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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 parents are Rob and Julia?

2. What book about Classical culture does Ms. Taylor give to Harold in Chapter 6?

3. In the introduction, where does Brooks say the majority of thinking takes place?

4. In Chapter 1, what does Julie insist on keeping on during sex?

5. What do children lack at an early age?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Ms. Taylor.

2. How does Harold's tiger statement in Chapter 4 illustrate a complex human process?

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

4. Who is Elliot, and how did he become involved with Antonio Damasio?

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

6. What does Damasio determine about living without emotion in Chapter 1?

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

8. What is the Composure Class?

9. What are mirror neurons?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In writing "The Social Animal", David Brooks is presenting an alternate view of history and the way societies work. Write an essay about this alternate view of histories driving forces. What, from the text, does Brooks believe drives human connections? How has current social policy ignore this guiding force? What failing institutions does Brooks point out over the process of this book?

Essay Topic 2

In "The Social Animal", the candidate Richard Grace is clearly modeled on Barack Obama. In an essay, compare the two men's biographies. How are their paths to the presidency similar? What does each man instinctively understand about society? What draws people to this understanding of the world? Discuss whether you think this is a positive or negative portrayal of the Obama movement in 2008.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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