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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. Angie says that a butch does not always have to be _________.

2. What does Jess find it hard to do after spending the summer with her friends at Tifka's?

3. What jewels are on the ring that Jess gives to Theresa?

4. Who is the attractive woman that Jess meets at the cannery?

5. Which of the following does NOT characterize the city of Buffalo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Define a butch, a femme, and a drag queen.

2. Even though Jess experiences anti-Semitic cruelty, what eclipses this hatred directed toward her?

3. How does Theresa react to Jess' desire to take male hormones?

4. What happens to Jess on her first night on her own?

5. Explain Jess' entry into the gay lifestyle as a young person and the way she learns to manage her emotions.

6. What are the circumstances related to Jess being raped during high school?

7. What is the importance of camaraderie among the factory workers?

8. Describe the nature of factory life in the 1960s.

9. Why is it a mistake for Jess to go into the Pink Pussy Kat Club looking for Milli?

10. How does Jess essentially save her life by running away from home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the symbolism of Jess' motorcycles. What does a motorcycle signify in the butch-femme world? What role does it play in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does Feinberg use the setting she does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

The story takes place as America is experiencing the Hippie Generation, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and drug usage in the late 1960s. Explain the significance of these political and cultural events on Jess and the other bi-gendered people in her life. How would Jess' life be different if she were living as a young woman today? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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