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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. Where did Gay eventually receive her B.A. degree from?

2. What was the relationship between Gay and the boy responsible for her trauma?

3. What religion was Gay's family?

4. Where did Gay initially want to attend college?

5. What kind of summer camp did Gay attend the summer following her sophomore year of high school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What relationship did Gay have with the boy who raped her?

2. What advice about writing did Gay’s teacher, Mr. McGuinn, give to Gay?

3. What are some of the reasons Gay gives for not telling anyone about her rape?

4. Why did Gay like the idea of going to boarding school when she was 13?

5. Where did Gay's rape take place, and how does she reference the location throughout the rest of the book in how she refers to herself?

6. How did Gay’s parents react to her weight gain when she came home for Thanksgiving her first year in boarding school?

7. What habit did Gay pick up at the weight-loss camp she attended in high school?

8. How does Gay describe her relationship with her family as a young child?

9. What is Gay referring to when she says her life was split in two, “the before and the after" (14)?

10. What activity did Gay enjoy in high school that helped her forget her pain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Growing up in Haitian-American family, Gay felt there were certain expectations and roles she was required to fulfill. Write an essay analyzing how Gay’s cultural background affected her struggles with obesity and loneliness.

Essay Topic 2

How did Gay’s rape affect her sexuality and subsequent intimate relationships with both men and women? Why is she attracted to the BDSM community?

Essay Topic 3

Reflecting on her adult intimate relationships, Gay writes, “I think most of my sad stories are behind me. There are things I will no longer tolerate” (251). Write an essay summarizing some of Gay’s difficulties in forming healthy intimate relationships and how her attitude towards her own relationships evolves over the course of the book.

(see the answer keys)

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