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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why was Robert often angry when he got his check?

3. Why did the supervisors add another task to Hamper and Dale's job?

4. How many children did Hamper's parents have?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What stories does Hamper tell about Dan-O? What do these stories add to the reader's impression of the factory?

2. Hamper said that Same-O was quite likely the only genius he ever met at the General Motors factory (pg 66). Why did he say this?

3. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What effect did unemployment have on Flint? What happened when much of the population was unemployed and why? What do you think the mood of the town was?

Essay Topic 2

As seen in several examples throughout the book, how did General Motors treat their employees? How did Hamper's stories shed an honest light on the company?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance in Hamper's descriptions of his parents? He never says "Mom" or "Dad," only "my mother" or "my father." What unusual formality does this lend to his story?

(see the answer keys)

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