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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. Irving uses an analogy in Chapter 8: Racial Categories that uses what physical attribute to stand in for race?

2. In the story Irving uses to open Chapter 1: What Wasn't Said, how old was she at the time?

3. In which U.S. state did an ancestor of Irving's establish New Salem Academy by applying for a land grant?

4. Around how many Indian boarding schools at one time existed in the United States, all inspired by the Carlisle School?

5. In what part of the country did Irving grow up, according to Chapter 5: Within the Walls?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the Carlisle School and what effect did it have on the rest of the country?

2. In what area of the United States and in what kind of dwelling did Irving grow up?

3. For what reason does Irving use an allusion to the television show I Love Lucy in Chapter 12: Icebergs?

4. What singular conclusion does Irving draw about culture in Chapter 3: Race Versus Class?

5. Discuss the impact of the philosophy of colorblindness as it relates to the fight for social justice.

6. What solution does Irving offer for creating a more complete picture of American history?

7. Discuss an instance when Irving uses statistics to back up one of her points regarding racism.

8. How does Irving describe the connotations associated with the quality of whiteness in Chapter 9: White Superiority?

9. Compare and contrast the answer Irving's mother gave her in Chapter 1: What Wasn't Said with the answer Irving believes should have been delivered.

10. In what way does Irving use repetition to underscore the importance of her message in Chapter 14: Zap!?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Irving's messages about motherhood within the text Waking Up White.

Essay Topic 2

Choose an object from Waking Up White, such as an electrical shock or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 3

What is Irving's message regarding the difference between awareness and activism and how does Irving get this message across to the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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