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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 large is are the facilities of Victor's company?

2. What contest does Victor challenge VJ to?

3. Who delivers the baby, VJ?

4. What did Janice claim was happening to her after David's death?

5. Does Marsha trust the accuracy of the psychological tests of VJ?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sharon Carver try to get her job back?

2. What are Marsha's concerns about VJ?

3. What do the similarities between the three boys' births and unusual aptitudes imply?

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 is Victor's attitude toward Marsha?

7. What does William Hurst argue with Victor about?

8. What does VJ do after receiving the phone call, after his parents have left?

9. What does VJ's preschool teacher say about him?

10. What is the implication of Mark and Maurice's illnesses?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the genre of the novel.

1) In what ways is Mutation a thriller? How does it utilize elements of the thriller genre?

2) In what ways is Mutation a science fiction novel? How does it utilize elements of the science fiction genre?

3) What other genre elements, such as horror, are found in the novel? How do the elements of different genres work together, and what do they add to the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate the ending of the novel.

1) Why does Victor choose to kill himself in the process of killing VJ? How is this decision appropriate or inappropriate?

2) Does VJ need to be killed? Is a violent death the best, or only, solution to the problem?

3) How is the manner of VJ's death appropriate to the story? What is the author trying to communicate through the manner of VJ's death?

4) What does the epilogue add to the novel? Why does the author introduce another super-intelligent child at the end of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss power in the novel.

1) What gives a person power in the novel? How does money affect power? How does technology affect power? How does emotion affect power?

2) How does VJ get what he wants during the novel? What methods of getting what he wants, like cooperation, does VJ reject? Why?

3) What is the relationship between Victor and VJ? Who has power in the relationship, and at what times? How does Victor defeat VJ?

(see the answer keys)

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