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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 payment does an attorney representing a client in a Supreme Court case receive?

2. Who is the clerk who receives Gideon's Supreme Court petition?

3. In what part of the country does Gideon live?

4. How old is Gideon?

5. Other than Gideon, who is the only person who could have filed Gideon's petition to the Supreme Court?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the typical course for a case to reach the Supreme Court?

2. How does Fortas get the information he needs about Gideon's previous trial?

3. For what crime is Gideon serving time in a Florida prison?

4. What distinction did Justice Jackson once make regarding the infallibility of Supreme Court decision?

5. Do the Supreme Court Justices get to decide which cases they will hear?

6. What major inadequacies does Fortas discover in the transcripts of Gideon's criminal trial?

7. What is so unusual about Gideon's tenacity in preparing his petition to the Supreme Court?

8. What is the process of a Supreme Court petition?

9. What kind of power do the Supreme Court Justices have and how do some of them feel about it?

10. What sentence does Gideon receive for the petty larceny charge?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a brief character study of Abe Fortas. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What is his primary motivation?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of hope. Identify at least two themes about hope in the book. Then cite an example to support each theme you name.

Essay Topic 3

In Gideon's Supreme Court case, Abe Fortas is assigned to represent him while Bruce Jacob represents the state's rights. Compare and contrast Abe Fortas and Bruce Jacob. What similarities do they share? How are they different? Do you think the Supreme Court Justices knew what they were doing when they appointed Fortas to Gideon's case? Explain.

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