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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. How old is Heisenberg in relationship to the Bohrs’ eldest son?

2. How does Heisenberg propose that Bohr protect himself?

3. What does Heisenberg imply Weizsacker might have told Bohr?

4. What is the name of the Bohr’s son who features most prominently in the play?

5. Where do Heisenberg and Bohr go first on their latest visit?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Heisenberg’s recollections of post-World War I Germany?

2. What role did Bohr play in the atomic project?

3. What role does Heisenberg think Bohr could have played, but didn’t, in the atomic project?

4. What atomic programs exist in Germany in 1941?

5. What is the major conflict over what Heisenberg said to Bohr?

6. What is the familial relationship between Bohr and Heisenberg that is alluded to throughout the play?

7. What does Heisenberg claim are the political implications of what he was saying to Bohr?

8. Where have most of the German physicists gone?

9. Why do the Bohrs often go to Tisvilde?

10. What feelings did Heisenberg have towards Kramers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Heisenberg and Bohr were important scientists of the twentieth century. Research their work. What were their final, most enduring contributions to science? Which can be read metaphorically, in the context of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Bohr and Heisenberg fight throughout the play, but also resolve their differences at various points. What are the issues that lead them into a stalemate? What helps them make up after fighting? Do they ever really resolve any of their issues?

Essay Topic 3

Uncertainty permeates this play, both in its scientific and prosaic senses. What is the uncertainty at the core of the play? Can the uncertainty truly be compared to scientific uncertainty? Can the issues at stake in the play ever be determined for certain?

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This section contains 506 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample