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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. According to Susan Calvin, the model of robot which included Robbie was made and sold in what year?

2. Cutie refers to what as “the Master” in “Reason”?

3. Who had first taken out incorporation papers for U. S. Robot and Mechanical Men, Inc., according to the narrator in the Introduction?

4. What temperature is Robbie’s metal skin kept at by high resistance coils in Chapter One, “Robbie”?

5. What is the second of the Three Laws of Robotics?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is established about the capacity of robots in “Robbie”? What is foreshadowed in the story?

2. What is the central objective of Gloria in “Robbie”? How does this relate to the story’s themes?

3. What is discovered about the earlier generation robots in “Runaround”?

4. What is foreshadowed in the plot of “Runaround”?

5. What ultimatum does Gloria give Robbie in the beginning of “Robbie”? How does he respond?

6. What is established through the exposition in the Introduction? Who are the characters that are first introduced?

7. What news does Donovan relate to Powell in the beginning of “Runaround”?

8. How is the theme of faith explored in “Reason”?

9. Where are Donovan and Powell in the beginning of “Catch That Rabbit”? What robot are they testing in this story?

10. What principle purpose does the Introduction of I, Robot serve?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the point of view of the narrative and the role of the narrator in the novel. How does the narrator’s point of view affect the reader? Do you empathize with the narrator? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the plot structure of “Runaround.” How does this story compare with “Robbie” in relation to its subject, themes, and characters? How do the Three Laws of Robotics apply in each story? What similarities do the robots share?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the setting of New York in the year 2057. How has robot development evolved in Asimov’s futuristic world? Given that Asimov wrote the book in 1950, what do you make of his vision of the future? Is it realistic?

(see the answer keys)

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