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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 is launched from an American site?

2. Where are Tyler and Diane moving?

3. What does Tyler do?

4. What happens to Wun after returning to Florida?

5. Who requests help from Tyler?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tyler wonder about Diane and how does she respond?

2. What does Simon say about his conflict between Diane and his beliefs?

3. What does Simon tell Tyler about Diane when Tyler arrives at Condon's ranch?

4. As Tyler, Diane and others are waiting to leave what happens?

5. What does Tyler say might be the Hypotheticals motivation as far as the Spin goes?

6. Why is Jason dying?

7. Where do Diane and Tyler go at the end of the book? What was the ultimate purpose of the Spin membrane?

8. What happens shortly after the Spin membrane is gone?

9. What does Wun tell Tyler about a possible cure for Jason?

10. What does Wun say about the replicator technology and why it might be helpful?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Manipulation occurs on both a small scale, i.e., one person to another and on a grand scale, i.e., thousands being manipulated by a small cadre of powerful people. Discuss one the following:

Discuss a "small-scale" manipulation, i.e., how one character manipulates another character. Give specific examples and analyze motives.

Discuss a "large-scale" manipulation, i.e., how a one person or a small group of persons manipulates hundreds/thousands/millions of others . Give specific examples and analyze motives.

Compare and contrast a "real" life example of large-scale manipulation to an example of it in Spin.

Essay Topic 2

Science fiction, though fiction, has a marvelous way of sometimes heralding the future. Much of what was written as "science fiction" in the 1940s and 1950s is now reality. Discuss the following:

What in Spin do you think could become a reality in the future? Why?

Do you think human beings create a future reality by envisioning it in the present? Why or why not?

If humans do indeed create reality in the future by envisioning it in the present, what sort of responsibility does that suggest for present "creators"? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Chapter one opens in the present but then flashes back to the past. This technique is done with a literary device called a flashback. There are a number of literary devices in this novel. Discuss one of the following:

Define "flashback" and give examples of it in the novel. What is the purpose of a flashback? How effective is the use of flashbacks in this story? What is a weakness of using flashbacks? Why do you think the author choices to use flashbacks in this story so often? Would this story be very different if told completely in chronological order? Why or why not? How would it change the plot?

Define metaphor and give examples of it in the novel. What is the purpose of a metaphor? How effective is the use of metaphors in this story? What is a weakness of using metaphors? Would this story be very different if there were no metaphors? Why or why not? How would it change the plot?

Choose one literary device that occurs in Spin and answer the following questions:

What is the purpose of the literary device? How effective is the use of the literary device in this story? What is a weakness of using this literary device? Would this story be very different if there were no occurrences of this literary device? Why or why not? How would it change the plot?

(see the answer keys)

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