Chapter 8: Education

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which country has the highest percentage of adults with an associate’s degree or higher?

a. the United States

b. France

c. Canada

d. Republic of Korea

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Which U.S. region has the highest number of bachelor's degrees or higher?

a. the Northwest

b. the Northeast

c. the South

d. the Southwest

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The New Educational Standard

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Which state stands out as having the highest percentage of its adult population over 25 with Bachelor’s degrees?

a. Mississippi

b. Arkansas

c. Maryland

d. New York

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The New Educational Standard

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Which state stands out as having the lowest percentage of its adult population over 25 with Bachelor’s degrees?

a. Mississippi

b. Arkansas

c. Maryland

d. New York

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The New Educational Standard

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Which of these is a latent function of education?

a. education

b. socialization

c. public babysitting

d. personal development

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Functionalist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Nicole Ansell (2008) found that educational systems view children as ______ since they are preparing them for work.

a. “human beings”

b. “human doings”

c. “human becomings”

d. “human potentials”

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Functionalist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Which sociological perspective is concerned that schools often indoctrinate students in the U.S. in Western bureaucratic ideology?

a. functionalism

b. interactionism

c. conflict

d. feminist

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Difficulty Level: Medium

Answer Location: Conflict Perspective

8. Pierre Bourdieu (1977) argues that children from upper and middle class families are advantaged in our educational system due to their possession of which of these?

a. money

b. cultural capital

c. political capital

d. prestige

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Conflict Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. What is the term for cultural skills and knowledge passed on to youth by their parents and through their social and economic position?

a. cultural capital

b. social capital

c. cultural competence

d. organizational capital

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Conflict Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Myra and David Sadker researched gender and classroom dynamics. Their original 1994 research project showed which of these?

a. Boys received less praise, corrections, and feedback than girls in school.

b. Girls received less attention than boys in school.

c. Boys received less attention than girls in school.

d. Girls and boys received about the same amount of attention, praise, correction, and feedback in school.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Feminist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. David is interested in researching how the phenomenon of tracking influences the interactions between college and work-bound students in extracurricular events. Which sociological perspective is most compatible with his research interest?

a. functionalism

b. interactionism

c. conflict

d. feminist

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Interactionist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. While the U.S. spends ______ on education than other high-income countries, our literacy scores are ______ in a world comparison.

a. less; above average

b. less; average

c. more; average

d. more; below average

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Problem of Basic Literacy

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. According to the UNESCO, which of these is associated with literacy disparities?

a. religious affiliation

b. gender

c. political affiliation

d. personality

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Problem of Basic Literacy

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Which of these is a primary predictor of student achievement?

a. socioeconomic status

b. attitude

c. outcome-based testing scores

d. amount of time spent studying

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Class and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. When Meredith Phillips (2011) examined the socioeconomic differences in how parents spend their time with children, she found that high-income children spend about 1,300 more hours in ______ between birth and six years of age than low-income children.

a. daycare

b. religious settings

c. public libraries

d. novel places

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Class and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. Research by the Public Agenda Organization found that the number one reason students gave for dropping out of college is which of these?

a. feeling bored

b. difficulty fitting in

c. needing to work to make money

d. inability to keep up with the academic rigor of classes

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Class and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Which of these is TRUE of the gender gap in education?

a. Gender segregation in majors has disappeared.

b. Men continue to enroll in college in higher numbers than do women.

c. Women are more likely than men to complete college preparatory curriculum in high school.

d. Men are more likely than women to immediately enroll in college.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Gender and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Boys tend to be called on more than girls and receive more of their teacher’s time. This can perpetuate gender inequality in the classroom. This phenomenon is named which of these?

a. gender socialization

b. hidden curriculum

c. glass ceiling

d. a manifest function of education

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Which racial or ethnic group has the highest proportion of college graduates at the bachelor’s level?

a. Native Americans

b. Asians

c. Hispanics

d. non-Hispanic whites

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethnicity/Race and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. A survey conducted in 2015 by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nationwide, about ______ of students had been on a fight on campus.

a. 5 percent

b. 12 percent

c. 15 percent

d. 22 percent

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s 2015 National School Climate Survey showed about ______ of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth reported feeling unsafe in school due to their sexual orientation.

a. 17%

b. 40%

c. 57%

d. 80%

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. According to the American Association of University Report, just under ______ of American high school girls reporting experiencing sexual harassment in school.

a. 10%

b. 30%

c. 50%

d. 75%

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. Keesha, a high school senior, keep receiving unwelcome comments on how she looks from Aaron, another high school student. Aaron also shares lockers by Keesha, and he “accidentally” physically bumps into her everyday between classes. Keesha avoids her locker and has missed school several times just to avoid Aaron. Keesha’s experience with Aaron likely constitutes which of these?

a. bullying

b. sexual harassment

c. labeling

d. flirting

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Which of the following educational reform acts introduced the concept of “standards based reform” at the state and community levels?

a. No Child Left Behind Act

b. National Defense Education Act

c. Nation at Risk Act

d. Goals 2000 Educate America Act

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Which of the following educational reform acts endorsed the concept of school choice and charter schools?

a. No Child Left Behind Act

b. National Defense Education Act

c. Nation at Risk Act

d. Goals 2000 Educate America Act

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. George W. Bush is to ______ as Bill Clinton is to ______.

a. the Education President; the Great Equalizer

b. America 2000; the Educate America Act

c. No Child Left Behind; Goals 2000

d. Head Start; Excellence in Education

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by ______ states as of 2017.

a. 20

b. 31

c. 41

d. 50

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Medium

28. Which of the following is a critique of the Common Core State Standards according to your text?

a. They dictate the standards for local school boards.

