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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. Tolentino states that if one were to view womanhood entirely through the lens of literature, adulthood would look like what?

2. The colleges to which Tolentino applied were mostly in New England and in which state?

3. Which college offered Tolentino a full scholarship while she was deciding which college to attend?

4. Which action taken by a particular hero is considered evidence by Tolentino that he has come to certain realizations?

5. Tolentino's friend had insisted that Tolentino could never play which color of Power Ranger in their game?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the "'Dear Colleague' letter" (200) that Tolentino discusses in the essay "We Come from Old Virginia"?

2. What distinction does Tolentino make between the depiction of trauma in children's literature and the depiction of trauma in adult literature?

3. Who is Esther Greenwood?

4. For what reason did Tolentino end up attending the University of Virginia, though she had "applied mostly to schools in New England and California" (196)?

5. Discuss Tolentino's reason for discussing at length Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar in the essay entitled "Pure Heroines."

6. Describe an instance in "We Come from Old Virginia" when Tolentino depicts her younger self as a product of a patriarchal society.

7. Why does Tolentino use the term "Repentagon" (130) in association with her childhood church?

8. Which of the seven scams discussed in the essay "The Story of a Generation of Seven Scams" does Tolentino consider the most egregious example and why?

9. Explain how Tolentino contrasts her journalism skills in 2011 with her journalism skills in 2020.

10. Analyze Tolentino's reason for using an allusion to Ulysses in the essay entitled "Pure Heroines."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Tolentino’s messages concerning the nature of personal satisfaction. Does the text indicate that it is dangerous or crucial? Choose one adjective and prove its validity using concrete details from the text.

Essay Topic 2

What message does Tolentino send within the pages of Trick Mirror concerning the link between privilege and delusion?

Essay Topic 3

What messages are being sent about racial tensions in America in the collection Trick Mirror and what actions does Tolentino hope to provoke within the text’s audience?

(see the answer keys)

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