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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. Who is the Yale contracts professor that Vance thanks in the Acknowledgments?

2. What led to Mamaw's hospitalization just before her 72nd birthday?

3. Who is Vance's cousin who sold his mother's house because he could not trust his neighbors not to ransack it?

4. How does Vance describe himself at Yale Law School?

5. Why was Gail largely excommunicated from her family?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where did Vance intend to attend college after graduating high school? Why?

2. Why was golf the sport that Vance's grandmother encouraged him to learn?

3. How does Vance describe his years at Ohio State University?

4. What paradox does Vance point out regarding the tuition for Yale Law School in Chapter 12?

5. Who is Amy Chua and how did she assist Vance in his career goals?

6. What does Vance describe as the single most determinant for a person's success in Chapter 15?

7. How often did Vance's family write to him while he was in boot camp? What did they write about?

8. What dream does describe in the Conclusion?

9. Why was Vance drawn to attending Yale Law School? What aspects of the program appealed to him?

10. How did Mamaw feel about Vance's decision to join the Marine Corps? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Vance's observations while working at his first job at Dillman's grocery. What did Vance discover about his neighbors and those within his community? How did these observations influence Vance's future?

Essay Topic 2

What are the circumstances that led to Vance's mother's arrest for abuse? Why did Vance lie at the trial for his mother? What promise did he receive for doing so?

Essay Topic 3

Who are Mamaw and Papaw's three children? How does Vance describe them in the memoir? Who is Vance's mother and how does he describe his relationship with her growing up?

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