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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At which point does Smith say a man submits to nature?
(a) In death.
(b) In old age.
(c) In private.
(d) At birth.

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

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

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

5. What does Smith say writers often write about at some point in their careers at the start of “Something to Do”?
(a) Why they write.
(b) How to write.
(c) Writer’s block.
(d) The health benefits of writing.

6. What type of person does Smith say has created some of the most powerful art she has seen?
(a) People who feel completely alone in the world.
(b) People who have no contact with the outside world.
(c) People who constantly strive for perfection.
(d) People who endlessly engage with their subjects.

7. In “Suffering Like Mel Gibson,” Smith says that suffering “is not relative; it is” (34) what?
(a) A waste of time.
(b) Absolute.
(c) Imaginary.
(d) Necessary.

8. What does Smith liken Trump’s speech to after coming to her senses after the first part of his speech?
(a) Poison.
(b) White lies.
(c) Snake oil.
(d) Rotten apples.

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

10. What does Smith say in “Suffering Like Mel Gibson” was the only relief people quarantining together had from one another?
(a) The computer screen.
(b) Pretending to be asleep.
(c) Pretending to go to the bathroom.
(d) Hiding in a closet.

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

12. “Truly laboring people,” Smith says, have to adhere to this, to which an artist does not have to adhere?
(a) Traffic patterns.
(b) A boss’s whim.
(c) A bus schedule.
(d) A time clock.

13. What is one of the social issues Smith said that pandemic forced many to have to face in her essay “Something to Do”?
(a) Bad marriages.
(b) Lack of sick leave.
(c) Low minimum wage.
(d) Unloving parents.

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

15. Who does Smith say are patronized by people of all ages?
(a) Kids.
(b) Young men.
(c) Older women.
(d) Old men.

Short Answer Questions

1. Despite a pandemic’s ability to discriminate, says Smith, the structure of American hierarchy meant that which groups experience higher death rates?

2. Who did people “thank God for” (16) after the pandemic when, Smith says, they were not seen as worthy of a $15/ hour minimum wage prior to the pandemic?

3. In suffering like Mel Gibson, Smith says that prior to the pandemic people were learning about the link between privilege and what?

4. What date was the speech Smith references at the start of “The American Exception”?

5. Which actor is in the director’s chair talking to Jesus in the meme someone sent Smith at the start of the pandemic?

(see the answer keys)

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