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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. How old was Gideon when he ran away from home to escape his strict stepfather?

2. What does Abe Fortas want before going to trial before representing Gideon?

3. What does each Supreme Court justice receive regarding petitioners' requests?

4. Justices of the Supreme Court have a higher power than ____________________.

5. Is Gideon guaranteed an attorney during a Supreme Court trial?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What issue has been on the minds of the Justices lately that gives Gideon's petition some extra attention?

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

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

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

6. What is the premise of GIDEON'S TRUMPET?

7. What does Fortas discover in Gideon's file regarding how he questioned witnesses and how an attorney would have been better able to manage?

8. What is the nature of Gideon's petition to the Supreme Court?

9. How many Supreme Court Justices are there and how large is their support staff?

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

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

Discuss the irony of Gideon's not being able to ever hold a job very long in his life yet having the tenacity to hand write pages and pages of his petition to the Supreme Court. What gave Gideon his inspiration to keep pushing forward? How would Gideon's life have been different if he had applied this same tenacity to making a decent living and caring for his family? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 999 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample