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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. According to Brooks in Chapter 1, what surprises all people when they meet a possible mate?

2. In Chapter 4, Harold illustrates his ability to abstract by saying he is what?

3. At the beginning of Chapter 6, what group of teenagers does Brooks say is discriminated against?

4. What is Ms. Taylor's tactic for making children learn?

5. In Chapter 4, what is Harold's favorite pastimes besides bonding with Julia?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ms. Taylor permanently affect Harold's life?

2. Why does Timothy Wilson think that the unconscious mind does the majority of the work in thinking?

3. What is Harold's goal from conception on?

4. What did John Bowlby's research reveal about childhood?

5. What great skill does Harold have in high school?

6. Describe Ms. Taylor.

7. According to Brooks in the introduction, why are Harold and Erica so successful?

8. How is Brooks' book different from other social studies?

9. How does Brooks use the meeting of Julia and Rob to illustrate the surprise of similarities?

10. How does Ms. Taylor guide Harold's reading in Chapter 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Erica's life is a genuine American story. She begins life as a struggle against circumstances, and through hard work she achieves total professional and personal success. Write a three-part essay about her success:

Part 1) Describe the challenges that Erica faces from her early childhood? How does her socioeconomic and family background put her at an inherent disadvantage? How does education help her overcome these challenges?

Part 2) Chart Erica's journey from college to CEO of Intercom. What successes and failures bring her to this position of power? How do her understandings of humanity affect her capacity to run and improve businesses?

Part 3) Discuss how Erica becomes involved in the Richard Grace campaign. What appeals to her about his worldview? What does she bring to the campaign and the White House? How does she regard the political elite class she joins?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the prenatal and early childhood relationship between Julia and Harold. How is Julia's life different before and after she becomes pregnant? What is Harold's goal from the moment he develops sentience? How does he break down Julia's personality, and how does he rebuild her? Discuss how this process leads to a reinvented Julia who makes caring for Harold her primary concern?

Essay Topic 3

In "The Social Animal", David Brooks makes definite policy arguments, informed by the circumstances of Harold and Erica's lives. Write a two-part essay about these policy proposals and their connection to the narrative:

Part 1) Discuss Erica's experience at Intercom. What issues do Erica and Raymond discover while they work there? What policy proposals do they make to the investors? How does this narrative indicate policy proposals Brooks would make regarding private industry?

Part 2) What conclusions does Harold come to while working at a Washington think tank? How do these proposals reflect his personal experience? What do these proposals seem to bear in mind about human nature that current public policy does not?

(see the answer keys)

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