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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. When does Gay feel most comfortable at the gym?

2. Gay says loneliness is a matter of what?

3. What was the first tattoo that Gay got?

4. What piece of exercise equipment sits in the corner of Gay's bedroom?

5. Which eating disorder did Gay struggle with?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gay mean by what she calls Lane Bryant fat?

2. As Gay is finishing her MA program in creative writing, what are most of the fictional stories she writes about?

3. Why does Gay do extensive research on restaurants before she goes out to eat?

4. How does Gay’s family reestablish contact with her after she moves to the west coast?

5. What is Gay’s impression of Oprah and Oprah’s influence on the cultural conversation about weight loss?

6. How does Gay feel when she looks at her friends’ social media posts about doing outdoorsy or athletic things?

7. What does Gay think about the reality television show The Biggest Loser?

8. What type of eating disorder did Gay struggle with in addition to her compulsive overeating?

9. What medical reason does Gay say is responsible for contestants on shows like The Biggest Loser gaining most of their weight back?

10. What kind of a job does Gay have while she is living in Phoenix?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gay describes conflicting feelings toward cooking. Explain some of her positive and negative attitudes about cooking, citing specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

How did Gay’s rape affect her sexuality and subsequent intimate relationships with both men and women? Why is she attracted to the BDSM community?

Essay Topic 3

Gay repeatedly uses the word “or” to link two disparate ideas. “I do not know why I turned to food. Or I do” (53). “I hate myself. Or society tells me I am supposed to hate myself” (148). Write an essay exploring Gay’s use of this construction and its effect on her arguments.

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