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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. What was NOT an element about which Tolentino was excited when her family got a new computer during spring break?

2. At which politician was the fiasco called Pizzagate aimed prior to the 2016 United States presidential election?

3. Tolentino points out the way in which tweets do not allow for the inclusion of what types of experiences?

4. How old was Tolentino when she joined the Peace Corps?

5. On what channel did Boys Vs. Girls appear, according to Tolentino?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tolentino contrast her real feelings about taking part in Girls vs. Boys: Puerto Rico with the impression she gave her family?

2. In what way is "the rise of barre" (74) unprecedented, according to Tolentino in the essay "Always Be Optimizing"?

3. To what work is the title of "Always Be Optimizing" referring and what is the significance of the allusion within the essay?

4. What is Tolentino's ultimate conclusion about the future of the internet and why?

5. What psychological effect of the current incarnation of the world wide web does Tolentino find most dangerous and why?

6. Who is Jess, the person featured in the essay entitled "Reality TV Me"?

7. What does the bioluminescent bay symbolize in the essay entitled "Reality TV Me"?

8. How does Tolentino describe the connection between each essay's topic and her own life?

9. What does Tolentino mean when she states that "the ideal woman is always optimizing" (63)?

10. How does Tolentino characterize her adolescent self and for what purpose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Trick Mirror from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 2

What is Tolentino's overall message about the American identity within the collection Trick Mirror and what types of evidence does she use to prove the claim?

Essay Topic 3

Tolentino introduces many historical references in the book, from the bank bailouts of the Great Recession to the rise of social media. What do these references add to the text? How do they expand the universality or specificity of its themes?

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