Am I Racist Quiz
Questions: 15 · 10 minutes
1. A news report identifies the race of a person accused of a crime even though race is not relevant to the event. How do you interpret that detail?
I consider whether mentioning race could encourage an unsupported group stereotype.
I notice it but usually accept the report's framing without examining why it was included.
I see it as potentially informative about patterns within that racial group.
I take it as support for concerns I already have about that racial group.
2. Someone tells you that a phrase you used felt racially hurtful, although you intended it harmlessly. What are you most likely to do first?
Thank them for telling me, ask what affected them, and reconsider the phrase.
Apologize and avoid the phrase, even if I do not fully understand the concern yet.
Explain my intention before deciding whether their concern changes my view.
Dismiss the concern unless several other people agree that the phrase was offensive.
3. A colleague corrects your repeated mispronunciation of a name tied to their cultural background. What response best matches you?
I practice the corrected pronunciation and invite another reminder if I slip.
I make a sincere effort, although I may avoid saying the name when I am uncertain.
I explain that the pronunciation is difficult for me and continue using my closest version.
I suggest a shortened name or nickname that feels easier for me to say.
4. You notice that your social circle includes few people from racial backgrounds different from yours. How do you view that?
I consider how my routines and invitations shape the pattern without treating anyone as a token.
I remain open to broader connections but do not actively change where or how I socialize.
I see it mostly as a natural result of comfort, location, and shared interests.
I prefer keeping the circle culturally familiar because interaction feels easier that way.
5. You learn that a business you regularly use has repeatedly been accused of treating one racial group worse. What would guide your next step?
I would examine credible information and change my support if the pattern is substantiated.
I would look into it, though convenience and available alternatives would affect my response.
I would keep using it unless the conduct directly affected me or someone I know.
I would disregard the accusations unless a court or authority forced the business to change.
6. A conversation about racial inequality leaves you feeling accused or uncomfortable. What do you generally do afterward?
Reflect on both the discomfort and the substance of what was said.
Take some distance, then return to the issue when I feel calmer.
Focus mainly on whether the conversation's tone was fair to me.
Avoid similar conversations because they seem designed to blame people like me.
7. Two students perform differently on the same assignment, and they come from different racial backgrounds. Which explanation are you most likely to consider first?
Their preparation, circumstances, and individual approaches to the assignment.
Several individual factors, while also wondering whether cultural background played a part.
Differences I associate with their racial or cultural groups.
A general belief about which racial group tends to be more academically capable.
8. A friend describes a neighborhood mainly by naming the racial groups who live there. What thought is closest to your own?
That information alone tells me very little about the neighborhood or its residents.
It shapes my first impression somewhat, but I would want concrete information about the area.
It gives me a reasonably useful idea of the neighborhood's character.
It strongly affects whether I expect the neighborhood to be desirable or comfortable.
9. When recommending someone for a job, project, or opportunity, how do you usually choose whom to consider?
I check beyond my usual contacts so that familiarity does not determine the entire pool.
I begin with people I know, then make some effort to consider overlooked candidates.
I rely mainly on my existing network because those are the people whose work I can judge.
I favor people who share the background and social fit that have worked for me before.
10. When choosing books, commentators, podcasts, or news sources, how do racial perspectives factor into your choices?
I intentionally include informed voices from racial backgrounds beyond my own.
I sometimes broaden my sources when a topic makes different perspectives especially relevant.
I select what is familiar and convenient, even if the perspectives are fairly similar.
I avoid sources centered on racial experiences because I expect them to be biased or divisive.
11. Someone makes a broad claim about the work habits, intelligence, or temperament of a racial group. Internally, how do you respond?
I question the generalization and look for individual or situational explanations.
I suspect it is oversimplified, although examples that seem to fit may influence me.
I think broad tendencies may justify using the claim as a starting assumption.
I generally accept such claims when they match what I believe I have observed.
12. You are told that you interrupted or overlooked people of one racial group several times in a meeting. What would you most likely conclude?
The pattern is worth reviewing, even if I did not notice or intend it.
It may be meaningful, so I would watch my behavior in future meetings.
It was probably caused by speaking styles or meeting dynamics rather than bias.
The feedback is unfair unless someone can prove that I consciously treated people differently.
13. During a discussion about racism, a person describes an experience you have never encountered. How do you usually react?
I listen for what their experience can show me beyond my own perspective.
I listen, though I reserve judgment until I have learned more.
I compare it with my experience and question parts that do not fit what I know.
I assume the role of race is probably being exaggerated if I have not seen similar treatment.
14. At a gathering, a friend makes a racial joke and several people laugh. What are you most likely to do?
Say that the joke relies on a racial stereotype, even if I keep the response brief.
Do not laugh and speak privately with the friend later.
Stay quiet because challenging it would shift the mood or create conflict.
Laugh along if it seems intended playfully and no targeted person objects.
15. You meet a new coworker whose name or accent is unfamiliar to you. Before learning much about them, what usually happens?
I may notice associations, but I wait for personal evidence before forming expectations.
I form a tentative impression while reminding myself that it may be inaccurate.
I treat my first cultural assumptions as useful clues until something contradicts them.
I generally trust those assumptions because they often seem to fit my past experience.