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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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) An illogical mannerism, perspective, or habit of speech.
(b) Preference or choice.
(c) Peculiarity; eccentricity.
(d) Characteristic particular to one person or group.

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," what peaceful demonstrator is deliberately run over and killed in Charlottesville, Virginia?
(a) Nigel Dunkley.
(b) Heather Heyer.
(c) Mitch Landrieu.
(d) Wesley Norris.

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

4. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what error of John McCain's does Wilkerson say contributed to Obama's victory?
(a) His involvement in the 2008 financial crisis.
(b) He refusal to discuss his war record.
(c) His choice of a vice-presidential candidate.
(d) His open appeals to Black and Mexican voters.

5. In the conference described in "Chapter Ten: Central Miscasting," what difficulty does Wilkerson face?
(a) The scholars in attendance refuse to speak to her.
(b) Getting copies of the papers being presented.
(c) Being stared at for sitting in front.
(d) The crowd is openly hostile to her presentation.

6. In "Chapter Twenty-One: The German Girl with the Dark, Wavy Hair," what point does Wilkerson make about the relationship of the loss of the Jewish population and the chapter's titular story?
(a) The Jewish community had acted as a moderating force; in its absence, Germans began to turn on one another.
(b) The collective narcissism of Germans needed a new focus in the absence of the Jewish population.
(c) Once Jews were gone, Germans looked for other scapegoats.
(d) Once the Jews were gone, it became clear that the anxiety Germans felt had nothing to do with the Jews.

7. 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) Notifications of layoffs and downsizing at their employers.
(b) Their quarterly statements for their retirement accounts.
(c) A solicitation for contributions by John McCain.
(d) An openly racist cartoon paid for by a Republican PAC.

8. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," Wilkerson mentions the "Lost Cause." What does this term refer to?
(a) An alternative perspective regarding the contribution of enslaved Blacks to the economy of the South.
(b) A factually incorrect ideology that says that the Civil War was not fought over slavery but "states' rights" and that in any case slavery was not such a bad thing.
(c) The attempt to use Reconstruction to alter not only the legal position of Blacks in the South but their social status as well.
(d) The desire of modern progressives to base governance on science and humanism.

9. 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 offers the reader a humorous release of tension between two upsetting passages.
(c) It establishes Wilkerson's credibility to discuss the topic of collective narcissism.
(d) It draws a parallel between the Indian and American systems that supports Wilkerson's general point that America has a caste system.

10. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," about how many Confederate monuments does Wilkerson say exist in the modern United States?
(a) 700.
(b) 130.
(c) 300.
(d) 1,700.

11. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," why does Wilkerson include the story of Corey Lewis and the children he was supervising?
(a) It is an example of police violence toward Black Americans.
(b) It is an example of Black parents trying to protect their sons from the dangers of being Black in America.
(c) It is an example of white policing of Blacks doing ordinary everyday things.
(d) It is an example of whites assuming they have the right to supervise Black children.

12. 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) They were created to help white Americans, and Blacks were largely excluded from their assistance.
(c) Black Americans used these programs as their first "leg up" toward the middle class.
(d) White American opposed them initially because they were afraid the aid would go to Blacks.

13. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," whom does Wilkerson quote as saying that there was nothing more important than making sure that Obama did not win a second election?
(a) The Republican Senate Majority Leader.
(b) The leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
(c) The pastor of the largest evangelical church in Alabama.
(d) An Arizona governor.

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

15. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what figure of speech does Wilkerson use when she says that modern caste protocols "are like the wind" (212)?
(a) Metaphor.
(b) Understatement.
(c) Simile.
(d) Personification.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what is the purpose of including the story about Deandre Somerville's experience with jury duty?

5. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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