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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. How many American states had laws officially prohibiting marriage between Blacks and whites?
(a) 50.
(b) 12.
(c) 26.
(d) 41.

2. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the Hammond quotes?
(a) It demonstrates that religious belief is incompatible with endorsement of a caste system.
(b) It bolsters Wilkerson's ethos, making the reader more receptive to her claims about India.
(c) This illustrates the depth of hatred that White Southerners had for the lowest caste.
(d) This is a defining historical moment that explicitly supports the chapter's central claim.

3. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," where does Wilkerson say that the idea of race began?
(a) In Ancient Greece and Rome.
(b) In colonial India.
(c) In the transatlantic slave trade.
(d) During the Moorish invasion of Spain.

4. In the beginning of "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what physical characteristic is the basis for Wilkerson's imaginary caste system?
(a) Sex.
(b) Shoe size.
(c) Height.
(d) Eye color.

5. According to "Pillar Number Four: Purity versus Pollution," what did the United States use to "curate" its population (123)?
(a) Jim Crow laws.
(b) Immigration policy.
(c) Anti-miscegenation laws.
(d) Laws defining status based on degree of African blood.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 6, Wilkerson refers to white "preeminence." What quality is she referring to?

2. To what Supreme Court case does Wilkerson allude in her "Pillar Number Four: Purity versus Pollution" story about the shoemaker who sued for the right to ride in the white car of the train?

3. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," where does Wilkerson say the term "Caucasian" came from?

4. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what does Wilkerson say Blacks found when they migrated North during the Great Migration?

5. According to Wilkerson, what serves as a signal of rank within the American caste system?

(see the answer key)

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