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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 Terry's view of sexuality?

2. What do the women dislike about marriage in the outside world?

3. What is Terry's courtship with his partner like?

4. What sense does Vandyke say the men lacked in their marriages?

5. What do the women agree to in order to please the men in Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Terry banished from Herland at the end of Chapter 11?

2. What are the two core concepts of Herland's society as described in Chapter 7?

3. In Chapter 9, what do we learn girls in Herland are taught to think about themselves while growing up?

4. Following the lecture in Chapter 8, the girls form informal groups around the men. Describe how the girls react to Terry.

5. In Chapter 7, why has Terry sunk in the esteem of his friends?

6. What assumptions does Moadine make about wealthy and poor women in America?

7. What displeases the women about marriage in the outside world?

8. What is the men's view of a wife's role in marriage? After their marriages, how do their wives fail to meet the men's expectations?

9. Who is chosen to court each of the men, and how does each man treat his assigned partner?

10. In Chapter 11, what does Vandyke say helps minimize his desire for his wife? How does Vandyke eventually come to view his sexual desires?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the importance of motherhood in Herland. Why has motherhood become so significant in this society? In what ways does life in Herland evolve around the birthing and rearing of children?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss "Herland" as a Utopian novel. What does 'utopia' mean? Is Herland a Utopian society? Why or why not? Which characters believe it is? Which do not? Did Gilman mean to present it as such?

Essay Topic 3

Herland rejects tradition as much as the men's society values it. Why might this be so? What effect does this have on Herland's society? What are the pros and cons of a society which values innovation over tradition?

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