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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. Where does the man in the leather jacket work at in Berne?

2. According to the "8 May 1905" dream, what is the date the world will end?

3. According to the narrator, why do "cursed citizens wrestle with their bedsheets"?

4. In what month is the Prologue set?

5. Where are Einstein and Besso walking in the "Interlude?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the problem living life within the confines of solitary moments? (14 April 1905)

2. What happens every day for the townspeople of Berne? (28 April 1905)

3. What is the tragedy of the world described in the 10 May 1905 dream?

4. According to the first Interlude, why is Besso worried about Einstein?

5. What are the benefits of living in a world in which cause and effect are erratic?

6. Explain what the following statement means: Each time is true, but the truths are not the same.

7. Why does Besso believe that there are problems with Einstein's reasoning behind his creation of a theory of time?

8. How can one identify people who have been transported back in time? (16 April 1905)

9. What do the untidy people of the 11 May 1905 world do in life?

10. Describe the people who live by "bodily time."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the relationship between Einstein and Besso. Who do you think the relationship is more important to? Why? Who do you think the relationship is more taxing on? Why? Is the relationship relevant to the understanding of the novel? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the formatting of the novel. Choose one of the following prompts discussing the formatting of the novel:

- Were you confused by the dates of the chapters and the meaning behind them?

- When did you realize the chapters were describing dreams and not realities for the novel?

- Why do you believe that readers are not given more information on Einstein himself about the movement of the novel?

- Do you think that this adds to the flow of the novel or hinders the flow of it?

- What relevance does Besso play in the novel?

- Why does the reader see more of his thoughts than Einstein's?

Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 3

Take into consideration the many different representations of time described in the novel. Find the most realistic representation of time, described in a dream, and build a case as to why it is the most reasonable representation of what time could be. Be sure to use textual based examples to prove why this representation could exist in reality.

(see the answer keys)

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