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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. Which of the following cereal icons is not cited in Chapter 10 as a Sisyphean character?

2. What does Klosterman plan to do at the end of Chapter 15 in order to meet a serial killer?

3. Who was granola designed initially to feed?

4. According to Horace, what do real men drink?

5. The Kellogg brothers had a falling out over what change made to corn flakes?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What disagreement does Chuck Klosterman with critics regarding Vanilla Sky?

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

5. What annoys Horace and his friends about Chet the dog-lover?

6. What is the book Left Behind about?

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

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

9. Why is being a serial killer more authentic than being a regular celebrity?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Much of Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is dedicated to the defense of seemingly low art. Klosterman repeatedly makes the argument that these less-than revered cultural products contain kernels of profound truth. Write an essay about three of these products:

Part 1) Discuss Chuck Klosterman's interaction with the Guns-N-Roses tribute band Paradise City. What is the nature of the band members' affection for GNR? How is Klosterman surprised by this dedication? What essential cultural desire does Paradise City reveal to the author?

Part 2) How does Klosterman describe the narrative value of the popular sitcom Saved by the Bell? What level of verisimilitude does it contain? Discuss the narrative hole in the show's last season and how Klosterman thinks that hole is the truest component of the show.

Part 3) What is the cultural significance of the novel and film series Left Behind? To what component of modern American society does this series most fervently speak? How does Chuck Klosterman use the series to illuminate a powerful force in America?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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