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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 old does Mr. Buttons' son appear to be?

2. How does Mr. Button feel when he sees the fancy suit on display?

3. At the age of five, what is Benjamin forced to do?

4. What happens when Benjamin's father sends him to Yale to take his entrance exams?

5. What do other students do to Benjamin, because they believe he is an old man passing as a young college student?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Button do to try to convince others that his son is younger than he looks? Are these disguises convincing?

2. What issue does Mr. Button have at the store, when going to buy clothes for his son?

3. What is unusual about the birth of the Button’s son?

4. What leads to Benjamin breaking something every day?

5. What is significant about Benjamin turning 12?

6. What suit does Mr. Button choose for his son? What do others think of this suit?

7. What would Benjamin rather do than play the part of a baby or small child?

8. How does Mr. Button respond when his son does not like the clothes he has bought him?

9. What is the reaction the hospital staff regarding the birth the the Button's son?

10. How does Dr. Keane treat Mr. Button?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mrs. Button is hardly mentioned in the story. Why might the author have decided to leave her out of it? How does this affect the story and the characters in it? How different might the story have been if she had a more significant role?

Essay Topic 2

When someone in the mob shouts that Benjamin should go to Harvard, he sees both the insult and the inspiration. What does this reveal about Benjamin? How does this influence decisions that Benjamin makes later in the story? How might the reader apply this to his or her own life?

Essay Topic 3

Why might F. Scott Fitzgerald have chosen to write this short story? What might have been his purpose in creating the character Benjamin? What do you think Fitzgerald wants the reader to get out of this book?

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