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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. Who threatens Victor at the secret lab?

2. What does VJ show Victor?

3. Who do the police believe murdered Gephardt?

4. Whose medical records does Marsha look up at the hospital?

5. What does Victor do with the liver tissue sample he gets from the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Victor ask the IT staff to do for him, regarding the files that have been found missing?

2. Describe Marsha and Victor's conflicting views of VJ during Chapter 12.

3. What does Marsha learn about Richie Blakemore?

4. What is Victor's reaction to what Marsha learned from VJ's school?

5. What does Victor finally admit to his wife in Chapter 9?

6. How does Marsha's conversation with Philip at the beginning of Chapter 12 end?

7. What does Victor realize about the threatening attacks on the Frank home by Gephardt?

8. What conclusion does Marsha form about the security employees at VJ's lab?

9. How do VJ and Victor interact, when they go to VJ's lab in Chapter 13?

10. What does Victor think about as he drives to work at the beginning of Chapter 9?

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

In the novel, appearance often runs counter to reality. Discuss appearance versus reality in the novel.

1) What does the author accomplish by writing about a villain who is a ten-year-old boy? How does it affect the tone of the novel and its emotional impact on the reader?

2) When, in the novel, are appearances different from reality? When do outward appearances reflect reality? Compare and contrast these two types of situations.

3) In the novel, how is truth discerned from false appearances? How difficult or easy is it to uncover the truth?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the settings of the novel.

1) Discuss the setting of the Chimera compound. How does the size of the compound affect the story? How does the security of the compound affect the story?

2) Discuss the setting of the clock tower and river. What do the clock tower and river add to the tone and mood of the story? How do they help the plot of the story to develop?

3) How do the time the novel is set in and the time period the novel was written in affect it? Will the novel continue to be relevant as time passes?

(see the answer keys)

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