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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 Victor think of VJ's work?

2. What does Victor at first think Gephardt must have done with what he purchased?

3. What does Victor do with the liver tissue sample he gets from the hospital?

4. Who does Victor suspect is responsible for the liver cancer?

5. What does VJ say about Philip?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the police do about the dead body Marsha finds when she arrives home?

2. What does Victor think about as he drives to work at the beginning of Chapter 9?

3. Describe how Victor destroys the secret lab.

4. How did Janice feel about VJ?

5. How does Marsha's conversation with Philip at the beginning of Chapter 12 end?

6. What information does Kaspwicz uncover hidden on Victor's home computer?

7. What is the result of Marsha's discussion with her colleagues about VJ during Chapter 9?

8. What does Marsha learn about Richie Blakemore?

9. What does Victor finally admit to his wife in Chapter 9?

10. How do VJ and Victor interact, when they go to VJ's lab in Chapter 13?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the novel's portrayal of intelligence.

1) What does high intelligence change about a person? How does VJ's intelligence affect him? How are Maurice and Mark' affected by their genius-level intelligence?

2) How does low intelligence affect a person? Discuss the portrayal of Philip, who is mentally handicapped.

3) How are the characters with normal-range intelligence affected by their intellectual abilities?

Essay Topic 2

Responsibility is an important aspect of Victor's relationship to VJ. Discuss responsibility in the novel.

1) What responsibilities does Victor have toward VJ, as his father? What additional responsibilities does Victor take on, by making the decision to genetically engineer VJ? How does Victor fulfill or shirk his responsibilities?

2) Is Victor's death at the end a consequence of his responsibility toward VJ as his creator?

3) As a parent, what are Marsha's responsibilities toward VJ? How does Marsha fulfill or shirk her responsibilities?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is a cautionary tale about scientific research and attempts to portray a story that might happen in the near future. How plausible is the story the novel tells?

1) How plausible is Victor's discovery and his ability to genetically modify human beings? How plausible is what Victor does with that discovery, by implanting modified embryos in three women?

2) How plausible is VJ's story? Are his personality problems plausible outcomes of genetic engineering? Are the secrets he keeps, including his secret lab and connections with Colombian drug dealers, plausible?

3) How plausible is Marsha's awakening realizations about VJ's problems at the age of 10? How plausible are her investigations and what she learns about her son?

4) How does the plausibility affect your experience of the novel and the communication of the author's message?

(see the answer keys)

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