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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. What is the last image readers are left with at the end of the "15 May 1905" dream?

2. According to the narrator, what did "just as things will be repeated in the future, all things now happening" do?

3. According to the narrator, what did scientists discover in the past?

4. Who has Besso received a letter from announcing a visit?

5. How many pages is the young man's theory of time?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens to travelers as they enter the world described in the 14 May 1905 dream?

3. What happens one minute before the end of the world?

4. What happens when there is only one day until the end of the world?

5. Describe Einstein's appearance at the patent office.

6. Why are some people unhappy in the world where time exists as a circle?

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

8. Describe how the world is described in the 19 April 1905 dream.

9. Describe the people who live by "mechanical time."

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The end of the novel can be very confusing for some readers. Einstein is said to feel empty after giving his theory to the typist.

- For those readers that were confused by this, discuss why this statement is confusing. What makes you confused about the ending? What could have been done to help you understand the reasoning behind the ending?

- For those readers that were not confused by the ending, discuss the ending for you. Why did ending the novel this way bring closure for you? How did this ending make sense for you as a reader?

Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 2

Reread the "8 May 1905" dream. Given the similar state of our world today (12-12-12 end of the world), whether you believe that the end of the world coincides with the end of the Mayan calendar, do you believe the movements described in the novel are believable? Why or why not? How do you think the period of time described in the novel should be spent? Why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 3

On the back of the novel, James Gleick is quoted for the novel saying, "No novelist, physicist, or philosopher has offered such a wonderful vision of what time has been or might be." What implication does this set up for the understanding of Einstein himself? What problems may this quote have for the author's intent of writing the novel? Why might Gleick's statement be misunderstood as negative towards Einstein and, therefore, the author himself? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

(see the answer keys)

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