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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. Sontag references an agreement in which the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan came together to renounce war. What is the name of this agreement?

2. Which of the following images was often thought to represent a mother, looking tellingly into the sky during an air raid of the Spanish Civil War?

3. Fenton received directions from the War Office to do which of the following?

4. Sontag argues that we are most disappointed to discover that which type of photographs have been staged?

5. Sontag discusses the subtitle of "Here is New York" in some detail. What was this subtitle?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the purpose of photography collections such as Ernst Friedrich's "Krieg dem Kriege!" (War Against War!), and discuss how these works attempt to achieve this end.

2. According to Sontag, how does a photograph in the news media differ from a written account? How does the audience change?

3. Sontag stated that the photographer's intentions do not determine the message of the photograph. Discuss the contributing factors which influence the reception of photographs in the media.

4. Sontag identified two types of censorship which affect war photography. Describe both types of censorship. Which is most influential?

5. Why do images of pain challenge us to look without flinching? According to Sontag, what purpose does this serve?

6. Sontag suggests that the same photograph might elicit "opposing responses." Discussing a specific example, explain how this might be possible.

7. How do captions sway interpretations of images? Discuss one of the examples Sontag provides in Chapter 1.

8. According to Sontag, do people prefer artistic renderings or straight-forward representations of atrocities? Why?

9. Discuss the significance of Eddie Adams' photograph of the execution of a suspected Vietcong agent. What did Sontag say was particularly striking about this image and the circumstances of its creation?

10. Discuss the reaction of the British public to the image of trenches of unburied bodies taken 10 days after a British defeat during the Boer War. What does this reaction say about the sensibility of the public?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sontag discussed image-glut and image-flow extensively in this essay. Do you agree with her assertions that the modern world contains a plethora of disturbing or horrific images? Evaluate her argument regarding the effects of image-glut and propose your own. How does the influx of war photographs affect the viewer? Are viewers more prone to apathy because of the quantity of images? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Select a work of war protest art which Sontag discussed in detail in this book. Formulate your own argument regarding the effectiveness of the piece. Was Sontag correct in her assertions? Why or why not? What does the work attempt to accomplish? What does it succeed or fail to do? Provide specific support and evidence for your assertions.

Essay Topic 3

Are images sufficient to provoke anti-war sentiment? Sontag ultimately concluded that photographs alone could not achieve this end. Do you agree or disagree? Are some images striking, shocking, horrifying, or compelling enough to effect change? Do some of Sontag's examples, such as the coverage of the Vietnam War, work for or against her assertion?

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