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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. Why did Jack take a sledgehammer to the cigarette machine?
(a) He wanted to take his anger out on something.
(b) He thought the broken machine was a GM conspiracy.
(c) The machine had eaten his money.
(d) He was pretending the machine was the plant manager.

2. What did Hamper's mom hope he'd do once he finished high school?
(a) Go to business school.
(b) Join the army.
(c) Go to seminary.
(d) Work at GM.

3. What day was Hamper finally called in to work at the car factory?
(a) Monday.
(b) Saturday.
(c) Sunday.
(d) Thursday.

4. Where did Lightnin' sleep during every work shift?
(a) Sitting in the stairwell by the locker room.
(b) Leaning against the wall in the men's bathroom.
(c) Lying on a cafeteria bench.
(d) Lying in a box by the Finishing Line.

5. What was the name of the new school that combined all local Catholic high schools?
(a) St. Agnes High School.
(b) Luke Powers High School.
(c) St. Michael High School.
(d) Holy Redeemer High School.

Short Answer Questions

1. How was Hamper's new high school significantly different from his old one?

2. At the beginning of Chapter Three, what reason did Hamper give that Joanie was unhappy in their marriage?

3. What plans did Hamper and Dale have together for their careers?

4. How did the assembly-line workers originally run their radio?

5. What job did Hamper get after he quit painting?

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

3. How is Hamper's portrayal of his mother pathetic at times? Is it a fair character description?

4. What did Hamper say about his younger siblings? How did this give the reader another glimpse of family life?

5. 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?

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

7. What system did Dale and Hamper rig up at work? How did this again change Hamper's attitude toward his job?

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

9. 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?

10. Hamper ends Chapter 3 with the sentence, "The money was right, even if we weren't" (pg 43). What does this mean?

(see the answer keys)

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