View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the narrator, how do Camper people drive?

2. How is the Johnson Smith catalog distributed?

3. Of what do the kids at the back of the class live in fear?

4. What might the archaeologists think about people squeezing rolls of Charmin bathroom tissue?

5. The archaeologists may think that Colonel Sanders is a ________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator speculate that the archaeologists might think the commercials are somehow religious media?

2. Describe the narrator's surprise inspiration in Algebra class and how he avoided looking like the failure he was sure he was.

3. What are the differences in driving styles between the Camper Crowd and van people?

4. How was the great Ice Cream War another example of brains vs. brawn in the narrator's life?

5. What was the worst case scenario of a BNA?

6. How does the narrator recall growing up in his family in small-town Indiana?

7. What human foibles does the Johnson Smith catalog prey on and why does the narrator appreciate it?

8. What scenario does the narrator imagine in which archaeologists discover television advertising and what are their perceptions of it?

9. What prompts the narrator to think about advertising and a future archaeological dig where New York City is excavated?

10. With what does the narrator credit the Johnson Smith catalog for being and how will it stand up as an American culture artifact?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of the narrator. What are his physical characteristics? What are his personality traits? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What else can you say about the narrator?

Essay Topic 2

Create a "character" sketch of the state of New Jersey. What personality shines through for you for this state? Did Shepherd make you want to learn more and perhaps visit one day? What would you most like to see? What is the one fact or interesting feature that you can recall about New Jersey? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the narrator's childhood growing up in a small town in Indiana in the 1930s. What was his family life like? Who were his friends? What were his school experiences? How did these people and experiences form him into the adult he would become?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,165 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample