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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. Why did Stephen's family move a lot when he was a kid?

2. Where is Stephen's mother sitting when she realizes that she wants to keep her child?

3. Who does Stephen avoid saying goodbye to when he leaves the Darke house?

4. As Stephen thinks about what event, does he buy wrapping paper?

5. What does Stephen think have similarities and should be paid attention to in education for children?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Stephen become interested in when his mother had insisted that he take a nap in the middle of the day as a child?

2. When the secretary insists that Stephen meet with the Prime Minister, how does he respond?

3. Why does the young man at the subcommittee meeting believe that learning written languages at an early age is not a good idea?

4. How does Stephen work through his feelings about Julie and her leaving him?

5. When Stephen rescues the truck driver, how does the man respond?

6. How does Stephen spend Kate's birthday?

7. How does the headmaster respond when Stephen tells his story about Kate?

8. How are Stephen's parents affected by the loss of Kate?

9. What happens when Stephen demands that the chauffeur stop the car?

10. How does Stephen survive the crash with the truck?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the significance of the novel's title. What did the author mean by calling the book The Child In Time? Cite an example to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Describe some of the settings for The Child In Time. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did McEwan choose to use these places in The Child In Time?

Essay Topic 3

The Child In Time is written primarily in the third-person point of view. Is this point of view more or less effective than telling the story from the first-person perspective?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 934 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample