PR 1-6
What is the name of the mouse that undergoes the same operation as Charlie?
Algernon
What major change happens to Charlie after the operation in these reports?
Charlie’s intelligence begins to increase quickly.
What event does Charlie attend with Professors Nemur and Strauss that makes him feel embarrassed and angry?
The scientific conference in Chicago, where Nemur presents Charlie and Algernon as “lab subjects.”
What begins to happen to Algernon in Progress Report 14 that worries Charlie?
Algernon’s behavior becomes erratic—he bites Fay, gets confused, and struggles in the maze.
This word means “to feel sorry for someone else’s misfortune.” Charlie feels this way about the boy who drops the dishes.
A) Curiosity
B) Sympathy
C) Disgust
D) Confidence
B) Sympathy
What is Charlie's main goal at the beginning of the story?
He wants to become smart so people will like him and he can be “normal.”
Why does Charlie become upset when he realizes how the people at the bakery have treated him?
He realizes they weren’t his friends—they were laughing at him and making fun of him.
Why does Charlie begin to feel resentment toward Dr. Nemur?
Because Nemur treats him like an experiment, not a human being, and takes full credit for his progress.
What realization does Charlie have when he sees the young dishwasher being mocked at the diner?
He realizes people are cruel to those with intellectual disabilities and remembers how others once laughed at him the same way.
This word means “a repeated series of actions that are documented and analyzed, often done for study or observation.” Charlie’s operation is described as one of these.
A) Celebration
B) Adventure
C) Experiment
D) Procedure
C) Experiment
Why do Charlie’s co-workers at the bakery laugh at him without him realizing it?
They make fun of him because of his low intelligence, but he thinks they are being friendly.
What does Algernon’s behavior show about the success of the experiment at this stage?
Algernon becomes smarter and solves mazes faster, suggesting that the operation worked for both him and Charlie—at least for now.
What does Charlie’s flashback to his childhood, when his sister gets an “A” on her test, reveal about his family life?
It shows how his parents favored Norma and were ashamed of Charlie’s disability, which caused him emotional pain and isolation.
How does Charlie’s relationship with Alice change in these reports?
Charlie struggles to connect emotionally and physically with Alice because of his inner conflict and his lingering fear tied to his past self.
When Charlie says his memories come back “subconsciously,” what does subconsciously mean?
A) Happening without full awareness
B) Happening very slowly
C) Happening while someone is asleep
D) Happening in a dream
A) Happening without full awareness
What does Charlie’s performance in the maze against Algernon symbolize early in the novel?
It symbolizes Charlie’s struggle to become intelligent and his competition with the mouse shows his early progress and limitations.
How does Charlie’s growing intelligence affect his relationships with others, especially Miss Kinnian?
As he becomes more intelligent, Charlie starts to drift apart from others, including Miss Kinnian, because they can no longer relate to him or understand him.
What is the significance of Charlie’s nightmares about the bakery and his younger self?
The nightmares symbolize his guilt, fear, and struggle to confront painful memories from his past as his intelligence grows.
What theme does Charlie’s encounter with the dishwasher boy strongly reinforce?
The theme that human dignity should not depend on intelligence, and that people with disabilities deserve compassion and respect.
Dr. Strauss tells Charlie that “language can be a barrier instead of a pathway.” Based on this quote, what does barrier most likely symbolize in the story?
A) A physical wall separating two rooms
B) A scientific problem that Charlie is trying to solve
C) An emotional or social divide that prevents true understanding
D) A test Charlie must pass to prove his intelligence
C) An emotional or social divide that prevents true understanding
What irony begins to appear in these early reports regarding Charlie’s relationships and his desire to be smart?
Charlie believes intelligence will bring him friendship and happiness, but the smarter he becomes, the more he starts to feel isolated and misunderstood.
What theme begins to emerge in Progress Reports 7–9 as Charlie’s intelligence grows?
The theme that intelligence alone does not bring happiness or acceptance—it can lead to loneliness and emotional conflict.
How does Charlie’s growing self-awareness change the way he views intelligence and humanity by the end of Progress Report 12?
He realizes that intelligence does not define a person’s worth and that compassion and respect are what truly make someone human.
In Progress Report 14, Charlie says, “I can’t help feeling that I’m not me. I’ve usurped his place and locked him out.” What deeper internal conflict does this quote reveal?
It shows Charlie’s struggle with identity and self-acceptance—he feels divided between his former self (“old Charlie”) and his new, highly intelligent self, unsure which one is truly “him.”
In describing his mental state, Charlie says he has “usurped” his old self. What does usurped mean in this context?
A) To take someone’s place or power unfairly or by force
B) To run away from one’s problems
C) To hide a secret from others
D) To grow wiser over time
A) To take someone’s place or power unfairly or by force