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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," whom does Wilkerson name as the most loyal voters of the Republican Party?
(a) The wealthiest ten percent of voters.
(b) White business owners.
(c) Older Americans.
(d) White evangelicals.

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does the Black bailiff do when the white killer of a Black man begins crying about her conviction?
(a) Shoves her as she is being escorted from the court.
(b) Tells her that it will be okay and calls her "honey."
(c) Comforts her by stroking her hair.
(d) Tells her to shut up and stop crying.

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what is the purpose of including the story about Deandre Somerville's experience with jury duty?
(a) It is meant to show that Black and white Americans are not extended the same measure of "grace" by the justice system.
(b) It is meant to show that even Black children are harshly penalized by the justice system for minor offenses.
(c) It is meant to show that juries are still generally mostly white, even in the twenty-first century.
(d) It is meant to show that even inside the supposedly impartial world of jury deliberations Black Americans are treated with prejudice.

4. On page 283 of "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Wilkerson quote anthropologist Edmund Leach as saying about the lowest caste in India?
(a) "The first moral duty is resignation and acceptance."
(b) "People embrace narratives about forgiveness."
(c) "It is a feeling of danger."
(d) "Knowledge without wisdom is adequate for the powerful."

5. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," what is the story of Burton Holmes and Freddie Stowers meant to illustrate?
(a) The American system will go to great lengths to suppress or ignore lower-caste success.
(b) The French made white Americans uncomfortable by praising Black soldiers.
(c) The United States government does not extend the same veteran's support and benefits to Black soldiers.
(d) Even Black soldiers have not been exempt from racial harassment.

6. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," Wilkerson discusses biases that occur without thought. What is this kind of bias called?
(a) Automatic bias.
(b) Unconscious bias.
(c) Subconscious bias.
(d) Autonomic bias.

7. On page 287 of "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Roxanne Gay say causes whites to "embrace narratives about forgiveness"?
(a) Christianity.
(b) The urge to protect their caste privilege.
(c) A desire to pretend that the world is fair.
(d) A subconscious sense of guilt for the wrongs of the past.

8. In "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung," which group of Americans does Wilkerson say is facing declining life expectancy?
(a) Young, educated whites.
(b) Middle-aged, less-educated whites.
(c) Young, educated Blacks.
(d) Middle-aged, less-educated Blacks.

9. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," whom does Wilkerson quote as saying that there was nothing more important than making sure that Obama did not win a second election?
(a) The leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
(b) The pastor of the largest evangelical church in Alabama.
(c) An Arizona governor.
(d) The Republican Senate Majority Leader.

10. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," how many years does Wilkerson say separate the average life expectancy of White college graduates from that of Black college graduates?
(a) 2.
(b) 10.
(c) 4.
(d) 8.

11. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what does Wilkerson compare to the modern phenomenon of whites calling the police on Blacks who are just going about ordinary everyday business?
(a) Whites deputized to police escaped slaves.
(b) Adults supervising a race of "children."
(c) Wardens in a prison.
(d) Zookeepers reacting with fear to escaped "animals."

12. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," Wilkerson says that Clinton might have suffered from the "Bradley Effect." What does this mean?
(a) Polls tend to under-represent older white voters in agricultural states.
(b) During relatively good economic times voters are more likely to vote for conservative candidates.
(c) White women did not support Clinton because their primary loyalty was to their caste.
(d) Because of social stigma around Trump, voters told people they were going to vote for Clinton but actually voted for Trump.

13. Just before the 2008 election, what mailing did many Americans receive that Wilkerson, in "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," says became an "inadvertent leaflet in favor of the Democrat" (312)?
(a) An openly racist cartoon paid for by a Republican PAC.
(b) Their quarterly statements for their retirement accounts.
(c) A solicitation for contributions by John McCain.
(d) Notifications of layoffs and downsizing at their employers.

14. In "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Class," what does Wilkerson reveal about Indian castes in America?
(a) Dalits are often falsely accused of crimes in America, just as they are in India.
(b) Their need to flee the caste system is why so many Indian immigrants to America are Dalits.
(c) Caste continues to affect people even after they immigrate.
(d) The caste system has little or no power in the lives of Indians in America.

15. In "Chapter Twelve: A Scapegoat to Bear the Sins of the World," what does Wilkerson say Austin police initially said about the bomb-related death of Stephan House?
(a) That it was likely a hate crime.
(b) It might be drug-related, or House might have accidentally blown himself up.
(c) That it was probably the work of a serial bomber.
(d) That House was the probable suspect in a string of bombings.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," how did the incident at People's Grocery begin?

2. In "Chapter Twelve: A Scapegoat to Bear the Sins of the World," what change in the concept of the scapegoat does Wilkerson say has occurred over time?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Price We Pay for a Caste System," what does Wilkerson blame for the relatively low quality of life in the United States?

4. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what figure of speech does Wilkerson use when she says that modern caste protocols "are like the wind" (212)?

5. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what Lyndon Johnson prediction about Southern voters does Wilkerson relate?

(see the answer keys)

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