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Instructor Resource Manual and Test Bank for Race, Class and Gender: An Anthology, 9th
edition by Andersen/Hill-Collins
PART I: WHY RACE, CLASS AND GENDER STILL MATTER
Margaret Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins
1. “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference,” Audre Lorde
Lorde discusses the experience being marginalized in American society on multiple levels. She
discusses the role of art, and especially poetry as a means in which women of Color have been
able to historically express themselves and share the experiences of their marginalization. The
issue of the poetry and prose by women of Color and their exclusion from college curriculums
are addressed as a way in which these past difficulties and issues are allowed to continue and
repeat in our society.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. According to Lorde, we tend to speak not of human difference, but human
a. aggression
b. frustration
c. similarity
d. deviance
2. Lorde says that __________ is the most economical art form.
a. painting
b. photography
c. poetry
d. prose
3. What excuses are often used as to why literature by women of Color is often not taught in
college classes?
a. can only be taught by women of Color
b. they are too difficult to understand
c. the experiences presented are “too different”
d. all of these choices are correct
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4. According to Lorde, _________ are tricked into joining the oppressor by believing they can
share power
a. White women
b. Black women
c. Jewish women
d. Hispanic women
5. In Lorde’s article, she argues that the need for unity is often misrepresented as a need for:
a. oppression
b. equality
c. homogeneity
d. heterogeneity
Essay and Discussion Questions:
1. How does Audre Lorde perceive the intersection between being Black and a lesbian? What
are solutions proposed?
2. What does Lorde argue as being the importance of poetry? How is it seen as a different art
form?
3. What are the reasons argued that literature by women of Color are not taught in college
classes? What do you think could be some solutions to make it possible?
4. What are differences discussed by Lorde that are faced by White women when compared to
women of Color?
Internet Sites and Questions for Further Study:
are of a different race or gender?
1. Choose one of the posts in this blog. Are you familiar with the subject matter? If not, why do
2. “A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki
Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores multicultural
America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and cultural influence of the
Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on American culture is largely unrecognized.
The contributions of racial and ethnic groups must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true
essence of American identity.
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Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been pitted
against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their influences and
contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that recognizing the value of their
experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of our common history and the tensions and
struggles evident among racial and ethnic groups today.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. According to Takaki’s analysis of history, America:
a. only recently became multicultural.
b. has always been multicultural.
c. has been influenced by only the European settlers.
d. has maintained a homogeneous populace.
2. According to Takaki, the cab driver he spoke with expressed a widely shared sense of history
that views American as:
a. European in its ancestry.
b. inclusive of all racial and ethnic groups.
c. all United States citizens.
d. a mixture of people who immigrated from all over the world
3. In Takaki’s “A Different Mirror,” the Rodney King beating illustrates:
a. the conflict between the haves and have-nots in society.
b. the role of media in society.
c. America’s intensifying racial crisis.
d. the need for reform of the criminal justice system.
4. Takaki points out that slavery and the Civil Rights Movement serve as:
a. scars on America’s past.
b. reminders of America’s goal of freedom.
c. evidence of hardship and suffering among Americans.
d. evidence of American’s conformity to social norms.
5. According to Takaki, the immigration experience of the Chinese:
a. set a precedent for the restriction of European immigrant groups.
b. reflects the openness of America’s doors to immigrant groups.
c. differed from the immigrant experience among European immigrants.
d. was an isolated example of exclusion.
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6. According to Takaki, the Chicano experience is unique in that:
a. Chicanos have settled predominantly in the North.
b. most all Chicanos are initially illegal immigrants.
c. their presence in the United States is the result of colonization and immigration.
d. Chinese Americans quickly became elites.
7. Takaki points out that the Irish were denied acceptance by dominant society because of their:
a. political activity.
b. whiteness.
c. religion.
d. late arrival
8. Takaki examines how the Jewish immigrant’s view of America as a promised land led to:
a. their participation in the fight for equal rights for other oppressed groups.
b. their acceptance by dominant society.
c. their rapid return to their homeland.
d. an absence of anti-semitism in the U.S.
9. According to Takaki, the encounters between Indians and Whites:
a. illustrates the pluralism evident in American society.
b. reflects the complete assimilation achieved by racial and ethnic groups in U.S.
society.
c. shaped the course of race relations in America.
d. were mostly peaceful.
10. Takaki maintains that the history and influence of all groups in America:
a. offer a concreteness to the founding national principle of equality.
b. creates a conflict of interest between minority and dominant groups.
c. reflect the racial harmony evident in society today.
d. have resulted in an end to racial injustice
Essay and Discussion Questions:
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1. What does Takaki mean by “a different mirror”?
2. According to Takaki, what is the dominant view of America’s racial history?
3. Briefly describe the experiences and contributions of African Americans, Asian Americans,
Chicanos, Irish, Jews, and American Indians as racial and ethnic groups with in the United
States.
4. Identify similarities and differences in the experiences of African Americans, Asian
Americans, Chicanos, Irish, Jews, and American Indians.
5. According to Takaki, what is the benefit in understanding the history of racial and ethnic
groups within the United States?
Internet Sites and Questions for Further Study:
Numbers USA
1. According to this organization, what is the future of immigration?
2. How is this point of view reflected in the history and influence of previous immigrant
groups?
1. Describe a few of the issues presented regarding immigration.
3. “The First Americans: Americans Indians,” Matthew Snipp
Matthew Snipp presents a historical summary of the United States’ treatment of American
Indians: removal, assimilation, the Indian New Deal, termination and relocation, and self
determination. In the early 1800s removal of American Indians was the goal of the United
States. Increased population and newly acquired land encouraged the push of American Indians
westward, first through negotiated treaties and ultimately through forced removal. These actions
resulted in severe hardship for American Indians physically and culturally. At the end of the
1800s the government policy regarding American Indians shifted to assimilation, or rather
“humane extinction.” The goal of the government, Snipp points out was to “civilize” American
Indians through religion, education, ownership of property, and agricultural careers. The effect
of assimilation on American Indians was the loss and disorganization of land, the impact of
which is still being felt today.
In the early 1930s the government encompassed American Indians in the New Deal programs.
This shift in treatment demonstrated a new respect for American Indian culture and land.
Economic and infrastructure support was granted to American Indian reservations, and tribal
governance was allowed. American Indian policy took a different shift after WWII with the
goals of termination and relocation. The United States government sought to terminate their
dealing with American Indians and relocate American Indians to urban areas. In the era of the
Civil Rights movement, yet another shift in United States and American Indian relations
occurred. “Self–determination,” the goal of American Indian autonomy, became the focus
resulting in greater control of tribal governments and the end to termination policies. Snipp
concludes with a discussion of the current status of American Indians. Population growth among
American Indians has increased on reservations and in Urban areas. Snipp points out that both
of these segments of the American Indian population face economic hardship. Urban American
Indians also face the struggle of maintaining their culture away from reservations. Pan-
Indianism has served to unite American Indian tribes in their fight for survival.
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Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Which of the following does not reflect the treatment of American Indians by the United
States government?
a. termination and relocation
b. assimilation
c. statehood
d. removal
2. The “Trail of Tears” resulted from which of the following policies:
a. the Indian New Deal.
b. removal.
c. assimilation.
d. self-determination.
3. Assimilation of American Indians took the form of:
a. boarding schools for American Indian children and the 1887 General Allotment Act.
b. the continued practice of traditional ceremonies.
c. tribal governance.
d. the Trail of Tears
4. As explained in “The First Americans: Americans Indians,” the Roosevelt administration
issued the Indian New Deal, which:
a. removed John Collier as the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
b. developed a new respect for American Indian tribal culture.
c. eliminated projects to control soil erosion.
d. weakened the infrastructure on reservations.
5. As noted in “The First Americans: Americans Indians,” the policies of termination and
relocation of American Indians took the form of:
a. ending the special status of reservations and moving American Indians to urban settings.
b. ending discriminatory practices against American Indians.
c. cultural relativism.
d. the creation of reservations and the sovereignty of tribal nations.
6. Matthew Snipp notes in “The First Americans: Americans Indians,” that American Indians
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living in urban areas have been helped by:
a. the government.
b. reservations.
c. pan-Indianism.
d. altruism.
7. According to Matthew Snipp, American Indians are one of the most ________________
groups in American society.
a. significant
b. diverse
c. destitute
d. insignificant
Essay and Discussion Questions:
1. Briefly describe the history of United States and American Indian relations.
2. How has the United States government carried out its goal of assimilation of American
Indians?
3. What are the concerns of American Indians living on reservations and those living in urban
areas?
4. What is “pan–Indianism”? How has this hurt or helped American Indians?
1. Explore an area of Native American history. What new information have you learned about
2. How has this information broadened your understanding of the oppression of Native
Americans by the United States government?
1. Why did AIM start? What is the history of the organization?
2. What forms of political activism has AIM used in its fight against oppression? What have
been the successes of this movement?
