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. Einstein receives several gifts as he prepares to leave the US. What is his attitude toward these gifts?

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

3. With which detractors of his theories does Einstein grow particularly angry?

4. In Hitler's eyes, Einstein is guilty because he is all BUT WHICH of the following?

5. After Einstein becomes famous, the visitors coming to the house want a variety of things. Which of the following is NOT one of their demands?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Elsa Einstein unhappy in Jerusalem? Explain.

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

3. Why is Hitler's persecution of Einstein as a Jew ironic? Explain.

4. The Holocaust is not underway when Einstein elects not to return to Germany. Why does he decide to stay away from his homeland?

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

6. Why is Einstein's international fame surprising?

7. Einstein asks an American diplomat why the U.S. does not try to end Japan's aggressions in China with a boycott. Explain the diplomat's response and Einstein's feelings about the response.

8. With what group of critics does Einstein grow angry in Chapter Eight, and why?

9. Einstein brings national attention to Germany, so it seems logical that Hitler celebrates Einstein's success. This is not the case. Why?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Einstein's relationship with Germany from his early days as a professor to his final days in America. How does the relationship change? How do the attitudes of the common people change? Is Einstein responsible in any way for his status, or is he purely a victim of circumstance?

Essay Topic 2

How does the reader reconcile Einstein's pacifism with his decision to become involved with the production of the atomic bomb? Aren't those two things mutually exclusive? Is Einstein a hypocrite, or is there a bigger picture to consider?

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 1,005 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample