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The government classified race in 2000 by listing five races and telling people to "pick all that apply". They listed:

White
Black
American Indian and Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Then on a separate question, they asked "Are you hispanic?"

If it was up to me, if they were doing a survey on race in America, I'd phrase it more like this:

RACIAL BACKGROUND

Select which ethnic group the MAJORITY of your ancestry is from. Check only ONE box.

CAUCASIAN (mostly Western & Eastern European ancestry: German, Irish, Polish, Italian, etc.)
AFRICAN (mostly central and sub-sarhareen Africa ancestry) South Africa, Guana, Kenya, etc.
ORIENTAL or PACIFIC ISLANDER (mostly asian/far east ancestry Hawaiian, Japan, Korea, China, Cambodia, etc.
EAST INDIAN (mostly India subcontinent or Pakistani ancestry) India, Pakistan
ARABIC (mostly Mideastern & Northern African background) Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, etc.)
AMERICAN INDIAN or ALASKAN NATIVE (Indigious to the Americas) Cree, Blackfoot, Sioux, Inuit, etc.
MESTIZO (mixed European Spaniard & Indigenous Indian ancestry) Mexican, Columbian, Brazilian, etc.
MIXED ( equal parts multiple ancestry. List all races that apply _________ _____________ __________ __________ )

The Arab kids in Brooklyn used to complain that their Hispanic and Black classmates received special services/tracking for college admissions, yet they did not, as they were classified as "white," even though they did not consider themselves white Americans.

Don't get me started on that "Hispanic" BS. Most of my colleagues when I worked down in Miami were as white as I am.

If it was up to me, if they were doing a survey on race in America,

If it were up to me, there would be no such survey. At least not by the government. The Government is commanded to enumerate the population every 10 years, not to classify it.

The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. Article I, Section 2, Constitution for the United States.