Section I -
Multiple Choice: Record your answers on the blue scantron answer
sheet provided with the exam. Use a #2 pencil. Each question is worth 1
point.
INTRODUCTION
1. In the
poem, “Let America Be America Again”, Langston Hughes is presenting the
problem of economic exploitation as
a. class, race,
ethnicity and gender based.
b. class, race,
and ethnicity based.
c. purely
class-based.
d. purely
race-based.
e. a free market
problem which will be self-correcting.
2. The main
point of Ronald Takaki's article, "A Different Mirror", is
a. to outline
the history of racial oppression in the U.S.
b. people
see the world differently, as if using different mirrors.
c. by
listening to each others’ stories, experiences, and histories we gain a
deeper understanding
of each
other, ourselves, and the American identity.
d. despite
our differences we can "all live together" if we can be "color-blind" and treat each other
equally.
3. In "A
Different Mirror", Ronald Takaki illustrates the shared experience and
unity of different ethnic groups and races in the U.S. by referring to
a. similarities
in the discrimination they've experienced.
b. the
common experience of freedom-seeking immigrants.
c. the
unity of the U.S. population during World War II.
d. their
common experiences expressed in railroad work songs.
4. In "A
Different Mirror", Ronald Takaki argues that a multicultural curriculum
a. allows us to
gain a more comprehensive understanding of American history by allowing
us to see events from different points of view.
b. is
divisive because it gives different interpretations of our common
history.
c.
illustrates the differences between minority experiences in U.S.
history and the experience of the white, European majority.
d. is
unnecessary, since the U.S. has become so multicultural since the 1970s
that discrimination and tensions are diminishing.
DISCRIMINATION &
STRATIFICATION
5. In
economics the term “discrimination” refers to
a. racial or
gender prejudice.
b. the
expression of racial or gender prejudice on the job or in an economic
transaction.
c. treating
equally qualified individuals differently based upon non-productive
characteristics
d. choosing
between options, when you really don’t like any of them.
6. A bank
denies a loan to a minority applicant because the minority applicant has
less collateral wealth than the minimum required for all applicants
with similar credit scores. This is an example of
a. individual
discrimination.
b.
institutional discrimination.
c.
structural discrimination.
d.
non-discrimination.
7. A bank
denies loans to minority applicants more frequently because some white
loan officers have a “cultural affinity” to white applicants but
experienced a “culture gap” with black applicants even when the white
and black applicants had similar credit scores. This is an example of
8. A bank
denies loans to minority applicants more frequently because the bank
has decided to reject loan applications in particular “low-end” areas
of the city. This is an example of
a. individual
discrimination.
b.
institutional discrimination.
c.
structural discrimination.
d.
non-discrimination.
9. A bank
denies loans to minority applicants more frequently than white
applicants because minority applicants have a lower average income than
white applicants.
a. individual
discrimination.
b.
institutional discrimination.
c.
structural discrimination.
d.
non-discrimination.
10.
According to the summary, “The Market and Economic
Stratification”, capitalism generates stratified classes because
a. people have
different abilities and exert varying degrees of effort, so they earn
different places in society.
b. those
people who own more valuable assets are increasingly likely to succeed,
while those who own less valuable assets are increasingly likely to
fail.
c. there is
a degree of social mobility, as different people cycle through
different classes in society, some getting richer and some poorer.
d. all of
the above.
11.
According to “The Market and Economic Stratification”, in a
capitalist economy the market distributes resources and benefits based
primarily on a person’s
a. knowledge,
skills and abilities.
b. effort
exerted and risk taken.
c. I.Q.
(intelligence quotient).
d.
contribution to society.
e.
ownership of productive assets.
12. According to the summary, “The Market and Economic
Stratification”, the
market stratifies people into different classes based upon their level
of
a. wealth
b. education
c.
inheritance
d.
employment
e. all of
the above
13. According to the summary, “The Market and Economic
Stratification”, the
market creates incentives to remove discrimination of all kinds by
a. legislation
requiring equal opportunity and penalizing discrimination.
b.
distributing resources based upon the ownership of
productive assets.
c.
rewarding efficiencies, abilities and innovation.
d. all of
the above.
14. Using
the analysis summarized in “The Market and Economic Stratification” one
could argue that the current class structure in the U.S. is the result
of
a. current
supply and demand for labor and capital investment.
b. the
legacy of past history.
c.
discrimination.
d. the
government’s tax, spending, and subsidy policies.
e. all of
the above.
15.
Neoclassical Economic analysis argues that discrimination
a. is the result
of oppressive class, race, and gender power relations.
b. is
purely the result of individual, personal prejudice.
c. will be
eliminated by the market, without any intervention by the government.
d. is the
result of inherently biased economic relations generated by the market.
16. A
Political Economy analysis argues that discrimination
a. is the result
of oppressive class, race, and gender power relations.
b. is
purely the result of individual, personal prejudice.
c. will be
eliminated by the market, without any intervention by the government.
d. is the
result of inherently biased economic relations generated by the market.
