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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. According to Lalami, the following is a definition of what: “a system that gives members of the dominant group both immediate and generational benefits that are not accessible to members of non-dominant groups” (99).

2. Lalami states that Trump's Muslim ban was another another attempt to maintain what?

3. What does Lalami say happened as a result of the opioid epidemic?

4. Who does Lalami say often get excluded from social programs like Social Security and Medicare?

5. What term did Peggy McIntosh term which refers to “a range of systemic unearned advantages that benefit white people” (98).

Short Essay Questions

1. Who coined the term "white privilege," and what does it mean?

2. What does Lalami say at the end of "Caste" in regards to the level of wealth men like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett have?

3. Describe the TV producer at Channel One where Lalami worked after grad school. How does she think her firing had to do with him?

4. How did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fund her run for office?

5. In what ways were the crack epidemic and the opioid epidemic handled differently and why?

6. What does Lalami suggest Tom's treatment of Jim Huckleberry Finn represents at the start of "Tribe"?

7. In "Tribe," how does Lalami define what she calls "white anxiety" (97)?

8. In the final chapter, what are some things Lalami notes must happen in order for there to be equal citizenship it the United States?

9. Despite growing up poor, what advantage did Lalami have in Morocco which she said "granted [her] access to elite groups" (127)?

10. According to Lalami in "Tribe," how are white people and nonwhite people treated differently in public spaces?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining the ending of Conditional Citizens. How did the ending fit into the narrative? Do you think the ending was effective? In what ways does the final chapter develop the theme of progress? What might the author have done differently?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay comparing and contrasting Lalami's experience in Morocco to her experience in America. Focus on how these similarities and differences develop the themes of inequality, citizenship, and progress.

Essay Topic 3

Write an analysis of Lalami's commentary on poverty in Conditional Citizens. What examples of poverty does she include? How is America's view of poverty different from how Lalami describes Morocco's view?

(see the answer keys)

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