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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was decided at the conference depicted in the opening of "The Nazis and the Acceleration of Caste"?
(a) The plan to exterminate German Jews.
(b) Forced sterilization of Jews.
(c) The Nuremberg Laws.
(d) The Lebensraum program.

2. In "Pillar Number Six: Dehumanization and Stigma," what is the best definition of the word "stigma"?
(a) A marking believed to indicate evil, corruption, etc.
(b) The practice of separating or segregating something believed to be polluted.
(c) A cultural system of disguised aggressions.
(d) A set of negative beliefs attached to a particular characteristic, action, object, etc.

3. According to Wilkerson, who is at the top of the "ladder of humanity" created by colonists in North America?
(a) Christians.
(b) Northern Europeans.
(c) White men.
(d) English Protestants.

4. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," Wilkerson says that actions that reinforce the caste system are "autonomic." What is the best meaning of this word in this context?
(a) Automatic, occurring without conscious thought.
(b) Spontaneous, occurring without planning.
(c) Involuntary, occurring without choice.
(d) Autonomous, occurring without social or environmental input.

5. In the opening analogy of the book, what is the melting permafrost being compared to?
(a) Racism.
(b) The 2016 election.
(c) A "silent" earthquake.
(d) Denial of climate change.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Wilkerson, what serves as a signal of rank within the American caste system?

2. In "Through the Fog of Delhi to the Parallels in India and America," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the detail of the fog that Wilkerson sees when her plane lands?

3. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," where does Wilkerson say that the idea of race began?

4. 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?

5. To whom is Wilkerson referring on page 4 when she describes someone as "a no-nonsense national figure overqualified by some estimates"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "An America Untouchable," what is the purpose of the many examples of historical writings?

2. What explanation does Wilkerson give of the origins of caste in Hindu scriptures in "Pillar Number One: Divine Will and the Laws of Nature"?

3. What is the rhetorical purpose of including the anecdote about Willie James Howard in "Pillar Number Three: Endogamy and the Control of Marriage and Mating"?

4. According to Wilkerson, how did slavery create the conditions for American stereotypes about Black people?

5. To what cause does Wilkerson ascribe the election of Donald Trump?

6. In "Pillar Number Six: Dehumanization and Stigma," what similarities does Wilkerson see between the treatment of Blacks in the time of slavery and Jews entering Nazi camps?

7. Explain the analogy that Wilkerson makes between caste and a play.

8. According to Wilkerson, what relationship exists between immigration or transportation to America and "becoming" white or Black?

9. In "Pillar Number Two: Heritability," what difference does Wilkerson note between the way caste is inherited in India versus the way it was historically inherited in the U.S.?

10. In "'The Container We Have Built for You,'" how does "Miss" end up with her unusual first name?

(see the answer keys)

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