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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Gay state, in her essay "The Illusion of Safety," that life apparently requires?
(a) Personal strength.
(b) Optimism.
(c) A dose of courage.
(d) A trigger warning.

2. In the essay "Garish, Glorious Spectacles," who is noted as the main character in the novel Play It as It Lays?
(a) Jenny.
(b) Sarah.
(c) Maria.
(d) Ruth.

3. In the essay "Beyond the Measure of Men," what is the ambiguous term that refers to untrue stories written by women?
(a) Women's fallacies.
(b) Women's nonfiction.
(c) Women's fiction.
(d) False fiction.

4. In the essay "The Careless Language of Sexual Violence," what phrase refers to a culture where where it is acceptable for males to treat females violently?
(a) Sex culture.
(b) Feminism.
(c) Rape culture.
(d) Masculinity.

5. What popular television show deals primarily with all manners of sexual assault against women, children, and occasionally men, as referenced in the essay "The Careless Language of Sexual Violence"?
(a) Rescue 911.
(b) Grey's Anatomy.
(c) Law and Order: SVU.
(d) General Hospital.

6. In her essay "A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories," what does Gay suggest that people feel most comfortable with?
(a) Gays.
(b) Friends.
(c) Classification.
(d) Uncertainty.

7. In "Typical First Year Professor," what does the narrator compare compiling her professional portfolio to?
(a) Paint by number for adults.
(b) A game.
(c) Making music.
(d) Arts and crafts for adults.

8. In the essay "Some Jokes Are Funnier Than Others," who stands up in defense of women who have been raped?
(a) A man in the audience.
(b) The comedian's sister.
(c) The comedian's agent.
(d) A woman in the audience.

9. In the essay "Some Jokes Are Funnier Than Others," what major event were the children watching in their science classroom?
(a) The Challenger.
(b) The first man walking on the moon.
(c) The Vietnam riots.
(d) JFK's funeral.

10. What is the name of the book that Gay references in "The Smooth Surfaces of Idyll," noting that the many of the characters find happiness?
(a) Game of Secrets.
(b) My Sister's Keeper.
(c) Game of Thrones.
(d) The Great Gastby.

11. In the essay "Blurred Lines, Indeed," why does Gay suggest a woman might not want to tell her story publicly?
(a) Because she doesn't believe it matters.
(b) Because it is true.
(c) Because it is too painful.
(d) Because people will laugh.

12. As stated in the essay "What We Hunger For," what is one of the reasons that Gay reads?
(a) For salvation.
(b) For an escape.
(c) For redemption.
(d) For clarity.

13. In the essay "How We All Lose," what is the name of the first book that Gay criticizes for being too limited?
(a) Big Little Liars.
(b) Men Without Women.
(c) The End of Men.
(d) Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus.

14. In the essay "Girls, Girls, Girls," what group of people are often left out of popular cultures (such as television shows and films)?
(a) Hispanics.
(b) Women over forty.
(c) Women.
(d) People of color.

15. In "Typical First Year Professor," what holiday does the narrator reference in her comparison of teaching to a child sitting at an adult dinner table?
(a) Christmas.
(b) Halloween.
(c) Easter.
(d) Thanksgiving.

Short Answer Questions

1. What book does Gay reference in her essay "Beyond the Measure of Men" as an example of short stories that tell the many ways men and women failure one another?

2. What does the artist referenced in the essay "The Smooth Surfaces of Idyll" imbue his art with?

3. In the essay "Blurred Lines, Indeed," what is the name of the musician who sings about giving a good girl what she really wants?

4. In the essay "Garish, Glorious Spectacles," what is the best word to describe the novel Green Girl?

5. In "What We Hunger For," what is the name of the book series with which Gay is obsessed?

(see the answer keys)

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