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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 VJ show his parents in a secret area of his lab?

2. Who does VJ learn was with Victor earlier in the day?

3. Where does Marsha find Orlando Martinez?

4. What day does Chapter 9 take place?

5. What day does Chapter 12 take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Victor's feelings about Marsha's attitude toward what they discover about VJ?

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

3. What do Victor and Marsha decide about VJ?

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

5. When Victor returns to the lab, what does he try to convince VJ to do?

6. What seems to have prompted VJ to stop going to daycare?

7. What do the police do about the dead body Marsha finds when she arrives home?

8. Why did VJ want to appear to be less intelligent?

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

10. What does Marsha learn about David and VJ's relationship before David died?

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

VJ is described as evil by some of the characters in the novel. Discuss the novel's portrayal of evil.

1) What is the nature of evil in the novel, and how does the novel address the nature of evil? Is VJ truly evil, and how is he defined as evil?

2) Are Victor's actions evil? Is Victor an evil character? Is Victor more evil than VJ, or less? Why?

3) What other elements of evil, like the Colombian drug cartel, exist in the novel? In what ways are they evil? How does their evil compare to VJ.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the novel's portrayal of intelligence.

1) What does high intelligence change about a person? How does VJ's intelligence affect him? How are Maurice and Mark' affected by their genius-level intelligence?

2) How does low intelligence affect a person? Discuss the portrayal of Philip, who is mentally handicapped.

3) How are the characters with normal-range intelligence affected by their intellectual abilities?

(see the answer keys)

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