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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. What institution does Herold begin working for in Chapter 15?

2. How long do Brooks and Eric work together before they start hanging out outside work?

3. When Walter Mischel repeated his marshmallow experiment year later, what did he use instead of a marshmallow?

4. In a theory quoted at the end of Chapter 14, a company sick inside does what?

5. What did Walter Mischel suggest children do in his marshmallow experiment which helped them wait longer to eat the candy?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Erica almost get arrested in Chapter 7?

2. How is the mind inefficient, according to David Brooks?

3. How does Brooks describe the relationship between the unconscious and the conscious mind in Chapter 15?

4. In Chapter 9, what does Brooks say is often true ambitious individuals?

5. What does Brooks assess the search for harmony in Chapter 13?

6. Why is Amy facing so may problems in Chapter 7?

7. How do Erica and Harold form a close bond in Chapter 13?

8. How does Erica get into the Academy in Chapter 7?

9. How does Erica come back from her explosion in Chapter 8?

10. What is limerence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The narrative of "The Social Animal" details how two talented, curious individuals achieve great success. Because these are not prodigies, their paths cross many mentors and preternatural talents. Write an essay about three mentors and talents. How does this person interact with Harold and Erica? What information does he or she impart? How does this personal unveil talents in one or both of the protagonists?

Part 1) Ms. Taylor.

Part 2) Raymond.

Part 3) Richard Grace.

Essay Topic 3

In their travails and life-journeys, Harold and Erica face challenges brought on by incompetence in others. Write an essay about two characters who represent significant failings in the way systems function? How does this person manage and interact with others? How do the protagonists deal with this individual?

Part 1) Harrison

Part 2) Taggert

(see the answer keys)

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