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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. To what does Hamper compare his factory job?

2. How did Hamper prepare for his interview for the Mother Jones cover story?

3. According to Hamper in Chapter 10, why did GM not allow the NBC film crew into the factory?

4. What did Hamper call his "real attraction to David Steel" (pg 98)?

5. What victory did Hamper enjoy, though the Olympic gold medal wasn't real?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Mike Moore want to do his last night in Flint before he moved to San Francisco? How is this oddly fitting?

2. Describe Dave Steel.

3. At the beginning of Chapter 5, how did Hamper portray the employees of the Michigan Employment Security Commission? Is this a fair picture?

4. How did the men on the Rivet Line deal with the supervisor sent in to replace Gino? How was this a sign that they are powerful?

5. What did Hamper think when Janice came to work on the Rivet Line? How was his reaction different from the men around him and how might this be surprising?

6. Why were Moore and Hamper summoned to appear in court? How does this scene demonstrate Hamper's chosen place in the world?

7. 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?

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

9. What was Hamper's reaction to the news that Louise Mandrell had ordered a GM Suburban? How does this fit what the reader already knows about Hamper's personality?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did Roy's crackup prefigure Hamper's own mental breakdown? What role did Hamper play on Roy's story, and how did Roy's compare to his own?

Essay Topic 2

How did Hamper's writing career begin? What was the progression?

Essay Topic 3

Hamper often uses short sentences comprised of a couple nouns and no verbs. What is the effect of these sentences to the reader? Do they propel or slow the flow of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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