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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. By ignoring women's issues in his acceptance speech, which presidential candidate sees his twenty-four percent gender gap decease to only eight percent by Election Day?

2. Who does Faludi cite as the most famous feminist to retract her views?

3. According to Faludi, the pay gap in 1986 is actually what?

4. Faludi claims that the requirement of parental consent results in which of the following statistics?

5. Sylvia Ann Hewlett worked at which university?

Short Essay Questions

1. Provide a chronological discussion of how women and feminists battle against the American Psychiatric Association as it considers adding the term masochism to its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1985.

2. Identify two of the books listed in this chapter that focus on women getting married. Explain why the focus of these books is not helpful to women.

3. Describe the ways in which Poet Robert Bly affects the feminist movement.

4. In her tone and word use, Faludi defends Carol Gilligan as an unlucky researcher whose work is misused to support the backlash. Give three examples of where Faludi's tone or word use convey this message.

5. In Chapter 11, "The Backlash Brain Trust: From Neocons to Neofems," an author states that male academics in an era of "political correctness" are like "shell-shocked" Cambodian refugees. In addition, feminists change departments and courses, and hire only their own. Faludi, however, suggests that the data show a different reality for women in academia. List three to five of her arguments.

6. The feminist movement gained support and momentum in 1984 when Representative Geraldine Ferraro was nominated for vice-president on the Democratic ticket. Four years later, however, female candidates running for office are at record lows and they do not win most of the races for which they run. What is the explanation for this vast shift over a four-year period?

7. The media is highlighted as a field in which women see some of the worst progress. What evidence does Faludi use to support her claim?

8. Faludi writes that many fundamentalist preachers fear feminism because it threatens their status. Identify and explain the reasons she gives for this fear.

9. Highlight Chapter 13's presentation of the prominent battle between NBC, ABC, and the women who choose to stand up to their policies?

10. Summarize the case of Angela Carder.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, Faludi highlights research studies and books that use flawed data collection, methods of analysis, or interpretations. Three of such studies were the Harvard-Yale marriage study, the work of Dr. Srully Blotnick, and Lenore Weitzman's 1985 book, The Divorce Revolution. Describe the role each of these works played in subverting the fight for women's rights. Highlight two or three examples from each of the three publications.

Essay Topic 2

The movie Fatal Attraction is used in Chapter 5 to highlight how the backlash is served by Hollywood. Analyze five points made by Faludi to support her perspective and discuss why they are valid or invalid.

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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