Question 1

Which of the following is a factor affecting the strong academic performance of Asian Americans?

Accepted Answer

A)  Asian Americans are biologically and genetically smarter than whites. 
B)  All Asian American groups are more socioeconomically advantaged; therefore,social class does not work against these groups. 
C)  Asian Americans have not faced a history of discrimination and prejudice. 
D)  There is a high degree of social capital in Asian American communities,and the community reinforces norms regarding education and parenting.

Question 2

What might be a plausible reason that upper-status students score higher on SATs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their IQs are higher. 
B)  They are less likely to actually take the test multiple times. 
C)  They develop strong peer support,studying together for the SATs. 
D)  Their parents are better able to obtain help for them,as in SAT prep courses and extra tutoring if they are doing poorly in school.

Question 3

Marilee Jones,former dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),resigned from her position in April 2007 after it came to light that she had claimed to have academic degrees she did not have.While this is an extreme case,it illustrates the overemphasis on qualifications such as college degrees in order to be hired for a job.This is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  credentialism. 
B)  overeducation. 
C)  educationalism. 
D)  college bias.

Question 4

Contrary to popular belief:

Accepted Answer

A)  girls and boys score about the same in national math tests. 
B)  boys are stronger readers than girls. 
C)  boys attend college in greater numbers than girls. 
D)  women and men with equal educational levels earn the same amount of money.

Question 5

Modern-day schools tend to reward which of the following parenting techniques?

Accepted Answer

A)  using more directives and teaching children to be more obedient than inquisitive 
B)  asking children many questions and reasoning with them 
C)  free-range parenting,with no structure or rules 
D)  strict parenting that teaches children to be "seen,not heard"

Question 6

One important finding from the Coleman Report was that:

Accepted Answer

A)  when upper-class students went to school with fewer lower-class students,their grades fell. 
B)  when lower-class students went to school with more upper-status students,they did better academically. 
C)  when males and females were separated in classes,both groups' grades improved. 
D)  when all students were on vacation during the summer,they all lost ground with regard to knowledge.

Question 7

Affirmative action practices refer to policies that:

Accepted Answer

A)  promote to higher grades students who have not completed the academic requirements needed to pass to the next grade level. 
B)  guarantee college admission to black and Hispanic applicants. 
C)  encourage minority recruitment on college campuses. 
D)  grant preferential treatment to the disadvantaged within a population.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true about college admissions decisions?

Accepted Answer

A)  Admissions decisions to colleges and universities include preferential treatment for race,ethnicity,and gender,but not other characteristics such as unusual backgrounds,leadership experiences,or having grown up in a rural area. 
B)  Affirmative action has significantly decreased the number of white male students attending the more selective colleges and universities. 
C)  Affirmative action programs at colleges and universities are designed to provide opportunities to historically underrepresented groups and to increase diversity on campuses. 
D)  When black and Hispanic students attend the more selective colleges and universities,they have a lower chance of graduating.

Question 9

What is the relationship between birth weight and education?

Accepted Answer

A)  Siblings who weighed less at birth exhibit lower educational attainment than their heavier siblings. 
B)  Children who are born heavier are more likely to be bullied in school. 
C)  Children with low birth weight tend to exhibit signs of attention problems,but only through preschool age. 
D)  Lower birth weight predicts fewer missed days of school due to health complications.

Question 10

Which of the following is a finding of the research examining the effects of class size on educational achievement?

Accepted Answer

A)  Schools with smaller class sizes do not benefit students more than schools with larger classes. 
B)  Short-term and long-term benefits of smaller classrooms are stronger for minority and low-income students. 
C)  Students who have been in small classes are more likely to have discipline problems when they are subsequently placed in regular-sized classes. 
D)  Class size in elementary school does not predict educational achievement as long as the classroom is composed of students of the same intelligence levels.

Question 11

Thomas transfers to a new school when his family moves to a new district,and he is placed in a classroom with students who have slightly higher average math grades than he does.Based on the research,what is the most likely outcome? Thomas will:

Accepted Answer

A)  fall behind and should be moved into a classroom where he has the highest scores. 
B)  succeed and make academic gains when he is in the classes with other high achievers. 
C)  become frustrated and decide to leave school before completing his degree. 
D)  make stronger academic gains if he is tracked into a class with lower-achieving students.

Question 12

One of the problems with credentialism is that more and more students (with their parents' help)are attempting to attend private schools or to be placed in the best tracks in their public school.This may be one of the reasons that:

Accepted Answer

A)  increasingly more employers are not asking for educational accomplishments at job interviews. 
B)  parents are attempting to have their children accepted at the "right" day care,sometimes even before they are born. 
C)  increasingly fewer boys are graduating from high school. 
D)  fewer people are able to perform their actual jobs.

Question 13

Taking into account students' family backgrounds,________ schools tend to outperform ________ schools in preparing children academically.

Accepted Answer

A)  less-expensive private; very expensive private 
B)  public; Catholic 
C)  non-Catholic private; Catholic 
D)  Catholic; non-Catholic private

Question 14

Based on recent research,which of the following statements is true with regard to preferential admissions to colleges and universities?

Accepted Answer

A)  Admissions preference for athletes has risen steadily,surpassing that of minority students. 
B)  Affirmative action programs have taken spots away from white students at elite colleges and universities. 
C)  Preferential admissions for minority students have taken spots away from white students at the least-selective colleges and universities only,but not at elite universities. 
D)  Affirmative action programs have not significantly increased diversity on college and university campuses.

Question 15

Studies show that ________ school students score highest on achievement tests,followed by ________ school students.

Accepted Answer

A)  Catholic; secular private and public 
B)  secular private; Catholic and public 
C)  public; secular private and Catholic 
D)  secular private; public and Catholic

Question 16

Discuss how tracking creates differences among students within the same schools that may be significantly greater than differences between schools.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how tracking creates differences among students...

Question 17

One of the major reasons Native Americans were placed in boarding schools for 60 years was:

Accepted Answer

A)  to protect them from war. 
B)  to socialize them to become "civilized" Americans. 
C)  because Native American parents were extremely physically abusive. 
D)  because their parents no longer wanted them after they were assimilated into "American" culture.

Question 18

Explain how race and social class intersect to affect education outcomes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how race and social class intersect...

Question 19

Research on teacher quality demonstrates that:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is difficult to identify characteristics that will make effective teachers because these characteristics are hard to quantify. 
B)  teachers with higher levels of education and degrees from more competitive colleges are more effective classroom leaders. 
C)  experience,measured by years in the classroom,is a key predictor of teachers' effectiveness. 
D)  teachers are most effective when they are teaching a standardized curriculum.

Question 20

William,a 17-year-old high school student,chooses products in the grocery store by looking at the pictures on the labels of the goods on the shelves because he cannot read many of the words.William would be considered:

Accepted Answer

A)  functionally illiterate. 
B)  innumerate. 
C)  unschooled. 
D)  functionally literate.

Exam 13: Education