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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. What subject does Mary tackle with her metaphor of a "crazy quilt"?

2. According to Bateson, what is the danger of being the daughter of a successful father?

3. At which college does Johnnetta teach?

4. Why does Mary claim the differences between men and women are important?

5. Which of the women in the book are looking for "symmetrical relationships"?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Bateson, how is life like jazz music?

2. What did Mary learn about society while visiting her mother's work with her?

3. What is the most significant memory Alice has of her childhood in Rumania?

4. According to Bateson, what do humans tend to believe about society?

5. According to Mary, why did so many male-female relationships in the past fail?

6. How does Mary use the metaphor of a "crazy quilt" to explain society?

7. What struggles did Ellen note in the way ERs in Boston organized their time schedules?

8. According to Bateson, what are the benefits of cooking without a recipe?

9. What was Erik's theory of the life cycle while he was studying under Freud in the West Coast?

10. How did travel affect Mary Bateson's relationship with her husband, Barkev?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of the book, Mary has almost completely changed her attitude about caregiving and women in the primary role as caregivers. First, describe Mary's attitude about these topics at the opening of the book and compare/contrast that to her attitude at the end of the book. Then, citing specific examples from the text, trace Mary's change in attitude and consciousness based on the knowledge she gained from her interviews with the five women.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book, Mary describes the different ways women must divide their days in order to accomplish everything that needs to be accomplished. First, describe at least four different ways most women must divide their days. How does this division differ from the division of their husbands? What are the benefits of being a mulit-tasker? What are the downfalls? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

In what ways is wisdom gained through life? Mary has very specific ideas about how one becomes "wise". Explain those ideas in a brief essay using one of the women in the book as an example. What path did this woman take in her pursuit of wisdom? What different types of wisdom did she gain? Do you think all her efforts were consciously in the pursuit of wisdom? How can you tell? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

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