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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. For the author, what is the relationship between traditional beliefs about the family and society at large?

2. In the author's view, what three things most determine a woman's destiny?

3. For the author, what perspective really changed the direction of feminist thought?

4. What is the social and racial dynamic described by the author at the beginning of the Preface to the first edition of the book?

5. According to the author, how has the relationship between feminism and the family often been portrayed?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the early feminist view on parenting stated in Chapter Ten, "Revolutionary Parenting."

2. In Chapter Three, "The Significance of the Feminist Movement" how does the author describe her understanding of feminism and the family?

3. What reasons does the author give for people finding themselves at the center of society?

4. Is the author clear about her position on women who define feminism as seeking equality with men?

5. In Chapter Eleven, why does the author disagree with early feminist concepts of sexual liberty?

6. Compare the Preface to the second edition with Ch. 12: What similarities do you see regarding the author's vision for the future of the feminist movement? List two to three examples.

7. What is the author's view of feminism as a social movement in the Preface to the First Edition (1984)? What kind of movement does it need to be and why?

8. In chapter Nine, "Feminist Movement to End Violence," how does the author describe the patriarchal perspective on gender.

9. What does the author say about feminist writer Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique?

10. How are traditional patriarchal concepts of gender related to violence against women?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Essay on Ch. 9: Women and war.

In Ch. 9 the author discusses the nature of violence against women and the phenomenon of violence in general. She uses war as an example of how women, too, demonstrate a capacity for violence. In your essay, think about the connection between traditional beliefs about gender and the author's analysis of women and war. Use quotations by the author to support your argument where necessary.

1) Discuss the author's position on how war is an example of women's capacity for violence.

- How do women support war?

- Does women's support for war, and their encouragement of male family members to go to war, seem to come from and reinforce traditional beliefs about men's and women's natures (e.g. aggressive, nurturing, etc.), whether innate or culturally learned?

2) Is condoning war the same as condoning violence? What can you gather about the author's views on war? Following the author's thinking, is war an example of using violence as a form of social control?

3) Does encouraging women (and gay men) to participate in the military and in war promote social equality?

4) If violence is a manifestation of hierarchy and power, what do women have to gain or lose from participating in war?

Essay Topic 2

Essay on Ch. 7: Women and work.

From the beginning of the feminist movement, work has been an important issue in feminism. In this paper you will discuss early feminist views of work, as well as the idea of a gendered division of labor (e.g. housework as women's work, and therefore as devalued).

1) Describe traditional beliefs about work and gender. What kind of work was seen as men's work and what kind of work was seen as women's work? Do we still see these ideas reflected in contemporary society?

2) Quoting the text, discuss early feminist views of housework and of work outside the home. Does the rejection of housework by women reflect society's devaluation of so-called "women's work."

3) What is the author's critique of this early view, e.g. how is the early feminist idealization of work outside the home connected to traditional beliefs about success?

4) How can changing attitudes about work in and outside of the home assist in addressing the imbalances perpetuated by traditional, gender-biased beliefs?

Essay Topic 3

Essay on Ch. 3: Struggle against oppression.

In Ch. 3 the author argues against prioritizing struggles against different forms of prejudice and oppression.

1) Present some of the arguments by other writers that the author engages with and refutes regarding the prioritization of one struggle over another. What holes does she find in their logic?

2) Next, outline the authors ideas on this subject, paying attention to specific connections she makes in the text. How does the author link all these struggles together?

(see the answer keys)

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