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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 3, the author describes Judith Baker discussing what makes language hurtful. She writes that Baker's response is "We suffer from the condition of being" what?
(a) "Superior."
(b) "Frightened."
(c) "Addressable."
(d) "Angry."

2. Where does the author describe rushing to meet a friend in the beginning of Chapter 3?
(a) Berkeley.
(b) Chicago.
(c) Santa Monica.
(d) Oakland.

3. What does the author claim "isn't a cure for feeling, it is a clean displacement of effort, will, and disappointment" in Chapter 4?
(a) "Watching football."
(b) "Writing."
(c) "Reading the newspaper."
(d) "Watching tennis."

4. What tennis superstar expressed his shock that Serena Williams was able to hold it together after losing the semifinal match in the 2004 Women's U.S. Open?
(a) Roger Federer.
(b) Andre Agassi.
(c) James Williams.
(d) John McEnroe.

5. What does the real estate woman repeatedly say to the author's friend when she is showing the author her house in Chapter 3?
(a) That she is welcome to return and visit.
(b) How uncomfortable she makes her feel.
(c) That she reminds her of her sister.
(d) How comfortable she makes her feel.

6. What does the word "fabricate" mean in Chapter 4?
(a) To deceive or lie.
(b) To deplete.
(c) To conjure or invent.
(d) To sew.

7. What does the word "denigrate" mean in Chapter 3?
(a) To elevate someone.
(b) To leave a situation.
(c) To criticize unfairly.
(d) To imply.

8. The author writes in Chapter 1, "If this were a domestic tragedy, and it might well be, this would be your fatal flaw." What is the fatal flaw she describes?
(a) "Your memory, vessel of your feelings."
(b) "Your ambition and hopes for progress."
(c) "Your blackness."
(d) "Your belief in a system of justice."

9. What word from Chapter 4 refers to a sentimental longing for the past?
(a) Cultivation.
(b) Nostalgia.
(c) Allusion.
(d) Recompense.

10. What does the author describe her friend calling her because she is late in the beginning of Chapter 3?
(a) An "arrogant jerk."
(b) A "nappy-headed ho."
(c) A "white woman."
(d) A "sister."

11. Whom did Serena Williams play in her semifinal matchup in the 2004 Women's U.S. Open?
(a) Mariana Alves.
(b) Glenn Ligon.
(c) Venus Williams.
(d) Jennifer Capriati.

12. What does the author describe buying from the cashier when out with her friend in Chapter 3?
(a) A sandwich and a Pellegrino.
(b) A college textbook.
(c) A steak and a glass of wine.
(d) A dress and heels.

13. On what airline does the author describe sitting in a window seat in Chapter 1?
(a) American Airlines.
(b) Delta Airlines.
(c) United Airlines.
(d) Pan-Am Airlines.

14. The author writes in Chapter 4 that the "sigh is the pathway to" what?
(a) "Love."
(b) "The self."
(c) "Vulnerability."
(d) "Breath."

15. What does the author describe the man at the cash register asking her in Chapter 3?
(a) Whether she thinks her card will work.
(b) Whether she will be dining in.
(c) Whether she is a writer.
(d) Whether she would like to pay by cash or credit.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word from Chapter 2 means ordinary or everyday?

2. What radio host is cited by the author in Chapter 3 for insulting a women's basketball team with racist slurs in Chapter 3?

3. The author says in Chapter 4 that "truth be told, you could no more control those sighs than" what?

4. What film does the author describe seeing with a friend in Chapter 1?

5. How does the author respond when a friend says in Chapter 3, "You are always on sabbatical"?

(see the answer keys)

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