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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. When Hamper's dad left, what was the only information his family had?
(a) That he was somewhere in southern Florida with a bartender.
(b) That he planned to be back before Christmas.
(c) That he was headed for Indiana.
(d) That he took the last can of beer with him.

2. What did Hamper and Joanie name their baby daughter?
(a) Sonya.
(b) Sarah.
(c) Sylvia.
(d) Sandra.

3. How had Hamper imagined his father's work before he saw it?
(a) There weren't any loud machines.
(b) His dad built each car from a kit.
(c) The workplace was cleaner.
(d) Half the employees were women.

4. As told in Chapter Four, how much money did Hamper make while working at the factory?
(a) $9.82 an hour.
(b) $200 a shift.
(c) $15.33 an hour.
(d) $12.82 an hour.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What music did Hamper and his coworkers listen to at work?

2. How did Hamper and Joanie overcome their initial shyness toward each other?

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

4. Why did Joanie and Hamper get married when she became pregnant?

5. Why did GM not hire Hamper when he wanted to apply?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. "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?

4. What promises did the Plant Manager make during the factory meeting? How did Hamper's retelling of the speech change its tone?

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

6. What is Hamper's first exposure to the true culture of the Cab Shop? How did this dramatically change his attitude toward work?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. When Hamper tells the story of people who disagree with the shop-rats' drinking, he writes much of the story in capital letters. What literary effect does this visual change have on the story?

10. What pattern emerged in junior-high that led Hamper to consider the life of a shop-rat? How did he begin to identify with his family who had worked in the factory?

(see the answer keys)

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