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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 Hermann Einstein know more about science than the average businessman?

2. Mileva decides to add to the household income by supplementing her husband's university job with income from what?

3. Why is Albert kicked out of school in Chapter Two?

4. The boy Miss Dukas leaves on the porch mentions to Einstein that his family all die in concentration camps, and that he is from what city?

5. In Chapter Four, Mileva is disgusted with the Kaiser because he says women should be concerned only with what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do Michelson and Morley assume that their experiments are a failure?

2. Do the townspeople respect Einstein at the beginning of the book?

3. Why is young Einstein disgusted with his music teacher? Explain.

4. Why does Einstein not enjoy giving interviews?

5. Why does Einstein get along better with his peers at the University than he does with his schoolmates previously?

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

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

8. In what ways is Elsa just what Einstein needs? Explain.

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

10. The author states that relativity is not new, and she uses a train as an example. Explain this example. Why does the author use this example?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Imagine parenting Albert Einstein as a young child. Do his parents do a good job with him, or are they so far off the mark in understanding him that they parent badly? In what ways could they do things differently, or make greater efforts to understand him more completely? Be sure to use supporting material from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Mileva Maritsch and Elsa Einstein. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each woman? In what ways do each influence Einstein's life?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 960 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample