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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 the essay "The Illusion of Safety," what sort of reactions does Gay experience to her triggers?

2. What is the name of the Garret Keizer book that Gay references in "A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories"?

3. In the essay "Not Here to Make Friends," what popular movie does Gay reference as an example of a woman pretending in a relationship?

4. What is the name of the disorder that is fantasized by the Fifty Shades of Grey series, according to the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming"?

5. According to the essay "A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories," what popular journalist "came out" in 2012?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the essay "How We All Lose," what is Gay's main criticism of Rosin's book The End of Men?

2. In the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming, or He Who Trespassed Against Us," what does Gay suggest that the Fifty Grades series is, at its core?

3. In "To Scratch, Claw, or Grope Clumsily or Frantically," how does Gay beat her nemesis the first time?

4. In the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming," how are readers supposed to respond to Ana's character in the Fifty Grades series?

5. In the essay "Dear Young Ladies Who Love Chris Brown," what does Gay predict will happen to his behavior?

6. In the essay "How to Be Friends with Another Woman," what is the first and most fundamental rule Gay states?

7. What is subtly suggested as the reason Gay gains so much weight in the essay "Reaching for Catharsis"?

8. IIn the essay "Beyond the Measure of Men," what does Gay say about female writers and the aspects of publishing over which they have control?

9. In the essay "I Once Was Miss America," how does Gay react to Vanessa Williams being crowned Miss America?

10. In the essay "The Illusion of Safety," what is the purpose of listing all the detailed visceral reactions at the beginning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the author's narrative tone toward the cult of beauty and thinness, citing textual examples from her essay "Reaching for Catharsis." How does she feel about the unrealistic standards of beauty and body placed on women by society?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing positive and negative societal ramifications of traditional journalism and social media. Include examples from the text and counter arguments/claims in your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining how the author uses the characters of Ruth (from the novel Green Girl) and Maria (from the novel Play It as It Lays) to strengthen her argument of the juxtaposed performance that women play in novels and in society. Use the quote, "She wants to lose herself as much as she wants to find herself" to explore this idea.

(see the answer keys)

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