View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Faludi presents Ms. Magazine as a media outlet that has abandoned its flagship status as a supporter of the feminist movement. She writes that the magazine returns to its roots only after what happens?

2. In the book Backlash, attackers of the feminist movement are described as working to put women back in their "proper" place _________________ and __________.

3. Which of the following two anti-feminist movies are made into television sitcoms?

4. Which of the following women is cited in the book as being consistently shut out of the Emmys, disapproved of in public by George Bush, and having a nationwide club formed just to hate and revile her?

5. What are the findings of the 1987 survey conducted by Fortune magazine on the issue of "bailing out," the term used to describe female MBA students opting for less demanding careers to concentrate on marriage and family?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the book, Faludi highlights the following three shows: All in the Family, Maude, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Explain what point Faludi makes by highlighting these three shows.

2. Summarize three ways in which Felice Schwartz affects the feminist movement.

3. The CBS hit show Cagney and Lacey deals with the serious issue of the unmarried character, Cagney, becoming pregnant. Summarize Faludi's perspective on the manner in which this issue is resolved?

4. 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.

5. Several doctors are discussed in Chapter 8 of the book. Faludi writes about the ways in which they help the backlash and use their credentials to sponsor cosmetic products. Name at least one of these doctors and describe his or her role in the backlash by the cosmetics industry.

6. What role does Women's Wear Daily play between the fashion industry and the feminist movement?

7. 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.

8. The cosmetics industry has a long history of dictating difficult and unhealthy trends for women's bodies. Discuss what physical looks and trends are pushed from the Victorian era through 1970 according to Faludi.

9. After Reagan is elected president, many changes occur in the political arena that affect the feminist movement. Discuss three of these changes and how they affect the fight for women's rights.

10. According to survey responses, women believe they need equal pay, the right to abortions, and decent childcare. Discuss how reforms in those areas would impact women's lives.

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

Analyze chapter11, "The Backlash Brain Trust: From Neocons to Neofems" in which Faludi claims that authors both frighten and confuse people about feminism in the 1980s. In your analysis highlight the work of four of these authors.

Essay Topic 3

According to survey responses, women believe they need the right to abortions, maternity leave, and decent childcare. Explain how these three needs are both in harmony and in conflict with one another. How will having access to these choices affect women, their families, and society as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,696 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample