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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. While reading The Wall Street Journal article, what did Hamper realize?
(a) The average American was not interested in the working class survivors.
(b) The working class survivors were the backbone of America.
(c) The working class survivors were a pitiful lot.
(d) He would rather be a writer than a factory worker.

2. How much time passed between Hamper's first breakdown and his second?
(a) A week.
(b) Two days.
(c) Five days.
(d) Eight hours.

3. To what did Hamper compare Dave's styled hair?
(a) A defective suburban.
(b) An exotic bird.
(c) An old woman's nightmare.
(d) The Eiffel Tower.

4. Why was the Good Times Lounge lawsuit dropped?
(a) The judge threatened to throw out the case.
(b) Moore negotiated an out-of-court settlement.
(c) The owner realized he could not win the case.
(d) The owner moved to Alaska.

5. What did Howie do when he began touring the factory again?
(a) Inspired confidence like he had done before.
(b) Bounded around to check the quality of people's work.
(c) Walked slowly and did not interact with the employees.
(d) Became the butt of everyone's jokes.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Dave's attitude toward humanity?

2. What tattoo did Doug, the steering gear man, have on his arm?

3. Who was the first person to call Hamper after The Wall Street Journal article was printed?

4. What was the goal of rivet hockey?

5. What was Hamper's problem with his job on the axle line?

Short Essay Questions

1. Hamper said that working on the Rivet Line was like being paid to flunk high school the rest of your life (pgs 185,188). How might this be true? Why is Hamper content with this lifestyle?

2. What kind of supervisor was Gino? How did Hamper respond to his leadership?

3. What kind of relationship did Gino have with his men? Why did this lead to his eventual transfer away from the Rivet Line?

4. What did Hamper think when Janice came to work on the Rivet Line? How was his reaction different from the men around him and how might this be surprising?

5. Why were Moore and Hamper summoned to appear in court? How does this scene demonstrate Hamper's chosen place in the world?

6. By the time Janice moved to a different area of the factory, how had she changed? How is this different from what might be expected of a woman working that job?

7. What conversation did Hamper and his grandfather have during the family reunion? How does this fittingly illustrate the difference in their generations?

8. How did Hamper's fellow factory workers respond to the article in the Wall Street Journal? Given the tone of this part of the story, where did Hamper actually get his happiness?

9. In the Epilogue, Hamper shows the conflict between his mindset as a shop-rat and his time outside the factory in therapy. How did he show this and which attitude was stronger in his mind?

10. What difficulty did Hamper run into as he tried to get a visitor's pass for Alex Kotlowitz, the reporter from the Wall Street Journal? How does this difficulty illustrate the vast difference between the factory worker and the corporate man, even within the same company?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 2,008 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample