View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What was the routine when Joanie visited Hamper's house?

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

4. What day was Hamper finally called in to work at the car factory?

5. What was the job Hamper first wanted to have?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several times throughout the book, Hamper gives foreshadowing of his mental breakdown. Where are these references? Do they prepare the reader for what is coming?

Essay Topic 2

How did Hamper's writing career begin? What was the progression?

Essay Topic 3

"My old man abhorred the truth. It was like some horrible, foreign diction that ripped at his core" (pg 4). What truth is Hamper referring to? As demonstrated by his own life, what was his reaction to the same truth?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,794 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample