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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. In the summer and fall of 1977, how many hours a day did Hamper work?
(a) Eight.
(b) Nine.
(c) Twelve.
(d) Fourteen.

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

3. Why did Hamper grow up in a neighborhood of houses that all look alike?
(a) The neighborhood was built simply to house new factory employees.
(b) The houses were built during a recession when buyers did not have much money.
(c) The neighborhood architect didn't have a good imagination.
(d) All Flint residential neighborhoods look the same.

4. What was Glen's dream job?
(a) Working at the GM factory.
(b) Owning his own restaurant.
(c) Being a rock'n'roll legend.
(d) Painting apartments.

5. What was Hamper's first impression of the crew of men he was called in with the first day?
(a) They were high school drop-outs.
(b) They were thrilled to be there for a job.
(c) They were lazy men.
(d) They were sluggish, unskilled men.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why did absenteeism increase greatly on Fridays?

3. According to Hamper, why did the nuns not care that he was a poor student?

4. As Hamper began high school, what was his only plan for his life?

5. How many siblings did Joanie have?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

5. Who or what was Hamper's greatest enemy at work? How did he use his new attitude about work to combat the enemy?

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

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

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

9. Why is Hamper's description of Flint, Michigan, at the beginning of Chapter 2, a powerful one?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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