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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 kinds of patterns did some psychologists study in preschool teachers to research racial bias?

2. Which comedian does Rankine call out in Part IV for revealing parts of his racial identity but not revealing other parts of his racial identity?

3. Which actress does Rankine mention as being blacklisted in the 1960s?

4. What phrase do people who want to excuse men's inappropriate or even abusive behavior towards women often say, according to Rankine?

5. How did Scott Arndt react to hearing the phrase "white male privilege" from a colleague?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does the white female judge say about her son in Part IV that shocks Rankine?

3. How does Rankine eventually come to better understand her friend's actions at the play Fairview?

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

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

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

7. What makes Rankine so angry at the play Fairview?

8. Where does Rankine say the term "people of color" first came from?

9. What happens to the young child of a friend of Rankine's when he colors Goldilocks's skin brown in his class?

10. In Part IV, what kinds of conversations does Rankine include excerpts from?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Rankine chooses to juxtapose excerpts from the document "Notes on the State of Virginia," which was written in 1782, and photographs and descriptions of the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

"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.

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