"Examination Day" by Henry Slesar is a dystopian short story set in a future society where children are subjected to a government-mandated intelligence test on their twelfth birthday. It is revealed that the test is not merely an assessment of intelligence but is, in fact, a method of population control.
 
This product contains questions which explore the literary elements used in the story and ask students to determine for what purpose they were used. The higher-level thinking questions help students to determine the author's message of the story. It also includes a vocabulary identification chart which uses context clues and an imagery chart in which students are required to find examples and determine the author's purpose. A short constructed response question is added in which students have to use text evidence. Answers are provided for all activities.