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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is Wallace able to get into the desert competition at the state fair?
(a) They think he's from a different magazine.
(b) There is no ID check.
(c) They need more participants.
(d) He bribes someone.

2. Who does Wallace believe is the ultimate outsider?
(a) Journalists.
(b) Women.
(c) Carnies.
(d) Midwesterners.

3. When does Wallace realize he is no longer a Midwesterner?
(a) When he gets lost on a farm.
(b) When he notices he dresses differently.
(c) When he realizes he can't enjoy the carnival.
(d) When he can't understand the accent.

4. What is Wallace's objective in describing the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" references in an episode of St. Elsewhere?
(a) Explaining that there is a meaning behind every episode.
(b) To convey his interest in the shows.
(c) Explaining television is becoming completely self-referential.
(d) Explaining that everything is interconnected.

5. While on the set of "Lost Highway," why does Wallace rarely see Lynch?
(a) He's busy.
(b) He's in his trailer.
(c) He's in a disguise.
(d) He's never there.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Wallace, why do Midwesterners take their vacations to be around people?

2. Wallace believes that Lynch's films are the most successful when what is developed?

3. According to Wallace, what elements do Lynch's films draw out?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. According to Wallace, what tendencies does television appeal to? Who is television's target?

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

4. Why does Wallace believe cloggers have more fun than people at a rock concert?

5. How does sexual harassment make a clear distinction between Eastern and Midwestern women for Wallace?

6. Does Wallace agree with Hix's argument about "authors"? Why or why not?

7. What connection does Wallace see between tennis, geography, and the wind?

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

9. Does Wallace's visit to the stockyard barns affect Wallace at all? Why or why not?

10. What caused Lynch's downfall in the movie industry?

(see the answer keys)

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