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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. How did Robert die?
(a) A car accident.
(b) Cancer.
(c) Heart failure.
(d) Murder.

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

3. What is Imaginary Number, or i?
(a) A theory of Hal's on which he is writing a paper.
(b) A song of Hal's band's that consists of three minutes of silence.
(c) A theory of Robert's before his death.
(d) Catherine's favorite cereal.

4. What is Hal carrying when he enters?
(a) A laptop computer.
(b) A briefcase and a parka.
(c) A bouquet of flowers and a card.
(d) A backpack and a folded jacket.

5. Where does Scene 1 take place?
(a) The basement of a house in Chicago
(b) The back porch of a house in Chicago
(c) The back porch of a house in New York
(d) The basement of a house in New York

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Catherine wearing at the top of the scene?

2. What fields did Robert, in his younger days, make significant contributions to, according to Hal?

3. Who paid the mortgage on the house during Robert's illness?

4. How is Claire related to Catherine?

5. Where did Catherine get the dress she wore to the funeral?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the general mood at the house after Robert's funeral.

2. Who is Sophie Germain?

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

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

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

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

7. Describe Catherine's reaction when she discovers the notebook.

8. What does Catherine give to Hal that morning? Where has Catherine been keeping the object ?

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

10. How does Catherine describe Robert's mathematical processes?

(see the answer keys)

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