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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. 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) "The first moral duty is resignation and acceptance."
(b) "Knowledge without wisdom is adequate for the powerful."
(c) "It is a feeling of danger."
(d) "People embrace narratives about forgiveness."

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," what does the Nigerian immigrant discover about living in America?
(a) As an outsider, he can see that the problem in America is class, not race.
(b) As he becomes more Americanized, he suffers more from the prejudices aimed at Black Americans.
(c) As an outsider, he can see that the problem in America is caste, not class.
(d) As he becomes more Americanized, he realizes that he identifies more with white Americans than Black Americans.

3. 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) Each caste is trying to distance itself from the lowest caste.
(d) Immigrants often arrive from countries with systemic racism of their own.

4. 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) A decline in civil behavior in public spaces.
(c) Rapidly rising income among Black Americans.
(d) Misinformation and propaganda spread via the Internet.

5. 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 whites assuming they have the right to supervise Black children.
(b) It is an example of white policing of Blacks doing ordinary everyday things.
(c) It is an example of police violence toward Black Americans.
(d) It is an example of Black parents trying to protect their sons from the dangers of being Black in America.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Symbols of Caste," what does Wilkerson say was the true purpose behind erecting Confederate monuments?

2. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," which group does Wilkerson say is the most susceptible to collective narcissism?

3. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what does Wilkerson use Tamir Rice's story to illustrate?

4. 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?

5. According to "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what percentage of White voters voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," what does Wilkerson say about the biological threat response of white Americans?

2. What is Wilkerson's purpose in telling the story of Devonte Hart in "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Caste"?

3. Explain what Erich Fromm says about group narcissism, as described by Wilkerson in "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste."

4. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the anecdote about the father and toddler in the restaurant?

5. When an Indian academic asks Wilkerson, in "Central Miscasting," what her position is in the American caste system, what does she tell him, and why?

6. What is "dominant group status threat" and how does Wilkerson link it to mortality statistics in "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung"?

7. Who was Satchel Paige, and what does his life story illustrate about race in America?

8. What principle is Wilkerson trying to illustrate with her personal anecdotes about flying first class in "Chapter Twenty-Three: Shock Troops on the Borders of Hierarchy"?

9. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," what evidence is there that Blacks in America are under stress from the society around them?

10. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," what does Wilkerson say about understanding the voting of lower-class whites?

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