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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 creature does Menakem use in an example of a hypothetical brutal act in the beginning of Chapter 16?

2. Who shot Philando Castile?

3. What does Menakem advocate adding to one's life in Chapter 17 to improve it?

4. Where did Menakem lead a series of training sessions while he was writing this book?

5. What does Menakem's brother tell him so many cops are told repeatedly that leads to tragic outcomes?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 8, what does Menakem say police are often tasked with in communities?

2. What did Menakem's grandmother often do to comfort herself in times of stress?

3. What is a pernicious side effect of white-body supremacy, according to Menakem in Chapter 16?

4. What are some activities specifically for Black bodies that can help them harmonize with other Black bodies, according to Menakem?

5. What does active listening involve?

6. Why does Bryan, Menakem's friend, call him so shaken in Chapter 8?

7. What historical event does Menakem ask the reader to look at pictures of, and why, in Chapter 16?

8. What must one first choose to do in order to stop intergenerational and historical trauma in its tracks, according to Menakem?

9. What does Menakem think about lizard-brain panic and use of force involving police officers?

10. What are three things everyone working in American law enforcement need to hear, according to Menakem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Menakem's nephew Xavier's encounter with the police in Chapter 8 affect his and his family's perceptions of police treatment of Black bodies? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What is the harm done to society and to the cause of racial justice by the persistence of what Menakem calls the "false fragility of the white body" (97)? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Menakem advise the reader to treat and engage with the body practices throughout this book, and why do you think he asks readers to do so? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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