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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Irving uses an analogy in Chapter 8: Racial Categories that uses what physical attribute to stand in for race?
(a) Eye color.
(b) Hair color.
(c) Finger length.
(d) Foot length.

2. In which U.S. state did an ancestor of Irving's establish New Salem Academy by applying for a land grant?
(a) Ohio.
(b) Florida.
(c) California.
(d) Maine.

3. How many different categories does Betsy Leondar-Wright identify when she provides "a way of thinking about class" (30)?
(a) 3.
(b) 5.
(c) 19.
(d) 7.

4. What term is used to describe the rule in which people of mixed races in America are assigned the identity of the race considered inferior by the dominant white culture?
(a) Sublimation.
(b) Hyphenation.
(c) Discrimination.
(d) Hypodescent.

5. The activity at the end of Chapter 17: My Good People asks the reader to give reasons why they never believed that they could take which action in relation to racism?
(a) Dissolve.
(b) Perpetuate.
(c) Fight.
(d) Address.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which word does Irving define as "a collective character that describes a set of beliefs and behaviors that identify the group" (79)?

2. Chapter 5: Within the Walls asks readers to reconsider the definition of which term?

3. What was the first name of the woman who established New Salem Academy through the acquisition of a land grant?

4. Irving advocates for which narrative to become one among many telling the story of America's history?

5. In Chapter 3: Race Versus Class, Irving states that "Understanding" what, "regardless of class, is key to understanding racism" (26)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Irving's purpose for including a lengthy explanation of her mother's overall kindness in Chapter 1: What Wasn't Said?

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

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

4. How does Irving explain the difference between a mosaic and a melting pot?

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

6. What major myth propagated within the population of Baby Boomers does Irving discuss in Chapter 4: Optimism?

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

8. What is the symbolism of the set of diplomas described in Chapter 16: Logos and Stereotypes?

9. Which movement within history does Irving wish her parents had discussed with her?

10. What is the motivation for the dominant culture's stance regarding America as either a melting pot or a mosaic?

(see the answer keys)

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