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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. What modern weapon does Gladwell compare David’s slung stone to?
(a) A stun gun.
(b) A Taser.
(c) A bullet from a .45 pistol.
(d) A bullet from an AR-15.

2. What does Gladwell say is the overriding assumption about class composition?
(a) Smaller is better.
(b) Diverse is better.
(c) Single-gendered is better.
(d) Homogenous is better.

3. What danger does Gladwell say T. E. Lawrence’s men encountered along the way to Aqaba?
(a) Poisonous snakes.
(b) Enemy spies.
(c) Enemy aircraft.
(d) Land mines.

4. According to Gladwell, where did most Salon paintings take their themes from?
(a) Nature.
(b) Mythology.
(c) Emotions.
(d) Live forms.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does Gladwell get wrong about Affirmative Action?

3. What does Gladwell say Ranadivé felt about his opponents’ view of him?

4. Where were the Philistines expanding from?

5. What does Gladwell say makes parenting more difficult for wealthier parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the factors that this conventional wisdom overlooks, in Gladwell’s account?

2. What kind of lesson does Gladwell derive from the story of Jules Holtzapffel?

3. Gladwell seems to want it both ways, valuing poverty and celebrating wealth. Does Gladwell acknowledge or try to resolve this contradiction?

4. What is the chart Gladwell uses, to describe the phenomenon of “diminishing marginal returns” (49)?

5. What did Ranadivé find was the disadvantage of his success with his coaching style?

6. What is “relative deprivation” (77)?

7. What is Harvard’s theory of the “happy bottom quarter” (90)?

8. Why does Gladwell say that Caroline Sacks should have gone to University of Maryland instead of Brown University?

9. What does Gladwell say caused the changing demographics of Shepaug Valley Middle School in Connecticut?

10. In what way does Gladwell say Ranadivé’s girls are similar to Lawrence of Arabia?

(see the answer keys)

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