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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. 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) How and when to feed them.
(b) At what times they would be allowed on deck.
(c) Where they would bathe and use the bathroom.
(d) Where they would be allowed to sleep.

4. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," when Devonte Hart and his foster siblings begged for food, what did their white guardians tell people?
(a) That they suspected Devonte of stealing food from his foster siblings.
(b) That the family was in trouble and needed donations.
(c) That the children were born addicted to drugs and were manipulative liars.
(d) That the children had eating disorders.

5. 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) Failing to follow through on promises made to them.
(b) Making their concerns the central focus.
(c) Failing to think through the consequences of their "wish list."
(d) Making their concerns a low priority.

6. 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) Subconscious bias.
(c) Automatic bias.
(d) Autonomic bias.

7. 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"?
(a) A desire to pretend that the world is fair.
(b) A subconscious sense of guilt for the wrongs of the past.
(c) The urge to protect their caste privilege.
(d) Christianity.

8. 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) Comforts her by stroking her hair.
(b) Shoves her as she is being escorted from the court.
(c) Tells her to shut up and stop crying.
(d) Tells her that it will be okay and calls her "honey."

9. 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) The toppling of the Confederate monuments.
(b) Reconstruction.
(c) The election of Barack Obama.
(d) The Voting Rights Act.

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

11. In "Chapter Twelve: A Scapegoat to Bear the Sins of the World," what change in the concept of the scapegoat does Wilkerson say has occurred over time?
(a) Modern scapegoats are not literally sacrificed.
(b) Scapegoating is now performed by whole communities.
(c) Scapegoating is now primarily subconscious.
(d) Modern scapegoats are also blamed for the problems they are made to suffer for.

12. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Wilkerson reveal about Indian castes in America?
(a) Dalits are often falsely accused of crimes in America, just as they are in India.
(b) Their need to flee the caste system is why so many Indian immigrants to America are Dalits.
(c) Caste continues to affect people even after they immigrate.
(d) The caste system has little or no power in the lives of Indians in America.

13. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," to which narcissistic family role does Wilkerson compare indigenous peoples?
(a) The "golden child."
(b) The "peacemaker."
(c) The "lost child."
(d) The "scapegoat."

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) Even Black soldiers have not been exempt from racial harassment.
(b) The United States government does not extend the same veteran's support and benefits to Black soldiers.
(c) The French made white Americans uncomfortable by praising Black soldiers.
(d) The American system will go to great lengths to suppress or ignore lower-caste success.

15. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," what is one factor Wilkerson points to as an explanation for "dominant group status threat" in modern America?
(a) Increased numbers of non-white immigrants.
(b) Rapidly rising income among Black Americans.
(c) Misinformation and propaganda spread via the Internet.
(d) A decline in civil behavior in public spaces.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," about how many Confederate monuments does Wilkerson say exist in the modern United States?

2. 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?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Eight: Democracy on the Ballot," what term does Wilkerson introduce for the period between Reconstruction and WWII?

4. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," what does Wilkerson argue the lowest-status Whites have been given in the place of real security and opportunity?

5. 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"?

(see the answer keys)

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