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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. Who is cited in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand" as having said, "In this brave new world, punishment for the original offense is no longer enough; one's debt to society is never paid"?

2. Where did Warren McCleskey commit the crime he was accused of?

3. When did the article "Where Have the Black Men Gone" appear in Ebony magazine?

4. Who is attributed to the quote in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow," "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity"?

5. The author asserts in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow" that although rural counties contain only 20% of the U.S. population, what percentage of new prison construction occurs there?

Short Essay Questions

1. When did Whren v. United States go before the Supreme Court? What was the Court's decision?

2. What is the "Black Box" that the author refers to in Chapter 4: "The Cruel Hand"?

3. What is the significance of the Supreme Court decision in McCleskey v. Kemp?

4. Why does the author discuss Barack Obama's speech at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

5. How does the author describe the crime statistics of Chicago in regard to race in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

6. How does the author compare the incarceration rates of blacks and whites in the U.S. for drug offenses versus the statistics of use among blacks and whites in the country?

7. What is the Baldus study? What were the conclusions of the study?

8. How did the media and propaganda contribute to the stereotype of the poor African American drug user?

9. What are the obstacles that former criminals face in terms of finding housing?

10. What are the historical parallels between Jim Crow and mass incarceration that the author explores in Chapter 5: "The New Jim Crow"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the contributions of Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush in the War on Drugs. What acts were introduced by these presidents? What impacts did they have on the mass incarceration problems?

Essay Topic 2

What are the mandatory sentences for crack cocaine possession? What sentences are mandatory for powder cocaine possession? Why is there a disparity? How does this disparity impact the African American community?

Essay Topic 3

What is "black exceptionalism"? How does black exceptionalism pose obstacles for civil rights advocates? What are examples of black exceptionalism seen in politics today?

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