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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What term does Smith reference in “The American Exception” which Trump used in reference to other countries he saw as inferior?
(a) "Shithole countries."
(b) "Lowlife countries."
(c) "Unimportant countries."
(d) "Crappy countries."

2. What does Smith say has “rarely been random” in America in her essay “The American Exception”?
(a) COVID-19 recoveries.
(b) Presidential nominations.
(c) COVID-19 cases.
(d) Untimely death.

3. Which president’s speech does Smith cite at the start of “The American Exception”?
(a) Bill Clinton.
(b) Donald Trump.
(c) Barack Obama.
(d) Joe Biden.

4. Though private interests play a role in the lives of many Americans, what private interest does Smith say should not be one of them?
(a) Social security.
(b) Education.
(c) The Postal system.
(d) Healthcare.

5. Though the “bubble” of privilege can be penetrated, what bubble does Smith say cannot be penetrated?
(a) Suffering.
(b) Self-hate.
(c) Isolation.
(d) Inadequate education.

6. In “The American Exception,” Smith says that Americans attacked death as a series of what?
(a) Bad decisions.
(b) Discrete problems.
(c) Unfortunate events.
(d) Mysteries.

7. Nabokov said the inspiration for his novel came from an article about an ape that drew what?
(a) His own cage.
(b) Bananas.
(c) His captors.
(d) His self-portrait.

8. In “Suffering Like Mel Gibson” Smith discusses an article she read about a 17-year-old who committed suicide during the pandemic for what reason?
(a) She could not stand Zoom meetings.
(b) She did not get enough likes on social media.
(c) She did not have access to the internet from home.
(d) She could not see her friends.

9. What is the setting at the start of “Peonies”?
(a) Jefferson Market Garden.
(b) The New York Botanical Gardens.
(c) The Manhattan Garden.
(d) The Brooklyn Gardens.

10. In suffering like Mel Gibson, Smith says that prior to the pandemic people were learning about the link between privilege and what?
(a) Gender.
(b) Intersectionality.
(c) Race.
(d) Class.

11. In “Something to Do,” Smith says that without love life can seem what?
(a) Comical.
(b) Empty and endless.
(c) Tragic.
(d) Dark and depressing.

12. What name does Smith say would better suit the writing department in which she works at the University in “Peonies”?
(a) The Controlling Experience Department.
(b) The Controlling Educator Department.
(c) The Experiential Experience Department.
(d) The Mind Control Department.

13. What does Smith say we were in a “long, involved cultural conversation” about prior to the pandemic?
(a) Privilege.
(b) Universal Healthcare.
(c) Gender inequality.
(d) Free public universities.

14. What is different about Jesus versus the actor speaking to him in the meme Smith saw during the pandemic?
(a) He is soaked in blood.
(b) He is kneeling.
(c) He is on a cross.
(d) He is praying.

15. At the start of “Suffering Like Mel Gibson,” which type of person does Smith say dreamed of an “isolation within isolation” (29) at the start of the pandemic?
(a) Dating couples.
(b) Grandparents.
(c) Married couples with children.
(d) Roommates.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which type of person does Smith say was overjoyed with the new free time at the start of the pandemic?

2. What flowers does Smith wish she was looking at instead of peonies?

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

4. Which type of person does Smith describe as being shuffled “from one isolation to another and back again” (30)?

5. Who were the few people, according to Smith, who did not have to “seek out something to do” during the pandemic?

(see the answer keys)

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