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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 percentage of public school teachers are white, according to the National Center for Education Statistics' data for 2015-16?

2. What does one dinner party guest try to turn people's attention to to change the subject from racism that Rankine brings up?

3. What does Rankine refer to "the gloom" in her poem in Part III?

4. What does Rankine think is the probable outcome of her conversations at the dinner party in Part III?

5. Who did Laura Ingraham address her "Shut up and dribble" comment to, as cited by Rankine in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Rankine wonder about the woman in Part IV who has a medical emergency on the plane?

2. What did the actress Eartha Kitt do in 1968 that led to her being blacklisted?

3. In Part IV, what does a white man say to a white woman - ostensibly his partner - when she arrives at the airport gate late?

4. What did former President Lyndon Johnson tell journalist Bill Moyers about white and Black relations?

5. What kinds of experiments does Rankine recall when discussing the young age at which most children begin exhibiting racial preferences?

6. What statement did Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders make about the 2018 midterm elections that Rankine criticizes?

7. Which trope does Rankine feel she is "sailing closer and closer to" in Part III at a dinner party and why does she feel this way (149)?

8. Why does Rankine think it is particularly puzzling that the white female judge in Part IV seems to fear for her son's life as he moves to Brooklyn?

9. What does the term "people of color" mean to Rankine?

10. What upsets Rankine the most about the behavior of the other guests at the dinner party in Part III?

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

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.

Essay Topic 3

What is Rankine's reaction to her white male friend's recounting of a scenario in his diversity training - and his classmates' reaction to the scenario - in which one student in a classroom compares a piece of art depicting a Black person's face to a monkey (61)? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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