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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 "How We All Lose," what does Gay say we need to overcome?

2. In the essay "Not Here to Make Friends," what does Gay think about the question of likeability even existing in literary conversations?

3. In the essay "Beyond the Measure of Men," what two authors wrote novels that are classified as "women's fiction"?

4. According to the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming," what did the characters in the Fifty Shades of Grey series need to sign prior to starting a relationship?

5. According to James Wood (a writer Gay references in the essay "Not Here to Make Friends"), characters should be reflections of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the essay Peculiar Benefits, what does Gay say is most important to do when it comes to privilege?

2. In the essay "Not Here to Make Friends," how does Gay define "likeability"?

3. When Gay reflects on the book by Jennifer Pozner in her essay "Garish, Glorious Spectacles," how does she say women are portrayed in reality television?

4. In the essay "The Careless Language of Sexual Violence," why does Gay find the rape that occurred in Texas so appalling?

5. In the essay "Girls, Girls, Girls," why does Gay fall so hard for the television show "Girlfriends"?

6. According the essay "Reaching for Catharsis," what is a major benefit that a "fat" person has in terms of emotionally healing?

7. In the essay "What We Hunger For," why does Gay admire the Hunger Games character Katniss?

8. In the essay "The Trouble with Prince Charming, or He Who Trespassed Against Us," what is the truth about fairytales?

9. In the essay "The Spectacle of Broken Men," why does Gay say society lets athletes get away with criminal behavior?

10. In the essay "I One Was Miss America," what is Gay's reaction after reading the sequel to the Sweet Valley High books?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the significance of the essay title "Reaching for Catharsis: Getting Fat Right (or Wrong) and Diana Spechler's "Skinny." How does the title support Gay's perception of the ways women cope with body image issues, trauma, and healing?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining the significance of the title of the book. How does the title support Gay's theme of gender inequality and overall narrative tone?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring how the author uses self implication to strengthen her themes of gender inequality, feminism, and/or reproductive freedom. How does she use her personal experiences (and sincerity) to illustrate her points?

(see the answer keys)

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