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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. When was Reader's Digest founded?

2. What refers to a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment?

3. Boorstin writes that our enemies profit from the fact they are known only, or primarily, through their what?

4. What Muzak designer suggested that his company was more the business of programming than the business of music?

5. Who founded Reader's Digest?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Boorstin's subject in Chapter 6 - Section IV? How is the effect discussed defined?

2. How does Boorstin compare domestic and foreign issues in Chapter 6 - Section III?

3. What is the first aspect of "successful advertising" described by Boorstin? What example does he provide?

4. What does Boorstin write of the evolution of linguistics and the pseudo-event in Chapter 6 - Section III?

5. What are the first two aspects of images discussed by Boorstin in Chapter 5 - Section I?

6. What does Boorstin suggest was the impact of Reader's Digest on the populace? What is Reader's Digest?

7. How does Boorstin define "passivity" in the image in Chapter 5 - Section I?

8. How does Boorstin define "ideal-thinking" and "image-thinking"?

9. How does Boorstin define movies as a pseudo-event?

10. What shift in the American psyche does Boorstin describe in Chapter 6 - Section I?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Charles Lindbergh as depicted in the text. How did Lindbergh's fame evolve from heroism to celebrity?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss and describe the evolution of tourism in America. How did the car change travel? How did the airplane? What effect have these advances had, according to Boorstin?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contract the definitions of Boorstin for "hero" and "celebrity." How do heroes and celebrities differ in their creation and their demise?

(see the answer keys)

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