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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. When is Harlan settled?

2. How is the pilot described?

3. What is a proxy war?

4. Where is the school that Gladwell focuses on in "Marita's Bargan"?

5. Of what heritage is Joe Flom?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harlan gain notoriety in its early days?

2. What evidence is there that summer vacations may be hindering the success of many students?

3. What is KIPP and who are its students?

4. Describe the plane crash of Korean Airlines Flight 801 in 1997.

5. Where is Harlan, and who settled it?

6. What does Gladwell say about early American educational theorists?

7. What does Suren Ratwatte say about a Colombian airliner that crashes in New York?

8. What experiment do Dov Cohen and Richard Nisbett conduct in the 1990s?

9. What does Gladwell think is the cause of families feuding?

10. Explain the term "Power Distance Index" and who coins the term.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gladwell gives the example of Harlan, Kentucky to introduce a discussion of how a person's cultural legacy can affect their success.

1. Define cultural legacy in your own words and give an example of it that is not in Outliers.

2. Discuss two examples of cultural legacy that are beneficial to an individual. Use examples from Outliers to support your answer.

3. Define, according to the values of honor, integrity, hard work, response to authority and honesty what you think your cultural legacy is. Use examples from Outliers to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think Outliers is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? Can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. How important is a title in influencing you to consider reading a book? Explain your answer.

3. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Explain your answer.

4. Have you ever read a book that when you finished, you do not understand the relevance of the title? Does it discourage you from "trusting" that particular author again?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful work of non-fiction?

2. Analyze and discuss Outliers based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Outliers is a successful work of non-fiction/memoir.

3. Is Outliers a book you would recommend to a friend? Why or why not? Explain.

4. Can a non-fictional book be successful and yet many readers not enjoy it? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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