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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. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," Wilkerson uses the term "kitchen table appeals" (327). What kinds of appeals are these?
(a) Appeals to everyday people's concerns with money, education, and health care.
(b) Appeals to caste-related concerns like immigration, voting rights, and affirmative action.
(c) Appeals to women's concerns with reproductive freedom, physical safety, and equal rights.
(d) Appeals to food-related issues like food safety, agricultural policy, and food scarcity.

2. 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) A decline in civil behavior in public spaces.
(d) Misinformation and propaganda spread via the Internet.

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) Each caste is trying to distance itself from the lowest caste.
(b) Immigrants know that this is what white people want to hear.
(c) Immigrants often arrive from countries with systemic racism of their own.
(d) Each caste wants to stress its proximity to the dominant caste.

4. 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.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what error of John McCain's does Wilkerson say contributed to Obama's victory?

2. 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?

3. 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"?

4. What fact does Wilkerson offer in "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste" to refute the common idea that economic insecurity cause people to vote for Trump?

5. What conclusion about people does Wilkerson come to in In "Chapter Nineteen: The Euphoria of Hate"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Stockholm Syndrome, and how does Wilkerson apply it to race relations in "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Caste"?

2. 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"?

3. 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?

4. "Chapter Seventeen: On the Early Front Lines of Caste" tells the story of Allison Davis's early career. Who was he, and what important work did he contribute to scholarship about race in America?

5. Describe the "Brown Eyes/Blue Eyes" experiment and its results.

6. Summarize the story Wilkerson tells in "Chapter Twenty-One: The German Girl with the Dark, Wavy Hair."

7. What is "variolation," and how did the route of its introduction into Colonial America interfere with its adoption?

8. How does Wilkerson explain the greater scrutiny America focuses on Democrats in "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste"?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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