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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. In what county is Jackson, Kentucky located?

2. What was Mamaw's dream-career, according to Vance in Chapter 9?

3. What does Vance describe Papaw's main hobby as in Chapter 7?

4. Vance says in Chapter 9 that his sister Lindsay once told them that above all else, their mother was what?

5. What kind of business did Uncle Gary establish?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Vance describe his youth while living in Middletown with his mother, sister, and stepfather in Chapter 5?

2. How does Vance describe the setting of Middletown when he was born in Chapter 4?

3. How does Vance describe the differences between Ohio and Kentucky that Mamaw and Papaw encountered after they moved?

4. How did Vance's life change once he moved in to live solely with Mamaw during his teenage years?

5. What were the circumstances of Mamaw and Papaw's move to Ohio?

6. What are the primary reasons for the cultural decay in Appalachia that Vance describes in the Prologue?

7. How did Vance feel about participating with his mother in her rehabilitative activities after Papaw's death?

8. What led to the migration of hillbillies from Appalachia to the Rust Belt?

9. How does Vance describe his experiences living with his biological father in Chapter 8?

10. How does Vance describe Mamaw and Papaw's children in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Vance describe his relationship with his biological father in the memoir? When did his father abandon Vance? When did he come back into Vance's life? How did Vance's father influence him?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Vance's observations while working at his first job at Dillman's grocery. What did Vance discover about his neighbors and those within his community? How did these observations influence Vance's future?

Essay Topic 3

Why was education so highly valued by Mamaw and Papaw? Why did they not encourage their children and grandchildren to pursue blue-collar careers? How did this influence impact Vance and Mamaw and Papaw's children?

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