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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. Where were the Philistines expanding from?

2. What percentage of wars were won by weaker countries, when the weaker countries use guerilla tactics, according to Ivan Arreguin-Toft?

3. How old does Gladwell say Ranadivé was, when he came to the U.S.?

4. How many students used to enroll in Shepaug Valley Middle School’s sixth grade, and how many enrolled at the time of publication?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What were the advantages Lawrence of Arabia’s force had, compared to the Turks?

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

4. How does Gladwell characterize Goliath’s size and equipment?

5. What are the challenges Gladwell’s powerful Hollywood friend experienced, in raising his children?

6. What are the three kinds of warriors whom Baruch Halpern says balance each other?

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

8. What does Gladwell say is Gary Cohn’s emotional relationship with the daring leaps he took, to get himself into trading, from selling aluminum siding?

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

10. What does Gladwell say about Gary Cohn’s relationship with failure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In addition to being a writer, Gladwell is known for his podcasts. Compare and contrast Gladwell’s book with a podcast episode. How are they similar, how are they different? Is Gladwell making podcast literary, or making books more like podcasts? In which genre does Gladwell come into his own?

Essay Topic 2

Malcolm Gladwell uses one particular mechanism to great effect in David and Goliath: He says This phenomenon is exactly the same as That phenomenon, then pulls out the law or reason or pattern that unites them. Sometimes this is highly effective, but sometimes it creates some unusual comparisons or elisions. Where in David and Goliath is this similarity effect most illuminative, and where is it most troublesome to whatever point it is that Gladwell is trying to make at the time?

Essay Topic 3

What has Gladwell’s book taught you about fighting giants in your own life? What giants are you and your people up against? What weaknesses does Gladwell’s book help you identify? What strengths of your own does Gladwell encourage you to use?

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