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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Gladwell say dyslexia is?
(a) A problem with speaking.
(b) A problem with reading aloud.
(c) A problem in how people hear and manipulate sounds.
(d) A problem with reading.

2. How many students used to enroll in Shepaug Valley Middle School’s sixth grade, and how many enrolled at the time of publication?
(a) 300; 80.
(b) 350; 60.
(c) 450; 120.
(d) 500; 100.

3. How much does Gladwell say per-pupil spending increased in the U.S. from 1996 to 2004?
(a) 38%.
(b) 61%.
(c) 53%.
(d) 21%.

4. Where does David’s stone hit Goliath?
(a) Forehead.
(b) Heart.
(c) Nose.
(d) Jaw.

5. What does Gladwell say Goliath’s attendant was acting as?
(a) His visual guide.
(b) His water bearer.
(c) His arms bearer.
(d) His protector.

6. What error does Gladwell say we make about Goliath?
(a) We overstate his vulnerability.
(b) We underestimate his resiliency.
(c) We overestimate his power.
(d) We underestimate his quickness.

7. What percentage of wars were won by weaker countries, according to Ivan Arreguin-Toft?
(a) A quarter.
(b) A fifth.
(c) A half.
(d) A third.

8. Who does Gladwell say served as the “moral compass” of the Impressionists (64)?
(a) Degas.
(b) Renoir.
(c) Pisarro.
(d) Manet.

9. What trend does Gladwell say the notion of “relative deprivation” also explains?
(a) High suicide rates in happy countries.
(b) High job satisfaction rates in miserable jobs.
(c) Low turnover in non-union jobs.
(d) Low unionization rates in industrialized countries.

10. In the English expression Gladwell quotes, how many generations does it take for families who get rich to be poor again?
(a) Two.
(b) Three.
(c) Seven.
(d) Five.

11. What does Gladwell say the average class size is now, at Shepaug Valley Middle School?
(a) 15.
(b) 6.
(c) 22.
(d) 28.

12. What was Vivek Ranadivé’s first principle of coaching?
(a) To win at all costs.
(b) Not to raise his voice.
(c) To have fun first.
(d) To play excellent basketball, win or lose.

13. How many new teachers does Gladwell say American schools hired between 1996 and 2004?
(a) 750,000.
(b) 500,000.
(c) 1,000,000.
(d) 250,000.

14. Who does Gladwell say was the ring-leader of the Impressionist group that met at Café Guerbois?
(a) Monet.
(b) Manet.
(c) Pisarro.
(d) Matisse.

15. How old was Gladwell’s powerful Hollywood friend, when he started a snow-shoveling business with other students?
(a) 18.
(b) 12.
(c) 16.
(d) 10.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Gladwell characterize art in the Impressionists’ Paris?

2. Where does Gladwell say dyslexic kids are more likely to end up?

3. When does Gladwell say Ranadivé’s girls’ strategy was defeated?

4. What does Gladwell say the average class size used to be at Shepaug Valley Middle School?

5. What metric does Gladwell say Hoxby used in evaluating class size?

(see the answer keys)

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