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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 topic of conversation did Gacy continuously bring up with Nuzum in their phone calls?

2. A story about what musician does Klosterman cite in Chapter 16 for its admitted fraudulence?

3. In Chapter 10, Klosterman characterizes himself as what type of person?

4. Who was granola designed initially to feed?

5. Where in school was Klosterman when he began researching serial killers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do sports writers hate their work?

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

3. What do the 23 questions of this section deal with?

4. How are some cereal icons representative of the pained desire for perfection and acceptance?

5. How do page designers affect the news?

6. How does the timing of sources affect bias in the news, according to Klosterman?

7. What is the book Left Behind about?

8. Why is serial killing a modern crime?

9. How is Luke Skywalker's relationship with Darth Vader a familiar relationship to Gen X'ers?

10. How was the Tori Paradox the most realistic part of Saved by the Bell?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The themes of Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs are large, especially considering the frivolity of many of the tangible subjects. Klosterman returns again and again to the idea of reality and humanity's understanding of it. In a three part essay, discuss how Klosterman connects the eternal question of reality and perception to pop cultural products. What does each say about the presentation of reality? How does each illuminate the human experience?

Part 1) The Sims

Part 2) The Real World

Part 3) Modern Hollywood films

Essay Topic 3

In several chapters, Klosterman makes note of a shift that occurred in the film industry with the release of Star Wars. Write an essay about this shift. What types of films were being produced, making money, and winning awards before Star Wars? What new strategy did studios develop to replicate the Star Wars boon? What does Klosterman think about this shift and its effect on films in the 1980s and 1990s?

(see the answer keys)

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