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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Sagan estimates that intelligent life might arise on average in one out of how many stars?
(a) Ten thousand.
(b) One billion.
(c) One trillion.
(d) One million.

2. When did the belief that Venus was a "sister planet" to Earth become dispelled?
(a) The mid twentieth century.
(b) The late nineteenth century.
(c) The early twentieth century.
(d) The mid nineteenth century.

3. What is the farthest orbital location that humans have ventured to since the last time men went to the moon?
(a) Low Earth orbit.
(b) Geosynchronous orbit.
(c) Parking orbit.
(d) High Earth orbit.

4. According to Sagan, how profitable is it for a nation to invest in space exploration?
(a) It has high costs.
(b) It has great benefits in a limited scope.
(c) It is not related to a nation's welfare.
(d) It is highly profitable.

5. What characteristic of the atmosphere of Venus was initially impossible to explain?
(a) Its heat.
(b) Its dark spots.
(c) Its composition.
(d) Its high winds.

6. What type of Mars mission did President Reagan turn down?
(a) A manned orbital mission.
(b) A robotic colony-building mission.
(c) A one-way colonization mission.
(d) A joint mission with the Soviets.

7. What was the name of the second mission that sent probes into the atmosphere of Venus?
(a) Hubble.
(b) Brahe.
(c) Kepler.
(d) Mariner.

8. How old are the terrain features generated by Venus' volcanoes?
(a) 4 billion years.
(b) 1 billion years.
(c) 2 billion years.
(d) 500 million years.

9. What is an astronomical unit?
(a) The radius of the solar system.
(b) The mean distance between stars.
(c) The distance from the sun to the Earth.
(d) The distance that light travels in one minute.

10. Sagan cautions that the beliefs he endorses could lead to an overabundance of what?
(a) Technology.
(b) Pride.
(c) Confidence.
(d) Population.

11. CFCs are chemicals that is primarily hazardous to the environment in what area?
(a) The biosphere.
(b) The lithosphere.
(c) The ozone-layer.
(d) The stratosphere.

12. Sagan says that the dark matter that surrounds the Milky Way galaxy takes what shape?
(a) A sphere.
(b) A disk.
(c) A column.
(d) A halo.

13. What type of government is Sagan most opposed to?
(a) Socialism.
(b) Fascism.
(c) Plutocracy.
(d) Theocracy.

14. What moon was found to have volcanoes?
(a) Persephone.
(b) Europa.
(c) Terpsichore.
(d) Io.

15. What planet in the solar system obviously suffers from a severe greenhouse gas effect?
(a) Venus.
(b) Jupiter.
(c) Mars.
(d) Saturn.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Sagan say that Mars is a more desirable target for human exploration than the moon?

2. According to Sagan, what was the major advantage of the attitude of the government towards the Apollo project?

3. Which of the following is one of the moons of Mars?

4. What does Sagan say the rings of Saturn composed of?

5. What fuel source might be viable within asteroids?

(see the answer keys)

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