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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Gladwell characterize Leon Gouré?
(a) A confident ladies man.
(b) A hard-nosed businessman.
(c) A swashbuckling military man.
(d) A bookish expert.

2. Why does Gladwell say the Royal Scots were the least helpful regiment to patrol the Catholic neighborhood of Lower Falls?
(a) They were known for brutality.
(b) They had just returned from suppressing violent insurrections elsewhere.
(c) They were not accountable through the regular chain of command.
(d) They were staunchly Protestant.

3. Who helped Derksen get over the resentment she felt about her daughter’s killer’s sexual sadism?
(a) A fetishist she met online.
(b) Her husband.
(c) A policeman.
(d) A woman from her church.

4. How many people does Gladwell say lost their homes in London during the Blitz?
(a) 250,000.
(b) 1 million.
(c) 750,000.
(d) 500,000.

5. What unexpected reaction does Gladwell describe London residents having to the Blitz?
(a) Philosophical reflection.
(b) Euphoria.
(c) Simple kindnesses.
(d) Depression.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Gladwell say Freireich’s mother did to keep the family together?

2. What does Gladwell say led to the “unexpected freedom” that Wyatt Walker felt, in stirring up trouble with Bull Connor (173)?

3. What was the occasion that brought the British army into Northern Ireland?

4. What kind of image does Gladwell say General Freeland wanted to convey to the northern Irish?

5. When did Bill Hudson take the famous photo of the dog attacking the peaceful protestor?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the flaw in Nathan Leites and Charles Wolf’s report Rebellion and Authority, According to Gladwell?

2. In what way does Gladwell say Hudson’s photo is “trickery” (192)?

3. Where had Kellen gotten his background for the RAND job to consult on the Vietnam war?

4. What was Mike Reynolds' reaction when the disadvantages of the Three Strikes law became apparent?

5. How does Turtle win the race with Deer, in the Brer Rabbit story Gladwell relates?

6. How does Gladwell see Wyatt Walker setting up the photo of the dog attack as evidence of the same law he see in dyslexics succeeding in spite of their condition?

7. What were the effects of the Three Strikes law that turned public opinion against it, and led to its being “radically scaled back” (248)?

8. Why does Gladwell say that it took the British so long to understand that they were applying too much force in northern Ireland?

9. What is the lesson Gladwell derives from the video of the third-grade classroom from the Curry School of Education?

10. How does Gladwell explain Freireich’s wife’s bond to him?

(see the answer keys)

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