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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. Who was granola designed initially to feed?

2. What component of music is most important to people who don't care about good music?

3. Which of the following is not a story in the heavy news day Klosterman describes in a hypothetical question?

4. What religion was Klosterman raised in?

5. Which of the following is not a modern film that Klosterman cites as one of the films worth watching and discussing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do sports writers hate their work?

2. What do the 23 questions of this section deal with?

3. What is the difference between Saved by the Bell and an important show?

4. What is the value of lyrics in popular music?

5. What does Klosterman think that "what is reality?" films are teaching us?

6. How does the timing of sources affect bias in the news, according to Klosterman?

7. How are some cereal icons representative of the pained desire for perfection and acceptance?

8. What is Klosterman's fascination with serial killers?

9. How does a Dixie Chicks concert reveal a cultural shift to Chuck Klosterman?

10. Why does Mitch dislike his coach in Downtown Owl?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In one of the essays of Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Klosterman uses certain pup cultural conflicts to illustrate race conflict in America. In an essay, discuss Klosterman's notions about race in this country. What did The Real World illustrate about this conflict? What about the Laker/Celtic rivalry of the 1980s and 1990s? Does Klosterman seem to think race is a serious problem in this country? Why or why not?

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

Write an essay about the personality that Klosterman creates for himself through his writing. What does he look for in friendship and romance? What cultural mores does he value? What angers the author about his own generation? Use the intra-chapter musings throughout the book to corroborate your thesis in the essay.

(see the answer keys)

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