1. "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) Welcome to the Above Rubies Awards, created by me to increase awareness of amazing women in herstory. The first award is for Art. Europe in the seventeeth century didn't really know what to do with a female artist of genius. Artemisia Gentilischi was accused of causing her own rape, taking work away from men (who got the credit for most of her paintings anyway) and being both adulteress and nymphomanic. Which of these stunning paintings, all painted by Ms. Gentilischi, is thought to have been a reaction to her rape and its well-publicized, humiliating trial? Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting Penitent Magdalene Saint Cecelia Judith Beheading Holofernes

2. Although the court of the tsars in St. Petersburg, Russia, was famous for its excesses, the last tsar's sister-in-law, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, is revered as a Russian Orthodox saint. True False

3. I was unable to decide which of the following five women should receive my Above Rubies Crusader award, so since they all pursued the same cause, it's a five-way tie. All five lived in the United States in the nineteenth century (1792-1890) and worked tirelessly for social reform. To what important issue were Maria Weston Chapman, Lydia Child, Prudence Crandall, and sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimké devoted? Economic reform Child labor reform The abolition of slavery Religious freedom

4. Maria Mitchell was born in 1818. She studied astronomy with her father on Nantucket, eventually rising to such promimence that she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other honors. She was a professor at Vassar Female College (later Vassar). What is this Above Rubies Science Award winner most famous for? She compiled a catalogue of deep space objects She discovered a planet She discovered a comet She was the first proponent of the "Big Bang" theory

5. It's fitting that the fame of this notable American poet should grow slowly, for she wrote deliberately and methodically and published only four volumes during her lifetime. She was a colleague of both Robert Lowell and Marianne Moore, and her poems whisper rather than scream of her life as "a woman, a lesbian, an orphan, a geographically rootless traveler, a frequently hospitalized asthmatic, and a sufferer of depression and alcoholism." Who is this Poetry winner? Maya Angelou Emily Dickinson Elizabeth Bishop Sylvia Plath

6. Dorothea Lange, born in 1895, studied at Columbia University at a time when a college education was unusual for women. Her artistic talent was apparent at a young age, and many of her works are owned by the Library of Congress. She belonged to a creative group that included Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. In what category does Ms. Lange receive the Above Rubies award? Photography Sculpture Painting Ceramics

7. Above Rubies Awards are never given to women who are famous because they married someone famous and then sat around looking nice. Although the winner in the Politics category married a movie star, she had already established herself as an accomplished stage actress and opera singer. Helen Gahagan Douglas then went on to interest herself in activist causes, particularly that of migrant farm workers. She counted John Steinbeck and Eleanor Roosevelt among her friends, and Californians elected her to Congress for two terms. In 1950, she ran for the Senate against a Republican opponent. This man conducted a vicious smear campaign, accusing Ms. Douglas of Communist sympathies. Had she won that election, the face of American politics might have been much different, since political scholars theorize that Helen Gahagan Douglas had everything it takes to be elected president. Who was Ms. Douglas's opponent in the 1950 California Senate race? Ronald Reagan Robert A. Taft Barry Goldwater Richard Nixon

8. Although her half-brother Pete is more famous, this folk singer is my choice for the Above Rubies Award in Music. She combines traditional folk songs with her own compositions in her nearly two dozen solo albums. Her feminist "Gonna Be an Engineer" should be required listening for little girls (and little boys, too!). Peggy Seeger Rosemary Yarrow Laurel Guthrie Mallow MacColl

9. This year's winner in the Adventurer category is Tania Aebi. In 1988, Ms. Aebi (unflatteringly described as "a 17 year old dropout barfly") became both the youngest woman and the first American woman to do which of the following? Swim around the island of Manhattan Climb Mount Everest (Chomolungma) Sail around the world alone Win the Iditarod dogsled race

10. In her forties and recovering from a painful divorce, emergency-room physician Dr. Jerri Nielsen decided in 1999 to have an adventure far away from home. Unfortunately, while literally stranded because of the remoteness of her posting, she discovered she had breast cancer. This intrepid Above Rubies Award winner for Bravery performed her own breast biopsy and, with the help of a heavy equipment specialist, administered her own chemotherapy before being rescued months later. Where was Dr. Neilsen's do-it-yourself cancer clinic located? Kalahari Desert, Botswana The International Space Station The South Pole Yukon Territory, Canada