View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Wallace attribute his tennis success to?
(a) Wind.
(b) God.
(c) Emotions.
(d) Sun.

2. In the Midwest, how are people supposed to respond to a tornado during a tennis match?
(a) Get under the benches.
(b) Go to a nearby ditch.
(c) Go home.
(d) Gather together.

3. Post-structuralists believe that although the historical context can aid a text, much of it really depends on what?
(a) The hype.
(b) The reader.
(c) The language.
(d) The length.

4. According to Wallace, why does television seem real?
(a) The definition is very clear.
(b) The stories reflect real life.
(c) People are stupid enough to believe it.
(d) The actors are skilled at ignoring the camera.

5. Two women who mistake Wallace for working for Harper's Bazaar compliment him on his magazine's _________.
(a) Editing.
(b) Recipes.
(c) Advice.
(d) Design.

Short Answer Questions

1. What about Leyner's image-fiction made Wallace wonder if pop-culture is all people have become?

2. What does Wallace observe about people dancing at a rock concert?

3. When does Wallace realize he is no longer a Midwesterner?

4. What natural disaster does Jim Edgar discuss with the press?

5. What word does Wallace use to define "Lynchian"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Wallace assigned to the Illinois State Fair article for Harper's?

2. According to Wallace, do writers enjoy watching television? Do writers enjoy being watched? Why do writers watch television?

3. As a child, what did Wallace believe the purpose of carnivals was?

4. According to Wallace, why does television seem real?

5. According to Wallace, was Image-Fiction successful? Why or why not?

6. What is the idea of Image-Fiction? Why does it exist?

7. Why did the students argue with their professor's position that works should make no reference to a specific time period?

8. Does Wallace see the events at the Desert Competition as being safe? Why or why not?

9. What is a "Lynchian" film?

10. To Wallace, is he still a Midwesterner? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 742 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample