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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 is the author's contention about the feelings that defined sisterhood?

2. Why does the author hold her particular beliefs about prioritizing struggles against different forms of prejudice?

3. In the Preface (2000), what examples does the author give of the problematic status of women in contemporary society?

4. How does the author characterize the aims of the feminist movement in relationship to other movements?

5. What was the shared feeling that helped define sisterhood in the early years of the movement, according to the author?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the experience of many non-white and lower class women working outside the home?

2. Which two kinds of power does the author discuss in Chapter Six, "Changing Perspectives on Power"?

3. In Chapter Twelve, "Feminist Revolution: Development through Struggle," does the author see effectiveness in early feminist attitudes towards change?

4. What is problematic for the author regarding early feminist views of parenting and motherhood, and what can be changed?

5. Does the author still believe in her work?

6. Describe the author's views of how modern western cultures deal with the process of change.

7. Describe the kind of power that the author sees in communities of economically disadvantaged women.

8. Do early feminists beliefs about violence support traditional patriarchal concepts of gender?

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. In Chapter Four, does the author agree with early feminist definitions of sisterhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Essay on Ch. 1: The mainstream feminist movement.

In Ch. 1, the author goes into great detail regarding the weaknesses of the mainstream feminist movement.

1) Discuss the role of race and class in the author's critique. Why and how is mainstream feminist theory classist and racist? Provide specific examples from the text.

2) In the second part of your paper, discuss why and how less privileged women's perspectives can alter (and have altered) feminist theory.

3) What is specific to less privileged women's vision and perspectives that more privileged feminists have overlooked?

Essay Topic 2

Essay on Ch. 4: Sisterhood.

The concept of sisterhood is discussed at length in Ch. 4. In this assignment you will explore the complexity of the term based on your reading.

1) Is sisterhood something that exists automatically between women based on their gender? Why or why not.

2) When and how is sisterhood challenged?

3) Why does the author choose to base sisterhood on solidarity in the face of all forms of oppression, and in your opinion does this definition work?

Essay Topic 3

Essay on Ch. 7: Women and work.

From the beginning of the feminist movement, work has been an important issue in feminism. In this paper you will discuss early feminist views of work, as well as the idea of a gendered division of labor (e.g. housework as women's work, and therefore as devalued).

1) Describe traditional beliefs about work and gender. What kind of work was seen as men's work and what kind of work was seen as women's work? Do we still see these ideas reflected in contemporary society?

2) Quoting the text, discuss early feminist views of housework and of work outside the home. Does the rejection of housework by women reflect society's devaluation of so-called "women's work."

3) What is the author's critique of this early view, e.g. how is the early feminist idealization of work outside the home connected to traditional beliefs about success?

4) How can changing attitudes about work in and outside of the home assist in addressing the imbalances perpetuated by traditional, gender-biased beliefs?

(see the answer keys)

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