110 pages 3 hours read

Kim Stanley Robinson

The Ministry for the Future

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-30

Reading Check

1. What is the answer to the riddle that makes up Chapter 2?

2. According to the philosopher who discusses ideology, what is the soundest ideology?

3. Where does Frank take a job on a scientific expedition, hoping to get away from the heat?

4. What does Slawek propose be dumped onto glaciers to try to reduce their melting?

5. Whom does Frank kidnap?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Chandra Mukajee tell Mary that India will not wait for permission to put its “Pinatubo” plan into action?

2. What bothers Frank about the reasons for his survival?

3. What message do the Children of Kali tell Frank he can deliver on their behalf?

4. How does Frank end up killing Edmund?

5. How does the philosopher characterize the “structure of feeling” that has emerged during the first part of the 21st century?

Paired Resources

Yale Experts Explain Climate Anxiety

  • This interview with Yale researchers Anthony Leiserowitz and Sarah Lowe explores the various kinds of worry and anxiety people feel in the face of climate change and how people can productively cope with these feelings.

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By Kim Stanley Robinson

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