Amusing Ourselves to Death Quizzes

Amusing Ourselves to Death Quiz 1

1 In what year was the book published?
1976

1985

1984

1992
2 Which novel does Postman use to frame his book's thesis?
The Great Gatsby

1984

Things Fall Apart

Brave New World
3 What was the dystopia that George Orwell described?
Tyranny of the state

Unceasing revolution

Nuclear Disaster

Mass distraction through pleasure
4 What was the dystopia that Aldous Huxley described?
Nuclear Disaster

Unceasing revolution

Tyranny of the state

Mass distraction through pleasure
5 Which city does Postman suggest is the current "focal point" of the American spirit?
San Francisco

Boston

New York City

Las Vegas
6 Which media theorist does Postman mention most?
Ruth Westheimer

Thomas Barnes

Andrew Postman

Marshall McLuhan
7 For Marshall McLuahn, the medium is the __________.
most

message

magic

metaphor
8 For Neil Postman, the medium is the ____________.
metaphor

magic

message

most
9 What is television's primary concern, according to Postman?
Illustration

Transformation

Entertainment

Information
10 Why does Postman mention the Second Commandment?
To suggest Biblical people understood that images were necessarily deadly

To suggest that the Bible was written to eventually be adapted

To illustrate that Biblical people saw a connection between message and medium

To suggest that the Bible is a work of collaboration between different writers
11 What is epistemology?
The study of knowlege and truth

The theory of media postulated by Postman

The study of technology and its effects

The idea of people influenced by media
12 Which of the following is the closest to Postman's definition of "resonance?"
Something that can be expressed in different ways

Something that is soon forgotten

Something that is easily televisible

Something that reverberates through society
13 What does Postman suggest is the primary engine of resonance?
Television

Exposition

Debate

Metaphor
14 What is a "media-metaphor?"
A way of comparing one civilization's media to another

A way of understanding a civilization through its media

A way of comparing one medium to another

A way of comparing individuals to their favorite media
15 What does Postman suggest an oral culture would consider paramount?
Proverbs

Songs

Dances

Pictures
16 "The concept of truth is intimately linked to the __________."
nature of he who speaks it

success of the publication that presents it

biases of forms of expression

media through which it is translated
17 Which of the following is NOT a quality required by reading?
Disassociation from the words

Understanding of author's tone

Judgment of the author's meaning

Strong sense of metaphor
18 What type of television does Postman find most acceptable?
Junk television

Talk shows

Educational programs

Commercials
19 Which is NOT an example Postman gives of early America's remarkable literacy?
The success of novelists like Dickens

The popularity of pamphlets

The stories of Hawthorne

The value of books on the Mayflower
20 Which work does Postman note as extraordinarily succesful in Tyographic America?
The Bible

Harold's Head

Common Sense

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
21 How did early Americans spead their ideas?
Pamphlets

Novels

Telegraph messages

Stump speakers
22 Which of the following does Postman list as an entertainment for early Americans?
Vaudeville shows

Epistolary novels

Local dances

Lecture halls
23 What does Postman describe as an outgrowth of a literary society?
Oratory

Novel writing

Dance

Painting
24 What is particularly notable about the "printed word" in early America?
It had a monopoly on public attention.

It was considered lowbrow.

It was expensive and difficult to find.

It was not typically published in English.
25 What public event does Postman use to illustrate the way print culture influenced people in early America?
The Lincoln-Douglas debates

The novels of Charles Dickens

The success of museums

The popularity of lecture halls

How has media consumption influenced critical thinking and the focus on entertainment over deep analysis?

From the text:

A lot has changed since this book appeared. News consumption among the young is way down. Network news and entertainment divisions are far more entwined, despite protests (some genuine, some perhaps not) by the news divisions. When...

Asked by Sahar Y #1360036

Answered by jill d #170087 on 2/28/2025 12:09 PM

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Amusing Ourselves to Death

Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people...

Asked by Jazmin P #1251411

Answered by jill d #170087 on 8/22/2022 6:19 PM

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What is the tone in the book?

Postman's tone is serious and informational, as he presents his critque in the book, Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Asked by james s #383896

Answered by jill d #170087 on 11/24/2021 1:49 PM

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Amusing Ourselves to Death

by Neil Postman

Amusing Ourselves to Death Quiz 1

Amusing Ourselves to Death Questions and Answers

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