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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. In Chapter 3, which of the following things is wrong with the time machine when the Time Traveler returns?

2. What is the name of the housekeeper?

3. Where does the Time Traveler live?

4. How does the Time Traveler attempt to communicate the concept of time to the first Eloi he meets?

5. What year does the Time Traveler estimate he has traveled to before he actually reports what exact year the machine recorded?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the narrator's outlook on the future at the end of the novel?

2. What does the Time Traveler feel when he sees the decayed books in the Palace?

3. What kind of food does the Time Traveler particularly crave when he returns?

4. How much time has passed for the Time Traveler? How does this compare to the amount of time that he says has passed for the guests?

5. What are the Eloi doing when the Time Traveler first enters the great hall?

6. Describe the plan the Time Traveler comes up with to recover his time machine and escape back to the past.

7. When the Time Traveler started the fire, was his response to the danger of the Morlocks instinctual or intellectual? Explain your claim.

8. What does the Time Traveler discover about the Palace?

9. What does the Time Traveler find when he begins to explore the Palace of Green Porcelain in the Southwest?

10. What is the Editor's reactions when the Time Traveler tells him and the other guests of his journey?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A major theme of this novel is entropy and decay over time and as a result of social Darwinism, or social pressures that result in changes. Define what you think the terms entropy and decay mean in terms of this novel and contextualize your analysis with examples from the book. You should be sure to consider entropy and decay in terms of the several major fictional strategies (setting, characterization, plot, language, dialogue, etc.)

Essay Topic 2

Two kinds of science fiction worlds are utopias and dystopias. Define these terms. Using examples from this novel, identify which speculative elements are utopian and which are dystopic. How does Wells play with these two kinds of science fiction worlds? Finally, offer your opinion: do you consider this novel utopian, dystopian, or something else? Be specific.

Essay Topic 3

This novel relies on systems of symbols, one of which is the use of light and dark. What ideas, feelings, and conflicts are symbolized by light, and which by dark? On the language level, what are the major strategies Wells uses to convey these symbols? Be sure to consider setting, characterization, figurative language, dialogue, point of view, etc.

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