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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mary say Ellen's home "cries out for"?
(a) A tribe.
(b) A heart.
(c) A maid.
(d) A child.

2. Why are men often encouraged to remove distractions from their lives?
(a) To ensure maximum financial success.
(b) So they can become experts in their field.
(c) Because the male brain is wired differently than female brains.
(d) So they can concentrate on one thing at a time.

3. According to Mary, what is the danger in gardening?
(a) Vandals may steal or destroy your flowers.
(b) Your neighbor may covet your garden.
(c) Your flowers and produce may never grow.
(d) You may have abundant growth that you cannot maintain.

4. Which of the following women lives in Chestnut Hill, in Boston?
(a) Johnnetta.
(b) Mary.
(c) Ellen.
(d) Alice.

5. Which woman claims to be completely unable to manage multi-tasking?
(a) Joan.
(b) Alice.
(c) Johnnetta.
(d) Ellen.

6. What do the roadblocks of separation and division hinder a woman from doing?
(a) Being creative.
(b) Raising a family.
(c) Making money.
(d) Respecting religion.

7. In what situation does Mary describe children as caregivers?
(a) As carers for parents.
(b) As carers for siblings.
(c) As carers for imaginary friends.
(d) As carers for pets.

8. According to Mary, what does a true artist take and turn into a masterpiece?
(a) Reality.
(b) Beauty.
(c) Flaws.
(d) Pain.

9. Which of the women identifies herself primarily as a dancer?
(a) Johnnetta.
(b) Mary.
(c) Joan.
(d) Alice.

10. By enriching their lives, what else are the women in the book enriching?
(a) All female kind.
(b) Their legacies.
(c) History.
(d) The earth.

11. Why does Johnnetta "whip [her]self with guilt"?
(a) For quitting her job to care for her children.
(b) For separating from her first husband.
(c) For not investing her money wisely.
(d) For not being a full time mother.

12. In what situation does Mary describe men act as caregivers?
(a) In war.
(b) All of the above.
(c) In marriage.
(d) In fatherhood.

13. To what does Mary compare the experience of being nominated for presidency but never taking the position?
(a) A death.
(b) A band-aid.
(c) A natural disaster.
(d) A piece of classical music.

14. What college did Mary once teach at?
(a) Harvard.
(b) Amherst.
(c) Oxford.
(d) Princeton.

15. How many families does the Project Hope shelter take in at one time?
(a) 6-8 families.
(b) 4-6 families.
(c) 10-12 families.
(d) 8-10 families.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Mary, why don't women go home to relax?

2. Which word fills in the following sentence from the final chapter in "Composing a Life": All five women live with high levels of _____________?

3. Which of the following is NOT a sickness Joan's children suffered from when they were young?

4. Which of the women adopted a daughter named Sarah late in life?

5. In which of the following countries did Mary and her husband NEVER live?

(see the answer keys)

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