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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 3: "Part Three: The Eight Pillars of Caste".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what does Wilkerson say we are doing when we "see" race?
(a) Taking in only a small number of the features that actually differentiate races.
(b) Perpetuating a system of oppression.
(c) Noting arbitrary physical signs that we have been taught to read as "race."
(d) Participating in a self-reinforcing cycle that causes us to "see" what we expect to see.

2. In "Pillar Number Eight: Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority," what is Wilkerson's central claim?
(a) That American Blacks have historically been treated like animals.
(b) That the caste system depends on all members of the lowest caste being treated as inferior to all members of the highest caste.
(c) That Black Americans have had to learn an elaborate performance of inferiority.
(d) That even ordinary events like getting onto a bus reflect the premise that Blacks are inferior.

3. What is the best definition of "heritability" as used in "The Second Pillar: Heritability"?
(a) A status based on genetics.
(b) Capable of being passed down from parent to child.
(c) A privilege that stays within a particular family.
(d) Able to bind different families together.

4. In Wilkerson's anecdote about the house inspector, how does he "see past the plaster" (17)?
(a) By using an infrared camera.
(b) By reading the blueprints.
(c) By using an x-ray machine.
(d) By using his professional experience.

5. According to Wilkerson, who is at the top of the "ladder of humanity" created by colonists in North America?
(a) English Protestants.
(b) Northern Europeans.
(c) Christians.
(d) White men.

Short Answer Questions

1. What departure from legal precedent was made in the Virginia Assembly's decision that the children of enslaved women should also be considered slaves?

2. According to Wilkerson, how are jobs assigned under the Indian caste system?

3. According to "The Trials of the Middle Castes: The Race to Get Under the White Tent," what caused the Supreme Court to rule that "White" means "Caucasian"?

4. What is the best definition of "endogamy" as used in "The Third Pillar: Endogamy and the Control of Marriage and Mating"?

5. On page 16, Wilkerson says that people adjust to the "idiosyncrasies" of an old house. What is she saying that they adjust to?

(see the answer key)

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