Flowers for Algernon

1. Define theme.

2. What format does this story take?

3. What is the point of view used?

4. Who is the speaker/narrator of this story?

5. What are you first impressions of the speaker based on his first entry?

6. Why did Charlie feel he failed the ink blot test?

7. Why did Charlie go to adult education classes?

8. Why did Charlie say he couldn’t make up stories about the people in the photos?

9. Who is Algernon?

10. How does Charlie explain Algernon’s winning the maze tests?

11. If Charlie’s motivation isn’t cheese, what is it?

12. What is the anticipated outcome of Charlie’s operation?

13. What does Charlie keep with him for good luck?

14. Describe how Charlie’s attitude has changed in Progress Report 7.

15. Why does Algernon always beat Charlie?

16. Are the people at the factory really Charlie’s friends? Why does he think they

are?

17. What does Charlie think he has to do to have the T.V. make him smart?

18. What do you know about Frank and Joe that Charlie doesn’t know?

19. How do you know the operation was successful?

20. Why does Charlie decide to be friends with Algernon?

21. What does Miss Kinnian mean when she says Charlie is doing something for

science?

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22. What is significant about the question Charlie asks in entry April 14?

23. What does Charlie like about Miss Kinnian?

24. Why doesn’t Charlie race with Algernon anymore?

25. What does Charlie realize about his “friends”?

26. How is Charlie’s current performance with the Rorschach test different from

the first?

27. How does Charlie now see Miss Kinnian?

28. Why was there a petition to have Charlie fired?

29. Why didn’t Charlie write any progress reports for two weeks?

30. Why doesn’t Charlie talk much to others?

31. How does Charlie react to the incident of the broken dishes?

32. Why might people be less sensitive to the mentally handicapped than the

physically handicapped?

33. What does Charlie decide to do with his gift?

34. How has Algernon’s behavior changed?

35. What does this imply for Charlie?

36. Why does Charlie go to work in his own lab?

37. p. 211 Explain the Algernon - Gordon effect.

38. How does losing his intelligence affect Charlie?

39. How does Charlie now view his own work?

40. p.212 What is happening to Charlie’s journal entries?

41. How does Charlie act toward Miss Kinnian?

42. How do Frank and Joe treat Charlie now?

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