Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity

Question 1

amalgamation

Answer 1

the process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group

Question 2

assimilation

Answer 2

the process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture

Question 3

culture of prejudice

Answer 3

the theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture

Question 4

discrimination

Answer 4

prejudiced action against a group of people

Question 5

dominant group

Answer 5

a group of people who have more power in a society than any of the subordinate groups

Question 6

ethnicity

Answer 6

shared culture, which may include heritage, language, religion, and more

Question 7

expulsion

Answer 7

when a dominant group forces a subordinate group to leave a certain area or even the country

Question 8

genocide

Answer 8

the deliberate annihilation of a targeted (usually subordinate) group

Question 9

intersection theory

Answer 9

theory that suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes

Question 10

minority group

Answer 10

any group of people who are singled out from the others for differential and unequal treatment

Question 11

model minority

Answer 11

the stereotype applied to a minority group that is seen as reaching higher educational, professional, and socioeconomic levels without protest against the majority establishment

Question 12

pluralism

Answer 12

represented by the ideal of the United States as a “salad bowl:” a mixture of different cultures where each culture retains its own identity and yet adds to the “flavor” of the whole

Question 13

prejudice

Answer 13

biased thought based on flawed assumptions about a group of people

Question 14

racial steering

Answer 14

when real estate agents direct prospective homeowners toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race

Question 15

racism

Answer 15

a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to others

Question 16

scapegoat theory

Answer 16

suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group

Question 17

segregation

Answer 17

the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions

Question 18

social construction of race

Answer 18

the school of thought that race is not biologically identifiable

Question 19

stereotypes

Answer 19

oversimplified ideas about groups of people

Question 20

subordinate group

Answer 20

a group of people who have less power than the dominant group

Question 21

white privilege

Answer 21

the benefits people receive simply by being part of the dominant group