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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. By the late nineteenth century, a new and coherent social group started to drive American cultural life. This new middle class arose during what period?

2. What term referred to a long-term partner in the dating system?

3. Before the mid-1920s, what system was used to link women and men?

4. According to the author in Chapter 1, "Calling Cards and Money,” women who took the initiative in the dating system were thought to be what?

5. According to the author in Chapter 3, "The Worth of a Date,” simply having a date indicated what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did marriage change in the 1950s and 1960s? How was marriage related to consumption?

2. What arguments did experts make regarding the public nature of dating, according to the author in the Introduction?

3. How did American men view their coeds on college campuses after returning from World War II?

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

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

6. How did those in the upper classes view the dating culture of the lower classes, according to the author in Chapter 1, "Calling Cards and Money"?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the objectification of men and women in the 1950s. What were presented as “ideals” in the sexes during this time period? How did these ideals differ from perceptions prior to World War II? What role did American consumption play in this change?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the emergence of the “large-breasted woman” as an American ideal of beauty and worth. When did this ideal originate? Who and what were responsible for this emerging ideal? Are large-breasted women still idealized? How related are breasts with the concept of sexuality in the media?

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