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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. Butch Al has the masculine clothes, strength of form, and ________________ that Jess dreams about having.

2. When did Jess start going to gay bars?

3. Where does Jess work part-time during high school?

4. Where is Jess working in Chapter 8?

5. What do Muriel, Yvonne and some of the other women NOT bring to Jess after she is terminated?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the circumstances in which Jess loses her butch virginity?

2. What happens to Jess on her first night on her own?

3. How does Jess meet Theresa?

4. What unusual request can Jess not meet after the death of Butch Ro?

5. Describe Jess' life as she assimilates into gay life in Buffalo.

6. What is the significance of Jess being called a "stone" butch?

7. Who is Butch Al and why is she so important to Jess' life?

8. What is Tifka's and why does Jess find it a haven?

9. What does Jess reveal about her life that many readers today would find shocking?

10. Describe the nature of factory life in the 1960s.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story takes place as America is experiencing the Hippie Generation, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and drug usage in the late 1960s. Explain the significance of these political and cultural events on Jess and the other bi-gendered people in her life. How would Jess' life be different if she were living as a young woman today? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

The role of parental influence is a strong one and mostly negative on Jess. How was Jess' family fighting its own battles related to anti-Semitism? Does that help to explain why they could not risk a lesbian daughter to add to their torment? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for the lives of Jess and three other characters. Be sure to incorporate personal, political and cultural impacts on the characters' lives.

(see the answer keys)

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