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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. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," whom does Wilkerson quote as saying that there was nothing more important than making sure that Obama did not win a second election?

2. 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?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," which of the following groups does Wilkerson say tends to show more of the negative health impacts of prejudice?

4. In "Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," whose work on collective narcissism does Wilkerson discuss?

5. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," what does the Nigerian immigrant discover about living in America?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," how does Wilkerson say Civil War politics seem to still influence American voting?

2. 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"?

3. 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?

4. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," what historical discussion of the French treatment of Black American soldiers does Wilkerson relate?

5. 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?

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

7. 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?

8. According to Wilkerson, in "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what impact has the census prediction for 2042 had on Whites in America?

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. 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"?

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

Write an essay in which you take and defend a position about whether the sometimes shallow coverage of historical and sociological phenomena in Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is a weakness in Wilkerson's argument or is merely an effect of her attempt to appeal to a popular audience. Offer textual evidence for your claims, and be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you evaluate the extent to which Wilkerson's argument depends on argument by analogy. Discuss what other forms of argument and support she uses, the weight that argument by analogy has in the overall text, and how effective Wilkerson's analogies are in advancing her overall thesis.

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