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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. What term does Klosterman use in Chapter 14 to describe mainstream country music?

2. In Chapter 13, which actor's 1970s career does Klosterman use as an example of films that expressed the zeitgeist?

3. In one hypothetical question, Klosterman offers the questioned a choice between a vacation in Europe or where?

4. What path do Gen X'ers normally choose in life, according to Klosterman in Chapter 12?

5. What southern fast food establishment plays prominently in country music, according to Klosterman in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do page designers affect the news?

2. Why does Mitch dislike his coach in Downtown Owl?

3. What is the essence of coolness, as described in Chapter 10?

4. What is the value of lyrics in popular music?

5. Why is Laura dispirited by her interview with Walter Valentine?

6. How has the portrayal of reality in films changed between the golden age of the 1970s and today, according to Klosterman?

7. How does a Dixie Chicks concert reveal a cultural shift to Chuck Klosterman?

8. Describe Klosterman's process for extracting truth from low culture.

9. What is the book Left Behind about?

10. How was granola developed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Beginning in the first chapter and continuing throughout several essays that follow, Klosterman discusses the fake emotion and false expectations that popular culture creates. Write an essay about false reality that pop culture creates. What specific examples does Klosterman provide? How does he say these products affect generational consciousness? How have they affected his own life?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the unifying worldview that runs throughout all of the essays in Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. What does Klosterman think about popular culture in modern America? What is its connection to the overall cultural zeitgeist? What does it reveal about humanities wants and fears? Does Klosterman give any inkling as to his political leanings? What does he refuse to admit about himself and his personal values?

Essay Topic 3

In one of the essays of Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Klosterman uses certain pup cultural conflicts to illustrate race conflict in America. In an essay, discuss Klosterman's notions about race in this country. What did The Real World illustrate about this conflict? What about the Laker/Celtic rivalry of the 1980s and 1990s? Does Klosterman seem to think race is a serious problem in this country? Why or why not?

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