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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. What did Hamper hate more than anything?
(a) The minute hand on the clock.
(b) Not getting paid enough.
(c) General Motors itself.
(d) Having to work the swing shift.

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

3. At the factory, when was the most popular time to drink?
(a) Right before coming to work.
(b) While standing at the assembly line.
(c) During the lunch break.
(d) Any time the person was on the clock.

4. At the beginning of Chapter Two, what religiously-loaded term did Hamper use to describe Flint?
(a) Hitching-post Heaven.
(b) The Automotive Temple.
(c) Greaseball Mecca.
(d) God's Factory.

5. How did management generally run the factory?
(a) Every rule must be followed completely.
(b) Follow the letter of the law but not necessarily the spirit.
(c) Hear no evil, see no evil.
(d) Any employee who's a favorite can do whatever he wants.

Short Answer Questions

1. What two classes did Hamper pass in junior high?

2. What machine did Hamper operate in the Cab Shop?

3. What racket did Louie have going at work?

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

5. Why did Hamper grow up in a neighborhood of houses that all look alike?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of Chapter 1, what did Hamper reveal about his hopes for the future? What insight did he show about the past?

2. What religious background did Hamper have during his childhood? How did religion shape his move into adulthood?

3. 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?

4. Hamper's father, though not a model of determination or reliability, often berated his son because of his poor grades. How did his cursing set the tone of their conversations about school?

5. What do Hamper's stories about high school revolve around? How does this show that he was giving in to the nuns' perception of him that began in junior high?

6. How does Hamper describe the Cab Shop the first time he goes there? What about the description is the most informative about the scene?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. How was Hamper's father an anomaly among fathers? Even at a young age, what was Hamper's opinion of him? How might this affect his own development in the future?

10. How did Hamper's marriage to Joanie end? Given his tone in the writing, what do you think his attitude was during this time?

(see the answer keys)

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