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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. What is the key difference between Wallace and Antitoi?

2. What television show does Wallace compare the cloggers to?

3. Gilder believes technology can be solved with ________.

4. Wallace learns that people enter the Junior Livestock Competition for ______.

5. What activity other than tennis does Wallace cite as using geometry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Wallace feel the Desert Competition is appropriate for Illinois?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Does the plot of "Lost Highway" make sense? Is it supposed to make sense?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wallace discusses his successes and failures in sports and art. At times, he is humble but at others one could sense bitterness. In the situation with the bigger and more luxurious cruise ship, Wallace is suddenly aware of his desires. Discuss Wallace's exhibition is his desires openly and subtly. Although Wallace is in control of the reader's experience, does the reader see aspects of Wallace he ignores? What is the effect on the reader and how they interpret his opinions?

Essay Topic 2

Two of Wallace's essays in the collection discuss his experiences while on writing assignments. Discuss how these essays differ from the other essays and arguments. How does Wallace approach assignments? How does it shape the way he writes?

Essay Topic 3

In several essays, Wallace discusses his idols in art and sports. Discuss what Wallace is conveying about himself through his discussion of those he looks up to.

(see the answer keys)

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