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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 does the narrator especially appreciate about the catalog?

2. How is the Johnson Smith catalog distributed?

3. The exuberant colors, dancing, and music of the commercials have an element of ______________ about them.

4. How did the Igloo finally win the ice cream war?

5. What is the narrator's brother's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the worst case scenario of a BNA?

2. Why does the narrator focus on TV commercials as a true reflection of American society?

3. What defense mechanisms did the kids in the back of the room develop in order to deflect the teachers' questions?

4. With what does the narrator credit the Johnson Smith catalog for being and how will it stand up as an American culture artifact?

5. How does the narrator recall growing up in his family in small-town Indiana?

6. How does the narrator speculate that the archaeologists might think the commercials are somehow religious media?

7. Who is Howard and why is he so depressed about the word "lemon"?

8. What scenario does the narrator imagine in which archaeologists discover television advertising and what are their perceptions of it?

9. How does the narrator's experience in the Lincoln Tunnel mirror his demeanor during his school years?

10. What prompts the narrator's memory about the great ice cream war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of the narrator. What are his physical characteristics? What are his personality traits? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What else can you say about the narrator?

Essay Topic 2

What is the point of view of this book? Why did Shepherd use this point of view? Is it the only way the book could have realistically been written? How else could Shepherd have used point of view to alter the rhythm of the book? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

One of the most striking characteristics of Shepherd's writing was his complete honesty. Explain why this is necessary to complete a book of this nature. Would a reader be able to see through fabrications and falsehoods in a book like this? Describe why this format is the perfect for Shepherd's personality.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,244 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample