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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 image of woman was in vogue in the movies of the 1980s, according to "The Return of Doris Day" by Sandra Tsing Loh?

2. What is the essay by Robert Hilburn "The Not-so-big Hit Single" about?

3. What is an archetype?

4. What is the main purpose of advertisers?

5. What is the factor that changed the semiotic message carried out by the cell phone?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Schadenfreude? How is it relevant to TV shows? Give two examples.

2. Why is it important to do a semiotic analysis of American film?

3. What is the image projected by an American mall? What is the real image?

4. What is Democracy of Afflictions? Name some of the products that are sold under this theme.

5. What is the earliest sign of American consumption of "more?" When did that happen?

6. How are Asian women represented in American movies? How does it reinforce the image held by society?

7. What method do the authors introduce to study popular culture?

8. What are the key arguments in the essay "Signs of Intelligent Life on TV?" Please name two TV shows cited by the author that support her key arguments.

9. How is semiotic analysis of TV program different from a review or opinion?

10. What is commodification of desire?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lippard, in her essay "Alternating Currents," claims that many, especially women who were raised in the country, come to the city to break away from family. She posits that moving a city represents a break with the family values. Do you agree with that position? What are possible motivations to move to the city?

Essay Topic 2

Advertising is everywhere. How do the markets target you and your classmates into becoming consumers? Apply the semiotic method to analyze consumption as one of the aspects of popular culture.

Essay Topic 3

Compare the similarities and difference involved in the semiotic analysis of a fiction book and a TV show.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 939 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample