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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. At what time does Mr. Salter awake William by telephone while the latter is at the hotel?

2. What is the cost to transport William's luggage to his first destination?

3. What bizarre claim does the pseudo-consul of the second Ishmaelite Legation make?

4. How does William's train companion relate making the acquaintance of his valet?

5. What has Nannie Bloggs promised William if ever she wins the Irish Sweepstakes?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is William treated when he first arrives at Croydon, and what affects this sort of treatment?

2. What primarily disgusts William about the <i>Daily Beast</i> on his return to civilized parts of the world?

3. How do Mr. Salter and the Managing Editor decide to see which of the two will take the blame for not having a Boot present at Lord Copper's banquet?

4. What are the names of two places named for General Cruttwell?

5. In what way does Lord Copper directly contradict himself while speaking to William about the Ishmaelian conflict?

6. Why is the French colonial administrator aboard the <i>Francmacon</i> perplexed by William going to Ishmaelia?

7. Why has John Boot's situation in London become very awkward?

8. Why does William not travel with the rest of the journalists to Laku?

9. How do William and Corker both feel about Dr. Benito at the meeting of the Foreign Press Association?

10. By what misunderstanding is William Boot mistaken for the Boot that Lord Copper asked Mr. Salter to find?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the protagonist of the story, William is the principle character around whom all of the novel's action revolves. Through action, the character of William is revealed. Analyze this revelation, explicating both the ways in which William changes from the beginning to the end of the story and the ways he remains the same. Describe his fundamental character traits and evaluate the presentation given of him in Scoop. What sort of character is he? Is the reader persuaded to view him sympathetically or not?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the Boot family in a thoughtful and carefully-structured essay, explaining how the individual members form a whole, and what role the family plays in the story. How do they contrast with the rest of the world that William faces? What do they represent for William, and how is this representation shown? On what is this representation founded?

Essay Topic 3

Part of Waugh's satirical presentation of the newspaper industry is the attitude of the journalists. Compose an analytical essay which discusses the various ways in which the journalists chase after stories. How do they attempt to get a leg-up on the competition? What sort of loyalties do they form, and how are they broken? Do they really care about the news or just about reporting it? What is implied about the industry by the actions of the journalists?

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This section contains 898 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample