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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. Which leading Black intellectual corresponded with Bhimrao Ambedkar about race in America?

2. According to Wilkerson in "The Second Pillar: Heritability," what happened to Forest Whitaker at a Manhattan Deli?

3. In "Pillar Number Five: Occupational Hierarchy: The Jatis and the Mudsill," what is the rhetorical purpose of including the Hammond quotes?

4. In "Chapter Five: 'The Container We Have Built for You,'" what does Harold Hale do when people knock down his mailbox?

5. In "Pillar Number Eight: Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority," what is the Louise Beavers anecdote meant to illustrate?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In "Pillar Number Four: Purity versus Pollution," what claim does Wilkerson make about water, and how does she support her claim?

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

4. In "Pillar Number Eight: Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority," what does Wilkerson say underlies each of the first seven "pillars" she has already described?

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

6. Summarize the analogy Wilkerson makes between the thawing of the Siberian permafrost and the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

7. According to Wilkerson in "An Old House and an Infrared Light," how are caste systems justified, and what is their real purpose?

8. Explain the titular analogy in "An Old House and an Infrared Light."

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a work of fiction or poetry by an American Afrofuturist author to read. (Yes, Black Panther comics count.) Write an essay in which you explain the relationship of ideas in Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents to the ideas conveyed by the work of fiction or poetry.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that defends, refutes, or qualifies the following claim: because of the systemic racism aimed at Native American peoples, they should be included in Wilkerson's discussion of the "lowest caste." Note: Unless you have a PhD in Native American history, you will need to make thorough use of high-quality sources on the subject as you make this argument. Use textual support to defend your claims, and be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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