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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 Black female candidate for governor in 2018 does Rankine identify as having endured racist attacks during her campaign?

2. What does Rankine question how far away she can get from by using the language of inquiry in Part IV?

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

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

5. What does Rankine write that she is trying to understand in the very beginning of Part III?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Rankine includes the photo of the white man holding a sign saying "I am not ashamed/afraid to be white" on page 140?

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

3. What does Rankine think will be the likely fallout from her speaking at the dinner party the way she does in Part III?

4. What does the white man in the hallway in Part III say to Rankine that she finds flabbergasting?

5. What is one major way Rankine points out in which Black people are historically economically more disadvantaged than whites?

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

7. What does Rankine mean when she asks the question, "Whose boys get to be boys?" (264).

8. What cliched phrase that is often used to excuse terrible behavior on the part of boys and men did Rankine recall hearing after the Kavanaugh hearings in Part IV?

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

10. 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)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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

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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