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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 is the name of grassroots smoking group Nick speaks in front to in Chapter 16?

2. How does Nick characterize the money to Lorne Lutch in Chapter 18?

3. What were the boxes of condoms what Jeannette kept handing Nick during sex?

4. What type of farm does Lorne Lutch have?

5. Why is the Captain in the hospital in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. What deal do Jeff Megall and Nick discuss in Chapter 17?

2. What does Nick think truly has happened to him since the attack?

3. What problem is the Academy having in Asia?

4. How does Nick convince Lady Bent to speak against trade regulations in Chapter 16?

5. What do Allman and Monmaney find that prompts them to arrest Nick in this section?

6. In Chapter 20, how does Nick rebut Senator Finisterre's cigarette criticism on Nightline?

7. How has Sven improved the anti-underage-smoking campaign in Chapter 13?

8. What plan is Senator Finisterre trying to pass through Congress in Chapter 19?

9. What issues in Chapter 19 make Nick uneasy about agrees to a deal with Jeff Megall?

10. What vision does Nick have at the beginning of Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the character of Lorne Lutch. Begin the essay by discussing what famous real-life icon he is based on. Why does his anti-smoking crusade seem infinitely more sincere than that of Senator Finisterre and Gordan Craighead? Discuss the moment when Nick bribes him. How does Nick manage to convince Lorne to sacrifice his ideals? What is the significance of Nick's decision to lie about Lorne's decision at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The Washington, DC, of Thank You for Smoking is one in which trusted - or at least reliable - institutions are crumbling and corrupt. They live by lies and the drive of individual ambition of those within them. Write an essay in three parts about the lapsed institutions of the novel:

Part 1) The dominant culture of Washington, DC, is politics. What is known about the politicians in the novel? Are they intelligent, trustworthy, or ethical? Do they want much of anything beyond publicity? Cite individual examples of politicians in the text.

Part 2) The press in Washington, DC, is primarily represented by the character of Heather Holloway. What is her primary objective in the novel, and how does she go about attaining it? Are her tactics in keeping with what one would generally call journalistic ethics?

Part 3) Nick Naylor bends over backwards trying to justify his work in the lobbying industry in Washington D.C. How is his lobby ethically compromised beyond even the lax standards of lobbying firms in general? Who in the Academy is most indicative of this internal rot?

Essay Topic 3

Although the novel is told from a third-person point-of-view, much of the action is left in a sort of uncertain state. Write an essay about information withheld by the narrator in the novel. What is the purpose of withholding information? How does the omitting of this information place the reader very much in the same situation as Nick Naylor? Is all of this information connected to the main betrayal at the end? Sum up the essay by discussing the importance of the revelations in the final chapters.

(see the answer keys)

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