Simone de Beauvoir — Questions and answers
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What big idea did Simone de Beauvoir want people to think about?
Choices
- A) That we are mostly defined by our biology.
- B) That our identity, especially gender, is shaped by society and history. ✓
- C) That everyone is born knowing exactly who they are.
- D) That only people in Paris think about identity.
Answer: B) That our identity, especially gender, is shaped by society and history.
From page 1
What does 'The Other' mean when Simone de Beauvoir talked about it?
Choices
- A) It means someone who is exactly the same as you.
- B) It's how important groups make other groups seem secondary or less important. ✓
- C) It's a secret club for philosophers.
- D) It means having many friends.
Answer: B) It's how important groups make other groups seem secondary or less important.
From page 3
What did Simone de Beauvoir say about the idea of the 'eternal feminine'?
Choices
- A) She believed it meant women were naturally meant to be beautiful forever.
- B) She said it was a collection of natural characteristics women are born with.
- C) She argued these were ideas made by culture and society, not truly natural for women. ✓
- D) She thought it was a type of old-fashioned clothing.
Answer: C) She argued these were ideas made by culture and society, not truly natural for women.
From page 4
What two important things did Simone de Beauvoir say women needed for true freedom?
Choices
- A) More parties and more desserts.
- B) To only follow what others tell them.
- C) Education and to be able to earn their own money. ✓
- D) To only care about their appearance.
Answer: C) Education and to be able to earn their own money.
From page 6
What did Simone de Beauvoir expect when people tried to change old ways of thinking in society?
Choices
- A) Everyone would be very happy and change quickly.
- B) It would be an easy and fast change.
- C) There would be a lot of difficulty and people resisting the changes. ✓
- D) Society would completely disappear.
Answer: C) There would be a lot of difficulty and people resisting the changes.
From page 7
What did Simone de Beauvoir's important book, The Second Sex, teach us about gender?
Choices
- A) That gender is a fixed plan for everyone's life from birth.
- B) That gender is something that culture and society help to make and understand, not just a destiny. ✓
- C) That only powerful people decide what gender is.
- D) That books about gender are too hard to read.
Answer: B) That gender is something that culture and society help to make and understand, not just a destiny.
From page 8
Besides talking about women, what other kinds of groups can Simone de Beauvoir's idea of 'The Other' help us understand?
Choices
- A) Only groups that enjoy playing sports.
- B) Groups based on their race, their wealth, or where they come from. ✓
- C) Only groups of very smart scientists.
- D) Groups who like to eat different kinds of food.
Answer: B) Groups based on their race, their wealth, or where they come from.
From page 9
What does Simone de Beauvoir's idea of 'becoming' encourage people to do today?
Choices
- A) To believe that their identity is fixed and never changes.
- B) To question old rules and actively shape who they are throughout their lives. ✓
- C) To always follow exactly what society tells them to do.
- D) To only think about what happened in the past.
Answer: B) To question old rules and actively shape who they are throughout their lives.
From page 10