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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. What does Wallace most like about the Expo Building at the state fair?
(a) It's air conditioned.
(b) It's quiet.
(c) It's big.
(d) There's lots of shopping.

2. At the beginning of "E Unibus Pluram," what does Wallace describe fiction writers as enjoying?
(a) Watching others.
(b) Traveling.
(c) Reading.
(d) Playing sports.

3. Why does Wallace see fighting irony as "impossible"?
(a) People enjoy it.
(b) It's an integral part of the world.
(c) It insults those who question it.
(d) It is too powerful.

4. Why does Wallace get ill on his first day at the desert competition?
(a) Because he eats too much.
(b) Because he hasn't slept.
(c) Because it's too hot.
(d) Because he rode a rollercoaster.

5. What do the stall in the Expo Building sell?
(a) Television infomercial products.
(b) Handmade crafts.
(c) Camping equipment.
(d) State propaganda.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was Wallace fascinated by tornados?

2. Why does Wallace believe television is primarily detrimental to Americans?

3. What is the key difference between Wallace and Antitoi?

4. What does Wallace blame for his failure as a tennis player in college?

5. When did Lynch first become critically reviled?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. As an adult, what does Wallace see as the purpose of carnivals?

4. What is a "Lynchian" film?

5. What does Wallace observe as ironic in television? Does he see this as detrimental? How?

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

7. According to Wallace, are commercials self-aware? What is the effect of this on the viewer?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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