17.
Neoclassical economics treats discrimination as
a. a personal
preference, or “taste”.
b. an
irrational behavior that cannot be supported by a
profit-based, competitive economy.
c.
something that discriminators are willing to pay for like
demanding a particular color or option on a new car purchase.
d. all of
the above.
e. none of
the above.
LABOR MARKET DATA
18. According to the text, Unlevel
Playing Fields, 3rd Edition (Online), from 1959 until 1973, average
real earnings for all workers
a.
fell steadily.
b. rose steadily.
c. stagnated.
d. showed no discernable pattern.
19.
According to the text, Unlevel Playing Fields, 3rd Edition (Online),
from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s real earnings in the US
a. fell steadily.
b. rose steadily.
c. stagnated.
d. showed no discernable pattern.
20. According
to the text, Unlevel Playing Fields, 3rd Edition (Online), from 1997 to
2008, real earnings in the U.S.
a. fell steadily.
b. rose steadily.
c. rose slowly but were still lower
than level of 1962 through 1986 .
d.
stagnated.
e. showed
no discernable pattern.
21. According to lecture, since 2008, real earnings
in the U.S. have likely
a.
again fallen due to the current recession.
b. continued their previous path of slow upward
growth.
c. conitnued
their previous path of stagnation.
d. risen
strongly due to the drop in inflation.
22.
According to the text, Unlevel Playing Fields, the gap between
women’s wages and men’s wages has shrunk over the last 40 years because
a. men’s wages
have fallen strongly while women’s wages have been constant.
b. women’s
wages rose moderately while
men’s
wages have stagnated.
c. men’s
wages have fallen strongly while women’s wages rose rapidly.
d.
government imposed affirmative action has replaced men in high
paying
positions with women.
23. The
most striking, persistent fact regarding unemployment data is that
across all categories the white unemployment rates are consistently,
approximately
a. half of black
unemployment rates.
b. double
black unemployment rates.
c.
one-third black unemployment rates.
d. triple
black unemployment rates.
INCOME AND WEALTH DISRIBUTION
24. In 1976
the wealthiest 1% of the U.S. households owned 22% of the total net
wealth. By 2004 the wealthiest 1% of households owned approximately
a. 26% of the
total net wealth.
b. 33% of
the total net wealth.
c. 39% of
the total net wealth.
d. 44% of
the total net wealth.
25. Wealth
is defined as
a. the amount of
total income a person earns over their entire working life.
b. the
value of the assets that a person owns, regardless of income.
c. the
relative standard of living that a person or household enjoys.
d. the flow
of income earned by a person or household.
e. the
value of financial assets that a person owns (e.g. stocks, bonds,
investments, etc.) but not including personal or household assets.
26. Since
the 1970's
a. the income
gap has been growing while the wealth gap has been shrinking.
b. the
income gap has been shrinking while the wealth gap has been growing.
c. both the
income gap and the wealth gap have been growing.
d. both
the income gap and the wealth gap have been shrinking.
CLASS
27.
According to mainstream, Neo-classical economists
a. there is no
dominant method of economic discrimination, since it is not possible to
separate the impacts of class, race, and gender discrimination.
b. class is
less important than race and gender when analyzing socio-economic
privilege.
c. class is
the primary or predominant method of economic discrimination.
d. class is
determined by whether a person is a capitalist, small business owner,
or worker.
e. there is
no measurable, economic position that can be defined as class.
28. The
Classical definition of class, as developed by Ricardo and Marx, is
that class is determined by
a. cultural
values and common experiences.
b.
self-identification.
c. one’s
role in or relationship to production.
d. the
level of income one earns.
e. a
combination of income, education, and attainment of one's parents.
29. Marx’s
concept of class is based upon
a. the ownership
of the means of production.
b. one’s
occupation, education, and access to social networks.
c. the
level of income one earns.
d. the
value of wealth one can amass.
e. cultural
values and common experiences.
30. Max
Weber’s analysis of class says class is determined by
a. one’s role in
production.
b. one’s
level of income.
c. the
value of one’s wealth.
d. one’s
occupation, education, social networks.
e. All of
the above.
31. Which of the following
claimed that class was just one component of social stratification?
a. Karl Marx.
b. Max Weber.
c. David
Ricardo
d. the
Physiocrats.
e. Adam
Smith
32.
According to lecture, in the U.S. the primary indicator of a
person’s income level is
a. the level of
their education.
b. the
number of children they have.
c. their
race or ethnicity.
d. their
father’s job.
e. their
marital status.
33.
According to the lecture, the number one indicator of acceptance
into the top universities (e.g. Harvard University) in the U.S is.
a. high scores
on standardized tests (e.g. the SAT)
b. high
grades
c. where
they went to school (Kindergarten through high school).
d. the
wealth of their parents.
e. where
their parents went to college
THE S.A.T.
34.
