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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 constantly portrayed the other sex as commodities, according to the author in Chapter 3, "The Worth of a Date”?

2. The average marriage age did what after World War II?

3. According to the author in Chapter 2, "The Economy of Dating,” the process of going steady factored out what?

4. According to the author in Chapter 2, "The Economy of Dating,” many treated going steady as what?

5. Ideals of beauty were often set by whom, according to the author in Chapter 3, "The Worth of a Date”?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why was sexual intimacy criticized as a means of human connection, according to the author in the Introduction?

3. What system of courtship dominated the American lifestyle prior to the mid-1920s? How did dating change this system?

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

5. How did dating change the power distribution of courtship according to the author in Chapter 1, "Calling Cards and Money"?

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

7. How did competition on the dance floor evolve after World War II?

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

9. To what demographic does Beth Bailey align the system of dating in the Introduction?

10. How does the author describe the objectification of the sexes in contemporary society in Chapter 3, "The Worth of a Date"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of money in the early system of dating. Who controlled the money in the arrangement? How did this reflect power in the system? What were the standards of etiquette regarding money in the dating system?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the innovations of “petting” and “necking” in the early twentieth century. How were these terms defined by the youth culture? What did etiquette books say of these activities during the 1950s? When did perceptions of these actions change?

Essay Topic 3

Define and discuss gender identity and its evolution in the past 100 years. How have “traditional” masculine and feminine roles been defined? When did these begin to change? What impact did those changes have on the culture of courtship?

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