Use this quiz to test your knowledge concerning the origins and prevalence of prejudice in our society, as well as the viability of various antidotes and solutions. Some of the answers may surprise you.
JQuiz Instructions
1. Punishing those who behave in prejudiced ways is:
A- the quickest solution to ending the problems of prejudiced behavior.
B - a response that is impossible since most prejudiced behavior is difficult to observe or prove.
C - unlikely to make a major difference since those who are the most prejudiced tend to have already received more punishment than most of us have received.
D - Both B and C.
If one thinks prejudiced thoughts, one should suppress them or avoid thinking them.
Yes, Thoughts are very close to actions and one should avoid thinking negative thoughts about other groups of people.
B - No. One should not suppress the thoughts, but should actively replace them with more positive images of the group members.
C - No. Prejudiced thoughts are normal and harmless; they are part of being in a group.
D - Yes. If we don't start on a personal level to reduce prejudiced thinking, then the problems simply grow.
Prejudices don't cost our society and therefore are really only a problem to those who are the victims of prejudiced behavior.
To discuss the monetary cost of prejudiced behavior is impossible.
The cost of prejudiced behavior is a human cost and is not a national economic issue.
The cost of sexism and racism alone have been estimated at over one-half trillion dollars per year.
Both A and B are true.
Most people are not prejudiced.
Surveys show that well over 75 percent of people in the U.S. do not consider themselves to be racist.
Those who discriminate represent a very small proportion of the U.S. population.
Research has shown that those who identify themselves as low in prejudiced beliefs still discriminate.
Both A and C are true.
There are no inexpensive methods of managing prejudiced behavior.
This is true because prejudiced behavior is so widespread, but we still need to try.
There are ways of managing prejudiced behavior that cost next to nothing.
While the training might be expensive the long term savings are worth the investment.
Those who risked their own lives to save Jewish people in Western Europe during the period that the Nazis were practicing genocide were more religious than those who did not try to save Jewish people.
True
False
Those who saved Jewish people from Hitler's genocide had more resources than those who did not.
True, they had larger attics or larger basements.
False, they had no more resources.
Those who are in positions of authority can do a great deal to manage prejudice within the ranks of an organization.
True
False
Being strongly prejudiced has little to do with a person's intellectual functioning or ability to make other types of judgments.
True
False
The motivation of a strongly prejudiced person who is committing an overtly prejudiced act is basically the same as that of a person with lower levels of prejudiced behavior who is functioning out of a stereotyped perception.
True
False
When a person who does not hold prejudiced beliefs behaves in a prejudiced way he or she often feels a personal sense of discomfort.
True
False
Those who are most strongly prejudiced toward a target group generally know no more negative stereotypes about those they are prejudiced toward than those who are low in prejudiced behavior toward the same group.
True
False
When the leading scientists of the world look at the issues that threaten our future they look at environmental concerns not prejudiced behavior.
Scientists have little agreement about the things that threaten our future and there is nothing that even looks like a consensus.
There is clear consensus among the majority of leading scientists in the world about what threatens our future and it includes concerns about prejudiced behavior.
There is clear consensus among the majority of the leading scientists in the world about what threatens our future and it includes concerns about prejudiced behavior, specifically sexism.
Sexism, racism, ageism, xenophobia, homophobia and prejudices toward those with disabilities all have basically the same dynamics.
They are all basically the same except for homophobia which functions very differently from the others.
Each is different and has its own set of dynamics.
They are all basically the same except for prejudices toward those with disabilities, which function very differently from the others.