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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the first female astronaut, as referenced in "A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories"?

2. According to the essay "How to Be Friends width Another Woman," who should a woman never date or become romantically involved?

3. According to the essay "The Spectacle of Broken Men," what was the relationship between the man and the girl who was raped?

4. What is the name of the Garret Keizer book that Gay references in "A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories"?

5. In the essay "Girls, Girls, Girls," what group of people are often left out of popular cultures (such as television shows and films)?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the essay "I Once Was Miss America," how does Gay react to Vanessa Williams being crowned Miss America?

2. In the essay "Some Jokes Are Funnier Than Others," why did the class clown get in trouble?

3. In the essay "Girls, Girls, Girls," what is Gay's main criticism of the show "Girls"?

4. In the essay "Reaching for Catharsis," what is Gay's primary criticism of the book, Skinny?

5. In the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming," how are readers supposed to respond to Ana's character in the Fifty Grades series?

6. In "To Scratch, Claw, or Grope Clumsily or Frantically," what disturbing news does Gay receive while at the tournament?

7. In the essay "Peculiar Benefits," what is the main lesson Gay learns while in Haiti?

8. IIn the essay "Beyond the Measure of Men," what does Gay say about female writers and the aspects of publishing over which they have control?

9. In the essay "I One Was Miss America," what is Gay's reaction after reading the sequel to the Sweet Valley High books?

10. In the essay "Garish, Glorious Spectacles," Gay references the novel Play It as It Lays and introduces the female protagonist Maria. How does Maria relate her experience of motherhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay asserting and arguing for a new definition of feminism. Include the new definition in the introduction and cite specific examples from the text to support your new definition.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay arguing which of the essays contains the most literary merit. Describe the essay and explain what literary aspects deem the essay excellent.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing sarcasm and humor in the novel. Choose three different examples of humor that are used in the essay collection and explain how Gay uses them to strengthen one of her overarching themes.

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