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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. In the "15 June 1905" dream, how many years in the future does the young woman go?

2. For people in the world described in the "20 May 1905" dream, what does each one carry?

3. According to the "29 May 1905" dream, why does this world exist as it does?

4. According to the narrator, the world described in the "11 June 1905" dream, is a world without what?

5. What does the narrator want readers to "suppose" in the "9 June 1905" dream?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the notion of the speed effect come to be known?

2. What is the biggest problem associated with living in the 20 May 1905 world?

3. Describe the life of a peach in the world where time travels in reverse.

4. For the world described in the 29 May 1905 dream, why are the inhabitants constantly in motion?

5. Why does the man at the graveside refuse to weep for his deceased friend?

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

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

8. Why have some inhabitants of the 29 May 1905 world become frustrated and despondent?

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

10. Describe the life of a "Now."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

In the novel, do you believe the past is just as important as the present and future? Why? What evidence from the novel leads you to believe this? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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