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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Wilkerson in "The Second Pillar: Heritability," what distinguishes "caste" from "class"?
(a) Class is not a status marker.
(b) Caste is not related to economics.
(c) Class cannot be inherited.
(d) Caste is permanent and inescapable.

2. What is the best definition of "endogamy" as used in "The Third Pillar: Endogamy and the Control of Marriage and Mating"?
(a) Active interest in and welcoming of new people into one's group.
(b) The practice of marrying within one's own group.
(c) The fear of people from outside of one's own group.
(d) The practice of marrying outside one's own group.

3. At what famous Alabama bridge did the police violently attack peaceful protesters on their way to Montgomery?
(a) The New River Gorge Bridge.
(b) The Edmund Pettus Bridge.
(c) The Seven Mile Bridge.
(d) The Benson Bridge.

4. According to Wilkerson in In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what do social scientists say combines with racial bias to produce racism?
(a) Overt hatred.
(b) Extremism.
(c) Personal intention.
(d) Systemic power.

5. 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"?
(a) A Japanese immigrant tried to make the case that he should be considered "White."
(b) An Indian immigrant argued that he should be considered for citizenship.
(c) A Cuban immigrant sued for the right to own property in Florida.
(d) An Irish immigrant was arrested for shopping in a store signed "No Irish."

6. In the 1863 Draft Riots, what immigrant group perpetrated violence against Blacks?
(a) Irish.
(b) Italians.
(c) Germans.
(d) Chinese.

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

8. What departure from legal precedent was made in the Virginia Assembly's decision that the children of enslaved women should also be considered slaves?
(a) Prior to this, slavery was not considered a permanent condition.
(b) Prior to this, the status of both parents was factored into a child's status.
(c) Prior to this, slavery was not considered to be inherited.
(d) Prior to this, status was legally passed from father to child.

9. Where does the word "caste" come from?
(a) The Portuguese word "casta," meaning "breed" or "race."
(b) The Old Norse word "kasta," meaning "throw."
(c) The Latin "castus," meaning "chaste."
(d) The Middle English "outcasten," meaning "to expel or reject."

10. In "Pillar Number Eight: Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority," what is the Louise Beavers anecdote meant to illustrate?
(a) That Mary Pickford was concerned about being upstaged by a Black actress.
(b) That Black Americans have been made to assume the markers of inferiority like an actor playing a role.
(c) That it is impossible to judge intelligence and character based on skin color.
(d) That White filmmakers feared the audience reaction to an attractive Black woman.

11. According to Wilkerson, what serves as a signal of rank within the American caste system?
(a) Race.
(b) Religion.
(c) Wealth.
(d) Education.

12. In "Through the Fog of Delhi to the Parallels in India and America," what is one of the main differences that Wilkerson notes between caste in America and caste in India?
(a) Blacks in America are not permanently confined to the lowest caste.
(b) The lowest caste in India was never enslaved.
(c) The American system is for the most part a binary one.
(d) There is no attempt being made in modern India to improve the situation of the lowest caste.

13. According to Wilkerson in "The Second Pillar: Heritability," what happened to Forest Whitaker at a Manhattan Deli?
(a) He was assaulted by a police officer.
(b) A customer assumed that he was a busboy.
(c) An employee referred to him using a racial epithet.
(d) He was accused of shoplifting.

14. According to Wilkerson's explanation on page 9, why did Democrats hesitate to impeach Trump?
(a) Fear of backlash from his base.
(b) The evidence was unclear.
(c) Many had investments in Trump businesses.
(d) Fear of retribution from Trump himself.

15. According to "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what percentage of Blacks worked in white-collar professions during the Great Depression?
(a) 15.
(b) 10.
(c) 20.
(d) 5.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 15, Wilkerson says of the old house that "whatever is lurking will fester." What is especially apt about her choice of the word "fester"?

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

3. In "Through the Fog of Delhi to the Parallels in India and America," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the detail of the fog that Wilkerson sees when her plane lands?

4. According to "Pillar Number Four: Purity versus Pollution," what makes the United States's racial hierarchy different from those in the rest of the Americas?

5. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the Hammond quotes?

(see the answer keys)

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