b. They force students to memorize facts.

c. They fail to consider differences in student learning.

d. They include too much information about diversity and not enough about commonly shared ideas.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. What is the name for the set of college and career standards for English language arts/literacy and math for all kindergarten through 12th-grade students in the United States that have been adopted in 41 states?

a. Shared Curriculum

b. America Standards

c. Common Core

d. U.S. Facts First

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Educate America Act of 1994 and NCLB

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. A number of different groups are served by Head Start. Which of these is NOT one of those groups?

a. school-aged children

b. high school students

c. pregnant women

d. neighborhood groups

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Head Start and Prekindergarten

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. Evaluation data of the Head Start program reveals positive outcomes in all of the areas below EXCEPT which of these?

a. access to health care

b. better overall health of children

c. positive parenting practices

d. increased job opportunities for parents

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Head Start and Prekindergarten

Difficulty Level: Medium

32. A Department of Health and Human Services 2002–2005 study found that low income 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start showed ______ in pre-reading, pre-writing, and vocabulary skills as compared to non-Head Start children.

a. a slight loss

b. significant gains

c. small to moderate gains

d. no measurable gains or losses

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Head Start and Prekindergarten

Difficulty Level: Medium

33. In their 1992 report, the American Association of University Women called on local communities and schools to promote programs that encourage and support girls studying which of these?

a. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

b. science, sociology, engineering, and mathematics

c. science, technology, psychology, and mathematics

d. business, technology, engineering, and mathematics

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Mentoring, Supporting, and Valuing Networks

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. Which of the following is a component of the most effective school-based violence prevention programs?

a. parental involvement

b. school–community partnerships

c. pet therapy

d. behaviour modification

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Antiviolence and Antibullying Programs in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. Which of the following is NOT a focus when promoting safety in schools?

a. preparation

b. planning

c. prevention

d. prediction

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Antiviolence and Antibullying Programs in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. What happens to a charter school that fails to meet its goals?

a. It loses federal funding.

b. It becomes a public school.

c. It must siphon money from other area public schools.

d. It cannot be renewed under its charter.

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Does Having a Choice Improve Education?

Difficulty Level: Medium

37. Which of the following is NOT a controversial issues surrounding charter schools and voucher systems?

a. defining clear systems of accountability

b. promoting a common core curriculum

c. establishing comparable performance standards

d. ensuring the racial and economic integration of students

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Does Having a Choice Improve Education?

Difficulty Level: Hard

38. According to Saporito and Lareau (1999), the one consistent finding on school choice is which of these?

a. Everyone involved is benefited.

b. Students from poorer families or with less educated parents are less likely to apply or participate in public choice school programs than middle class families.

c. Students from poorer families or with less educated parents are more likely to apply or participate in public choice school programs than middle class families.

d. Students from poorer families or with less educated parents are just as likely to apply or participate in public choice school programs than middle class families.

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Does Having a Choice Improve Education?

Difficulty Level: Hard

True/False

1. Data from the 2016 U.S. Census confirm that the U.S. population is increasingly less educated.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. The current standard of education in the United States is an associate’s degree.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Functionalists argue that the education system has taken over functions of other social institutions.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Functionalist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. An organizational child is one who has been taught creativity and individuality in the educational system.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Conflict Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Many adults in the United States suffer from true illiteracy.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Problem of Basic Literacy

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Persistent academic achievement gaps remain between black, Hispanic, and native American students and their white and Asian peers.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethnicity/Race and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. The basis of stereotype threat is that the person must believe the stereotype in order for intellectual ability to be impaired.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethnicity/Race and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Most LGBT students who are harassed or assaulted in school report the incident to school staff or administrators.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s 2015 National School Climate Survey found that 86% of the surveyed students reported being verbally harassed in school the past year.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Girls are more likely than boys to experience sexual harassment in high school.

Learning Objective: 8-3: Describe the educational inequalities related to social class, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Violence and Harassment in Schools

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. The 1983 National Commission on Excellence in education report, A Nation at Risk, critiqued the American Education system for its inability to produce a skilled American workforce.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Problems and Challenges in Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Studies indicate that most girls and women learn best in cooperative, rather than competitive, learning activities.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mentoring, Supporting, and Valuing Networks

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Head Start is the largest early childhood program in the U.S.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Head Start and Prekindergarten

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Pre–K schools are available to low-income children only.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Head Start and Prekindergarten

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Charter schools are public schools of choice that operate free from most state laws and local school board policies.

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Does Having a Choice Improve Education?

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Research clearly shows that charter and magnet schools do a better job than other types of schools overall.

Learning Objective: 8-5: Assess whether school choice has improved educational outcomes.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Does Having a Choice Improve Education?

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Briefly explain the importance of social capital in the U.S. educational system.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Conflict Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Define manifest and latent functions and provide examples of each. Then, explain their importance in your life, providing one example of each in your college education.

Learning Objective: 8-1: Compare how the sociological perspectives examine the social problems related to education.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension | Application

Answer Location: Functionalist Perspective

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Define tracking and explain its benefits and problems. What is your experience with tracking in your own educational biography?

Advocates of tracking argue that the practice increases educational effectiveness by allowing teachers to target students at their ability level but placing students in tracks is controversial because of the presumed negative effects on some students. Student Answers will vary regarding their experience.

Learning Objective: 8-2: Explain the process of educational tracking.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension | Application

Answer Location: Tracking

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Identify the two primary purposes of the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act and describe requirements and target audiences.

Learning Objective: 8-4: Summarize the history of U.S. educational reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Antiviolence and Antibullying Programs in School

Difficulty Level: Hard