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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 serial killer claimed pornography was detrimental to society?

2. How is Klosterman officially fired from his little league coaching job?

3. According to Klosterman, what does The Sims force one to do?

4. In his grandest statement of Chapter 6, Klosterman says Anderson represents what?

5. What is the mistake Klosterman's friends make when they watch romantic comedies and maudlin family dramas?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Nora Ephron ruin a lot of young lives?

2. What conclusion does Klosterman come to regarding the Lakers and Celtics at the end of Chapter 8?

3. What is the difference between the sexuality Monroe represents and the sexuality Anderson represents?

4. How does Klosterman connect porn and the rise of the internet in Chapter 9?

5. What does Klosterman hate about Spike Lee films?

6. Why is Madonna not the sexual icon that Pamela Anderson is?

7. What is the essential difference between a Laker philosophy and a Celtic philosophy?

8. What is fake love?

9. How is Billy Joel an exception to the fetishism of coolness?

10. Why do women have an illogical opinion of John Cusack, according to Chuck Klosterman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Klosterman is repeatedly drawing a line in his argument between what he personally likes and what he defends. Often he will dedicate an entire chapter to a person or movement that he dislikes but believes has merit. Write an essay about three instances and the line that Klosterman draws:

Part 1) What is the cultural importance of internet pornography in the modern age? How does Klosterman connect porn to the highest aspirations of the internet age? Does Klosterman indicate that he particularly likes internet porn? Why is he compelled by it?

Part 2) In Toby Over Moby, what type of country music does Klosterman decry and what type does he staunchly defend? Does this defense coincide with his personal tastes? What is the purpose of this defense then?

Part 3) In Rock Chump, what does Klosterman personally feel about the in-depth analysis and debate about pop music that he experiences? Discuss the tone he takes in discussing this conference. What value does it have? What connection does it have the popular music industry?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about how Chuck Klosterman analyzes the goals and achievements of the internet through the prism of pornography. What was the promise of the internet at its inception? How does the popularity of certain types of porn indicate a desire for community and equality? How does this run contrary to internet professionals' opinions of internet porn?

Essay Topic 3

Chuck Klosterman's essays fall into the category of literary nonfiction, or new journalism. Most famously practiced by such writers as Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Truman Capote, this practice involves the journalist placing him or herself at the center of the story. Write an essay about three essays in which Klosterman plays a pivotal role in the reading of events. How is he an active player here? How does his presence affect the story? What does this alter about what else would have been a straightforward relating of events?

(see the answer keys)

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