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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 were the two people who Vance gave the ACE quiz to that scored a zero?

2. When did Vance graduate from Ohio State University?

3. What popular toy does Vance describe Lindsay and his mother desperately searching for at Christmastime when he was a baby in the Conclusion?

4. How old is the kid Brian that Vance describes in the Conclusion?

5. What does Vance say Usha often received as Christmas presents in the Conclusion?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was the Marine Corps beneficial to Vance's later success in life?

2. What dream does describe in the Conclusion?

3. What does "learned helplessness" mean and how does Vance address it in Hillbilly Elegy?

4. How does Vance perceive American politics in regards to how they are judged in poor communities in his Conclusion?

5. What relationship difficulties does Vance discuss in Chapter 14?

6. How does Vance describe his experiences of fitting in at Yale Law School?

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

8. What are the impacts of social perceptions of masculinity and femininity in poor societies, according to Vance in Chapter 15?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What led to the decline of Middletown, Ohio, according to Vance? How did the economic decline of the town manifest in the city parks and recreation areas? What impacts did the decline have on the citizens of Middletown?

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

How does Vance describe his relationship with his biological father in the memoir? When did his father abandon Vance? When did he come back into Vance's life? How did Vance's father influence him?

(see the answer keys)

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