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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. In Chapter 1, Damasio determines that people's unconscious selves draw on what to function?

2. What separates us from animals, according to Brooks in the introduction?

3. How many children do Brooks' wealthy socialites all have in Chapter 1?

4. What book about Classical culture does Ms. Taylor give to Harold in Chapter 6?

5. In Chapter 5, Brooks states that there is little connection between a child's ability to complete homework and what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harold's tiger statement in Chapter 4 illustrate a complex human process?

2. What trauma does Harold experience at the end of Chapter 5?

3. How is Brooks' book different from other social studies?

4. What is Brooks' stated political reason for writing "The Social Animal"?

5. How does Brooks describe the day-to-day life of the Composure Class?

6. How did Brooks come up with the idea of telling a story to illustrate his social critique?

7. What did John Bowlby's research reveal about childhood?

8. What does Damasio determine about living without emotion in Chapter 1?

9. According to Brooks in the introduction, why are Harold and Erica so successful?

10. How does Ms. Taylor shape Harold's interest in the classical world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "The Social Animal", the candidate Richard Grace is clearly modeled on Barack Obama. In an essay, compare the two men's biographies. How are their paths to the presidency similar? What does each man instinctively understand about society? What draws people to this understanding of the world? Discuss whether you think this is a positive or negative portrayal of the Obama movement in 2008.

Essay Topic 2

Much of the latter half of "The Social Animal" is dedicated to the marriage between Harold and Erica. Write an essay charting the trajectory of this marriage. What attracts Erica to Harold and vice versa? Discuss the conflict that nearly tears them apart and how the two manage to make the marriage work? What is the state of the marriage in the last year of their lives?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout "The Social Animal", David Brooks explains the unconscious processes that are involved in the choice of a sexual mate. Write a three-part essay about these processes:

Part 1) What processes do both Rob and Julia go through when they first meet each other? Why are they attracted to one another? Discuss how the two make unconscious choices as they have dinner together for the first time.

Part 2) Discuss the meeting and initial relationship between Harold and Erica. What is the nature of this relationship, and how does Erica work to maintain this stasis? What changes occur that allow it to develop romantically?

Part 3) Discuss the subconscious processes that lead Erica to sleep with Mr. Make-Believe. What does she feel about this tryst as it occurs, and how does her subconscious mind react to it after the fact?

(see the answer keys)

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