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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 has Erica heard about Intercom before her interview in Chapter 14?

2. In Chapter 10, what does Harrison value above all else?

3. Which of the following is an activity that Harold and Erica put off because of their busy schedules in Chapter 14?

4. Which of the following is not a culture Erica immerses herself in at college?

5. In Chapter 15, North Whitehead is quoted as saying history alternated between the simpleminded and what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Erica and Harold form a close bond in Chapter 13?

2. What impresses Erica about Raymond during their lunches in Chapter 16?

3. What different trajectories do Harold and Erica's lives take in Chapter 15?

4. Describe the ideology of Rationalism.

5. How is the mind inefficient, according to David Brooks?

6. What traumatic event occurs to Erica during a tennis match in Chapter 8?

7. Why does Erica nearly not go to the University of Denver in Chapter 9?

8. What does Brooks assess the search for harmony in Chapter 13?

9. How does Erica almost get arrested in Chapter 7?

10. How is the Academy schedule different from public school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrative of "The Social Animal" details how two talented, curious individuals achieve great success. Because these are not prodigies, their paths cross many mentors and preternatural talents. Write an essay about three mentors and talents. How does this person interact with Harold and Erica? What information does he or she impart? How does this personal unveil talents in one or both of the protagonists?

Part 1) Ms. Taylor.

Part 2) Raymond.

Part 3) Richard Grace.

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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