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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. Paintings, however accurate or realistic, are not the object, but a ___________ of that object.

2. Photography allows painting to focus on the purely __________ of the object being captured.

3. Photography requires dissociative __________ when the person is photographing an item or object.

4. What is NOT one of the things that the Chinese expect from photography, which can cause a disconnect?

5. It is __________ to distinguish one photographer's work from another, according to the opinion of Sontag.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it so simple for people in society to collect photographs, according to the text in this chapter?

2. What do photographs do to reality, according to this final chapter of the book as written by Sontag?

3. What does Sontag see as the central tension in photography, according to the discussion in this chapter?

4. What does the final chapter have to present about the idea of images in relation to reality, something which may not be fully supported by the text?

5. What does modern photography seem to say about this subject of the photograph and its importance?

6. How are photographs presented as art in the modern society, according to this chapter of the book?

7. What was the progression of photography in relation to its artistic status, according to this chapter?

8. What did the film Chung Kuo include that helped to present an accurate, though not flattering, picture of Chinese life?

9. What is difficult, if not impossible to do when it comes to looking at photographs, as opposed to looking at paintings?

10. What does a photographic portrait not need to do, instead it can mingle documentation with artistic rendering?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often, photographs are offered as evidence that something occurred at a certain time.

Part 1: Why do you think photographs are thought to be so definitive?

Part 2: How do you think photographs should be used in everyday life?

Part 3: Do you think something is real when you have a picture of it? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Sontag makes a bold supposition that some artists create their works only to be photographed.

Part 1: Do you think an artist would only create something in order to get its picture taken?

Part 2: Why do you think artists create their pieces to begin with?

Part 3: Do you agree with Sontag's idea? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

In the end, Sontag points out that some people seem to prefer photographic images to reality.

Part 1: How are photographs superior to reality?

Part 2: Why do you think reality might be less appealing to others?

Part 3: Do you prefer photographs or reality? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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