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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. Paul took over Janice's job on the Rivet Line; where had he worked before?

2. What was Hamper and Jerry's scheme for getting extra hours (pg 149)?

3. Why was it difficult to get a visitor's pass for Alex, the reporter from The Wall Street Journal?

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. Who did Bob-A-Lou have a crush on? What does this reveal about his character and how was he different from most of the other factory workers?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. What was one of Hamper's favorite ways to pass time at work? How is this an interesting facet of his character?

5. 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?

6. According to Hamper, why does the reading public not want to read about the working man? Is this a fair assessment?

7. Why did General Motors become concerned with the quality of their vehicles? Given Hamper's tone while telling this story, what was his response?

8. What did Mike Moore want to do his last night in Flint before he moved to San Francisco? How is this oddly fitting?

9. During and after his first panic attack, what did Hamper realize about himself?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When did Hamper's job as a riveter because an identity as the Rivethead? How did he live out this identity? What impact did it have for his future?

Essay Topic 2

What is the effect of Hamper's family tree as the reader moves through the book? Why would he give such detail about his extended family work history?

Essay Topic 3

"My old man abhorred the truth. It was like some horrible, foreign diction that ripped at his core" (pg 4). What truth is Hamper referring to? As demonstrated by his own life, what was his reaction to the same truth?

(see the answer keys)

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