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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many children did Hamper's parents have?
(a) Seven.
(b) Three.
(c) Ten.
(d) Eight.

2. Why did Hamper's parents fight?
(a) His dad was frequently absent.
(b) His mom was tired of working and raising kids.
(c) His dad drank a lot and became violent.
(d) His dad was frequently unfaithful to his mother.

3. During the pre-work physical, what did Hamper do against his better judgment?
(a) Asked for the nurse's phone number.
(b) Pretended to be sick so he would have another week of freedom.
(c) Lied about his medical history.
(d) Sold his urine to the man ahead of him in line.

4. Why was Hamper expelled from his Catholic high school?
(a) He refused to attend the daily mass.
(b) He had sworn at his history teacher.
(c) He was caught rolling a joint in the library.
(d) He was caught trying to skip class.

5. At work, what did Dan-O like to do?
(a) Read.
(b) Drink beer.
(c) Play practical jokes.
(d) Sleep.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Hamper fight the career trend toward the GM factory?

2. Why was Robert often angry when he got his check?

3. Where did Lightnin' sleep during every work shift?

4. What was the most unusual thing about Bob-A-Lou?

5. Why did Hamper like spending time at Joanie's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. When did the GM assembly line begin to look like an attractive option to Hamper? How did this demonstrate a change in Hamper's thinking?

2. How did Hamper's stories about life after high school reveal the time period in which they were written? What clues did he give by telling how much things cost?

3. To what does Hamper attribute his success at the beginning of high school? How does this fit into his plans for his life?

4. What story does Hamper tell involving Lesley Gore's music? How does this story show that Hamper, if only for an hour and twelve minutes, transcended the shop-rat mindset?

5. What kind of a person was Franklin? How was his personality different than expected? How did he act as a sort of prototype for Hamper's own life?

6. Who were Lightnin' and Same-O? What did their lives say about Hamper's future?

7. How did poetry temporarily draw Hamper out of his slide toward the factory? How might this have paved the way for more writing in the future?

8. "I'm thinking that rock stars, even dead ones, don't come cheap" (pg xix). In the context of the Prologue, what does this quote mean?

9. What role did Hamper's mother play in his life?

10. What kind of person was Joanie? Use Hamper's references to her to create a character description.

(see the answer keys)

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