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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. When did Klosterman become completely dedicated to watching Saved by the Bell regularly?

2. Why did Chet's father buy him a bar in Owl?

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

4. What does Julie do after getting home from her meeting with Valentine?

5. What sport does Walter Valentine try to get Julia to coach in Downtown Owl?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Klosterman's fascination with serial killers?

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

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

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

6. Describe to conflict between alternative and mainstream country music.

7. Why does Klosterman posit that traveling forward in time is less fraught than traveling back?

8. What essential beliefs does Generation X have, according to Chuck Klosterman?

9. How was granola developed?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Klosterman is repeatedly drawing a line in his argument between what he personally likes and what he defends. Often he will dedicate an entire chapter to a person or movement that he dislikes but believes has merit. Write an essay about three instances and the line that Klosterman draws:

Part 1) What is the cultural importance of internet pornography in the modern age? How does Klosterman connect porn to the highest aspirations of the internet age? Does Klosterman indicate that he particularly likes internet porn? Why is he compelled by it?

Part 2) In Toby Over Moby, what type of country music does Klosterman decry and what type does he staunchly defend? Does this defense coincide with his personal tastes? What is the purpose of this defense then?

Part 3) In Rock Chump, what does Klosterman personally feel about the in-depth analysis and debate about pop music that he experiences? Discuss the tone he takes in discussing this conference. What value does it have? What connection does it have the popular music industry?

Essay Topic 2

Music plays an incredibly important role in Chuck Klosterman's writing, particularly as he is a former music critic for Rolling Stone magazine. Write an essay about three musicians that Klosterman clearly believes illuminate some essential truth about life. Why is Klosterman drawn to this particular musician? What does this musician have to say about life, and why does Klosterman believe this profundity has been hidden from public understanding?

Part 1) Guns-N-Roses

Part 2) Billy Joel

Part 3) Trisha Yearwood

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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