English 101 - College Reading and Composition I » Fall 2021 » Midterm Examination
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Question #1
Textbooks uniformly omit the fact that Helen Keller was _______ because publishers wish to _______.
A.
a radical socialist; avoid discussing issues of socioeconomic class
B.
a graduate of Radcliffe; dispel the myth that she was functionally illiterate
C.
blind and deaf; discourage students who might mock her disabilities
D.
blind and deaf; allow students to focus on her promotion of social justice
Question #2
“_______ so distorts the lives of Keller and Wilson (and many others) that we cannot __________.”
A.
Disestablishmentarianism; accept their roles as government figureheads
B.
Heroification; think straight about them
C.
Unification; tell them apart
D.
Humanitarianism; think critically about them
Question #3
Which of the following about Woodrow Wilson is typically omitted in high school texts?
A.
Wilson praised Birth of a Nation, a film that spurred the resurgence of the Ku Klux
B.
Wilson used the US military to intervene in the Russian Revolution
C.
All of these
D.
Wilson re-segregated the federal government
Question #4
Which best illustrates the process Loewen calls heroification?
A.
Texts suggest that, by embracing US history’s complexity, students can be their own “heroes”
B.
Texts imply that Wilson acted to “restore stability” in Haiti despite Wilson’s colonialist actions
C.
Texts showcase Helen Keller’s socialist beliefs to imply she cared about impoverished Americans
D.
Texts emphasize that Wilson, unpopularly, intervened in the Russian Revolution
Question #5
Which of the following does Loewen not refer to as among the “great taboos in textbook publishing”?
A.
Sex
B.
Social class
C.
War
D.
Religion
Question #6
Which best defines the term blind patriotism?
A.
Disdain for one’s country despite its history of generosity
B.
Praising one’s country while ignoring its historical blemishes
C.
A love of country within the seeing-impaired community
D.
Indifference regarding the US's political processes
Question #7
Loewen says, “Americans need to learn from the Wilson era, that _____________________”
A.
…there is a connection between racist presidential leadership and likeminded public response
B.
…we can never trust a man named ‘Woodrow’
C.
…we must intervene in international conflicts only when we are fighting for democracy
D.
…sometimes presidents lose popularity after a few decades of historical perspective
Question #8
What “mistakes” do textbooks make in their portrayal of European exploration, according to Loewen?
A.
High school history textbooks identify “modern technology as a European development”
B.
High school history textbooks overlook or completely omit pre-Columbian explorers
C.
Neither of these
D.
Both of these
Question #9
Since textbooks, according to Loewen, “don’t identify or encourage us to think about the real causes [of European world domination]”:
A.
All of these
B.
We are likely to think of Europeans as richer and more powerful than others because they’re “smarter”
C.
We tend to assume it’s somehow “natural” for one group to dominate others
D.
We might conclude that Europeans’ primary goal was not the pursuit of wealth
Question #10
Loewen suggests it is most useful to view Columbus as:
A.
both a “heroic navigator” and a “great plunderer”
B.
a “courageous explorer” who made mistakes but proved the Earth was round
C.
an “ordinary seafarer who rose from, and died in, obscurity”
D.
a “genocidal maniac” whose achievements are exaggerated
Question #11
Texts claim European conquest may have resulted from people “growing more curious,” perhaps to:
A.
All of these
B.
deflect conversations about the Turks, whose closure of trade routes motivated Europeans to find new ones
C.
avoid discussing Western advantages in military technology as a motivation for exploration and conquest
D.
help students understand that Europeans’ high intelligence naturally led to domination of other groups
Question #12
Which of the following does not reflect an accurate statement about cognitive dissonance?
A.
Cognitive dissonance describes inconsistencies between one’s belief systems and actions
B.
Cognitive dissonance led Columbus, who initially thought highly of natives, to call them “stupid”
C.
Cognitive dissonance often leads individuals to justify their behavior
D.
Cognitive dissonance led Columbus’ crew to threaten mutiny
Question #13
Which of these represents verifiable information about Christopher Columbus?
A.
None of these
B.
Unlike his predecessors, he believed the Earth must be round
C.
He never knew he had discovered a New World
D.
He was born to poor parents and, though he accomplished much, he died in poverty and obscurity
Question #14
How does Bartolomé de Las Casas’ case exemplify an atypical resolution of cognitive dissonance?
A.
He turned over his plantation to his sons and lived among the Arawaks for the rest of his life
B.
He chose to ignore his belief that enslaving human beings was immoral
C.
He ordered that, upon his death, all of his slaves should be set free
D.
Instead of justifying his slaveholding, he freed his slaves and became an anti-slavery activist
Question #15
In what way is texts’ portrayal of Spanish and British “settlement” fundamentally inaccurate?
A.
Authors suggest British “settlers” carried diseases even though the Spanish were more disease-ridden
B.
Authors suggest Spanish “settlers” carried diseases even though the British were more disease-ridden
C.
Authors emphasize Spanish “settlement,” even though the British “settled” first
D.
Authors emphasize British “settlement,” even though the Spanish “settled” first
Question #16
Which best represents texts’ pre-Columbian North American Indian population estimates?
A.
Most textbooks estimate 10-20 million, when researchers generally agree on 1-2 million
B.
Texts tell students that estimations are pointless, since historical data is extremely limited
C.
Most textbooks fail to count women as part of the North American Indian population
D.
Most textbooks estimate 1-2 million, when researchers generally agree on 10-20 million
Question #17
Why, according to Loewen, do texts’ population estimates contradict those of modern researchers?
A.
Textbook authors have conducted independent research, which has yielded new, different estimates
B.
Textbook authors typically wish to encourage classroom discussions about estimates’ disparity
C.
Textbook authors attempt to reinforce the “primitive tribe” and “virgin continent” archetypes
D.
Textbook authors side with late-19th-century estimates, as the research was more meticulous back then
Question #18
Why does Loewen express concern over most students’ answers to the question, “When was the country we now know as the United States originally settled?”
A.
Most students don’t understand that what we now know as the United States remains mostly unsettled
B.
Students fail to note that the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1619, not 1620, as commonly believed
C.
Most students tend to give credit the Spanish instead of to the English, who settled first
D.
Students generally disregard the fact that Native Americans had “settled” here thousands of years ago
Question #19
What are potential consequences, according to Loewen, of promoting the notion “that most important developments in world history are traceable to Europe”?
A.
High school U.S. history courses risk alienating students of color
B.
By advancing this fact, high school U.S. history textbooks might cause interracial riots among students
C.
Authors of high school U.S. history textbooks could be accused of adopting a pro-African American stance
D.
All of these
Question #20
Texts are careful to omit discussions of the Pilgrims’ grave-robbing exploits, perhaps because
A.
such a portrayal would likely ruin the image of these “supernaturals,” our patriarchs
B.
a lack of historical records indicates this may not have actually happened
C.
the Pilgrims later paid reparations to the tribes whose valuables they had “borrowed”
D.
since Native Americans didn’t believe in the concept of private property, the act didn’t constitute “theft”
Question #21
Why do texts focus on the Pilgrims being “Founding Fathers” when an English settlement in Virginia and Spanish Jews’ pilgrimage to what is now New Mexico predate the Mayflower’s arrival?
A.
Both of these
B.
Most textbook authors are WASPs who write from a White Anglo Saxon Protestant perspective
C.
The Virginians engaged in cannibalism, which makes them difficult to idolize
D.
Neither of these
Question #22
Why do all but one of Loewen’s sample textbooks omit the Mayflower “hijacking hypothesis”?
A.
The hijacking hypothesis is a crackpot theory invented by John Brown
B.
Authors are concerned that students might try to emulate the Pilgrims by hijacking ships themselves
C.
The hijacking hypothesis is less plausible than other possible explanations
D.
The “storms and pilot error” explanations are relatively uncontroversial
Question #23
Texts avoid discussing the theory that the Norse (Vikings) might have had success colonizing North America if they had, like European settlers:
A.
been more technologically advanced than Native Americans
B.
carried infectious diseases
C.
been as intelligent, on average, than Native Americans
D.
learned Native American languages
Question #24
The problem with texts' narrative that Natives' failure to acculturate was a reason why their removal was unfortunate but inevitable, according to Loewen, is:
A.
Natives were usually allowed to remain on lands they owned so they could teach whites to plant crops
B.
Natives typically either were killed off by disease or voluntarily moved
C.
Most Natives were removed because of their violent tendencies
D.
Even those Natives who did acculturate were targets for dispossession
Question #25
Loewen submits that texts’ omission of theories other than the “Beringia crossing” is because authors:
A.
ignore new evidence suggesting the Bering Strait never froze and thus was impossible to traverse on foot
B.
wish to avoid discussions regarding climate change
C.
pay heed to archaeological evidence that indigenous tribes lacked boat-making and sea-faring abilities
D.
hope to reinforce the idea that natives descended from very primitive groups
Question #26
Loewen criticizes high school textbooks’ portrayal of Native Americans, in part, because they:
A.
oversimplify Natives’ religious beliefs
B.
conflate “refined and enlightened” and “having a complex division of labor” as definitions of 'civilized'
C.
All of these
D.
feature pictures that suggest native Americans were typically aggressors against white settlers
Question #27
Loewen criticizes texts’ portrayals of the Dutch purchase of Manhattan because authors:
A.
take a Eurocentric approach, in that they imply Native Americans couldn’t intelligently bargain
B.
neglect to inform readers that diseases such as smallpox had hindered Indians’ reasoning abilities
C.
omit information about the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, a deal that netted native tribes millions
D.
fail to mention the Dutch bought Manhattan from the English, who had themselves overpaid for the land
Question #28
Why do texts portray pre-contact Native tribes as “nomadic” when most were agriculturally based?
A.
Students are meant to think of tribes as “wild” before Europeans helped “civilize” them
B.
To imply that whites didn’t exactly “dispossess” Natives, as tribes preferred roaming to farming
C.
So that students infer Native Americans fit the “primitive” archetype
D.
All of these
Question #29
Whites frequently abandoned their ways of life and fled to Indian villages. Texts handle this phenomenon by:
A.
criticizing these whites as traitors to their heritage
B.
having students speculate about why so many whites found native life appealing
C.
omitting any mention of the attraction of native societies
D.
pointing out that many Native Americans also abandoned their tribes to live among whites
Question #30
Which of these views of Native Americans’ attitudes toward land ownership do texts often advance?
A.
Natives’ “premodern understanding of land ownership” led them to undervalue their territory
B.
Native American tribes sometimes sold territory belonging to rival tribes
C.
Tribes typically preferred selling to neighboring natives rather than whites
D.
Tribes negotiated land deals shrewdly
Question #31
According to Loewen’s findings, what storyline do many texts emphasize in an apparent attempt to rationalize dispossession of Native American lands?
A.
“We offered restitution by giving contemporary tribes [casino] gaming rights”
B.
“We tried to Europeanize them; they wouldn’t or couldn’t do it, so we dispossessed them”
C.
“We took only the land that Native Americans sold to us, legitimately”
D.
“We seized territory only after tribes were decimated by disease or migrated voluntarily”
Question #32
Presidents Adams and Jefferson differed in their response to the Haitian slave revolt against France:
A.
None of these
B.
in that Jefferson provided the French with money while Adams offered ammunition and other supplies
C.
because Jefferson had vowed to protect Haitians, while Adams was indifferent
D.
based on whether or not the presidents themselves owned slaves
Question #33
The “Magnolia Myth” suggests slavery:
A.
was a burden for slave owners at least as much as for their slaves
B.
All of these
C.
was a “structure of racial harmony”
D.
provided a more desirable situation for blacks than they knew post-emancipation
Question #34
Textbooks tend to characterize the American Civil War as:
A.
a dispute over tariffs
B.
a battle between the agrarian South and industrial North
C.
All of these
D.
about “states’ rights”
Question #35
Loewen characterizes texts’ treatment of the Civil War as “a form of Southern apologetics,” which means:
A.
Textbooks downplay slavery’s role in the war, thus making the Confederacy seem victimized
B.
Textbooks discount the role the North played in reinforcing white supremacy
C.
Textbooks emphasize the need for the South to apologize to families whose ancestors were slaves
D.
Textbooks stress that the Confederacy expressed remorse over seceding from the union
Question #36
According to Loewen, high school U.S. history texts generally imply that the First and Second Seminole Wars were more about _________________________ than _________________________.
A.
gaining territory; eliminating protection for runaway slaves
B.
eliminating protection for runaway slaves; gaining territory
C.
eliminating Native American threats; protecting the U.S. from foreign powers, specifically the French
D.
protecting the U.S. from foreign powers, specifically the French; eliminating Native American threats
Question #37
A.
imply that slavery played a minimal role in determining U.S. policy
B.
imply that, before the Civil War, the U.S. considered Indians a greater threat than slave revolts
C.
imply that the U.S. was continually preoccupied with acquiring more and more land
D.
imply that slaveholding presidents feared the French because France had outlawed slavery
Question #38
Textbooks tend to reinforce the Confederate Myth of Reconstruction, an idea that suggests:
A.
newly free African Americans proved themselves far more corrupt than their white counterparts
B.
African Americans systematically destroyed plantations because these properties symbolized slavery
C.
Reconstruction never happened. It was "fake news"
D.
newly free African Americans strengthened existing laws as members of Southern states’ legislatures
Question #39
The Confederate Myth of Reconstruction, Loewen suggests, leads students to believe:
A.
“…newly free blacks felt justified in destroying Southern whites’ property”
B.
“…Margaret Mitchell was wrong to heroify Reconstruction-era blacks in Gone With the Wind”
C.
“…former slaves’ literacy rates were higher than those of whites”
D.
“…it is only right that whites be always in control”
Question #40
Which of these statements about states’ rights and the Fugitive Slave Act is not accurate?
A.
South Carolina supported northern states’ rights by criticizing the act as “anti-states’ rights”
B.
South Carolina was inconsistent regarding its states’-rights stance
C.
The act required free (non-slavery) states to return runaway slaves to Southern slaveholders
D.
South Carolina showed it opposed states’ rights by denying northern states their right to disobey the act
Question #41
Most textbooks portray the 1858 debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas as:
A.
comparisons/contrasts of their speaking styles and fashion choices
B.
comparisons/contrasts of Douglas’ and Lincoln’s campaign promises
C.
comparisons/contrasts of Douglas’ pro-slavery and Lincoln’s anti-slavery beliefs
D.
All of these
Question #42
Many textbooks’ accounts of abolitionist John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid are inaccurate, as they:
A.
describe him as insane when most first-hand accounts suggest otherwise
B.
claim that Brown was captured, when he, in fact, never was
C.
All of these
D.
suggest Brown led the Harpers Ferry raid when he was, in fact, a follower
Question #43
Why do texts, according to Loewen, print inaccuracies about John Brown?
A.
All of these
B.
Because most simply pass on these inaccuracies, which were originally fabricated by whites during the nadir of American race relations
C.
To avoid provoking discussions regarding racism and slavery
D.
To advance the notion that a sane white man couldn’t be willing to sacrifice his life to help another race
Question #44
Which of the following statements is inaccurate?
A.
Until the nadir of American race relations (1890 – 1940), John Brown was viewed as completely sane
B.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural contain no references to the issue of slavery
C.
White Southerners founded the Confederacy on the principle of white supremacy and to preserve slavery
D.
Lincoln’s rejection of the 1860 Crittenden Compromise demonstrates his unwillingness to accept slavery
Question #45
Texts tend to mischaracterize Lincoln’s 1862 letter to Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune by:
A.
framing it as evidence that Lincoln was unconcerned about abolishing slavery
B.
misquoting Abraham Lincoln to make him appear to be a John Brown sympathizer
C.
emphasizing Lincoln’s intention to raise support in New York for the Union cause
D.
suggesting Lincoln was vying for support among abolitionists
Question #46
A.
Texts widely use these terms without explaining how and when they were coined
B.
Texts neglect to mention that the terms first surfaced within African American communities
C.
Texts fail to explain that abolitionists had coined the terms before white Southerners adopted them
D.
Texts' spellings of the terms vary
Question #47
Why did the term carpetbagger become common as a derogatory label for Northern Republicans?
A.
Most white Southerners during Reconstruction felt that Northerners were opportunistic scoundrels
B.
Most Northern Republicans had proven themselves to be scandalous opportunists
C.
All of these
D.
The term emerged during the nadir of American race relations as a way to discredit Northern Republicans
Question #48
In 1860, President Lincoln rejected the ________________, which would have _____________________________.
A.
Fourteenth Amendment; guaranteed equal protection under the law for all, white and black
B.
Fugitive Slave Act; required that northern states return runaway slaves to their “rightful owners.”
C.
Crittenden Compromise; made slavery permanently legal, thus preventing Southern states’ secession
D.
Emancipation Proclamation; made slavery illegal in the United States
Question #49
The correct answer in the previous question strongly implies that:
A.
Lincoln, by opposing the Fourteenth Amendment, was reluctant to mix his personal beliefs with politics
B.
Lincoln, by overturning the Fugitive Slave Act, demonstrated his support for Northern abolitionists
C.
Lincoln, based on his refusal to preserve the Union at any cost, was ideologically opposed to slavery
D.
Lincoln, who could have ended slavery in 1860 but chose not to, was indifferent about slavery
Question #50
Textbooks describe Nat Turner as ___________, because authors ________________________.
A.
“an African American monster”; share a tendency to criticize blacks and heroify whites
B.
“deeply religious”; find it logical that a black man could have serious moral opposition to slavery
C.
“a savage ex-slave”; see him as treacherous and completely uncivilized
D.
“a religious fanatic”; generally agree that those who kill based on religious principles are insane
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