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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. Overall, the courts deal with ____________ while the legislature deals with abstraction in large numbers.

2. Gideon is perceived to be intelligent but ______________.

3. What type of payment do most appointed attorneys get?

4. Who is the law student who works on research for Fortas?

5. What can be said about Gideon in that he stuck to the process of filing an appeal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What could be the reason that the Supreme Court Justices selected Fortas to represent Gideon?

2. What is State Judge Walter V. Schaefer's reasoning on why the right to an attorney is greater than all other rights?

3. How do Fortas and Jacob differ in their perceptions of Supreme Court procedure?

4. What does Fortas believe would be the surest way to get assenting opinions from the Justices in Gideon's case?

5. Before hearing Gideon's case, what are the Justices aware of regarding many of the cases they hear?

6. What is the next step after the Supreme Court rules in Gideon's favor?

7. What is the author's reply to those who may question whether a case like Gideon's should be managed through legislation or allowed to proceed to the Supreme Court?

8. Why is Gideon's Supreme Court case called Gideon vs. Wainwright?

9. What is the impact of the Gideon ruling regarding getting support for attorneys who are appointed to criminal cases?

10. What major points stem from revising the method of assigning attorneys who are not compensated?

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

The struggle for justice takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 3

Gideon's story unfolds in the early 1960s, a time when the ravages of World War II are not a very distant memory and change is happening in almost every aspect of American life. What effect did the time period in which Gideon lived help his case? Does Gideon understand his place in history now that he has changed court procedures in America? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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