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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. Klosterman begins Chapter 8 by talking about which prolific American director?

2. What has the drummer of Paradise City done recently that mystifies his bandmates?

3. Near the end of Chapter 4, Klosterman states definitely that Joel's songs are not what?

4. In Chapter 5, the band members of Paradise City flip through stations looking for what?

5. Which band member of Paradise City is the band leader looking to replace?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Woody Allen change and then fail to change romantic perceptions?

2. Why did Klosterman fail as a little league coach?

3. What is the difference between the sexuality Monroe represents and the sexuality Anderson represents?

4. Why is Madonna not the sexual icon that Pamela Anderson is?

5. How does Will Wright answer the question of materialism in The Sims?

6. Why do so many children play soccer, according to Klosterman?

7. Why are amateur porn sites so popular on the internet?

8. What does Klosterman hate about Spike Lee films?

9. What is the essential difference between a Laker philosophy and a Celtic philosophy?

10. What does Klosterman learn about his life from his Sim?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In several chapters, Klosterman makes note of a shift that occurred in the film industry with the release of Star Wars. Write an essay about this shift. What types of films were being produced, making money, and winning awards before Star Wars? What new strategy did studios develop to replicate the Star Wars boon? What does Klosterman think about this shift and its effect on films in the 1980s and 1990s?

Essay Topic 2

Much of Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is dedicated to the defense of seemingly low art. Klosterman repeatedly makes the argument that these less-than revered cultural products contain kernels of profound truth. Write an essay about three of these products:

Part 1) Discuss Chuck Klosterman's interaction with the Guns-N-Roses tribute band Paradise City. What is the nature of the band members' affection for GNR? How is Klosterman surprised by this dedication? What essential cultural desire does Paradise City reveal to the author?

Part 2) How does Klosterman describe the narrative value of the popular sitcom Saved by the Bell? What level of verisimilitude does it contain? Discuss the narrative hole in the show's last season and how Klosterman thinks that hole is the truest component of the show.

Part 3) What is the cultural significance of the novel and film series Left Behind? To what component of modern American society does this series most fervently speak? How does Chuck Klosterman use the series to illuminate a powerful force in America?

Essay Topic 3

Music plays an incredibly important role in Chuck Klosterman's writing, particularly as he is a former music critic for Rolling Stone magazine. Write an essay about three musicians that Klosterman clearly believes illuminate some essential truth about life. Why is Klosterman drawn to this particular musician? What does this musician have to say about life, and why does Klosterman believe this profundity has been hidden from public understanding?

Part 1) Guns-N-Roses

Part 2) Billy Joel

Part 3) Trisha Yearwood

(see the answer keys)

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