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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 does Jimmy find in his trunk on his wedding day?

2. Where is the guard when Henry first attempts to enter the strong room?

3. How much does Henry earn on his first hijacking scheme?

4. What are the wiseguys who take on the more violent crimes called?

5. What does "straighten up" mean in the mob world?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the ways Paul Vario distances himself from the criminal acts that he and his group commit?

2. Describe how the wiseguys rob trucks.

3. Why does Karen like Henry so much?

4. Why do Henry's parents disapprove of their son's new job at the cabstand?

5. Describe some of the illegal schemes that Henry takes part in while serving in the Army.

6. Why do Henry and his friends go to Las Vegas just after the Air Cargo Center robbery?

7. How does the book describe how the mafia rose in the Brownsville-East New York area?

8. Why does Henry choose the cabstand when looking for a part-time job?

9. How do the wiseguys get away with stealing cargo from the Queens airport?

10. Discuss what jobs Henry is given involving the gambling ring.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Henry's view of gambling to that of his life. How are the two similar? What importance does "luck" hold for Henry in regards to both?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout most of his marriage, Henry lies to Karen about almost everything in much part because that is what most wiseguys did. What does this tell the reader in regards to how wiseguys valued other people? How does this showcase their self-serving nature?

Essay Topic 3

In what ways does the author use Henry's perspective to his advantage when describing the Air Cargo Center robbery? Why do you think the author chose to use Henry's point of view to tell this story? What details would have been left out had the author told the story from someone else's perspective?

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This section contains 781 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample