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. Why did Ronny volunteer Hamper and himself for the tailgate buildup job?

2. What aggravated Hamper about his friendship with Janice?

3. When did Hamper's first breakdown occur?

4. How did Hamper and Dave Steel initially bond?

5. What happened when Hamper wanted to get out of his move to Pontiac

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Hamper think when Janice came to work on the Rivet Line? How was his reaction different from the men around him and how might this be surprising?

2. What did Mike Moore want to do his last night in Flint before he moved to San Francisco? How is this oddly fitting?

3. What arrangement did Paul and Hamper scheme up at work? How did Hamper justify this, even to the point of making it appear right?

4. What was Hamper's reaction to the news that Louise Mandrell had ordered a GM Suburban? How does this fit what the reader already knows about Hamper's personality?

5. 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?

6. What conversation did Hamper and his grandfather have during the family reunion? How does this fittingly illustrate the difference in their generations?

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

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

9. What was the purpose of Hamper's food matching game (pgs 78-79)? What effect does the game have to the writing of this scene?

10. What kind of place was Mark's Lounge? How was this place exactly what Hamper needed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"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?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,866 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample