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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. Which of the following produced a documentary about a "deranged" Pacific war veteran who drives the streets of Tokyo speaking against Japanese war crimes?
(a) Kazuo Hara.
(b) Larisa Shepitko.
(c) Jeff Wall.
(d) Theodore Dreiser.

2. Sontag claims that shock used for rhetorical purposes can become _________.
(a) New.
(b) Dangerous.
(c) Familiar.
(d) Damaging.

3. Which of the following is an account of a man's last hours before his execution at the guillotine?
(a) "The Execution of Troppmann."
(b) "The Ascent."
(c) "The Hours."
(d) "The Green Mile."

4. Events enter the collective memory, not by a natural process of remembering but by:
(a) Repeated exposure.
(b) Government propaganda.
(c) Subconscious selection.
(d) Active designation of significance.

5. Which Dreiser novel does Sontag reference in the final chapter?
(a) "Death of a Salesman."
(b) "The Crucible."
(c) "An American Tragedy."
(d) "Sister of War."

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following phrases does Sontag use to refer to items which allow us to remember or think on death?

2. Sontag claims that sentimentality is often accompanied by which of the following?

3. According to Sontag, the idea that less people are reacting to news of atrocity is probably which of the following?

4. Sontag claims that the model for public space in modern society is which of the following?

5. Sontag claims that some photographs which are "repulsive" can also ________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Sontag discusses the emergence of apathy and cynicism toward war. According to her discussion, what feeling underlies cynicism about war and atrocity? What is the purpose of this cynicism?

2. Sontag claims that there is historical evidence to suggest that, despite contemporary belief, war has always been the norm, and peace the exception to that norm. Discuss one of the examples Sontag provided.

3. Sontag contrasts the perceived number of atrocities now with the number from years ago, and makes a specific claim about the rate of atrocity. Discuss this assertion.

4. Why is a museum, in Sontag's opinion, an inappropriate place to display atrocity photographs?

5. Sontag discusses two widespread ideas about the influence of photography. Sontag notes that the second idea might seem to be the converse of the first. What is the second idea? Discuss the second idea using support from the book.

6. According to Sontag, why is there no museum dedicated to the victims of the slave trade?

7. What does Sontag mean when she said that photographs transform?

8. According to Sontag, how does Goya's "The Disasters of War" differ from most depictions of mutilated and tortured bodies?

9. Sontag discusses Sebastiao Salgado's series entitled "Migrations: Humanity in Transition" and points out one very problematic effect of the series. Discuss this effect.

10. Describe the scene which Sontag refers to as the first description of bodies in anguish and identify the source of this description.

(see the answer keys)

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