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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 old is the future author when he is kidnapped in Chapter 11?

2. What animal is Jack in Chapter 8?

3. What exported product are the Mennonites growing in Chapter 26?

4. What does Giuseppe try in an attempt to avoid fishing?

5. How many feet longer is the actual Titanic than the fictional ship in "Futility"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does a father's change of ways help his son in "Bad, Bad Ed O'Hare"?

2. What accidental invention is detailed in "Fall Where They May"?

3. What issue does Harvey explore in the historical setting of Chapter 28?

4. Which similarities of the two ships are the most astonishing in "Futility"?

5. What is the irony in Chapter 7?

6. How does Harvey describe the life of W.C. Fields?

7. What is General Taylor's missed opportunity in Chapter 30?

8. Why is Edzard's painting puzzling to people in Chapter 36?

9. How does Giuseppe prove that he is definitely not a "Good For Nothing" in Chapter 29?

10. What irony is Harvey depicting in "The Name of the Game"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the lessons that Harvey depicts in the lives of General George Patton and Henry Kissinger in Chapter 21 and Chapter 23. Use examples from both stories to explain the underlying theme that Harvey is delivering and what the reader should learn from them.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the reasons that accidents can lead to significant discoveries as they are described in the book. Include a detailed analysis of the events that unintentionally brought about the origins of things (ex. paper, Masonite, the game of football, the potato chip, etc.) as well as the value of accidental inventions in general.

Essay Topic 3

The purpose of a number of the stories in the book is to inform the reader of certain facts about well known people or events.

1) Compare and contrast the fires in Chicago and Wisconsin and the facts that Harvey provides about them in Chapter 15.

2) Compare and contrast the Titanic with the fictional ship, the Titan, and the information delivered about both of them in Chapter 20.

3) Describe three more examples of stories that are designed to inform, and explain how they reveal unknown facts about a particular person or topic.

(see the answer keys)

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