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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. Whose method does Brooks acknowledge he is borrowing in the introduction?

2. According to James LeDoux in Chapter 1, what is the relationship of the conscious mind to emotion?

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

4. What subject did John Bowlby focus on in addition to children?

5. What sport does Brooks associate with the children of his establishment set in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How did Julia and Rob find marriage in the early years?

4. According to Brooks, what separates us from other animals?

5. What is Brooks' stated political reason for writing "The Social Animal"?

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

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

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

9. What are mirror neurons?

10. How does Ms. Taylor shape Harold's interest in the classical world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout "The Social Animal", Harold and Erica need to face personal struggles in which they have to take stock of their lives. Write an essay about three major crises in which one of the protagonists must take personal stock:

Part 1) Discuss Erica's explosion during a high school tennis match. What does this episode reveal to Erica about herself? How does she feel in its aftermath? Explore the changes she needs to make in her life.

Part 2) How does alcohol play an increasing role in Harold's life as he approaches middle age? What connection does this have to his desire for a child? Discuss how he copes with this disappointment and the addiction it fuels?

Part 3) Discuss the aftermath of Erica's indiscretion with Mr. Make-Believe. What personal disappointments lead her to this act of adultery? How does she feel after it happens, and what changes does she make in her life?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

In an essay, discuss the role of imagination and play in the development of children. How does Harold's imagination function both as a gift and as a liability? What fears does it engender in his parents? What delineations does Brooks draw between play in affluent children and p[lay in working class children? How does each type of play reflect a cultural stratus, and how does it indicate future development?

(see the answer keys)

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