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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. How does VJ get to Victor's lab?

2. Where does Victor tell Marsha he must take her to explain his position?

3. What phone call does VJ answer after his parents are gone?

4. What does Marsha ask Victor to destroy?

5. What is Mary's experience of childbirth like?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the baby do with the object it grabs when it is first born?

2. What is the implication of Mark and Maurice's illnesses?

3. What is Victor's attitude toward the morality of his actions?

4. What does Victor do with the tissue samples he brings back from the hospital?

5. What does William Hurst argue with Victor about?

6. What is Victor's response to Mark Murray's death?

7. What does Marsha tell Victor about his race with VJ, and how does Victor react?

8. What does Victor see that he was doing on the day that the records show the missing files were deleted from his computer?

9. What does VJ's preschool teacher say about him?

10. What is Victor's response to the news of Mark Murray's illness?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the genre of the novel.

1) In what ways is Mutation a thriller? How does it utilize elements of the thriller genre?

2) In what ways is Mutation a science fiction novel? How does it utilize elements of the science fiction genre?

3) What other genre elements, such as horror, are found in the novel? How do the elements of different genres work together, and what do they add to the novel?

Essay Topic 2

One of the questions at the heart of the novel is the value of genetic engineering. What are the costs and rewards of genetic engineering?

1) What could Victor's discovery of NFG do for society as a whole? What benefits could it bring, and what problems could it cause?

2) What consequences of genetic engineering does the novel focus on? Is the author's treatment of the topic of genetic engineering balanced and objective? What is the author's opinion?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss hubris in the novel.

1) In what ways is Victor taking on the role of a god? Do his actions reflect hubris? Why or why not?

2) How does VJ mimic Victor in his genetic work? Does VJ also show hubris? Does VJ consider himself a kind of god?

3) What is the line between scientific advancement and hubris? How can it be judged when science is going too far? How does the novel address these issues?

(see the answer keys)

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