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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 does Barbara have to talk about when it comes to the result of her test?

2. Working class people are driven to live in ____________ since rents are so high in the areas where they work.

3. Barbara thinks she is supposed to _____________ on her shift, but no one else on her shift does.

4. It is Wal-Mart's policy to ____________ clothing in order to make the shopping experience slightly different.

5. Wal-Mart contends that _______ take money from workers and risk the wages of workers

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the titles that Wal-Mart wants its employees to think of themselves as?

2. What does Barbara decide about the entire hiring process after noticing she didn't even ask about salary at Menards?

3. What is the rate of pay that the Merry Maids claims to offer to those who work for them?

4. When Barbara's skin breaks out in an odd rash, what does her boss seem to think the problem is?

5. What are the workers in Portland, Maine expected to do as the wages seem to be falling between $6 and $7 an hour?

6. What does the author do on a night when she has nothing to do and no money to spend on entertainment?

7. What is the story of Caroline, the women Barbara uses as a guide to her own difficult situation in Minneapolis?

8. After Barbara takes her drug test, what does she do in terms of her job hunting?

9. Describe what 'time theft' is according to Wal-Mart and its slick produced videos that the author watches during orientation.

10. What does Menards offers to Barbara eventually when they call up to hire her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many of the jobs the author took, she was working for larger companies with nationwide stores and franchises.

Part 1: How do the larger companies differ from the smaller companies Barbara works for in the book?

Part 2: How might smaller companies treat their employees versus larger companies?

Part 3: Why do you think larger companies handle their employees as though they were really important, but then treat them like they are not?

Essay Topic 2

It could be said that the author's own personal experiences are influencing the way she sees the situations around her.

Part 1: How does one's past affect the way they see the future, do you think?

Part 2: In what ways are the author's descriptions and experiences influenced by her education and her past experiences?

Part 3: Do you think the author could ever be completely objective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The minimum wage workers are kept down and continue to be kept down in modern times. With this idea in mind, it seems that maybe there is a reason for the poverty level to exist.

Part 1: Why might there be a need for poverty level workers in the world?

Part 2: What might happen if the poverty level workers were not around to fill the positions they are in?

Part 3: Do you think it's realistic to have a goal of removing poverty and minimum wage workers completely? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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