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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 writer refers to "the afterlife of slavery"?

2. Which university does Rankine work for?

3. What event occurred in Washington D.C. on August 8, 1925?

4. What did Rankine tell her marriage counselor in front of her husband that was hurtful to her husband?

5. What song did Rankine and one of her white male co-travelers in Part I both love?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Rankine quote Malcolm X as saying about Black women in America?

2. What image does Rankine include in the book that a British media personality, Danny Baker, tweeted after the birth of the royal family's mixed-race baby in 2019?

3. What assertion that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kanavagh made in his senate confirmation hearing does Rankine take issue with in Part I?

4. What does Rankine describe Beyonce's album Lemonade as dealing with?

5. How does Rankine feel contemplating the overwhelmingly white parents and teachers at her daughter's school?

6. What is the tension for Rankine as she expresses it in her poem in Part I in the call to change?

7. What does a white friend of Rankine's tell her about white people speaking amongst themselves about racism?

8. What are Shirley Cards?

9. What is the origin of this book's title?

10. What is a major reason Rankine decides to go to marriage counseling with her husband?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the range of scientific research and anecdotal evidence Rankine offers the reader to illustrate how early racism and bias appear in children's behaviors and language, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the book, Rankine reveals that she asked a friend to read a draft of the book and the friend told her that the book did not lay out any real "strategy" (334). Do you agree with this critique? Why or why not? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing the symbolism and significance behind blond hair in Rankine's lengthy analysis of it, especially regarding women of color's decision to dye their hair blonde.

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