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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. While reading The Wall Street Journal article, what did Hamper realize?

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

3. When did Hamper experience his last breakdown?

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

5. What was the goal of rivet hockey?

Short Essay Questions

1. What new vehicle was the factory hired to build? How was this, written in Hamper's account of life, a sign of the times?

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

3. Hamper said that working on the Rivet Line was like being paid to flunk high school the rest of your life (pgs 185,188). How might this be true? Why is Hamper content with this lifestyle?

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

5. "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?

6. 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?

7. What arrangement did Paul and Hamper scheme up at work? How did Hamper justify this, even to the point of making it appear right?

8. What kind of supervisor was Gino? How did Hamper respond to his leadership?

9. What conversation did Hamper and his grandfather have during the family reunion? How does this fittingly illustrate the difference in their generations?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role did the time clock play in Hamper's life? How did it become his worst enemy?

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance in Hamper's descriptions of his parents? He never says "Mom" or "Dad," only "my mother" or "my father." What unusual formality does this lend to his story?

Essay Topic 3

Why did Hamper always remember the man who came late for the GM work call, the first time he worked at the factory (pg 32)? How might his thoughts about the incident have changed as he moved in and out of GM?

(see the answer keys)

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