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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 Nazi leader does Gordon Craighead compare Nick to in Heather's article?

2. Where does the Captain recommend Nick go as soon as possible in Chapter 9?

3. Who else is on the panel on which Naylor sits in the Prologue?

4. What does Nick Naylor always eat at the MOD Squad lunches?

5. What popular television show is Naylor invited on in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the transfixed moment Naylor experiences at the end of Chapter 3.

2. Why is USA Today trying to contact Naylor in Chapter 1?

3. What is the MOD Squad?

4. How does Nick fare in the Oprah show?

5. How is Nick's Larry King interview interrupted with some shocking news?

6. How do the nico-terrorists in Chapter 11 attempt to kill Nick?

7. How does Oprah betray Naylor at the beginning of Chapter 5?

8. Why did Polly Baily join the Moderation Council?

9. What does the reader learn about Gazelle in Chapter 7?

10. How does Heather portray Nick in her article?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrative of Thank You for Smoking is peppered with interactions between Nick Naylor and individuals that he wants to encourage to join the push in improving tobacco's image. Write an essay about these interchanges. What does each person have to offer big tobacco? How does Naylor go about convincing individual in question that teaming up with the Academy is a good idea? What compromised ethics are required in this deal?

Part 1) Penelope Dent

Part 2) Jeff Megall

Part 3) Lorne Lutch

Essay Topic 2

Throughout most of the novel, the nico-terrorists seem like a credible and immediate danger to Nick Naylor. They turn out, in the end, to be a red herring designed to catalyze Nick's public discrediting. Write an essay about this process int he novel. How are the nico-terrorists introduced? Why are they unsuccessful in killing Nick? How does the reader become aware that their organization is a farce? Sum up the essay by explaining who the terrorists, are.

Essay Topic 3

Self-interest is the primary motivation of most of the character in Buckley's novel. Write an essay on the role of self-interest in the narrative, focusing on three parts:

Part 1) Twice over the course of the novel, Nick Naylor sleeps with a woman, believing that she is genuinely interested in him, only to find out that she is after personal gain. Discuss these two instances and the self-interest that drives both women? How is Nick instrumental to their separate goals?

Part 2) Nick does not trust BR at the beginning of the novel, but as strange events accumulate and Nick's live is endangered, he grows to rely on BR. How is this a terrible mistake for Nick? What ulterior motive does BR have in ingratiating himself to Nick? What does he hide from Nick in pursuit of this goal?

Part 3) Choose a tertiary character that is supposed to be held to a higher standard than the lobbyists of the Academy such as Lorne Lutch and Reverend Griggs. How is this character clearly corrupted in the novel and away from more altruistic pursuits? What is the nature of this character's self-interested corruption? What leads him to it?

(see the answer keys)

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