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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 percentage of successful entrepreneurs does Gladwell say are dyslexic?
(a) A tenth.
(b) A quarter.
(c) A third.
(d) A half.

2. What technical aspect of the game of basketball did Ranadivé take advantage of?
(a) Numbers of technical fouls allowed per player.
(b) Time limits for inbound passes.
(c) Time limits for shooting.
(d) Tolerances for double dribbles.

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

4. How much of a basketball court does Gladwell say most teams concede to their opponents?
(a) 70%.
(b) 25%.
(c) 50%.
(d) 80%.

5. What does Gladwell say caused Goliath’s enormous size?
(a) Rigorous training.
(b) Acromegaly.
(c) Genetics.
(d) Megacephaly.

Short Answer Questions

1. How tall does Gladwell say Goliath likely was?

2. How does Gladwell characterize “disagreeableness” (118)?

3. How much does Gladwell say Goliath’s armor likely weighed?

4. What does Gladwell say is the range of an experienced slinger?

5. When were the Impressionists working toward recognition?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Vivek Ranadivé’s qualification to coach basketball?

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

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

4. What are the physiological flaws Gladwell identifies in Goliath’s body type?

5. What does Gladwell say is the advantage David has over Goliath?

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

7. What is the lesson Gladwell wants us to take from his parable of David and Goliath?

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

9. What was the strategy Ranadivé used so effectively?

10. How does Gladwell say dyslexia prepared Brian Grazer to be a movie producer?

(see the answer keys)

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