View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Thompson, what concept really controls the voting and polls in politics?
(a) How well the politicians can speak.
(b) Perception of the candidate.
(c) The intensity a politician will bring to a speech.
(d) The stance on the Vietnam War.

2. At the writing of this book, what do Americans realize about politics?
(a) American votes do force change.
(b) Politicians are not really in charge.
(c) Politicians cannot readily pull troops in and out of a country.
(d) They are deceptive.

3. According to those who disapprove of professional speech writers, what is revealed when politicians use these writers?
(a) False promises.
(b) A lack of direct thought.
(c) The inability of people to think for themselves.
(d) The artifice of politics.

4. According to Thompson, what is the death knell for the campaign?
(a) McGovern's sudden shift to support the continuance of Vietnam.
(b) McGovern's public statement about Eagleton.
(c) Nixon's foreign policies.
(d) McGovern's distrust of Eagleton.

5. According to those who approve of professional speech writers, what purpose do the writers serve for the politicians?
(a) The writers control the campaign.
(b) The writers can catapult a politician to stardom with the right words.
(c) The writers are merely there to edit the speeches.
(d) The writers enhance the politician's performance.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, which readers does he expect will understand his decision to defuse the situation with Mankiewicz?

2. In "August," what does Thompson remember from a previous campaign?

3. According to the author, in what ways can deceit be considered relatively harmless?

4. What is the name of the airplane which carries the reserve personnel during the campaign of 1972?

5. How does Thompson chronicle "November Concluded?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Thompson the "rock-n-roll emissary" for politics?

2. What are Thompson's feelings about Nixon?

3. How does Thompson describe the varying roles of and attitudes toward professional speech writers?

4. How does Eagleton affect McGovern's campaign run?

5. Why does the book turn into a series of dialogues and monologues after Chapter 11?

6. Why is Thompson in such a dark mood in "October?"

7. Why do Thompson and his friend decide to resolve the Mankiewicz situation by leaving?

8. What does Thompson mean when he says American politics are based on "perception and reality?"

9. During the demonstration of a previous campaign, what did Thompson realize about the police officers on the scene?

10. In "November Concluded," what stories did Thompson tell about one of the female journalists?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,144 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample