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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 does Nick Naylor always eat at the MOD Squad lunches?

2. To what actor does Naick compare the voice of the lead nico-terrorist in Chapter 11?

3. From what state is the caller who announces he will kill Nick Naylor in Chapter 8?

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

5. In Chapter 1, how does Nick characterize JJ Hollister?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fire is Bobby Jay Bliss putting out in Chapter 2?

2. What is the Academy of Tobacco Studies?

3. How is Nick taken hostage in Chapter 11?

4. How does Heather portray Nick in her article?

5. Describe the history of cigarettes as related by Nick Naylor in Chapter 4.

6. How does Nick Naylor defend his position at Clean Lungs 2000?

7. How have Naylor's fortunes changed when he returns to the Academy at the beginning of Chapter 7?

8. How did Bobby Jay Bliss find his way to SAFETY?

9. Describe Budd Rohrabacher.

10. What issue does Nick have with with Sven Gland's ad campaign in Chapter 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nick Naylor is a dynamic protagonists who achieves dizzying heights and harrowing lows over the course of the novel. Write an essay on the scope of his rise and fall, dividing it into a first part about his high water mark. What is the greatest level of power that Nick achieves as a lobbyist in the novel? The second part should deal with his deepest low. What betrayals and freak incidents contribute to this precipitous fall? In summation, discuss what Nick learns from these events.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

The MOD Squad is a compelling device in the novel. It allows several characters, particularly Nick, to speak honestly about their industry and the world of lobbying in general. Write an essay about the role of the MOD Squad in the novel. How do the three merchants of death relate to each other? What information do they discuss that they could not discuss with the general public? What arguments do they have? Describe each individual relationship within the group.

(see the answer keys)

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