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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 2: "Part Two: The Arbitrary Construction of Human Divisions".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Wilkerson in In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," what do social scientists say combines with racial bias to produce racism?
(a) Systemic power.
(b) Extremism.
(c) Personal intention.
(d) Overt hatred.

2. Besides the caste systems in India and the United States, which other caste system does Wilkerson say that she will focus on?
(a) The Nigerian Osu System.
(b) Yuan China.
(c) Nazi Germany.
(d) Apartheid South Africa.

3. What technique does Wilkerson use for the first time in the beginning of "An Old House and an Infrared Light"?
(a) Rhetorical questions.
(b) Anecdote.
(c) Analogy.
(d) First person point of view.

4. In the opening analogy of the book, what is the melting permafrost being compared to?
(a) Denial of climate change.
(b) Racism.
(c) The 2016 election.
(d) A "silent" earthquake.

5. To what part of history does Wilkerson explicitly link the Electoral College?
(a) Colonization.
(b) Reconstruction.
(c) The Jim Crow South.
(d) Slavery.

Short Answer Questions

1. About how many years did American slavery last?

2. On page 12, Wilkerson says that some contagions can only be managed with "vigilance." How is she proposing they should be managed?

3. In "Chapter Six: The Measure of Humanity," where does Wilkerson say the term "Caucasian" came from?

4. According to Wilkerson, who is at the top of the "ladder of humanity" created by colonists in North America?

5. In "The Vitals of History," what does Wilkerson compare an honest and rigorous study of history to?

(see the answer key)

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