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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. How many does does the opposing side on a case have to respond once a petition submitted to the Supreme Court?

2. How many Supreme Court decisions has Gideon read?

3. Where does Abe Fortas practice law?

4. Who does Gideon marry ten months after his first marriage?

5. The jury is Gideon's first trial was not given _____________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is so unusual about Gideon's tenacity in preparing his petition to the Supreme Court?

2. What does Fortas discover in Gideon's file regarding how he questioned witnesses and how an attorney would have been better able to manage?

3. For what crime is Gideon serving time in a Florida prison?

4. What is Gideon's mood as he heads into his Supreme Court trial?

5. How does Fortas get the information he needs about Gideon's previous trial?

6. What is the process of a Supreme Court petition?

7. What is meant by federalism and how could Gideon's Supreme Court case impact it?

8. What is the nature of Gideon's petition to the Supreme Court?

9. What incriminating testimony had been provided by the prosecution's witness, Henry Cook, during Gideon's criminal trial?

10. What sentence does Gideon receive for the petty larceny charge?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the irony of Gideon's not being able to ever hold a job very long in his life yet having the tenacity to hand write pages and pages of his petition to the Supreme Court. What gave Gideon his inspiration to keep pushing forward? How would Gideon's life have been different if he had applied this same tenacity to making a decent living and caring for his family? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

With what crime had Clarence Earl Gideon been charged? What prevented his being appointed an attorney? Wouldn't Gideon have qualified under the "special circumstances" clause? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the overall settings for the story. What is important about each setting as it is revealed? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the people?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 990 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample