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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. Einstein returns to work at the end of Chapter Thirteen. Why is this unusual?

2. Einstein learns he is awarded what distinction at the end of Chapter Nine?

3. In what year does Einstein die?

4. Toward the end of Chapter Thirteen, what happens to Elsa Einstein?

5. Einstein mentions during the Berlin gift nonsense that it "becomes an excuse for many people for the best thing there is in life:________".

Short Essay Questions

1. What plan does Einstein think up to slow the flood of autograph requests?

2. Why is Einstein happier at Princeton University than he is at previous appointments?

3. Explain why some Japanese are insulted when Einstein speaks in that country.

4. Explain the approach Einstein wants the U.S. to take in regards to the atomic bomb after its creation.

5. Why is Einstein's international fame surprising?

6. Explain Einstein's worries about the German Republic and his disturbing revelation in Marseilles.

7. Explain Einstein's view of the political climate in Germany at the beginning of Chapter Nine.

8. Einstein wins a Nobel Prize for physics in 1922, but not for his theory on relativity. For what work is he given the Nobel, and why is relativity not included?

9. Describe and explain Einstein's answer to the reporter who asks about the political climate in Germany. Why is Einstein so careful in answering?

10. Why is Einstein no longer a pacifist in Chapter Fourteen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Not all of the results of Einstein's work are negative in the way that the atomic bomb is negative. Discuss three modern-day uses either related to or directly stemming from Einstein's work and possible future applications. Be sure to illustrate the relationship between Einstein's theory and modern theory clearly.

Essay Topic 2

Einstein publishes several essays through the course of his life. Pick one essay and complete a detailed analysis; what does his writing tell the reader about his character? From what period in his life does the essay come, and what information or opinions does the essay contain that illustrate the time of his 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)

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