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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. Who invests heavily in Post stock and puts the Post on the same level of excellence as Disney?

2. Kay resents ____________'s unwillingness to accept her, but is intimidated and defers to his ideas.

3. ___________ has been holding the company together during the years of Phil's decline.

4. What does Father insist that every full-speed-ahead business person should have in his/her company?

5. Who is poised to take over Kay's position at the Post, though she is concerned about the timing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Henry Kissinger want to discuss when he sits down for a lunch with Kay?

2. Why does Kay feel it is her job to keep in touch with U.S. officials in and out of office?

3. What is the purpose of the cruise that Mother takes Kay on during this part of Kay's memoir?

4. What does Roger Parkinson suggest when the pressmen strike and attack?

5. What are the standing orders of Bradlee during the Watergate story that is unfolding?

6. What does Buffet suggest that Kay do with the undervalued stock?

7. What happens during the pressmens' Pearl Harbor as Kay finds out early in the morning on October 1, 1975?

8. What action does Phil take that Kay is not completely convinced is a good idea?

9. What happens as the result of Kay being conditioned to deal only with important people?

10. What does Phil do in order to pay for the purchase of the news magazine for business people?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kay seems to suffer from tremendous self esteem issues during the story, causing her to often feel as though she were a duck out of water in social gatherings.

Part 1: Why do you think that Kay didn't have much sense of her own self worth?

Part 2: How might Kay's life have been better had she been instilled with more self esteem?

Part 3: Do you think that Kay finally does realize her value in society by the end of the book? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

At times, it seems that Kay focuses more on the things that have happened to her, as opposed to writing about her internal feelings.

Part 1: Why do you think Kay focuses so much energy on writing about events rather than feelings?

Part 2: Would this memoir have been as enjoyable had it focused more on feelings? Why or why not?

Part 3: What does the writing style of the book have to say about Kay as a person?

Essay Topic 3

While there is rampant sexism in the times of the book, Kay's mother seems to carve out her own path, regardless of any boundaries before her.

Part 1: Why do you think that Kay's mother was able to have such an enriching and varied life?

Part 2: Why do you think that Agnes' passion for life and learning couldn't have been incorporated into how she raised her children?

Part 3: What does this say about Kay's mother that she focused more on the outside world than on her family?

(see the answer keys)

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