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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. What does Hoffman say about the characters of Flatland?

2. Where are higher class youths sent for education?

3. In what year was Flatland written?

4. What adverse effect did the new wave of color have?

5. What does Hoffman admit Abbott succeeded in defeating?

Short Essay Questions

1. What appears to be the reasoning behind the need for the preface of this novel?

2. What happens to aristocratic children who fail exams, and as a result, what does the State feel should happen?

3. Discuss at least two ways the inhabitants of Flatland attempt to alter natural evolution.

4. Explain the basic process of evolution, as described in Chapter 3.

5. Summarize A. Square's explanation of Flatland.

6. Explain how sight recognition is used in upper classes, and why such a method cannot be used for the lower class.

7. What are some of the characteristics of women in Chapter 5?

8. In Chapter 1, what does A. Square compare sight in Flatland to in the three dimensional world, Spaceland, and what is the comparison?

9. Based on the end of the Preface, what is the author attempting to say about the ruling class of his time?

10. Summarize A. Square's example of how to imagine how inhabitants of Flatland see one another.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Flatland, only the upper class have rights to certain privileges. Discuss at least two examples of such privileges. Do you think the upper class in modern society has more privileges than the lower classes? Why?

Essay Topic 2

In the book, there are several methods of recognition discussed including sound, sight, and feel. Compare the methods explained in the book to our own methods using the same senses. How are they the same? How do they differ? If you were to lose two of these senses, do you think the remaining one would be accurate 100 percent of the time?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the King of Pointland, the King of Lineland, A. Square, and the Sphere, including their general characteristics as well as their overall personalities. What are their similarities? What are their differences?

(see the answer keys)

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