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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 found that which element creates a state of fear, which then puts people into survival mode?

2. What punishment did Irving earn for challenging her mother about giving Diane permission to see A Patch of Blue?

3. Irving's project sought to help which kind of people living in inner-city areas?

4. Which object was involved in Irving's realizations about her own appearance?

5. Irving discusses an article that revolves around which element's ability to shape the mind?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Irving first become familiar with the city of Cambridge and for how many years had she lived there at the time of her writing?

2. Provide evidence for the conclusion that Irving wants to provide the reader of Waking Up White with practical advice.

3. Explain the concept of dysfunctional rescuing.

4. In what way does Irving link the themes of oppression and brutality within Chapter 34: Becomiing Multicultural?

5. How did Irving first come to work within the public school system?

6. How does Irving go about outlining the privilege inherent in her own life?

7. What does Irving mean in Chapter 36: The Dominant White Culture when she writes, "I never felt white; I just felt like Debby" (212)?

8. What requirements were in place at the preschool where Irving enrolled her eldest daughter and how did the requirements shape the school's population?

9. What purpose does Irving have in mind when she shares the family story about A Patch of Blue?

10. What did Irving learn from her experience with the mirror one year into her "waking-up process" (199)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Irving's message about the relationship between race and class within the book Waking Up White?

Essay Topic 2

How does Irving employ the use or rejection of fallacy within Waking Up White and how does the inclusion of fallacy help Irving to prove particular points made within the text?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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