1. In "A Long-Running Play and the Emergence of Caste in America," what does Wilkerson say Americans want to dismiss as a "sad, dark chapter" of American history (43)?
(a) Slavery.
(b) The Jim Crow era.
(c) The Colonial treatment of Blacks.
(d) The Trump presidency.

2. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what is the rhetorical purpose of including information about Hammond's nieces?
(a) It impeaches Hammond's character.
(b) It supports Wilkerson's point about the hypocrisy of the upper caste.
(c) It demonstrates the subordinate role of women in America.
(d) It clarifies the relationship of the Hammond quotes to Wilkerson's claims.

3. In "Defining Purity and the Constancy of the Bottom Rung," what does Wilkerson note is referred to as "the most segregated hour in America" (128)?
(a) Sunday mornings.
(b) Dinnertime.
(c) Recess at public schools.
(d) School lunch time.

4. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what does Wilkerson say human-genome testing has revealed about race?
(a) There are up to 36 divisions that could be called "races."
(b) There is tremendous variation within each of the five races.
(c) It is entirely dependent on geography.
(d) It does not exist.

5. On page 6, Wilkerson calls a financial crisis "cataclysmic." What kind of crisis was it?
(a) Creating the necessary conditions for a later event; a precondition.
(b) Protracted; drawn-out.
(c) Violent and overwhelming.
(d) Overblown, lacking in substance.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," how does Wilkerson say North Carolina prevented Blacks from achieving economic independence?

2. According to Wilkerson in "The Second Pillar: Heritability," what distinguishes "caste" from "class"?

3. In "Pillar Number Six: Dehumanization and Stigma," what is the best definition of the word "stigma"?

4. In the opening anecdote of the book, what escapes from the melting permafrost?

5. What social trend does Wilkerson link to the 2016 election?

(see the answer key)

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