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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. Which periodical requesting a quote from Nick Naylor in Chapter 1 annoys him?

2. What does BR refuse from Naylor at the beginning of Chapter 4?

3. Where does the Captain recommend Nick go as soon as possible in Chapter 9?

4. How does Bobby Jay Bliss know Heather Holloway?

5. In Chapter 12, what do the two D.C. policeman think Nick is?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Nick fare in the Oprah show?

2. What types of messages does Nick have waiting for him at the Academy in Chapter 7?

3. How is Nick's Larry King interview interrupted with some shocking news?

4. How does Nick's meeting with Heather Holloway end in Chapter 9?

5. How does Heather portray Nick in her article?

6. How is Nick taken hostage in Chapter 11?

7. Why was Nick Naylor fired as a television reporter?

8. Why is USA Today trying to contact Naylor in Chapter 1?

9. Describe the history of cigarettes as related by Nick Naylor in Chapter 4.

10. In Chapter 1, what differences between BR and his predecessor does Naylor note?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrative of Thank You for Smoking is peppered with interactions between Nick Naylor and individuals that he wants to encourage to join the push in improving tobacco's image. Write an essay about these interchanges. What does each person have to offer big tobacco? How does Naylor go about convincing individual in question that teaming up with the Academy is a good idea? What compromised ethics are required in this deal?

Part 1) Penelope Dent

Part 2) Jeff Megall

Part 3) Lorne Lutch

Essay Topic 2

Nick Naylor is portrayed in the novel as a man who is consistently marginalized by society not because of race or beliefs, but because he has allied himself with a deeply unpopular entity. Write an essay about this marginalization in three parts:

Part 1) How does the Prologue of the novel express the omnipresent antipathy Nick Naylor faces in life? What does society at large dislike about what he does? How has Nick adapted to this antipathy? What defenses has he developed?

Part 2) Discuss the relationship that exists among the members of the MOD Squad in the novel. What do the three of them discuss when they meet for lunch? What do they understand about each other's life that most of society cannot?

Part 3) Describe the public attitude that surround's Nick's work, and how this attitude lends credence to the abduction and attempted murder. Are death threats a regular part of Nick Naylor's life? What precautions does the Academy take regarding these omnipresent fears?

Essay Topic 3

The world of tobacco in Buckley's novel is divided into two groups: the old-school manufacturers and the slick image men who try to sell the industry to the country. Write a essay about this conflict, focusing on each side individually:

Part 1) The old style of tobacco men is represented most clearly by the character of the Captain. What does the old man value in business? Why does he take to Nick Naylor so fervently? How are his views considered antiquated by the new guard, and how does his death mark the passing of an era?

Part 2) The new style of image and branding is perhaps best represented by the slick, deceptive BR. What does he want to do to change the Academy, and how do these changes jive with the old style of men like the Captain? What kind of support does BR have at the Academy, and how is his power derived almost exclusively from lies and treachery?

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