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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. In Chapter 21, Nick and Jeff Megall decide the scenes in the science fiction film with smoking will only play where?

2. Who does Nick recommend for Lorne's CNN press conference in Chapter 18?

3. What impressive feet does the actress do in footage Nick watches with Jeff Megall in Chapter 23?

4. What reason does Nick give the viceroy in Chapter 16 for needing to speak in the bathroom?

5. What is the name of the hotel where Nick is staying in Chapter 17?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Nick's arrest in Chapter 24?

2. How does Nick convince Lorne Lutch to take the bribe in Chapter 18?

3. What plan is Senator Finisterre trying to pass through Congress in Chapter 19?

4. What deal do Jeff Megall and Nick discuss in Chapter 17?

5. What vision does Nick have at the beginning of Chapter 15?

6. Describe the argument the MOD Squad has in Chapter 13.

7. Why does Nick decide to go to Winston-Salem in Chapter 25?

8. Why is Nick unable to get counsel from Carlinsky in Chapter 26?

9. How is Nick's tryst in Chapter 15 with Jeannette odd?

10. What problem is the Academy having in Asia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nick Naylor is a dynamic protagonists who achieves dizzying heights and harrowing lows over the course of the novel. Write an essay on the scope of his rise and fall, dividing it into a first part about his high water mark. What is the greatest level of power that Nick achieves as a lobbyist in the novel? The second part should deal with his deepest low. What betrayals and freak incidents contribute to this precipitous fall? In summation, discuss what Nick learns from these events.

Essay Topic 2

Nick Naylor's perpetual fight against the "gaspers" means a consistent argument that they stand in the way of American values, more so than big tobacco does. Write an essay about Nick's constant debate with the neo-Puritanical elements of America in three parts:

Part 1) Discuss Nick's appearance on Oprah with the kid dying of cancer and Ron Goode. How is the deck stacked against Nick at the beginning of the program, and how does Nick turn the tables? What accusations does he lob at Goode and OSAP, and how does Goode respond? What makes the show a victory for the Academy?

Part 2) Discuss the ongoing argument between Senator Finisterre and Nick. What changes does the Senator want to enact regarding cigarettes? What arguments does Nick make over the course of the novel to rebut these changes? Why does Nick come off so much better than the Senator in this argument?

Part 3) Sum up the essay by discussing what Nick Naylor's central argument about freedom is. What does he consider men like Senator Finisterre and Ron Goode threats to American freedom? What do they want that is incompatible with democracy, according to Nick?

Essay Topic 3

Christopher Buckley uses a convention in the novel that was popular both with Shakespeare and Dickens where he pointedly gives his character's names that obviously reflect their nature. Write an essay in which you choose three characters for whom this is the case. What essential part of each character does his or her name reflect? Does the name act as a forewarning about the character to the reader or does the name's meaning only become clear after the fact?

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