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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. Which food did Gay eat a lot of during her twenties?

2. What form of contact does Gay recoil from?

3. Gay says loneliness is a matter of what?

4. What are doctors surprised to learn about Gay?

5. What food is the staple of Haitian meals according to Gay?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gay mean by what she calls Lane Bryant fat?

2. How does Gay’s family reestablish contact with her after she moves to the west coast?

3. Why does Gay do extensive research on restaurants before she goes out to eat?

4. What problem does Gay have when she starts to lose weight and begins feeling better about herself?

5. What does Gay like about getting tattoos?

6. What are some of Gay’s challenges with air travel?

7. What did Gay say to the young, overweight woman in the dressing room whose mother was mistreating her and why was it important?

8. What is Gay’s impression of Oprah and Oprah’s influence on the cultural conversation about weight loss?

9. What kind of a job does Gay have while she is living in Phoenix?

10. What medical reason does Gay say is responsible for contestants on shows like The Biggest Loser gaining most of their weight back?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gay writes, “I do not require the affirmation of strangers" and says she views these types of comments as "the expression of the fear of unruly bodies” (165). Write an essay detailing Gay’s feelings about the “encouragement” strangers sometimes offer about her body.

Essay Topic 2

Gay repeatedly refers to her body as “unruly.” Write an essay analyzing why she describes her body this way.

Essay Topic 3

While Gay details her parents’ love and support, she also feels tension with them because of her obesity. Write an essay analyzing the complications and tensions involved in Gay’s relationship with her parents.

(see the answer keys)

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