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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. Why does the narrator find the environmentally conscious bumper stickers on vans ironic?

2. Who was Howard's client?

3. How is the Johnson Smith catalog distributed?

4. What did Flick say that his grandfather drank to cure a cold?

5. What sport does the narrator recall playing with his friends?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Mr. Leggett managed to drive The Happy Cow out of business.

2. What prompts the narrator to think of the Johnson Smith catalog?

3. What is the imaginary Sociology lecture the narrator gives on car culture and describe the differences between the Camper Crowd and Van people.

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

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

6. What has the NLGA done to try to counteract the negative perceptions of lemons?

7. How does the narrator's experience in the Lincoln Tunnel mirror his demeanor during his school years?

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

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

10. Define a BNA and cite some supporting examples.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the format of the book. How does the narrator distinguish between current activity and flashbacks to his past? What is the difference is style and tone? Are the differentiations separated visually in any way? How did this improve your reading of this book?

Essay Topic 2

Shepherd wrote most of these stories with the theme of disappointment. Choose three situations from any of the stories and explain the disappointment in each. How did the narrator maintain any hope given the disappointments he always seemed to experience?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the significance of the book's title, "A FISTFUL OF FIG NEWTONS." Why did Shepherd choose this title? Is there an understood message in the title? Is there another title you can suggest that might be just as appropriate?

(see the answer keys)

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