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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. Vance notes in Chapter 13 that if Usha had possessed a terrible personality, she would have made an excellent heroine in a novel by what author?

2. What is Aunt Wee's real name?

3. What kind of wine does Vance describe having asked for at the elite meeting with a law agency based on its ability to be pronounced in Chapter 13?

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

5. Who was the professor who explained how The Yale Law Journal worked, and who encouraged Vance to try for it?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Vance describe Usha in Chapter 13?

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

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

4. What led to Vance's decision to join the Marine Corps?

5. What are "adverse childhood experiences" and how does Vance define them in Chapter 14?

6. What led to Mamaw's death? When did she die?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did Vance feel about his mother's boyfriend Matt? Why did Vance refuse to initially move in with his mother and Matt? How did she respond to his refusal?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How was Vance's mother's addiction to drugs discovered? What was done in terms of helping her seek treatment? How did Vance participate in helping his mother with her treatment?

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