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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 did Ida Eisenhower forbid in her house?

2. In Chapter 3, Eisenhower is quoted as saying he tried to remember to rely on planning, but to also do which of the following?

3. In Chapter 2, what tragic historical event inspires Frances Perkins to begin her life of activism?

4. Who sent Brooks an email responding to a column he wrote that Brooks says explains the mythology of his book?

5. Which religious figure and writer does Brooks reference in the very beginning of the Introduction?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Perkins initially win over Franklin Delano Roosevelt's trust?

2. In Chapter 1, what trait does Brooks feel was more common in most people in the WWII-era than it is today?

3. Why did Perkins take a job teaching at Cornell University in 1957 although the pay was very little?

4. Why was Day intensely annoyed with Forster Batterham during the time when she nursed his partner Nanette through her terminal illness?

5. What was Hull House modeled after?

6. What is the main difference between a career and a vocation as Brooks describes it?

7. How does Brooks define the so-called "Big Me" culture?

8. What historic event happened when Dorothy Day was 8 years old?

9. What was Eisenhower's personal opinion of General Douglas MacArthur?

10. What virtue does Brooks say is generally misunderstood in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire act as a motivator for Frances Perkins' life work and what Brooks refers to as Perkins' vocation? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

How and why did A. Philip Randolph change his opinions and attitudes towards Communism, and how did this change affect his work in the Civil Rights movement? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining the specific actions and events from Dwight Eisenhower's life that demonstrate his ability to restrain and master his own emotions.

(see the answer keys)

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