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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. Barbara realizes she will need ____________ in order to pay for her apartment.

2. What does Jerry's restaurant close off to employees since they don't want other employees lingering there during breaks?

3. The author most dislikes the visible __________ at the restaurant where she works since they complain and never leave good tips.

4. The Preamble Center for Public Policy noted that the odds against a typical welfare recipient's landing a job at a ______ were about 97 to 1.

5. Barbara notes that her sister constantly complained about the hopelessness of being a ____________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the first apartment that Barbara finds when she is out looking for her first new 'home' for the assignment.

2. If things get too rough during this experiment, what does Barbara say she will do in order to feel herself or to support herself?

3. What is Barbara's fear about working in the area where she currently lives, Key West?

4. What does the interviewer at a grocery store warn Barbara about when she puts in her application?

5. Why doesn't Barbara think the physical exertion of her new job should be bothering her so much?

6. Once Barbara begins to let go of her elitist attitude, what does she realize about the workers around her?

7. Why do people end up living with others or in conditions they don't want to live in, according to Barbara?

8. What happens if Barbara thinks she will have to go homeless, even for one night during this experiment?

9. What statement does the author make which leads to her getting the assignment to write this book?

10. Why does Barbara want to take on the assignment she actually suggested be done?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discrimination seems to be a part of everyday society, it seems, at least from the perspective of the author.

Part 1: In what ways does discrimination affect the author's experience in this experiment?

Part 2: Why do you think the author focuses so much on race and on blending in when she is picking her jobs?

Part 3: In what ways are others around the author discriminated against? Or are they?

Essay Topic 2

In many of the jobs the author took, she was working for larger companies with nationwide stores and franchises.

Part 1: How do the larger companies differ from the smaller companies Barbara works for in the book?

Part 2: How might smaller companies treat their employees versus larger companies?

Part 3: Why do you think larger companies handle their employees as though they were really important, but then treat them like they are not?

Essay Topic 3

The management styles described in the book are commonplace for those who have already had minimum wage jobs, it seems.

Part 1: Why do you think managers in the book feel they need to be as demanding as they are?

Part 2: Do you think the managers are consciously trying to manipulate their workers? Why or why not?

Part 3: Do you think it's possible to be a fair and balanced manager when you are managing minimum wage workers? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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