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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Brooks describe Dwight Eisenhower's father?
(a) Flighty and undependable.
(b) Gregarious and outspoken.
(c) Gentle and honest.
(d) Solitary and difficult.

2. What happens to Perkins in 1939 that tests her resilience?
(a) She is fired.
(b) Her mother dies.
(c) Her husband dies.
(d) She is the subject of impeachment proceedings.

3. Who was Frances Perkins married to?
(a) Paul Wilson.
(b) Franklin Smith.
(c) Sinclair Lewis.
(d) James Jordan.

4. In Chapter 4, what kind of job did Dorothy Day's father have?
(a) He was a doctor.
(b) He was a coal miner.
(c) He was a construction worker.
(d) He was a journalist.

5. What cabinet-level position did Perkins hold during the Roosevelt years?
(a) Secretary of Labor.
(b) Secretary of Trade.
(c) Secretary of State.
(d) Secretary of Commerce.

6. What does Brooks say, in Chapter 3, is the most powerful way of fighting sin?
(a) Living in a sweet, loving way.
(b) Giving to charity.
(c) Going to church.
(d) Practicing what you preach.

7. Where was Ida Eisenhower born?
(a) The Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
(b) Los Angeles.
(c) The Hudson River Valley.
(d) New York City.

8. Kierkegaard once wrote that only the one who descends into the underworld does which of the following?
(a) Rescues the beloved.
(b) Reaps the rewards.
(c) Redeems herself.
(d) Finds the light.

9. What kind of literature had a great impact on Day's thinking early in her adulthood?
(a) Greek.
(b) Italian.
(c) British.
(d) Russian.

10. What did Day name her daughter?
(a) Alexandra.
(b) Charlotte.
(c) Tamar.
(d) Jane.

11. Which important political figure did Perkins assist early in his career?
(a) Dwight Eisenhower.
(b) James Madison.
(c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
(d) Charles Wilson.

12. Harry Emerson Fosdick once wrote that the beginning of worth-while living involves a confrontation with whom?
(a) Our friends.
(b) Our parents.
(c) Ourselves.
(d) Our Gods.

13. In Chapter 1, what does Brooks describe as the habit of a friend who works on self-improvement and who Brooks admires?
(a) His friend spends a few moments right before bed every night reviewing his mistakes of the day.
(b) His friend spends an hour each night calling everyone in his family for a quick chat.
(c) His friend spends two hours each night exercising and reading the bible.
(d) His friend spends an hour each night carefully cooking the next day's meals.

14. What did Perkins' mother tell her as a young girl she should always wear?
(a) A certain kind of three-cornered hat.
(b) Nylons.
(c) An apron.
(d) High-heeled shoes.

15. Who led a factory strike in 1909 to try to help female industrial workers improve their work conditions?
(a) Eleanor Roosevelt.
(b) Frances Perkins.
(c) Dorothy Day.
(d) Rose Schneiderman.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the Introduction, how does Brooks say people of great virtue make other people feel?

2. What does Brooks compare self-control to?

3. In Chapter 3, what word does Brooks argue has lost its power and intensity?

4. What was the name of the radical newspaper where Day got her first job?

5. What radio program inspired Brooks to write the book?

(see the answer keys)

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