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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. Why does Vance assert that Januaries were often depressing during his childhood in the Conclusion?

2. Where does author J. D. Vance currently live?

3. What is one of the central themes addressed in Hillbilly Elegy?

4. How many recruits were in Vance's Marine Corps boot camp platoon at the beginning of boot camp?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Vance describe the motel in Middletown in Chapter 15?

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

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

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

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

8. Why did Vance initially not apply to the top law schools? What changed his mind?

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

10. Why did Vance go to the motel in Middletown in Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the history of the Rust Belt region in the U. S. How did the Rust Belt get its name? When did the Rust Belt experience a boom in economy and movement into this region? When did the region begin to decline and why?

Essay Topic 2

What marital struggles did Mamaw and Papaw face while living in Ohio? How were these conflicts ultimately resolved? What were the impacts of these struggles on Mamaw and Papaw's children?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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