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Free Practice Quiz Question List

08 Civil Rights and Equal Protection Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 08 Civil Rights and Equal Protection, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Choose one
1 point

Which statement best explains the relationship between government action and civil-rights enforcement?

  1. A

    Any private discrimination automatically violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

  2. B

    A constitutional equal-protection claim ordinarily requires government action, although federal statutes may regulate some private conduct.

  3. C

    Only federal agencies can enforce civil-rights protections.

  4. D

    The Fourteenth Amendment applies exclusively to private businesses.

02
Choose one
1 point

A person challenges a discriminatory classification imposed by the federal government rather than by a state. Which constitutional doctrine most directly supplies equal-protection principles for that challenge?

  1. A

    The First Amendment's Establishment Clause

  2. B

    The Fifteenth Amendment's voting guarantee

  3. C

    The Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause

  4. D

    The Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition of slavery

03
Choose one
1 point

A state creates a scholarship available only to applicants from one racial group. Which standard of review would a court most likely apply?

  1. A

    Rational-basis review, because scholarships are economic programs

  2. B

    Intermediate scrutiny, because education is involved

  3. C

    No constitutional review, because the scholarship is voluntary

  4. D

    Strict scrutiny, because the policy expressly classifies applicants by race

04
Choose all
1 point

Which statements correctly describe constitutional review of a race-based government classification? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    The government must identify a compelling governmental interest.

  2. B

    The classification is automatically unconstitutional once strict scrutiny applies.

  3. C

    The policy must be narrowly tailored to the asserted interest.

  4. D

    A classification intended to benefit a racial group is not exempt from strict scrutiny.

05
Choose all
1 point

Which types of evidence may help establish discriminatory purpose under the approach described in Arlington Heights? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    The historical background of the decision

  2. B

    The sequence of events leading to the decision

  3. C

    Departures from normal procedures

  4. D

    A disproportionate impact, by itself, always proves unconstitutional discrimination

  5. E

    Statements by decision-makers

06
True or false
1 point

True or false: Under the constitutional rule described in Washington v. Davis, a racially disproportionate impact by itself generally establishes an Equal Protection Clause violation.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

07
True or false
1 point

True or false: State-court enforcement of a racially restrictive housing covenant can constitute government action for constitutional purposes.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Written response
1 point

In what year was the Fourteenth Amendment ratified? Enter the four-digit year.

09
Written response
1 point

What doctrine describes the Supreme Court's use of the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause to impose equal-protection principles on the federal government? Enter the doctrine's name.

10
Fill in the blank
1 point

Complete the statement: The central constitutional guarantee against state-sponsored discrimination is the requirement in Section 1 of the .

11
Fill in the blank
1 point

Complete the comparison: Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the doctrine, while Brown v. Board of Education held that state-sponsored segregation in public schools violated the .

12
Open ended
1 point

Explain how a civil-rights claim under the Constitution differs from a civil-rights claim under a federal statute. In your answer, discuss government action, the distinction between discriminatory purpose and discriminatory impact, and why a practice might violate a statute even when it does not violate the Equal Protection Clause.

13
Choose one
1 point

Which statement best applies the one-person-one-vote principle from Reynolds v. Sims?

  1. A

    State legislative districts must be apportioned substantially according to population.

  2. B

    Every district must contain precisely the same number of people with no permissible deviation.

  3. C

    Only congressional districts are subject to population-based equality.

  4. D

    States may give greater voting power to districts based on their geographic area.

14
Choose one
1 point

Which principle did the Supreme Court establish in Brown v. Board of Education?

  1. A

    Segregation was constitutional whenever schools had comparable buildings and equipment.

  2. B

    Segregation in public schools violated equal protection because separation itself denied equal educational opportunity.

  3. C

    The Fourteenth Amendment applied only to federal schools, not state schools.

  4. D

    The Court required Congress to approve every state school-assignment policy.

15
True or false
1 point

True or false: Under Shelley v. Kraemer, state-court enforcement of a racially restrictive housing covenant can constitute government action.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

16
Written response
1 point

In what year did the Supreme Court decide Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage?

17
Choose one
1 point

A state law explicitly classifies people by sex. Which standard of review will courts generally apply under the framework in the material?

  1. A

    Rational-basis review, requiring only a rational relationship to any conceivable legitimate interest

  2. B

    Strict scrutiny, requiring narrow tailoring to a compelling governmental interest

  3. C

    Intermediate scrutiny, requiring a substantial relationship to an important governmental objective

  4. D

    No constitutional review because sex is never a legally relevant classification

18
Written response
1 point

What two-word doctrine describes the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause as imposing an equal-protection requirement on the federal government?

19
Choose one
1 point

A neutral testing requirement disproportionately excludes members of one racial group, but the challengers cannot prove that officials adopted it for a discriminatory purpose. Under Washington v. Davis, what is the strongest constitutional conclusion?

  1. A

    A racially disproportionate effect alone generally establishes a constitutional violation.

  2. B

    A racially disproportionate effect alone generally does not establish a constitutional violation without proof of discriminatory purpose.

  3. C

    Only a decision-maker’s explicit statement can prove discriminatory purpose.

  4. D

    Discriminatory impact is irrelevant under both the Constitution and federal civil-rights statutes.

20
Choose one
1 point

Which description best states the central protection provided by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act as described in the material?

  1. A

    It requires every jurisdiction to obtain federal approval before changing any voting procedure.

  2. B

    It prohibits only voting laws enacted with an explicitly stated racial motive.

  3. C

    It prohibits voting practices that result in minority voters having less opportunity to participate and elect representatives of their choice.

  4. D

    It requires every legislative district to contain exactly the same number of people.