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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is the 'greatest barrier to black progress', according to Steele?
(a) Education.
(b) Racism.
(c) Self-hatred.
(d) Government.

2. Steele mentioned that which of the following 'spreads like spilled paint'?
(a) Love.
(b) Overcaution.
(c) Tolerance.
(d) Intolerance.

3. What is the race / ethnicity of Steele's wife?
(a) Caucasian.
(b) African American.
(c) Chinese.
(d) Mexican.

4. What period in time did Steele refer to as 'turbulent'?
(a) 70's.
(b) 60's.
(c) 80's.
(d) 50's.

5. What profession did Chapter 2 say Steele worked in?
(a) Law.
(b) Teaching.
(c) Medicine.
(d) Politics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Methods of creating a black identity is also known as what, said Steele?

2. What did Steele learn about himself when writing The Content of Our Character?

3. What did Steele say of the president mentioned in Chapter 1?

4. What did Steele say is the driving force when one gives utmost attention to race?

5. What does Steele say would be the secret to writing this book, if there was such a a thing?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Steele's opinion, why is the black, underclass group continually expanding?

2. In Chapter 3, how did Steele say blacks deal with racial insecurities?

3. How does Steele define the self-inflicted mindset of anti-self?

4. Why did Steele say he was accused of being inauthentic? How do many blacks say Steele views the priority of the black race? Have other blacks followed in Steele's footsteps? If so, how and why?

5. Steele shared his thought that blacks use themes of re-composition to create black identity. What did he say are these themes?

6. What is Steele's opinion of the black identity?

7. How did Steele mention individualism is powerful? What did he say it requires people to do? What could be the drawbacks of it?

8. What did Steele mean when he spoke about integration shock? When does it generally occur? Are blacks and whites equally likely to experience it?

9. What are the three ways that Steele said integration shock manifests as segregation?

10. Steele articulated, when blacks feel powerless in white society, they deal with it in one of two ways, by challenging or bargaining. Describe what he means by this.

(see the answer keys)

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