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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 does Victor warn VJ away from the river?

2. Who does Victor suspect of deleting the files?

3. Why did Mark and Maurice's parents go through Victor's lab to have their sons?

4. Who phones Victor after he discovers the files are missing?

5. Where does VJ stop on the way to the lab?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Marsha tell Victor about his race with VJ, and how does Victor react?

2. What disagreement do Marsha and Victor have about the remaining embryos?

3. What has happened to Maurice, and how does Victor react?

4. What is Victor's response to Mark Murray's death?

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

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

7. When did Victor stop keeping a journal about VJ and why?

8. Compare Marsha and Victor's attitudes toward their son.

9. How does Victor Frank act during the delivery of the baby?

10. What does William Hurst argue with Victor about?

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

In the novel, appearance often runs counter to reality. Discuss appearance versus reality in the novel.

1) What does the author accomplish by writing about a villain who is a ten-year-old boy? How does it affect the tone of the novel and its emotional impact on the reader?

2) When, in the novel, are appearances different from reality? When do outward appearances reflect reality? Compare and contrast these two types of situations.

3) In the novel, how is truth discerned from false appearances? How difficult or easy is it to uncover the truth?

Essay Topic 3

VJ is described as evil by some of the characters in the novel. Discuss the novel's portrayal of evil.

1) What is the nature of evil in the novel, and how does the novel address the nature of evil? Is VJ truly evil, and how is he defined as evil?

2) Are Victor's actions evil? Is Victor an evil character? Is Victor more evil than VJ, or less? Why?

3) What other elements of evil, like the Colombian drug cartel, exist in the novel? In what ways are they evil? How does their evil compare to VJ.

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