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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. The Supreme Court is bound not so much by laws as by the trends and ____________ of the Justices who serve.

2. Who is appointed to represent Gideon in his Supreme Court trial?

3. Gideon writes a letter of ____________ pages to Abe Fortas to tell him what really happened.

4. For what crime is Gideon serving time in prison?

5. What is Gideon's state of mind as he prepares to go to trial at the Supreme Court?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do the Supreme Court Justices get to decide which cases they will hear?

2. What is so unusual about Gideon's tenacity in preparing his petition to the Supreme Court?

3. What is meant by federalism and how could Gideon's Supreme Court case impact it?

4. What does Fortas discover in Gideon's file regarding how he questioned witnesses and how an attorney would have been better able to manage?

5. What compensation does an attorney representing a client in a Supreme Court case get?

6. What major inadequacies does Fortas discover in the transcripts of Gideon's criminal trial?

7. What is the process of a Supreme Court petition?

8. What incriminating testimony had been provided by the prosecution's witness, Henry Cook, during Gideon's criminal trial?

9. What is Gideon's mood as he heads into his Supreme Court trial?

10. What are Gideon's intentions for his life should he be released from prison?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a brief character study of Bruce Jacob. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What is his primary motivation?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Gideon. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What is his primary motivation?

Essay Topic 3

GIDEON'S TRUMPET is a story about succeeding against heavy odds. Explain how fortunate Gideon is to have been alive in 1962 instead of 1942. What ruling had been in place in Florida that would have kept Gideon in prison for his full sentence? Is Gideon even aware of his good fortune? Explain.

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