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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," what does Wilkerson say is the cause of phenomena like an Iranian immigrant feeling moved to point out the existence of a blond-haired child somewhere in the family?
(a) Immigrants know that this is what white people want to hear.
(b) Each caste wants to stress its proximity to the dominant caste.
(c) Immigrants often arrive from countries with systemic racism of their own.
(d) Each caste is trying to distance itself from the lowest caste.

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," which of the following groups does Wilkerson say tends to show more of the negative health impacts of prejudice?
(a) Middle-class Mexican Americans.
(b) Male Mexican Americans.
(c) Poor Mexican Americans.
(d) Female Mexican Americans.

3. 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?
(a) Whitesplaining.
(b) Boundary-blindness.
(c) Bulldozing.
(d) Brahmin-splaining.

4. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," Wilkerson discusses biases that occur without thought. What is this kind of bias called?
(a) Unconscious bias.
(b) Automatic bias.
(c) Subconscious bias.
(d) Autonomic bias.

5. In "Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Price We Pay for a Caste System," what does Wilkerson blame for the relatively low quality of life in the United States?
(a) The cost of suppressing Black talent.
(b) Rivalry based in a caste system.
(c) Governmental dysfunction.
(d) A two-tiered educational system.

6. According to "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what percentage of White voters voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012?
(a) 32% each time.
(b) 38 and 23%, respectively.
(c) 45% each time.
(d) 43 and 39%, respectively.

7. In the opening of "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what does Wilkerson call "The greatest departure from the script of the American caste system" (311)?
(a) Reconstruction.
(b) The Voting Rights Act.
(c) The toppling of the Confederate monuments.
(d) The election of Barack Obama.

8. In "Chapter Thirteen: The Insecure Alpha and the Purpose of an Underdog," what is Wilkerson arguing about the role of the "omega" wolf, at the bottom of the pack hierarchy?
(a) That it does not actually exist in natural wolf groupings.
(b) It performs a valuable and necessary role.
(c) That since humans are not canines, it is not relevant to human societies.
(d) That humans should treat people at the bottom of the human "pack" with more kindness and respect.

9. In "Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Price We Pay for a Caste System," what is the anecdote about physicist Lean Lederman intended to illustrate?
(a) White Americans are often unaware of the challenges faced by Black Americans.
(b) Even in modern times it is nearly impossible for Black scientists to achieve recognition for their work.
(c) The United States devotes relatively few resources to the well-being of its citizens.
(d) Black Americans are still discriminated against by the health-care system.

10. In "Chapter Thirteen: The Insecure Alpha and the Purpose of an Underdog," what lesson does Wilkerson want the reader to take away from her description of wolves?
(a) That the "alpha" wolf is actually just one of the group's parents and does not necessarily have special leadership qualities.
(b) That there are "alpha" humans and they deserve the highest positions in society regardless of race.
(c) That it is wrong to create distinctions among people that imply that some people are better than others.
(d) That human rankings are based on arbitrary factors just as rankings are among wolves.

11. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," how did the incident at People's Grocery begin?
(a) When a Black soldier arrived in uniform.
(b) When a Black man tried to vote.
(c) When a Black man did not show enough deference to a white bus driver.
(d) With an argument between two children.

12. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," whose statue causes the controversy in Charlottesville, Virginia?
(a) Jefferson Davis.
(b) J.E.B. Stuart.
(c) Stonewall Jackson.
(d) Robert E. Lee.

13. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," what does Wilkerson describe at the site of the bunker where Hitler died?
(a) It has been paved over and is used as an ordinary parking lot.
(b) A museum and educational center stands there now.
(c) It is frequently the site of neo-Nazi rallies and demonstrations.
(d) There is a moving monument to concentration camp victims.

14. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," what are the "telomeres" Wilkerson talks about?
(a) A part of the DNA strand that shortens with aging.
(b) Stress hormones.
(c) Diseases related to stress.
(d) The cell sites that respond to chemicals like cortisol.

15. In "Chapter Nineteen: The Euphoria of Hate," what film footage does Wilkerson describe?
(a) The trial of the police officers who killed Freddie Gray.
(b) The liberation of Auschwitz.
(c) Hitler's return to Germany after the conquest of Paris.
(d) The last public lynching in Georgia.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," Wilkerson relates the story of a white Brooklyn woman who called the police because of an alleged "sexual assault." How old was the Black person she told the police had assaulted her?

2. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what does Wilkerson compare to the modern phenomenon of whites calling the police on Blacks who are just going about ordinary everyday business?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," Wilkerson says that Clinton might have suffered from the "Bradley Effect." What does this mean?

4. In "Chapter Thirteen: The Insecure Alpha and the Purpose of an Underdog," what does Wilkerson's dog trainer tell her she is behaving like?

5. On page 287 of "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Roxanne Gay say causes whites to "embrace narratives about forgiveness"?

(see the answer keys)

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