Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the basis for Christopher’s belief that dogs don’t tell lies?

A) Dogs are loyal.

B) Dogs have no ulterior motives.

C) Dogs don’t talk.

D) Dogs have pure hearts.

2. What analogy does Christopher make to a ball being thrown into the air?

A) The expanding universe

B) Working out the answer to a question

C) The structure of a mystery novel

D) Shooting a gun

3. Why does Christopher find metaphors confusing?

A) The word metaphor comes from two Greek words.

B) Metaphors have no numbers.

C) Metaphors make him forget what someone was talking about.

D) Metaphors are apocryphal.

4. What meaning do the book’s many illustrations convey?

A) Christopher can solve mathematical problems far beyond ordinary capabilities.

B) Christopher is very good at understanding the nuances of emotions.

C) Christopher has a unique way of processing information and viewing the world around him.

D) Christopher is as talented at art as he is at mathematics.

5. How does Christopher plan to prove his intelligence?

A) Take his A level in mathematics and get an A grade

B) Find out who killed Wellington

C) Write a mystery novel

D) Explain relativity to Mrs. Gascoyne

6. What literary purpose is served by Christopher’s suspicion that Mr. Shears killed Wellington?

A) It is an example of irony because Mr. Shears is the one who reveals the identity of Wellington’s killer.

B) It is a metaphor for all of the betrayals in Christopher’s narrative.

C) The first-person perspective provides a glimpse into the suspicious nature of Christopher’s mind.

D) It foreshadows the discovery that Mr. Shears is guilty of having an affair with Christopher’s mother.

7. Why does Christopher hit Father?

A) Father destroyed Christopher’s book.

B) Father threatened Toby.

C) Father lied about Mother.

D) Father grabbed Christopher’s arm.

8. After reading the first letter he discovered from Mother, why does Christopher decide to stop thinking about what could explain it?

A) He found it upsetting, so his brain shut down.

B) Father insisted he watch TV with him.

C) He didn’t want to leap to the wrong conclusion.

D) He had the information he needed to start making a plan.

9. How does reading a book about chaos theory relate to what is happening in Christopher’s personal life?

A) It reassures him that his way of thinking is orderly.

B) It explains why things sometimes happen for no reason.

C) It makes him feel overwhelmed by the unpredictability of his circumstances.

D) It explains why there are red herrings in detective stories.

10. Why does Father keep the letters from Christopher’s mother?

A) He plans to show them to Christopher someday.

B) He wants them as evidence if she ever sues for custody.

C) He is still in love with her.

D) In case he dies, he wants Christopher to find out he still has one parent.

11. What is Christopher’s reaction when Father tells him the truth about Wellington?

A) He understands that he and his father are alike in some ways.

B) He is relieved because the truth is more important than anything else.

C) He fears Father will murder him.

D) He tells Father he does not like jokes.

12. Who or what helps Christopher navigate through the station to buy a ticket and get on the train to London?

A) A man selling pretzels in a cart points the way.

B) Pretending he is in a video game

C) Following a woman who reminds him of Siobhan

D) A fireman takes him by the hand.

13. Why do people believe in God, according to Christopher?

A) It is the only explanation for such a complicated world.

B) They want to believe in life after death.

C) Humans are the only animals capable of thinking logically.

D) God is one of the necessary three conditions for life on earth.

14. How do most of the people in the world die in one of Christopher’s favorite dreams?

A) Light pollution kills everyone except a few special people like him.

B) They die from radioactive fallout after a nuclear bomb.

C) Aliens put humans in zoos where they fail to thrive.

D) They spread a virus by moving their faces a certain way when saying a certain thing.

15. How does Christopher know he can become a scientist?

A) He gets an A grade on his A-level math exam.

B) His parents have proven they believe in him.

C) His accomplishments, like finding his mother, mean he can do anything.

D) Having a dog of his own gives him confidence.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. Why does Christopher think going to outer space would be a dream come true?

2. What does Christopher find especially appealing about the orangutan at the zoo, and what does that suggest about Christopher’s values?