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. Before he hurries out of the hospital, for what does Mr. Button's son ask?

2. What does Mr. Button NOT bring home for Benjamin in Chapter III?

3. Why do Benjamin and his grandfather become great friends?

4. Why does Mr. Hart throw Benjamin out of the college and out of the town?

5. Around what age does Benjamin first notice he has grown younger?

Short Essay Questions

1. What would Benjamin rather do than play the part of a baby or small child?

2. What dilemma arises when Benjamin is the meet his the Yale registrar, Mr. Hart?

3. What does Mr. Button do to try to convince others that his son is younger than he looks? Are these disguises convincing?

4. What suit does Mr. Button choose for his son? What do others think of this suit?

5. What does Mr. Button do to try to make his elderly son act like a baby or small child?

6. What is known about the Button family based on Chapter 1?

7. How does Benjamin’s grandfather’s attitude change towards his grandson?

8. What is the reaction the hospital staff regarding the birth the the Button's son?

9. What leads to Benjamin breaking something every day?

10. What is unusual about the birth of the Button’s son?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are varying reactions to Benjamin‘s rare condition. What are these reactions? How do they affect Benjamin? How do they make Benjamin‘s life more difficult but also make him stronger? What can the reader learn from this?

Essay Topic 2

Benjamin and Hildegarde’s marriage slowly dies. What leads to the death of their marriage? Although Benjamin’s growing younger is atypical, how is the growing of a couple in different ways also sometimes lead to estrangement and separation similar to what happens between Benjamin and Hildegarde? How does the end of their relationship reflect what is happening more often in the world of F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Essay Topic 3

Although no one has been born an old man, many have been born with other special needs. How can people today relate to this story and the challenges Benjamin faces? How do people today deal with special needs children? What support would exist today for Benjamin and his family that did not exist in 1860?

(see the answer keys)

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