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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 Hamper not stay with Mother Jones when Moore was fired?
(a) He was not being paid enough money.
(b) He did not trust the new editor.
(c) He felt a great loyalty to Moore.
(d) He was tired of cranking out articles.

2. What did Hamper find most irritating about the message board?
(a) It was directly in his line of vision.
(b) He could not read one message before it changed to the next.
(c) It flashed a shade of orange that he hated.
(d) It only told him uninteresting stuff he already knew.

3. At the beginning of Chapter 10, why did Moore not want to move to San Francisco?
(a) He was hesitant about the career move.
(b) He hated California.
(c) He hated change.
(d) He loved Flint.

4. How did Hamper's supervisor feel when he needed to leave work early because of his breakdown?
(a) The supervisor was angry at being shorthanded.
(b) The supervisor was highly concerned.
(c) Hamper was too stressed to notice the supervisor's response.
(d) The supervisor said he didn't believe Hamper.

5. Why was Hamper familiar with Michael Moore?
(a) They had discovered at a family reunion that they were second cousins.
(b) They had gone to high school together.
(c) Moore had worked at GM for eight years.
(d) Moore was always causing political disturbances.

Short Answer Questions

1. While visiting the factory, what did Moore really want to do?

2. Why did Hamper not want to write about being a shop-rat, in an article for the Flint Voice?

3. Why was Hamper given a $2,700 check?

4. As he drove home during his breakdown, what did Hamper think he saw?

5. Why was it difficult to get a visitor's pass for Alex, the reporter from The Wall Street Journal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did General Motors become concerned with the quality of their vehicles? Given Hamper's tone while telling this story, what was his response?

2. Hamper said that working on the Rivet Line was like being paid to flunk high school the rest of your life (pgs 185,188). How might this be true? Why is Hamper content with this lifestyle?

3. Hamper describes Paul Schobel's work techniques through a series of natural metaphors (pg 189). Why is this different from what might be expected? How is it humorous?

4. What kind of relationship did Gino have with his men? Why did this lead to his eventual transfer away from the Rivet Line?

5. "It wasn't every afternoon that I received long-distance phone call from folks at the Wall Street Journal. I didn't remember having any friends who worked there and I was certain that I didn't owe these people any money (pg 171). What do these two sentences reveal about Hamper's character?

6. What was one of Hamper's favorite ways to pass time at work? How is this an interesting facet of his character?

7. Who did Bob-A-Lou have a crush on? What does this reveal about his character and how was he different from most of the other factory workers?

8. How did Hamper's fellow factory workers respond to the article in the Wall Street Journal? Given the tone of this part of the story, where did Hamper actually get his happiness?

9. How did Hamper stumble onto writing? What does this say about him as a writer?

10. In the Epilogue, Hamper shows the conflict between his mindset as a shop-rat and his time outside the factory in therapy. How did he show this and which attitude was stronger in his mind?

(see the answer keys)

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