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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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) 20.
(b) 5.
(c) 15.
(d) 10.

3. On page 68 of "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what does Wilkerson say is "one of the most contentious and misunderstood" words in American culture?
(a) Caste.
(b) Racism.
(c) Discrimination.
(d) Race.

4. In "A Long-Running Play and the Emergence of Caste in America," what does the Nigerian playwright tell Wilkerson about Blacks in Africa?
(a) They also have a history of slavery.
(b) They do not exist.
(c) They are afraid to come to the U.S.
(d) They are also prejudiced against Black Americans.

5. 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) Recess at public schools.
(b) Sunday mornings.
(c) Dinnertime.
(d) School lunch time.

6. In "The Vitals of History," what does Wilkerson compare an honest and rigorous study of history to?
(a) An archaeologist uncovering artifacts.
(b) A doctor taking a patient history.
(c) A child learning a new language.
(d) A mechanic using a diagnostic computer.

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

8. 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?
(a) Dred Scott v. Sandford.
(b) Loving v. Virginia.
(c) Plessy v. Ferguson.
(d) Marbury v. Madison.

9. What is the name of Gunnar Myrdal's 1944 study of race in America?
(a) Caste in America.
(b) An American Dilemma.
(c) The American Web of Class and Race.
(d) America's Race Problem.

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

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

12. In "Pillar Number One: Divine Will and the Laws of Nature," what is Wilkerson's central claim?
(a) Caste systems require obvious misinterpretations of religious texts.
(b) Caste in America and in Nazi Germany contradicts fundamental precepts of Christianity.
(c) Caste in America and India is or was upheld by religious beliefs.
(d) Caste systems are the result of divine will.

13. What technique does Wilkerson use for the first time in the beginning of "An Old House and an Infrared Light"?
(a) Rhetorical questions.
(b) First person point of view.
(c) Analogy.
(d) Anecdote.

14. In "Pillar Number Six: Dehumanization and Stigma," Wilkerson explains that enslaved people were not allowed to cry as their families were separated. What is this meant to serve as an example of?
(a) Dehumanization.
(b) Minstrelsy.
(c) Mockery.
(d) Stigma.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "An American Untouchable," how does the high school principal in India refer to Martin Luther King'?

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

3. About how many years did American slavery last?

4. According to Wilkerson in "The Second Pillar: Heritability," what happened to Forest Whitaker at a Manhattan Deli?

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 keys)

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