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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. Which character is described in Chapter 2 as having "more than a touch of whim among his elements"?

2. Approximately how many Eloi are there in the great hall?

3. According to the Time Traveler, how long did it take to make the model of the time machine?

4. Which of the following dinner guests was at the second dinner, but NOT at the first?

5. What is the model of the time machine made out of?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the Time Traveler feel when he first got out of the time machine in the far future in Chapter 3?

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

3. Describe the point of view of the book's first two chapters.

4. After the Time Traveler escapes the Morlocks and starts traveling farther into the future, what does he notice about the sun?

5. What political system is discussed in Chapter 1 as a possible future for humanity and why has Wells included it?

6. What does the Time Traveler discover about the Morlocks that allows him to escape the three of them in the tunnel?

7. Describe the state of the time machine when the Time Traveler finally finds it in the base of the White Sphinx?

8. What leads the Time Traveler to believe that his time machine has been taken into the White Sphinx?

9. What do the people the Time Traveler meets in the far future in Chapter 3 look like?

10. In addition to the flowers, what other piece of tangible, physical evidence seems to offer some proof to the dinner guests that the Time Traveler may have actually traveled in time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

While this novel is considered a foundational example of the science fiction genre, Wells grounds it in actual science. Interpret the various roles "real" or actual science plays in this narrative, including a discussion of both the scientific issues discussed in the beginning of the novel as well as the scientific understanding of the world the Time Traveler uses in the future and returns to his own time with. Be sure to discuss the specific ways Wells and his characters employ science in the service of fiction.

Essay Topic 3

Even though Weena seems to be a main character, she is someone without language, someone with little agency, and is not even human. Explain the ways in which Wells characterizes Weena and determine the specific strategies he employs to distance her from the reader. What ideas does her characterization dramatize? What does she "represent" and do you consider her a main or major character in this novel? Why or why not?

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