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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 observes that "Here Is New York" had no need for captions, but suggests that:

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

3. How many images did the "Here Is New York" exhibit originally receive?

4. After World War I, the general public thought of the War as:

5. The Brady war pictures were taken of which of the following wars?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the controversy surrounding the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002. What was the main conflict?

2. Explain Sontag's objection to the idea that a news broadcasting program can "give you the world." Why did she argue that compressing world news into broadcasted programming is bad?

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

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

5. Sontag distinguished between "image makers" and "image takers". What is the difference between these two groups of artists? How are they perceived differently?

6. Sontag compared the photograph to a maxim or a proverb. Explain this comparison. What does it tell us about the nature or impact of photographs?

7. Explain the significance of Jacques Callot's 1633 series of etchings titled "Les Miseres et les Malheurs de la Guerra" (The Miseries and Misfortunes of War). Why did Sontag discuss this work?

8. According to Sontag, how are photographs of victims a form of rhetoric? What is their purpose or message? How do they function to convey this message?

9. Discuss one way in which the development of technology during and after the Vietnam War has affected the veracity of photographs.

10. Sontag asserted that "cameras have always kept company with death." What did she mean by this assertion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On witnessing suffering in a photograph, are we morally or ethically obligated to be emotionally moved? Sontag suggested that perhaps the viewer should not feel ashamed for not feeling a reaction. Do you agree or disagree? Support your position with a discussion of the ethics of witnessing suffering from such a distance.

Essay Topic 2

Sontag commented extensively on the ways in which war photography and atrocity centered journalism has evolved from the inception of photojournalism. Discuss your views on the evolution of war photography. Do you agree with Sontag's assertions? Why or why not? Draw on specific historical and contemporary examples to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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