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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 long did Hamper work before being laid off for the first time?
(a) Five years.
(b) Four years.
(c) Two years.
(d) One year.

2. Why did Joanie and Hamper get married when she became pregnant?
(a) Abortion and adoption were unheard-of in their religious circle.
(b) Hamper wanted to escape his mother's home.
(c) They loved each other.
(d) They were finally eighteen and able to make their own decisions.

3. According to Hamper, what percentage of Flint was linked to the auto factories?
(a) 66.5.
(b) 50.
(c) 23.5.
(d) 10.

4. What happened one day when Hamper left journalism class on drugs?
(a) He hit a tuba player in the marching band.
(b) He could not figure out how to turn the car on.
(c) He hit a parked car.
(d) He drove the wrong car out of the parking lot.

5. What music did Hamper and his coworkers listen to at work?
(a) Top 40's.
(b) Oldies.
(c) Classic rock.
(d) Country.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Hamper make the honor roll his sophomore year of high school?

2. When Hamper's dad left, what was the only information his family had?

3. How was Hamper's new high school significantly different from his old one?

4. What was the most unusual thing about Bob-A-Lou?

5. Inside the auto factory, why was the Cab Shop nicknamed the Jungle?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Hamper tells the story of people who disagree with the shop-rats' drinking, he writes much of the story in capital letters. What literary effect does this visual change have on the story?

2. "I'm thinking that rock stars, even dead ones, don't come cheap" (pg xix). In the context of the Prologue, what does this quote mean?

3. Hamper ends Chapter 3 with the sentence, "The money was right, even if we weren't" (pg 43). What does this mean?

4. Hamper's father, though not a model of determination or reliability, often berated his son because of his poor grades. How did his cursing set the tone of their conversations about school?

5. When did the GM assembly line begin to look like an attractive option to Hamper? How did this demonstrate a change in Hamper's thinking?

6. Who were Lightnin' and Same-O? What did their lives say about Hamper's future?

7. What is Hamper's first exposure to the true culture of the Cab Shop? How did this dramatically change his attitude toward work?

8. What kind of person was Joanie? Use Hamper's references to her to create a character description.

9. To what does Hamper attribute his success at the beginning of high school? How does this fit into his plans for his life?

10. How did Hamper's marriage to Joanie end? Given his tone in the writing, what do you think his attitude was during this time?

(see the answer keys)

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