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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. Why was it difficult to get a visitor's pass for Alex, the reporter from The Wall Street Journal?
(a) Hamper's supervisor didn't want to give approval for the visit.
(b) The request took two weeks to process.
(c) No one knew where Hamper should go to request it.
(d) Every department said their hands were tied.

2. What did Hamper remember about his interview for the Mother Jones cover story?
(a) Nothing.
(b) The interviewer nearly fell out of his chair laughing.
(c) He told only one off-color joke.
(d) The cameramen laughed so hard that their cameras shook.

3. What happened as the Rivet Line began to build army trucks?
(a) The trucks took less time to build than the suburbans did.
(b) They were constantly missing pieces.
(c) The men learned very slowly how to build the trucks.
(d) The trucks took twice as long to build as the regular suburbans.

4. What happened to the man who tried to kill his coworker?
(a) He was suspended for two weeks.
(b) He was fired immediately.
(c) He was charged with attempted murder but not convicted.
(d) He was written up.

5. How did Hamper's supervisor feel when he needed to leave work early because of his breakdown?
(a) Hamper was too stressed to notice the supervisor's response.
(b) The supervisor was angry at being shorthanded.
(c) The supervisor said he didn't believe Hamper.
(d) The supervisor was highly concerned.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much time passed between Hamper's first breakdown and his second?

2. While meeting the producer from 60 Minutes, why was Hamper nervous?

3. What nearby bar did Hamper and his coworkers often go to after work?

4. What two different personalities did Hank exhibit?

5. As Hamper begins Chapter Five, what does he think is the worst part of unemployment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of relationship did Gino have with his men? Why did this lead to his eventual transfer away from the Rivet Line?

2. What was the purpose of Hamper's food matching game (pgs 78-79)? What effect does the game have to the writing of this scene?

3. What difficulty did Hamper run into as he tried to get a visitor's pass for Alex Kotlowitz, the reporter from the Wall Street Journal? How does this difficulty illustrate the vast difference between the factory worker and the corporate man, even within the same company?

4. Why did General Motors become concerned with the quality of their vehicles? Given Hamper's tone while telling this story, what was his response?

5. According to Hamper, why does the reading public not want to read about the working man? Is this a fair assessment?

6. What was Hamper's opinion of the Flint Voice when he first read it? What expectations does this create in the reader's mind?

7. During and after his first panic attack, what did Hamper realize about himself?

8. What was one of Hamper's favorite ways to pass time at work? How is this an interesting facet of his character?

9. "It wasn't every afternoon that I received long-distance phone call from folks at the Wall Street Journal. I didn't remember having any friends who worked there and I was certain that I didn't owe these people any money (pg 171). What do these two sentences reveal about Hamper's character?

10. What kind of place was Mark's Lounge? How was this place exactly what Hamper needed?

(see the answer keys)

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