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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 does Rankine say she wants her daughter to be able to "negotiate the world" with?

2. What James Baldwin poem does Rankine excerpt in Part I?

3. How does the document Notes on the State of Virginia characterize the griefs of Black people?

4. Which city in Michigan suffered from lead-tainted water?

5. What illness did Rankine suffer and recover from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one problem Rankine has with the scenario her white friend on a diversity training tells her about regarding a classroom situation?

2. What is one major event in Rankine's life that she discusses in Part II as forcing her to reassess her life as a whole?

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

4. What historical document from the 1700s does Rankine include extensive sections of in Part II?

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

6. What is the significance of the "Unite the Right" rally that took place in Charlottesville Virginia in 2017, according to Rankine?

7. What reason does one white man offer to Rankine as an explanation as to why his son did not get accepted through early decision to Yale University?

8. Who popularized the phrase "white privilege" and when did it begin being used more often?

9. Why does Rankine think it might be best for just her white husband to attend her daughter's parent-teacher conference?

10. What does Rankine worry about regarding the way many people - teachers included - seem to view Black children in general?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Rankine feel about, and react to, the idea of "color-blindness" and to people's insistence that they do not "see color"? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

"I sometimes joke that my optimism has been stolen by white supremacy," Rankine writes towards the end of the book (327). Write an essay interpreting the larger meaning of this statement in the wider context of the book, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Rankine's white friend's behavior at the play "Fairview" upset her so much? How does the white friend's written response change Rankine's view on the events of that night? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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