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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. In coining the term "cocooning," Faith Popcorn was seeking to do what according to Faludi?

2. By questioning whether the "backlash" is a new phenomenon, some social observers admit that there has been:

3. Which author publishes a 922-page compendium in which 4,500 women despair about not being treated as equals by mates?

4. According to Backlash, attacking the feminist movement is accomplished by systematically using which of the following?

5. According to Backlash, career women are warned that their choice to delay pregnancy and childbirth are resulting in which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. In your opinion, why do you believe that society markets marriage and children to women much more than to men?

2. Discuss the way in which the movies and television treat the subject of women and careers.

3. Explain why the media would not focus on feminist issues such as jobs, equal pay, or coeducation but would instead give heavy coverage to protests against the Miss America pageant and burning bras.

4. Murphy Brown and Roseanne were two characters who were reviled by the backlash according to Faludi. Why were these women disliked so strongly? Also discuss the ways in which the backlash launches their attack of Murphy and Roseanne.

5. The New Right attempts to denounce day care; however, what does the evidence and data suggest?

6. Discuss the implications of the misinformation perpetuated by the Harvard study.

7. Who is Dr. Robert Harvey and why is he discussed in the chapter on the cosmetic industry?

8. Identify three reasons why a periodical such as The New England Journal of Medicine would publish flawed data concerning fertility rates of young women.

9. Select at least three media outlets and discuss how they work with the backlash to use relationship "scare tactics" to fight against the feminist movement.

10. Briefly explain the series of events that occur after the New York Times announces a "back-to-the-home trend" in 1980 based on six Ivy League undergraduates.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the Epilogue, Faludi makes the statement that men see more clearly than women how women united could change government and society and that the backlash propaganda is a purposeful overreaction precisely because men "got it." What does she mean by this statement? Use three - five issues from the book to show how men "got it" much more than women and how the men mobilized to create a backlash around these issues.

Essay Topic 2

Identify three to four ways in which the feminist movement can be used to improve the circumstances of women, men, and families in our society.

Essay Topic 3

The feminist movement in America is commonly cited as being strongest in the 1960s and 1970s. Do you agree with this assertion? Why or Why not? How do you believe the movement has affected our society? How are we different and similar to other cultures that have not had similar movements? What do you see as the biggest benefit provided to our society due to the feminist movement? What is the biggest harm inflicted on our society due to this movement?

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