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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 popular television show is Naylor invited on in Chapter 3?

2. In Chapter 1, what adjective does B.R. use to describe Naylor's style of public relations?

3. What two talking points does Naylor cite in Chapter 1's call to a dubious periodical?

4. What does BR refuse from Naylor at the beginning of Chapter 4?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of Nick Naylor's meeting with Reverend Griggs in Chapter 10?

2. Why did Polly Baily join the Moderation Council?

3. How does Nick fare in the Oprah show?

4. What ominous assignment does BR give Naylor at the end of Chapter 1?

5. What is the MOD Squad?

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

7. Why is Nick's Today Show interview in Chapter 12 such a hit?

8. Why does Nick survive the attempt on his life by the nico-terrorists?

9. What bad news does BR give Naylor at the end of Chapter 4?

10. How does Nick's meeting with Heather Holloway end in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nick Naylor is portrayed in the novel as a man who is consistently marginalized by society not because of race or beliefs, but because he has allied himself with a deeply unpopular entity. Write an essay about this marginalization in three parts:

Part 1) How does the Prologue of the novel express the omnipresent antipathy Nick Naylor faces in life? What does society at large dislike about what he does? How has Nick adapted to this antipathy? What defenses has he developed?

Part 2) Discuss the relationship that exists among the members of the MOD Squad in the novel. What do the three of them discuss when they meet for lunch? What do they understand about each other's life that most of society cannot?

Part 3) Describe the public attitude that surround's Nick's work, and how this attitude lends credence to the abduction and attempted murder. Are death threats a regular part of Nick Naylor's life? What precautions does the Academy take regarding these omnipresent fears?

Essay Topic 2

Thank You for Smoking is in many respects a satire on the nanny-state that developed in America in the mid-1990's. Write an essay about how the efforts of the "gaspers" reflect the domestic policies of the Clinton years. How are characters like Senator Finisterre and Gordon Craighead portrayed in the novel? Are they protecting Americans, in Buckley's opinion, or curtailing their freedoms? What was happening in America at the time that this novel was published that is reflected in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about Nick Naylor's relationships with women over the course of the novel. Write a paragraph on one of his major relationships with Heather Holloway, Jeannette Dantine, or Polly Bailey. How does each of the first two relationships reflect the truly unwise mating habits of Nick? What does he risk and lose in both of these couplings? What does he learn? Sum up the essay by discussing how Polly is a reflection of what Nick has learned in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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