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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. Who is Rankine's favorite musical group?

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

3. Why did Rankine bolster the security at her own home?

4. What illness did Rankine suffer and recover from?

5. How old was Rankine when she met her husband?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What statement of Hillary Clinton's does Rankine recall and quote on page 133, calling it appalling but not un-American?

6. 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?

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

8. 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?

9. What is the name of the class Rankine eventually began teaching and continues to teach at Yale?

10. Why does Rankine undertake a series of casual conversations with white male travelers on airplanes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Rankine chose to begin asking white men specifically in airports and on planes about their own perceptions of white male privilege? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How does tennis star Naomi Osaka's experiences with the media highlight the ubiquity of racism not just in the United States but in other countries, too? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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