Amusing Ourselves to Death Quizzes

Amusing Ourselves to Death Quiz 1

1 In what year was the book published?
1992

1985

1984

1976
2 Which novel does Postman use to frame his book's thesis?
Brave New World

1984

The Great Gatsby

Things Fall Apart
3 What was the dystopia that George Orwell described?
Nuclear Disaster

Unceasing revolution

Tyranny of the state

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

Unceasing revolution

Tyranny of the state

Nuclear Disaster
5 Which city does Postman suggest is the current "focal point" of the American spirit?
Boston

San Francisco

Las Vegas

New York City
6 Which media theorist does Postman mention most?
Marshall McLuhan

Andrew Postman

Ruth Westheimer

Thomas Barnes
7 For Marshall McLuahn, the medium is the __________.
message

magic

metaphor

most
8 For Neil Postman, the medium is the ____________.
magic

message

most

metaphor
9 What is television's primary concern, according to Postman?
Transformation

Illustration

Entertainment

Information
10 Why does Postman mention the Second Commandment?
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

To suggest Biblical people understood that images were necessarily deadly
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 is easily televisible

Something that reverberates through society

Something that can be expressed in different ways

Something that is soon forgotten
13 What does Postman suggest is the primary engine of resonance?
Metaphor

Debate

Exposition

Television
14 What is a "media-metaphor?"
A way of comparing one medium to another

A way of comparing one civilization's media to another

A way of understanding a civilization through its media

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

Pictures

Dances

Proverbs
16 "The concept of truth is intimately linked to the __________."
media through which it is translated

biases of forms of expression

nature of he who speaks it

success of the publication that presents it
17 Which of the following is NOT a quality required by reading?
Disassociation from the words

Strong sense of metaphor

Judgment of the author's meaning

Understanding of author's tone
18 What type of television does Postman find most acceptable?
Commercials

Talk shows

Junk television

Educational programs
19 Which is NOT an example Postman gives of early America's remarkable literacy?
The value of books on the Mayflower

The success of novelists like Dickens

The stories of Hawthorne

The popularity of pamphlets
20 Which work does Postman note as extraordinarily succesful in Tyographic America?
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Harold's Head

The Bible

Common Sense
21 How did early Americans spead their ideas?
Telegraph messages

Novels

Stump speakers

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

Lecture halls

Epistolary novels

Local dances
23 What does Postman describe as an outgrowth of a literary society?
Novel writing

Dance

Oratory

Painting
24 What is particularly notable about the "printed word" in early America?
It was considered lowbrow.

It had a monopoly on public attention.

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 popularity of lecture halls

The novels of Charles Dickens

The Lincoln-Douglas debates

The success of museums

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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