View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following women is cited in the book as being consistently shut out of the Emmys, disapproved of in public by George Bush, and having a nationwide club formed just to hate and revile her?

2. Which of the following magazines uses the Harvard-Yale study to sell minis?

3. Retin-A is approved by the FDA to treat _____________ and is eventually marketed to treat ________.

4. _________ and ________, two demographers at the Census Bureau, re-run the Harvard-Yale study using 1980 data and find a major flaw in the study and its calculations.

5. What is the theme of Chapter 8, "Beauty and the Backlash"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly explain the series of events that occur after the New York Times announces a "back-to-the-home trend" in 1980 based on six Ivy League undergraduates.

2. Select at least three media outlets and discuss how they work with the backlash to use relationship "scare tactics" to fight against the feminist movement.

3. Recount the stages of the "Intimate Apparel Explosion" as written by Faludi. In your account, include the names of at least four individuals and/or companies

4. What is the purpose of the book Backlash: The Undeclared War against American Women?

5. Murphy Brown and Roseanne were two characters who were reviled by the backlash according to Faludi. Why were these women disliked so strongly? Also discuss the ways in which the backlash launches their attack of Murphy and Roseanne.

6. After Reagan is elected president, many changes occur in the political arena that affect the feminist movement. Discuss three of these changes and how they affect the fight for women's rights.

7. What are the implications of the findings that a divorce may not have as lasting a financial impact on women and that men are more likely to suffer greater psychological impact than women following a divorce?

8. The CBS hit show Cagney and Lacey deals with the serious issue of the unmarried character, Cagney, becoming pregnant. Summarize Faludi's perspective on the manner in which this issue is resolved?

9. Identify three reasons why a periodical such as The New England Journal of Medicine would publish flawed data concerning fertility rates of young women.

10. According to survey responses, women believe they need equal pay, the right to abortions, and decent childcare. Discuss how reforms in those areas would impact women's lives.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, Faludi highlights research studies and books that use flawed data collection, methods of analysis, or interpretations. Three of such studies were the Harvard-Yale marriage study, the work of Dr. Srully Blotnick, and Lenore Weitzman's 1985 book, The Divorce Revolution. Describe the role each of these works played in subverting the fight for women's rights. Highlight two or three examples from each of the three publications.

Essay Topic 2

Identify three to four ways in which the feminist movement can be used to improve the circumstances of women, men, and families in our society.

Essay Topic 3

In the Epilogue, Faludi makes the statement that men see more clearly than women how women united could change government and society and that the backlash propaganda is a purposeful overreaction precisely because men "got it." What does she mean by this statement? Use three - five issues from the book to show how men "got it" much more than women and how the men mobilized to create a backlash around these issues.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,977 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample