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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Chapter One, what odd experience does Einstein have in Germany before he leaves?
(a) He is first celebrated and then declared a traitor.
(b) He is pursued by the media.
(c) The whole country hates him.
(d) His whole family dies of a mysterious illness.

2. During Chapter Six, in which of the following cities do Einstein and his family NOT live?
(a) Prague.
(b) Paris.
(c) Berlin.
(d) Zurich.

3. How does Einstein feel about Mileva's ambitions?
(a) He thinks she is beautiful and charming.
(b) He thinks she is brilliant and enjoys her company.
(c) He thinks she should focus more on housework.
(d) He thinks she is dumb and dislikes talking to her.

4. Miss Dukas reproves Einstein for doing what toward the end of Chapter One?
(a) Talking to too many people on his way home.
(b) Going out without his socks.
(c) Letting strangers into the house.
(d) Drinking coffee at the coffee shop.

5. What does Einstein tell the boy from the porch that he remembers best about Munich?
(a) Listening to his mother play Beethoven on the piano.
(b) Playing with his sister in the front yard.
(c) Fighting on the playground.
(d) Walking to school everyday.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the opening of the book, what is the name of the street on which Einstein is walking?

2. When Einstein first lectures on his theory in the US, he comments that, "It is all very simple." How does the audience respond?

3. Why is the hometown of the boy waiting on the porch significant to Einstein?

4. What types of questions does Albert think about when he visits the church on his way home from school?

5. When asked if the new Mrs. Einstein understands the theory of relativity, how does Einstein respond?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is it easy or difficult to manage a child like Albert? Explain.

2. Why is Einstein sometimes called the Newton of the twentieth century?

3. Explain what happens to the group of German astronomers who plan to check Einstein's theory on light rays by observing a total eclipse.

4. As Einstein starts receiving professorships, why is Mileva still frustrated with their financial situation?

5. According to the author, how is the relationship between Einstein and Mileva during and after their divorce?

6. Why does the author specifically mention that Einstein answers the strange boy on the porch in German?

7. Describe young Albert Einstein's feelings about school.

8. The reader learns that Einstein's work eventually leads other scientists to create the atom bomb. Why?

9. In Chapter Two, Pauline Einstein thinks that Albert is ill and sends him to bed early. What brings about the change in Albert's appearance, and why does his mother mistake it for illness?

10. According to the author, why does young Einstein not fit in at his school?

(see the answer keys)

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