View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. After dinner, Albert claims he'll be able to sleep better if he can take what to bed?

2. Why is Hermann Einstein pleased when his son displays interest in the pocket watch?

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

4. Albert tells his uncle that being in school is like what?

5. Why does the boy from the porch think Einstein might help him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Mr. Einstein's appearance at the opening of the book.

2. What is interesting about Einstein's approach to the customary visits usually undertaken by new staff members? What is the result of his decision?

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

4. Describe Mileva Maritsch's frustrations with her marriage to Einstein. Is it Einstein with whom she is displeased, or something else?

5. Why is the job at the Patent Office a good position for Einstein? Explain.

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

7. 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?

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

9. Why does Mileva decide not to move with her husband to Berlin?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Albert Einstein is a pacifist. Using supporting material from the book, explain his world view and how it evolves over the course of his life. What are the factors that initially influence him to become a pacifist, and why does he eventually abandon the notion? How does his pacifism affect his scientific career?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the different schools Einstein attends and discuss why those schools are helpful or harmful to Einstein as he matures. What effect do the various types of instruction have on his personality and on his teaching career later in life?

Essay Topic 3

What kind of woman is Mileva Maritsch? Does the author present her fairly? Compare and contrast the author's portrait of Mileva with your own research. In what ways are the accounts of her similar, and in what ways do they differ?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 893 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample