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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 leave behind when he goes into Lorne's house in Chapter 18?

2. How does Nick physically react to the cigarette he smokes in Chapter 13?

3. What is the name of the hotel where Nick is staying in Chapter 17?

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

5. Lady Bent is particularly well-known for holding strong against which adversaries?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Nick's arrest in Chapter 24?

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

3. What does Heather imply to Nick in Chapter 21?

4. What is odd about Monmaney and Allman's question is Chapter 14?

5. What request does the Captain make of Nick in Chapter 13?

6. How does Nick deal with the passage of Senator Finisterre's bill in this section?

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

8. How does Nick convince Lorne Lutch to take the bribe in Chapter 18?

9. Who is Jack Bein?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many pieces of literature words are simply the vessels of meaning; not so with Thank You for Smoking. Write an essay on the alternate use of words in the novel. Firstly, how are they used as weapons? Secondly, how are they used to conceal meaning? Discuss which characters are noted as being most effective in using words. How does he or she do so? What does all of this say about the world of politics and lobbying in the modern era?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about cigarettes as a symbol in the novel. How are cigarettes at once an enduring icon in American history and a sort of scapegoat for American excess? What do cigarettes symbolize in Buckley's novel? How does the attitudes and biases surrounding them permeate every aspect of Nick Naylor's life? How do they simultaneously endanger him and save his life in the novel? In summation, discuss whether cigarettes are presented in a largely positive or negative light.

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.

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