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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," Wilkerson says that when people vote, they often choose to vote in a way that will do what?
(a) Show solidarity with those who share their lowest-status trait.
(b) Protect the best interests of their own highest-status trait.
(c) Empower a candidate who appeals to their worst instincts.
(d) Consider the needs of the many instead of the needs of the few.

2. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," what does Wilkerson reveal about the New Deal and the Federal Housing Administration?
(a) Although intended to help primarily Black Americans, these programs have largely served whites.
(b) White American opposed them initially because they were afraid the aid would go to Blacks.
(c) They were created to help white Americans, and Blacks were largely excluded from their assistance.
(d) Black Americans used these programs as their first "leg up" toward the middle class.

3. On page 283 of "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Wilkerson quote anthropologist Edmund Leach as saying about the lowest caste in India?
(a) "People embrace narratives about forgiveness."
(b) "Knowledge without wisdom is adequate for the powerful."
(c) "It is a feeling of danger."
(d) "The first moral duty is resignation and acceptance."

4. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what does Wilkerson use Tamir Rice's story to illustrate?
(a) White bystanders often assume that they know better than Black parents.
(b) Whites often assume that they have authority over unrelated Black children.
(c) Black parents are capable of raising their own children.
(d) Black parents have good reason for being afraid for their sons.

5. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," Wilkerson says that marginalized people have to learn the "idiosyncrasies" of the ruling class. In this content, what is the best definition of "idiosyncrasy"?
(a) Characteristic particular to one person or group.
(b) Preference or choice.
(c) Peculiarity; eccentricity.
(d) An illogical mannerism, perspective, or habit of speech.

6. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," what does Wilkerson say is the "greatest threat to a caste system" (224)?
(a) Lower-caste success.
(b) Lower-caste failure.
(c) Upper-caste success.
(d) Upper-caste failure.

7. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," what mistake does Wilkerson believe Democrats make with regard to their most loyal voters?
(a) Making their concerns the central focus.
(b) Failing to follow through on promises made to them.
(c) Making their concerns a low priority.
(d) Failing to think through the consequences of their "wish list."

8. In "Chapter Twenty-Three: Shock Troops on the Borders of Hierarchy," Wilkerson explains a complicated "solution" to a problem presented by free Black passengers on steamboats of the nineeenth century. What was this problem?
(a) Where they would bathe and use the bathroom.
(b) At what times they would be allowed on deck.
(c) Where they would be allowed to sleep.
(d) How and when to feed them.

9. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," Wilkerson uses the term "kitchen table appeals" (327). What kinds of appeals are these?
(a) Appeals to women's concerns with reproductive freedom, physical safety, and equal rights.
(b) Appeals to everyday people's concerns with money, education, and health care.
(c) Appeals to caste-related concerns like immigration, voting rights, and affirmative action.
(d) Appeals to food-related issues like food safety, agricultural policy, and food scarcity.

10. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," what is the story of Burton Holmes and Freddie Stowers meant to illustrate?
(a) Even Black soldiers have not been exempt from racial harassment.
(b) The American system will go to great lengths to suppress or ignore lower-caste success.
(c) The French made white Americans uncomfortable by praising Black soldiers.
(d) The United States government does not extend the same veteran's support and benefits to Black soldiers.

11. In "Chapter Ten: Central Miscasting," how many other people of African descent are at the London conference besides Wilkerson?
(a) Dozens.
(b) One.
(c) None.
(d) The conference is primarily attended by Africans and African Americans.

12. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," what is the rhetorical purpose of Wilkerson's anecdote about speaking with her colleague about the difficulty of managing her disabled mother's care?
(a) It is an example of the distaste the dominant caste feels about being compared to members of the lowest caste.
(b) It establishes Wilkerson's credibility to discuss the topic of collective narcissism.
(c) It offers the reader a humorous release of tension between two upsetting passages.
(d) It draws a parallel between the Indian and American systems that supports Wilkerson's general point that America has a caste system.

13. Just before the 2008 election, what mailing did many Americans receive that Wilkerson, in "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," says became an "inadvertent leaflet in favor of the Democrat" (312)?
(a) An openly racist cartoon paid for by a Republican PAC.
(b) Their quarterly statements for their retirement accounts.
(c) Notifications of layoffs and downsizing at their employers.
(d) A solicitation for contributions by John McCain.

14. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," Wilkerson says that the tarp-covered statue looks like "a giant chifforobe" (334). What is a "chifforobe"?
(a) A hoop-skirt commonly worn in the 19th century.
(b) A wardrobe with drawers at the bottom.
(c) A battlefield tent used for meetings and planning.
(d) A short cape worn by Confederate officers.

15. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does the Black bailiff do when the white killer of a Black man begins crying about her conviction?
(a) Shoves her as she is being escorted from the court.
(b) Tells her that it will be okay and calls her "honey."
(c) Tells her to shut up and stop crying.
(d) Comforts her by stroking her hair.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Seventeen: On the Early Front Lines of Caste," what is the main difference between the various works that Wilkerson discusses?

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Price We Pay for a Caste System," what is the anecdote about physicist Lean Lederman intended to illustrate?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," how many years does Wilkerson say separate the average life expectancy of White college graduates from that of Black college graduates?

4. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," what term does Wilkerson introduce that refers to a white person explaining to a Black person something that the Black person has better credentials to understand?

5. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," whom does Wilkerson name as the most loyal voters of the Republican Party?

(see the answer keys)

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