According the video, “The Secrets of the SAT,” under Affirmative
Action UC Berkeley
a. routinely
admitted female and minority students who did not meet the minimum UC
entrance criteria.
b. added
200 points to the SAT score of every minority student who filled
out an Affirmative Action application.
c.
used SAT scores as a measure of academic potential for only 50% of the available positions.
d. all of
the above.
e. none of
the above.
35.
According to the video, “The Secrets of the SAT,” after
Affirmative Action was rescinded UC Berkeley
a. announced it
would sue the Educational Testing Service to force it to make the SAT
an unbiased standardized test.
b.
increased the importance of a ‘well-rounded’ academic background,
including overcoming adversity or hardship and being a first generation
college student.
c. based
admissions exclusively on merit measured by SAT scores and GPA.
d. all of
the above.
e. none of
the above.
36.
According the video, “The Secrets of the SAT,” the SAT was
initially developed to
a. study test
taking strategies.
b. measure
the intelligence of military personnel..
c.
breakdown the wealthy elite’s monopoly on college education by
admitting bright students regardless of social status to universities
d.
reinforce class privilege by assuring that only students from
privileged backgrounds could pass the exam and gain entrance to
universities.
37. The
fact that the better educated and wealthier a student‘s parents are the
higher the student is likely to score on the SAT shows that
a. the design of
the SAT has successfully met the goals it was initially designed to
achieve.
b. it
re-produces the class structure by transferring class advantages and
disadvantages to the next generation.
c. equal
educational opportunity has been achieved.
d.
“stereotype threat” motivates affluent students to perform higher
than their potential to avoid being labeled a “slacker”.
38. As
reported in the Los Angeles Times, research indicates that the highest
rate of exemptions from the time limits applied to standardized tests
due to learning disabilities occur in
a. poor,
inner-city schools
b. poor,
rural schools with predominantly white students
c. schools
with a majority of their students from racial or minority
families.
d. schools
with a high percentage of students whose first language is not English.
e. the
wealthiest schools in the country.
POVERTY
39. The
poverty line is based upon
a. an estimate
of the minimum food needs and the assumption that a family
of four spends one-third of
its income on food.
b. the
minimum income needed to avoid dropping out of the lower-middle class.
c. the
minimum income needed to avoid malnutrition related diseases.
d. the
assumption that a family of four spends one-sixth of its income on food.
e. the
minimum food, housing, and childcare needs of a family of four updated
yearly.
40. The
poverty line inaccurately measures the poverty threshold by not taking
into account
a. childcare
costs, work-related costs, and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
b. regional
differences in costs and income levels.
c. current
spending and expense patterns.
d. a and b.
e. all of
the above.
41. The
poverty line is generally considered to
a. accurately
measure the degree of poverty in the U.S.
b.
under-estimate the degree of poverty in the U.S.
c.
over-estimate the degree of poverty in the U.S.
d.
inconsistently measure the degree of poverty in the U.S.
42.
According to the OSU Extension website, what portion of the adult poor
population in the US are women?
a. one quarter.
b. one
third.
c. one half.
d. two
thirds.
e. three
quarters.
43.
According to the OSU Extension website, children under age 18
make up what percentage of America’s poor population?
a. 15%
b. 25%
c. 40%
d.
60%
e. 70%
44.
According to the OSU Extension website, what percent of
Oregon households under the official poverty line have at least one adult that works fulltime?
a. 95%.
b. 70%
c. 50%
d. 25%
e. 5%
45.
According to lecture, the
first government program to assure access to college and provide
financial aid based entirely on an individual’s membership in a
specific “class of citizens” was
a. the World War
II era GI Bill.
b. the 1964
Civil Rights Act
c. the result of
the 1955 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court
decision.
d. the
Equal Opportunity Employment Act.
e.
Affirmative Action implemented under President Nixon.
Section II
– Short Answer Essay Questions
PLAGIARISM
- All answers must be your own words reflecting your own understanding
and knowledge of the material. All re-printed statements must be fully
cited giving full acknowledgement to the original author. Students may
not copy statements, data, or any other information from any source,
including other student’s work, internet websites, and course textbooks.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Answer
each of the questions below. Each answer should be no less
than one side of one sheet of paper, typed and double spaced; and no
longer than 2 sheets of paper front and back, double spaced. Write your
answers on separate sheets of paper and staple them to the exam to be
turned in.
1. Explain
why the standard Neo-Classical economic analysis claims discrimination
cannot persist in the market. (Approximately 1 page - 15 Points)
2. Use
Figure 2.4 on page 17 of Chapter 2 of Unlevel Playing Fields,
Third Edition (see the link on the course webpage in Moodle).
Answer each part in a separate paragraph, 5 points each.
Describe how the following median year-round full time earnings
patterns have changed from 1967 to 2008:
a) black male to
white male.
b) white female
to white male
c) white
female to black male
d) white
female to black female
e) black
female to black male
3.) Explain
3 reasons why the use of SAT scores as the primary entrance criteria
for universities is biased. All 3 of these reasons must be based upon class
discrimination.
(Approximately 1 page - 15 Points)