View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What has Charles built that surprises Stephen?

2. When do meetings resume at the subcommittee that Stephen is glad to attend so he will have some structure to his life?

3. What does Charles demonstrate that he can do with a slingshot?

4. Why did Stephen's family move a lot when he was a kid?

5. What does the headmaster think Stephen could be?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Stephen's parents affected by the loss of Kate?

2. What is the unspoken rule that Stephen's father breaks when Stephen visits the family after meeting the Prime Minister?

3. What does Stephen say about writing and music and early childhood education at the subcommittee meeting?

4. How does the headmaster respond when Stephen tells his story about Kate?

5. When Stephen rescues the truck driver, how does the man respond?

6. Why does the handbook excerpt say that it is acceptable to bribe children for good behavior?

7. What was Stephen's experience in Africa as a child?

8. What does Stephen discover about Charles when Thelma gives him directions to where Charles is in the woods?

9. When Morely gives Stephen the book, what does it reveal about the government, subcommittees, and the actual research?

10. How does Stephen spend Kate's birthday?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Love is a recurring theme in The Child In Time. How does Julie's feelings about love change from the beginning of the novel to its end? In what ways has she expanded her awareness and beliefs? Is sexuality connected to love for Julie? How does her feelings for Stephen develop and change and how does her relationship with him contrast with that of other men that she has had romantic or an idealized relationship with?

Essay Topic 2

McEwan uses more than one iteration on the theme of disappointment. Identify at least two characters who either embody or experience disappointment then cite an example to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Describe some of the settings for The Child In Time. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did McEwan choose to use these places in The Child In Time?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample