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AP African American Studies Practice Quiz: Redlining and Housing Discrimination

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 14 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 14

The practice of redlining, which peaked in the mid-1900s, is best described as:

All Questions (14)

The practice of redlining, which peaked in the mid-1900s, is best described as:

A) The legal requirement for African Americans to live in specific, designated neighborhoods.

B) The refusal by mortgage lenders to issue loans in predominantly African American areas, labeling them as high financial risks.

C) The violent opposition faced by African Americans who moved into white neighborhoods.

D) The creation of separate and unequal public transportation systems by city governments.

Correct Answer: B

The provided content defines redlining as 'the discriminatory practice of withholding mortgages to African Americans and other people of color within a defined geographical area under the pretense of 'hazardous' financial risk posed by those communities.'

According to the text, a significant long-term economic consequence of housing discrimination for African Americans was:

A) A decrease in the overall population of urban areas.

B) The complete collapse of African American-owned businesses.

C) A reduced ability to accumulate and transfer generational wealth.

D) The establishment of federally funded, high-quality public transportation.

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states that restrictions on home ownership 'in turn limited their ability to pass on wealth to their descendants.' Home ownership is a primary way families build and pass on wealth.

Which of the following institutionalized housing segregation at the federal level in 1938?

A) The Fair Housing Act

B) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

C) The Federal Housing Administration’s Underwriting Manual

D) The establishment of African American-owned bus companies

Correct Answer: C

The text directly mentions that 'Housing segregation was codified in the Federal Housing Administration’s Underwriting Manual (1938).'

The efforts of the NAACP to combat housing discrimination culminated in which significant piece of legislation?

A) The Civil Rights Act of 1964

B) The Voting Rights Act of 1965

C) The Fair Housing Act of 1968

D) The FHA Underwriting Manual of 1938

Correct Answer: C

The content states, 'The NAACP fought housing discrimination through the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968.'

What was a potential consequence for African Americans who managed to move into well-resourced, predominantly white neighborhoods during the twentieth century?

A) They were often given preferential access to mortgage lending.

B) They could become victims of organized mob violence.

C) They were immediately granted leadership positions in the community.

D) They were provided with their own separate public transportation.

Correct Answer: B

The text notes that 'African Americans who integrated into well-resourced neighborhoods across the country sometimes became targets of mob violence.'

Housing discrimination and segregation led to which of the following conditions in many African American communities?

A) Increased funding for public schools and recreational spaces.

B) Prioritized access to new healthcare facilities.

C) Limited access to essential services like clean water and public transportation.

D) A surplus of healthy food options due to community gardening initiatives.

Correct Answer: C

The text states that many African American communities 'had limited access to public transportation, clean water and air, recreational spaces, healthy food, and healthcare services.'

How did African American communities respond to inadequate and segregated public transportation?

A) By successfully lobbying for the immediate integration of all city bus lines.

B) By organizing large-scale boycotts that ended the practice of redlining.

C) By creating their own transportation systems, such as jitneys and bus companies.

D) By relocating en masse to communities with better transportation infrastructure.

Correct Answer: C

The text explains, 'African Americans responded by operating jitneys (small buses that provided taxi services) and starting their own bus companies.'

The text suggests a direct link between housing discrimination and which of the following outcomes?

A) Higher rates of educational attainment among African Americans.

B) The passage of the Fair Housing Act.

C) The intensification of health disparities along racial lines.

D) The growth of integrated suburban communities.

Correct Answer: C

The passage states that limited access to various services in segregated communities was 'exacerbating health disparities along racial lines,' directly linking housing policies to health outcomes.

What official justification did mortgage lenders use for the practice of redlining?

A) A federal mandate requiring racial segregation in all financial matters.

B) The supposed 'hazardous' financial risk posed by minority communities.

C) A lack of available housing stock in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

D) The preference of African American borrowers for renting over owning.

Correct Answer: B

The text describes redlining as being done 'under the pretense of 'hazardous' financial risk posed by those communities.'

Which of the following statements best summarizes the overall effect of housing discrimination as described in the text?

A) It was a short-term problem that was fully resolved by the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

B) It primarily affected African Americans' access to public transportation but had little economic impact.

C) It was a systemic issue that worsened existing racial inequalities in wealth, health, and access to resources.

D) It encouraged the federal government to invest heavily in African American communities to correct disparities.

Correct Answer: C

The text indicates that housing discrimination 'intensified preexisting disparities' and had long-term effects on wealth, health, and access to services, pointing to a systemic and multifaceted problem.

Based on the text, which event occurred *before* the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968?

A) The complete desegregation of all public transportation.

B) The elimination of health disparities between racial groups.

C) The codification of housing segregation in the FHA's Underwriting Manual.

D) The end of the practice of redlining by all mortgage lenders.

Correct Answer: C

The FHA's Underwriting Manual is dated 1938, which is 30 years before the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The other options describe outcomes that were the goals of the civil rights movement, not events that preceded its legislative victories.

The role of the NAACP, as described in the provided text, was to:

A) Provide alternative mortgage lending for African American homebuyers.

B) Organize mob violence against discriminatory institutions.

C) Operate jitneys and bus companies in underserved areas.

D) Advocate for legislative change to combat housing discrimination.

Correct Answer: D

The text explicitly states, 'The NAACP fought housing discrimination through the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968,' which is a form of advocating for legislative change.

The text establishes a connection between racially segregated housing and:

A) The development of superior infrastructure in Black communities.

B) A lack of sufficient public infrastructure, such as transportation.

C) An equal distribution of recreational spaces across all communities.

D) The federal government's policy of providing jitneys to all citizens.

Correct Answer: B

The text states, 'Predominantly Black areas often lacked sufficient infrastructure for public transportation,' directly linking segregation to inadequate infrastructure.

The text argues that restrictions on home ownership were a critical factor in limiting the ability of African Americans to:

A) Access higher education.

B) Participate in the political process.

C) Pass on wealth to their descendants.

D) Start their own transportation companies.

Correct Answer: C

This is a direct restatement of the point made in the text: 'restrictions on their access to home ownership that in turn limited their ability to pass on wealth to their descendants.'