View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author in Chapter 3, "The Worth of a Date,” youth came to define themselves in terms of their what?

2. According to the author in Chapter 2, "The Economy of Dating,” dating satisfied a need in a world where few what got married?

3. The presence of what greatly accelerated the system of dating, according to the author in Chapter 1, "Calling Cards and Money"?

4. The author states that by what decade did Americans begin to think dating was universal though it was only three decades old?

5. Who acquired the most power within the dating system, according to the author in Chapter 1, "Calling Cards and Money"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the demographics of the sexes change during World War II? How did this affect courtship?

2. What subject did Beth Bailey discuss on a talk show in the 1970s? On what show did she appear?

3. What values were involved in the early system of dating? What was scorned within this early system?

4. What time period does From Front Porch to Back Seat focus on? What is the central focus of the book?

5. What demographic emerged in the late nineteenth century? What impact did this group have on the systems of courtship?

6. How does the author describe the system of dating as a public one in the Introduction?

7. At what settings did the system of dating originate? How did this system spread?

8. How did the emergence of dating change the values of consumption, according to the author in the Introduction?

9. How did the system of dating evolve after World War II? Why did it evolve?

10. How does the author describe the costs of courtship in the early days of the dating system? What “special dates” could incur even greater costs?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impact of World War II on the system of dating and courtship in America. What did “going steady” mean and why did it gain prominence after the war? How were women’s roles changed during and after the war? Why did they change?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss advertising in the post-World War II era in America. What ideals were promoted to men and to women through advertising at this time? How did marketing and the media impact gender identities? How did the values of men who returned from the war change?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the subversion of women’s rights during the emergence of the dating system. Why were women often blamed in the case of rapes or assaults? How did this impact women’s perceptions of themselves and of men? How did the media reinforce this perception?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 843 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample