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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. For the author, what is a better way to arrive at a definition of sisterhood?
(a) Through sustained debate.
(b) Through solidarity in the face of all forms of oppression.
(c) By finding out which men are truly oppressive.
(d) The movement does not need a definition of sisterhood.

2. From which position (or perspective) does the author claim to write in her analysis of feminism and its social manifestations?
(a) From an elite position.
(b) From a religious perspective.
(c) From the margins.
(d) From a foreign perspective.

3. How has the author's own perception of her book held up?
(a) She comments that the book's theories are still sound, still relevant, and easily understandable by contemporary readers from all walks of life.
(b) She feels that a lot of her theories are now outdated.
(c) She believes that her ideas are too radical.
(d) The theories in the book do not have a mass appeal.

4. How are black and white men the same in the author's view?
(a) They are not the same in the author's view.
(b) They both stand to lose power as a result of feminism.
(c) They both do not want women to be strong and assertive.
(d) They are both capable of sexual oppression and violence against women, whether sexual or non-sexual.

5. What do feminists need to consider when examining their beliefs about men?
(a) How often men use sexist language.
(b) How lower and working class men and non-white men are also oppressed.
(c) Whether or not men deserve to be included in feminism.
(d) Whether it is safe to alter their beliefs about men.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author's Preface (2000), where is visionary feminist discourse increasingly talked about?

2. How does the author describe feminism in the U.S.?

3. What would this change in language suggest?

4. Based on your understanding of the two Prefaces, who does the author wish to reach with her work?

5. In the first chapter, how does the author characterize the perspective of the women involved in the early feminist movement?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the author's discussion of early feminist attitudes towards men.

2. From the author's perspective, is theory related to experience in her discussion in Chapter One?

3. What is the author's view of feminism as a social movement in the Preface to the First Edition (1984)? What kind of movement does it need to be and why?

4. In the 2000 Preface is the author's attitude towards change in the feminist movement positive or negative, and what examples does she give?

5. What doe the author mean when she says that black women have no "institutionalized other."

6. Who harbors sexist attitudes and what can be done about it?

7. Are sexual liberty and "ending sexual oppression" the same thing for the author?

8. Is the author clear about her position on women who define feminism as seeking equality with men?

9. Describe the author's personal experiences with feminists from the same background as Friedan. How did they initially respond to her attempts to contribute to the conversation around feminist theory?

10. What are the universal definitions of feminism that the author disagrees with? List several.

(see the answer keys)

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