View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Victor call to warn them to leave him alone?

2. Who do the computer records show deleted files off Victor's computer?

3. Does the baby cry after he is delivered?

4. What third file does Victor find is missing from his computer?

5. Where do Victor and Marsha take VJ for his medical tests?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Victor do with the tissue samples he brings back from the hospital?

2. What is Marsha's attitude toward what she discovers Victor has done?

3. What is Victor's emotional reaction to the deleted files?

4. What does the baby do with the object it grabs when it is first born?

5. Who meets the Frank family when they return to their home?

6. What might VJ's motivation be for how he performed during the race with Victor?

7. What is Victor's response to the news of Mark Murray's illness?

8. What does William Hurst argue with Victor about?

9. Describe the relationship between VJ and Philip.

10. How do Victor's test results on Mark and Maurice compare to VJ's test results?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the conflict of nature and science in the novel.

1) What is the metaphoric significance of the river, a force of nature, and the clock tower, a work of science, in the novel? How is this metaphor carried out through the novel and especially at its end?

2) How do nature and science conflict in Victor's work? When science manipulates nature, what is the result?

3) In the novel, can mankind succeed in taming or defying nature? To what extent? Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

One important element in the novel is the nature of science. Discuss the nature of science as portrayed in the novel.

1) What is the purpose of science? What do the characters in the novel use science to accomplish?

2) Is science in itself good, bad, or neutral? How does the novel put a value on science?

3) How does the portrayal of science in the novel compare to the reality of science?

Essay Topic 3

Marsha is the main female character in the novel, but the novel also includes minor female characters such as Janice and Josephine. Discuss the portrayal of women in the novel.

1) Is Victor's treatment of Marsha and her opinions different from his treatment of men? How does Victor treat women in general in the novel?

2) How is Marsha's perspective as a woman different from Victor's as a man? What do Marsha and Victor's perspectives say about men and women in general?

3) How are other women in the novel, aside from Marsha, portrayed? What commonalities are there among the female characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample