“I Want a Wife”
by Judy Brady
Whiteboard Quiz
1
• The rhetorical effect of the opening sentence,
“I belong to that classification of people
known as wives” is to
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Give her credit as a speaker.
Provide background information.
Categorize the average woman.
Address the feminist point of view.
Distract the reader.
2
• What is the central conflict in this essay?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
There is no conflict.
Woman versus man
Woman versus nature
Woman versus herself
Woman versus society
3
• The author uses all of the following in the
essay except
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Irony.
Repetition.
Satire.
Metaphor.
Hyperbole.
4
• What is the purpose of the lines that read: “If, by
chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife
than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to
replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I
will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will take the
children and be solely responsible for them so that I
am left free.”
A.
B.
C.
D.
To show that the husband holds all the power
To point out the absurdity of the essay
To show that a wife is irreplaceable
To show that the wife must always take care of the
children
E. To reveal the unimportance of a wife
5
• What is the author’s purpose in writing this
essay?
A. To explain marriage
B. To capture the independence of her moral
values
C. To express fallacies
D. To illustrate a woman’s point of view
E. To point out the unrealistic expectations placed
on a wife
6
• All of the following words could be used to
describe the author EXCEPT
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Logical.
Demanding.
Complaining.
Sarcastic.
Exaggerating.
7
• The word “rambling” as it is used in the
sentence, “I want a wife who will not bother
me with rambling complaints about a wife’s
duties” can most likely be defined as
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Gossiping.
Digressing.
Amplifying.
Rushing.
Quiet.
8
• In this sentence, to what does “it” refer? “It
may mean a small cut in my wife’s income
from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate
that.”
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Her inability to work long hours
The wife’s sacrifice to the family
Her tolerance of her husband’s needs
Her willingness to provide for her family
None of the above
9
• This passage is best described as a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Narrative.
Cause and effect.
Comparison and contrast.
Definition.
Persuasive.
10
• What is the function of the second paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
To start the author’s layering of examples
To introduce her thesis
To recognize her work ethic
To state her inspiration for her ideas
To display the hardships in her friend’s life
11
• The tone of the essay can best be described as
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Whining.
Sarcastic.
Vengeful.
Selfish.
Angry.
12
• The rhetorical function of the last sentence is
to
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Emphasize the thesis of the essay.
Ask a rhetorical question.
Answer a previous question.
Explain why the author wants a wife.
Extend the passage to the reader.
13
• As the essay progresses, how does the author
organize her thoughts?
A. She focuses on the duties that are the most important.
B. She uses examples that become more and more absurd.
C. She becomes more realistic in her expectations of a
wife.
D. She explores the need for a woman to care for her
children.
E. She reveals the duties that all wives have.