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. What term does Gay prefer to use to refer to herself in the aftermath of the trauma she experienced?

2. Why did Gay eventually come home to her parents after her lost years?

3. What would Gay's mother add to the water when she was washing meat or vegetables?

4. Which of these author does Gay say she liked as a child?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What prompts Gay to drop out of Yale and move across the country?

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

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

5. Why did the author gain weight so rapidly once she went to boarding school?

6. What was the most important thing that Mr. McGuinn did for Gay?

7. How did the boys who raped Gay treat her afterwards?

8. What was Gay's relationship to food like before her rape?

9. What do you think Roxane Gay means by the phrase “The story of my body is not a story of triumph” (4)?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Gay choose to use the word “fat” to describe herself rather than terms like “overweight” or “heavy”? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Writing has been a positive keystone of Gay’s life from when she was very young. Write an essay analyzing the importance of writing throughout the author’s life, paying particular attention to how it has helped her express and explain her struggles.

Essay Topic 3

Gay writes about the interplay between obesity and gender, declaring “My fat body empowers people to erase my gender” (256). Write an essay analyzing what she means by this, using specific example from her experiences.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 715 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample