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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Has Hal found anything coherent in the notebooks as of Act 1, Scene 3?
(a) Yes, he has found something profound in almost every notebook.
(b) No, the only lucid notebook is the one he tried to give to Catherine on her birthday.
(c) No, but he is not really reading the notebooks anyway--he just wants to go to band practice.
(d) Yes, he has already made off with ten notebooks and is planning to write a book.

2. How many notebooks did Robert leave behind?
(a) 200.
(b) 103.
(c) 301.
(d) 99.

3. Why is Catherine upset with Claire at the end of Scene 2?
(a) She is angry that Claire has borrowed her clothes.
(b) She resents Claire swooping in and trying to take care of her.
(c) She despises the coffee that Claire has made.
(d) She is jealous that Claire is getting married.

4. Where did Catherine get the dress she wore to the funeral?
(a) Hal gave it to her.
(b) She already had it.
(c) Robert gave it to her.
(d) Claire gave it to her.

5. What did Catherine think of Hal the first time they met?
(a) She thought she loved him.
(b) She thought he talked too much.
(c) She thought he was not boring.
(d) She thought he was terribly boring.

Short Answer Questions

1. What time of day does Catherine's conversation with Robert occur?

2. Why does Hal say some of the older mathematicians use amphetamines?

3. According to Hal, what happens when a mathematician turns fifty?

4. What does Claire think of Hal when Catherine first tries to explain the events of the previous night?

5. How did Hal and Catherine meet four years ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. Are Claire and Catherine very comfortable around one another?

2. What is Hal's excuse for kissing Catherine?

3. How is Claire's personality different from Catherine's?

4. Does Hal think he will still have the next great mathematical revelation?

5. Why does Hal think his papers get turned down for publication?

6. Describe Hal's mood the morning after he and Catherine sleep together.

7. Why is Hal's entrance at the end of the scene helpful for Catherine?

8. What has Hal found in the locked drawer, and why is it so important?

9. Who did Claire want to care for Robert during his illness, and who actually cared for him?

10. What does Robert reveal about Catherine's state of mind in the first scene?

(see the answer keys)

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