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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. A black hole has zero what?

2. What theory best describes the singularities of black holes and big bangs?

3. Who created the idea that a star can collapse and become a black hole?

4. The theory of quantum mechanics best describes what world?

5. If we created a black hole by exploding a very large hydrogen bomb what would happen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What model of the atom persisted until the 1960's?

2. Why do physicists of Stephen Hawking's caliber not make assumptions about the nature of the universe?

3. What do religious explanations to fundamental questions of the universe reveal?

4. What was the Ancient Greek view of the universe?

5. What happens at the event horizon of a black hole?

6. According to Carl Sagan, what prompts children to ask seemingly unanswerable questions?

7. Why can nothing move faster than the speed of light according to the theory of relativity?

8. Scientists start with observations and mathematics to answer the fundamental questions and then do what?

9. What are the six varieties of quarks?

10. What will happen if the expansion of the universe stops?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the theory of relativity? How is the theory of relativity important, and related to, the understanding of the universe? Please use the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What principle introduced in Hawking's book is the most influential on our view of the world and universe today? Why? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What is Hawking's definition of a scientific theory? Using this definition, discuss why (or why not) various theories in the book are scientific theories. Discuss at least three theories and use the book to support your answers.

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