View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of farm does Lorne Lutch have?

2. In Chapter 15, what idea does Jeannette have when she comes to Nick's office?

3. What does the Captain ask Nick to do regarding Lorne Lutch in Chapter 13?

4. Who does Nick imagine making love to atop the nude tableau of Chapter 15?

5. In Chapter 13, what is every member of the Academy told they will have to attend?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Nick decide to go to Winston-Salem in Chapter 25?

3. Why is Nick unable to get counsel from Carlinsky in Chapter 26?

4. Describe Nick's arrest in Chapter 24?

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

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

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

8. Describe the hotel that Nick goes to in Chapter 17.

9. Who is Jack Bein?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The world of tobacco in Buckley's novel is divided into two groups: the old-school manufacturers and the slick image men who try to sell the industry to the country. Write a essay about this conflict, focusing on each side individually:

Part 1) The old style of tobacco men is represented most clearly by the character of the Captain. What does the old man value in business? Why does he take to Nick Naylor so fervently? How are his views considered antiquated by the new guard, and how does his death mark the passing of an era?

Part 2) The new style of image and branding is perhaps best represented by the slick, deceptive BR. What does he want to do to change the Academy, and how do these changes jive with the old style of men like the Captain? What kind of support does BR have at the Academy, and how is his power derived almost exclusively from lies and treachery?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,214 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample