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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What departure from legal precedent was made in the Virginia Assembly's decision that the children of enslaved women should also be considered slaves?

2. According to Wilkerson's explanation on page 9, why did Democrats hesitate to impeach Trump?

3. In "The Third Pillar: Endogamy and the Control of Marriage and Mating," what does Wilkerson imply was the reason for the prosecution of Hugh Davis?

4. In "Chapter Five: 'The Container We Have Built for You,'" what unusual name does Harold Hale give his daughter?

5. What is the name of Gunnar Myrdal's 1944 study of race in America?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Wilkerson use the colonial census as support for her argument about caste in colonial America?

2. 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"?

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

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

5. For what reason does Wilkerson say that race is a social concept, not a biological one?

6. According to "A Long-Running Play and the Emergence of Caste in America," what was the original justification for lifetime enslavement, and how did that justification need to change as circumstances changed?

7. What is the rhetorical purpose of stressing the length of time that slavery existed in America?

8. Explain the relationship between Hammond's "Mudsill" speech and the economic uses of caste that Wilkerson describes in "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill."

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 Hierarchy of Trace Amounts: Griffes, Marabons, and Sangmelees," what are the words "Griffes, Marabons, and Sangmelees," and what point do they illustrate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Wilkerson's vision of an American caste system with the caste system of India. Offer textual evidence for your claims, and be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you use argument by analogy to make your case. You may write on any topic you choose, as long as you create a tenable thesis. Be sure to cite any sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write your own argument of definition. You may write on any topic you choose, as long as you create a tenable thesis. Be sure to cite any sources in MLA format.

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