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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 does the narrator want readers to "suppose" time is in the "10 June 1905" dream?

2. In the third Interlude, where are Einstein and Besso?

3. How old is the young woman, in the "15 June 190" dream, when she finally stops her travel into the future?

4. Why does the young man choose to return to his proper place in time rather than staying a few minutes in the future in the "15 June 1905" dream?

5. What is happening in the young woman's house in the "15 June 1905" dream?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the way that time is experienced in the 5 June 1905 dream.

2. What options do people have when it comes to reading their Book of Life?

3. How does the narrator describe time in the 17 June 1905 dream?

4. In the second Interlude, to what does Besso compare Einstein's present health?

5. In the 22 May 1905 dream, what happens for those who have seen a glimpse of their future?

6. Describe the life of a "Now."

7. Describe the cafe that stands on the corner of Kramgasse and Theaterplatz.

8. In the 22 May 1905 dream, what happens for those who have not seen a glimpse of their future yet?

9. Describe the two different views people of the 15 June 1905 world can have.

10. What has the young woman at no. 27 Viktoriastrasse missed in her life because of the sudden thrust into the future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the Great Clock. What problems are associated with placing all trust in a manmade object? What are the benefits associated with placing all trust in a synthetic object? Would you choose to place you life in the motion of the clock or not? Why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the limited use of illustrations in the novel. Why do you believe that illustrations are only used to lead into the "current time" of the novel? What is the importance of their placement? Do you believe that the illustrations are simply illustrations, or are they relative to the novel in a functional way? Why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 3

Regard the novel as a whole. What did you find meaningful or meaningless? What gave you the most to think about and why? Did any part of the novel cause you to look at life and time and redefine the actions of your own life? What parts of the novel caused this re-defining of your own life? Why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

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