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UT Austin psychology professor has since rescinded exam

A University of Texas at Austin professor has rescinded a quiz that included a question that argued wealthy white men are mostly to blame for repeatedly violating the rights of others, reported the Washington Free Beacon, which obtained a screenshot of the quiz question.

Psychology Professor Kirsten Bradbury gave the quiz as part of her “Personality Psychology” class, and the controversial question dealt with Antisocial Personality Disorder, the Beacon reported.

“Neither race nor gender is determinative in Antisocial Personality Disorder,” the question asked. “However, if we must go there, which sociodemographic group is most likely to repeatedly violate the rights of others in a pattern of behavior that includes violence, deceit, irresponsibility, and a lack of remorse?”

The quiz question added an addendum stating “Hint: They also happen to hold the most social power and because of that they can get away with the most wrongdoing.”

Four choices were offered as possible answers, including middle class Latino families, female dentists and Asian men of all economic groups. But the correct answer was: wealthy white men.

“After distributing the quiz to students, Bradbury, who has been celebrated as one of the university’s most outstanding teachers, then backtracked, telling students that ‘given the current rate of sociocultural and scientific change’ the quiz had ‘grown too stale to use.’ She did not indicate what scientific changes had rendered the quiz obsolete or what scientific research had at one point served as the basis for the question,” the Beacon reported.

This is not the first time a test or quiz question has prompted controversy on a college campus.

In 2021, Illinois State University pledged to investigate a question on a quiz that offended Native Americans. The question had asked: “Which of the following examples best fits with the cultural traditions of the Native American Church?” The correct answer was: “Smoking marijuana and having deep emotional thoughts about a deceased grandmother.”

In 2020, the Indiana University School of Medicine apologized to students for a question on a cardiovascular exam that included the phrase “I can’t breath[e].”

In 2017, a law professor came under fire for a test question that involved a hypothetical legal scenario involving Brazilian waxing.

MORE: Teacher suspended for ‘racially insensitive’ chemistry exam question

IMAGE: Washington Free Beacon screenshot

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