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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 does Thompson believe is the source of the journalists' most common writing problem?

2. Why does the author posit that politicians dismiss a certain type of vote in "January"?

3. In what measurement of time is this book organized?

4. How does Thompson assist a group of people in "January, February, into March" who informed him of their collective hatred for politicians?

5. What catches Thompson's attention at the primary in early May?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some characteristics of Thompson's writing?

2. What are some ways that Thompson organizes this book?

3. How do the factory workers react to Senator McCarthy?

4. What does Thompson believe about Southern attitudes, particularly in regards to politicians?

5. Describe the different votes Thompson discusses in "January."

6. Why does Thompson encounter difficulty in becoming an official member of the press for the federal government?

7. How do Thompson and the other journalists deal with their boredom in "May"?

8. In the early days of the campaign trail, how does Thompson's demeanor and attire compare to the other journalists?

9. What is gonzo journalism?

10. In the Introduction, how does Thompson explain his drug use?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Nixon and McGovern's respective campaigns in the following format:

Part 1) McGovern's policies.

Part 2) The Eagleton situation.

Part 3) Thompson's estimation of Nixon.

Part 4) The "Nazi-moves" of the Nixon administration.

Part 5) Thompson's interview with Nixon.

Part 6) Nixon's defeat of McGovern.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

By the time of the 1972 presidential election, how have politicians come to regard the youth vote and the African-American vote? How has the Vietnam War and the subsequent culture around it (for example, hippies, Woodstock, politically aware actors, and musicians) forced the politicians to start targeting the younger crowds for votes? How has this culture, alongside with the continuing struggling for civil rights, aided the African-American community in terms of the government focusing on their demographic?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the presidential candidates in the following format. Be sure to mention how Thompson perceives each of these men and how he feels about them, as well as how they ran their campaign.

Part 1) George McGovern.

Part 2) Richard Nixon.

Part 3) Edmund Muskie.

Part 4) George Wallace.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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