View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What college did the author decide to attend?

2. Who took the author's family in once they arrived in a new city?

3. Why did the author quit his job at Young and Rubicum Advertising?

4. How did Alma Whittley help the author?

5. In "A Serious Step," what happened to cause the author's car to spin out of control near Youngstown, Ohio?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "A Terrible Temper," what led the author to hit Jerry over the head with a lock?

2. How did the author respond to the news that his father was leaving the family?

3. What did the author's mother teach her sons that she learned at work?

4. What was the author's father like intellectually?

5. How did the author get the crew he supervises to be more productive, in "Changing the Rules"?

6. How did the author's mother protect him and his brother?

7. How did the author's mother mask her mental problems?

8. Why didn't the author get the job he was promised in the summer of 1971?

9. How does the author describe his mother's way with finances?

10. Why did the author believe he was going to die in "A Serious Step"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Reflect on the author's "Think Big" acrostic answer to success. Is it a realistic approach to success? Why or why not? How might schools, communities, or cultures be different if everyone followed each idea?

Essay Topic 2

Why does the author strive to be the best, yet shy away from attention and praise? What is the author's motivation for excellence? What does the author personally gain from being a surgeon?

Essay Topic 3

What conflict might the author face as he grows in popularity and can no longer meet each demand? How does he turn away patients? How might he reject speaking engagements he has been invited to?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,005 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample