreme Court decisions in the two cases involving the University of Michigan, Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)?

Affirmative action policies are generally permissible, but they cannot involve race-based quotas or numerical point systems.

How are the Supreme Court decisions in Korematsu v. United States (1944) and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) similar?

Both decisions limited the civil rights of racial or ethnic minorities.

How has the Equal Rights Amendment affected women's civil rights?

It has had little effect because it was not formally adopted.

What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. United States (1944) regarding the internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry living on the west coast of the United States?

It was legally permissible.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was designed to overturn which of the following?

Jim Crow laws

Based on the Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Reed, which of the following laws would most likely be overturned? a. Twenty percent of university admissions slots are reserved for Latinos. b. Police officers must retire at 70 years old. c. Men can vote at 17 years of age; women cannot vote until 18. d. Pilots must have perfect vision to receive a license.

Men can vote at 17 years of age; women cannot vote until 18.

What rationale did the Supreme Court rely on when deciding that segregation in transportation was permissible in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Segregation in public facilities was not unconstitutional as long as the separate facilities were substantially equal.

How do the inherently suspect and reasonableness standards differ?

The inherently suspect standard is a higher threshold for determining whether the law is constitution.

What was the Supreme Court's justification in Brown v. Board of Education?

The quality of life for African Americans in the South had deteriorated considerably since the adoption of the separate-but-equal doctrine.

How are the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 similar?

They both sought equal rights for African Americans.

If a group of people were systematically discriminated against in the past, which of the following would constitute an affirmative action policy designed as a remedy to help the members of this group overcome this legacy of discrimination? a. a hiring policy that favors those with relatives working in government b. a college admissions policy that gives preferential treatment to members of the group c. a color-blind job application process to give members of this group an equal chance d. requiring that all job applicants have at least two years of prior experience

a college admissions policy that gives preferential treatment to members of the group

In Adarand Constructors v. Peña, the Supreme Court determined that __________.

a. affirmative action policies must be scrutinized using the same suspect standard that is used for other policies classifying people by race

School busing policies were designed to overcome __________.

de facto segregation

When did women across the country achieve the constitutionally guaranteed right to vote?

decades after black males won the right to vote

The provision of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits any state from denying any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws" is known as the __________ clause.

equal protection

According to the Supreme Court's decisions in the Civil Rights Cases (1883), in which of the following areas could racial discrimination occur? a. juries b. hotels c. post offices d. running for office

hotels

1. The Thirteenth Amendment bans slavery. When was it passed?

immediately after the Civil War

The modern civil rights movement pushed for an end to both de jure and de facto discrimination. When did this movement begin?

in the 1950s with an increase in public policies seeking to foster racial equality

Majority rule is most likely to conflict with which of the following? a. the principle of equality b. individual liberty c. consent of the governed d. natural law

individual liberty

In Dred Scott v. Sandford, the Supreme Court declared that African Americans were __________.

property or chattel

If you thought you were getting an inferior public education because of your ethnicity, which part of the Constitution would you rely on most heavily to justify your case?

the Fourteenth Amendment

In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court held that __________.

the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional

Women were guaranteed the right to vote by __________.

the Nineteenth Amendment

What provision of the Fourteenth Amendment serves as a cornerstone of struggles to win equality for certain groups?

the equal protection clause

What was Reconstruction?

the period after the Civil War when the South was occupied by the federal government

Why did states enact poll taxes?

to get around the Fifteenth Amendment

The freedom riders used civil disobedience to help end which form of discrimination in the South?

voter discrimination

Who had to pay poll taxes?

voters

After Reconstruction, which of the following was used to prevent African Americans from having a meaningful impact on the outcome of elections?

white primaries

What was the primary goal of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention?

women's rights

Which of the following laws would be the most likely to be examined by the Supreme Court using the inherently suspect standard to determine its constitutionality? a. Male and female student athletes cannot compete on the same basketball team at the university level. b. Businesses cannot discriminate against gays and lesbians in hiring and promotion decisions. c. Those without a college degree are not eligible for upper-level civil service jobs. d. Government contracts must be awarded to a contractor who is a racial minority whenever at least 10 percent of the bidders are minority-owned businesses.

Government contracts must be awarded to a contractor who is a racial minority whenever at least 10 percent of the bidders are minority-owned businesses.

Which of the following happened during Reconstruction?

Many African American men held state and federal offices.

Why did Congress pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

because it was clear that many areas in the South had no intention of living up to the spirit of the Fifteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment attempted to guarantee which of the following to former slaves?

citizenship rights

The Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) primarily enhanced the civil liberties of __________.

gays and lesbians

What was the primary objective of the women's suffrage movement?

the right to vote

Which of the following is an example of de jure segregation? a. Jim Crow laws b. the tendency for churches to be racially homogeneous c. the small number of African American senators d. sequestering the jury in order to ensure a fair trial

Jim Crow laws

What was the basis for the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities?

The Constitution does not prohibit segregation; it only mandates equal protection under the law.

Which of the following situations would most likely be a violation of Title IX? a. an election jurisdiction that does not provide bilingual ballots when there is a large bilingual community b. a legal prohibition on hiring women for positions that are known to be hazardous to women's reproductive health c. a college that spends significantly more on sports programs for men than for women d. an employer who systematically pays women less than men for doing comparable work -

a college that spends significantly more on sports programs for men than for women

For which of the following would the Supreme Court most likely apply an "intermediate scrutiny" standard of review to determine whether the policy is an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause? a. preventing whites from attending schools designed to serve African American students - b. prohibiting Jewish people from becoming members of a club c. refusing to promote a Latina when she is the most qualified candidate d. having different minimum ages for men and women to marry

having different minimum ages for men and women to marry

Which of the following accommodations would an employer most likely need to implement in order to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act? a. hiring a disabled person instead of an equally qualified person without a disability b. providing better medical insurance for employees who have a disability c. lowering expectations for the quality of work performed by employees with disabilities d. installing a ramp and other physical accommodations for someone who uses a wheelchair

installing a ramp and other physical accommodations for someone who uses a wheelchair

What strategy did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) successfully use to fight against school segregation?

litigation

The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees citizens the right to vote regardless of __________.

race

Which of the following does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ban?

racial discrimination in public accommodations

In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court determined that __________ were unconstitutional.

racial quotas in university admissions

What did Jim Crow laws mandate?

racial segregation

The NAACP fights against __________.

racism

What did the Supreme Court determine was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education?

school segregation

Which of the following affirmative action programs would be a clear violation of the Supreme Court's decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)? a. considering race as a factor in university admissions decisions b. considering how an applicant would contribute to the diversity of the university c. setting aside a certain percentage of admissions slots for African American students d. admitting some minority applicants with lower academic achievement than some rejected white applicants

setting aside a certain percentage of admissions slots for African American students