Title VII Civil Rights Act Quiz

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the only federal statute that protects individuals from employment discrimination.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal administrative agency responsible for enforcing Title VII.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, and genetics.

Title VII could never apply to a workplace discrimination claim relating to a work assignment because the statute applies only to decisions relating to hiring and firing.

An unpaid intern who is the clear victim of sexual harassment can successfully advance a Title VII discrimination claim against the employer conducting the internship program.

An employee who has solid proof that he was discriminated against because of his race when he did not receive a promotion typically cannot file a Title VII lawsuit in court without first filing a charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

The plaintiffs in Case #8 (Vazquez) and Case #9 (Stalter) both had their discrimination claims dismissed on summary judgment because they could not prove pretext.

Any state, such as New York or California, might decide to pass its own workplace discrimination law that creates additional protected classes beyond those covered by Title VII or any other federal statute.

Title VII prohibits illegal forms of both intentional and unintentional discrimination.

An employee could file a disparate treatment discrimination claim based upon employer conduct that is seemingly neutral in regards to a certain protected class (such as a strength test), that nevertheless produces a discriminatory result.

A legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for a termination is called a 'pretext.'

Circumstantial evidence cannot be used to prove a claim of disparate treatment discrimination under Title VII because a plaintiff can only prove such a claim with direct evidence of discrimination.

Testimony that an employer made an announcement at a staff meeting that members of a certain race would not be eligible for a promotion can constitute direct evidence of intentional race discrimination.

An employee has three years from the date of an alleged act of race discrimination to file a discrimination claim in court.

A document from the EEOC which provides an individual with the right to file a workplace discrimination claim in court is called a 'right to sue' letter.

Because courts have a general obligation to ensure that adverse employment actions are fair (as opposed to illegal), courts are always willing to look beyond the law and grant relief to a plaintiff who was treated unfairly by her employer.

An employee's refusal to follow the instructions of a supervisor, known as insubordination, might constitute a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for terminating the employee.

Depending on the evidence, an employer's decision to hire only applicants who can lift at least 100 pounds over their heads could lead to a lawsuit alleging disparate impact discrimination.

A 'pretext' refers to an employer's explanation for an adverse employment action that is actually a cover-up for the employer's true, discriminatory intent.

An employer may be able to avoid liability for a disparate impact discrimination claim with evidence that its challenged practice, such as a strength test, is directly related to successful job performance, despite its statistically adverse impact on a protected class.

A Title VII claim of race discrimination may be filed by a member of any race, be it a majority or minority racial group.

An employer may lawfully refuse to hire a white person because she is married to a black person, as race discrimination claims must be based on the race of the individual who is filing the complaint.