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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. Butler says that feminist theory often looks for what type of person?

2. According to Butler, what makes feminist discourse circular?

3. Butler points out that which of the following is related to entrapping assumptions about identity?

4. Butler says that which group can appropriate the idea of sexual difference?

5. According to Butler, insisting that unity of coalition requires totalizing a set of identity will undermine which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Butler believe about the definition of gender?

2. Why does Lacan think women symbolize the phallus?

3. How did Butler describe the concept of splitting sex and gender?

4. What do Beauvoir and Irigaray disagree on?

5. Why does Butler say that rectifying pre-patriarchal scheme is problematic?

6. According to Butler, what is a woman's identity associated with?

7. What did Levi-Strauss mean by the totality and closure of language?

8. According to Herculine's arguments, how can sexual nonidentity be achieved?

9. Describe Wittig's views and arguments.

10. How does Butler describe drag?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does symbolism play in Gender Trouble? What are some of the symbols used in the text? Examine the use of at least two, as well as their purpose in the context of the book.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the focus Butler has on the incest taboo. What arguments does Butler make about the incest taboo? Does the incest taboo have a strong presence in the text?

Essay Topic 3

Describe societal constructions. What makes them complex? How are societal constructions created? Give one example of a societal construction and explain if it is negative or positive.

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