4. “From a Native Daughter,” Haunani-Kay Trask
Trask describes her experiences of growing up and learning about Hawaiian history from two
sources. Her family described the “‘life of the old ones’” – how they planted, fished, danced and
chanted. The second source, textbooks, described a very different Hawaii – “‘Pagan
Hawaiians’” could not read or write and were “‘lustful cannibals.’” Trask is troubled by how
native language has been suppressed by school knowledge. She concludes that historians had
never learned the language of the Hawaiian people. Therefore, the story of Hawaii, its culture
and connection to the land remains unwritten.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. According to the article, the first step in the colonizing process is:
a. learning the Native language of the people
b. the deculturation of a people
c. infanticide
d. assimilation of the colonizers to the native culture
2. Historians claim that Hawaiian land tenure was based on “feudalism.” Trask would argue
that the historians’ claims are:
a. true
b. false
3. By claiming that Hawaiians lived under feudalism, Whites
a. alienated the Hawaiian people from the land
b. instituted land tenure changes in line with current notions of private property
c. degraded a successful system of shared land use
d. all of these answers are correct
4. The Hawaiian language shows possession in two ways: through the use of an “a” possessive,
which indicates , and through the use of an “o” possessive which
denotes:
a. civilized status; less developed status
b. inherent status; acquired status
c. acquired status; inherent status
d. less developed status; civilized status
5. Trask would argue that historians have engaged in thinking, by judging
Hawaiian culture to the standards of their own culture.
a. feudalistic
b. civilized
c. ethnocentric
d. possessive
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Essay and Discussion Questions:
1. Is the failure of historians to learn the Hawaiian language the result of ignorance or
ethnocentric bias? Please explain your answer.
2. Briefly summarize what Trask meant when she wrote: “I was reading the West’s view of
itself through the degradation of my own past.” Provide at least three examples that she uses
to base this conclusion.
3. Why is language so important to understanding a people’s culture and heritage?
4. How did the land tenure changes instituted by Westerners affect Hawaiians?
1. What is the vision of the organization?
2. Would Trask support or oppose this organization? Please explain.
1. Opponents of the admission policy of Kamehameha Schools argue that it violates basic civil
rights. How do the civil rights groups in this article challenge this opposition?
2. Can the Kamehameha Schools be compared to affirmative action policies found in colleges
and universities across the United States? Why or why not?
5. “Label Us Angry” Jeremiah Torres
Torres is still angry, years after an incident that he describes as “the most painful and shocking
event” of his life. Growing up in Palo Alto California, he and his friend Carlos had not
experienced overt racism until they had a confrontation with a speeding driver who cut them off
as they were leaving their high school parking lot. The events that followed – from the meanness
of the people in the other car to the reactions of police officers and the different ways in which
the author and his friend handled their anger – illustrate some dramatic consequences of racist
assumptions and racist labeling.
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What hurt Carlos more than the mace or the night he spent in the juvenile detention center?
a. racist labels
b. a police beating
c. the reactions of his parents
d. his conscience
2. The author believes the police questioned him and Carlos about possible gang membership
because:
a. the police thought the white men who attacked Carlos and his friend might have been in a
gang
b. the police saw gang insignias tattooed on the boys’ bodies
c. among the hundreds of thousands of Filipino youth living in Palo Alto at that time many
thousands were known to be in gangs
d. the police made a racist assumption that young Asian men are likely to be gang members
3. According to the author, what made the incident at the traffic light racist?
a. the angry gestures of the white passenger
b. the fact that the author and his friends were Filipino
c. the use of mace
d. the particular labels the white men used to describe Carlos and his friend
4. The author tried to channel his anger by:
a. writing about it
b. fighting back with violence
c. hating white people
d. dropping out of school and joining a gang
5. After high school Carlos:
a. became a career criminal
b. went to college at Berkeley
c. attacked the white men who had maced him
d. we don’t know from the article what he did
6. From the author’s viewpoint, which “assault with intent to hurt” caused the most lasting
damage to its intended victim?
a. the spraying of mace
b. the hurling of the quarter
c. the use of racial labels
d. the court proceedings
7. What kind of racism does the author identify as most prominent in this story?
a. covert
b. institutionalized
c. overt
d. structural
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Essay and Discussion Questions:
1. Why did the author call the incident he relates “the most painful and shocking event” of his
life? Discuss why it was so painful. Consider what made it shocking to him.
2. Discuss the reaction of police officers after the men were maced. Consider any differences
that might have been evident in their reactions if Jeremiah and Carlos had sprayed mace in to
the faces of the white men, instead of being the ones attacked with mace. Would the police
officers likely have asked if the white men were gang members? Would they still have
considered the possibility that the Filipino men were gang members? What evidence do you
find in this story to support your answer?
3. Discuss the choices that Jeremiah and Carlos made in dealing with their anger, and compare
the consequences of their different choices.
4. We see in this story several angry young men. Discuss how each man handles his anger.
What does each man do? What are the consequences of how each man deals with his angry
feelings? How is race related to the consequences each man gets for the way he handled his
anger in this true story?