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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through “Something To Do” .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What “obsession” (6) does Smith liken to her resistance to nature as a youth, an obsessions she says many writers share?
(a) Materialism.
(b) Order.
(c) Control.
(d) Chaos.

2. As Smith stares into the garden of peonies near two other women her age, Smiths comments of what “gaudy symbol,” the flowers represent, “in the middle of a barren concrete metropolis” (3)?
(a) Sadness.
(b) Opportunity.
(c) Fertility.
(d) Holiness.

3. What purported purpose of art does Smith say is usually overstated in her essay “Something to Do”?
(a) Its aesthetic value.
(b) Offer financial security to the artist.
(c) Its fundraising abilities.
(d) Its political efficacy.

4. Which philosopher does Smith cite when discussing the difference between the thinker and his real life?
(a) Socrates.
(b) Nietzsche.
(c) Kierkagaard.
(d) Plato.

5. While looking on at the garden, Smith thinks of a quote by Nabokov regarding his inspiration for which novel?
(a) Glory.
(b) Mary.
(c) Laura.
(d) Lolita.

Short Answer Questions

1. Nabokov said the inspiration for his novel came from an article about an ape that drew what?

2. What does Smith say we had before the pandemic instead of death?

3. What example does Smith use in “Peonies” as a time when submitting might be better than resisting?

4. What does Smith say a man can bend to his will?

5. At which point does Smith say a man submits to nature?

(see the answer key)

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