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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. How much older was Steve than Vanessa?

2. Where did Joan's parents take her the summer before her senior year in high school?

3. Who does Joan realize is afraid but fighting it when they are on the vomit Comet learning to deal with weightlessness?

4. How many feet higher can the Northrop T-38 Talons fly than a comerical airplane?

5. How much younger is Barbara than Joan?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Vanessa think she cannot have a dog?

2. What program is about to be launched when Joan is selected as a candidate to become an astronaut in 1979?

3. What regret does Vanessa have when she realizes Steve is dead?

4. What does Vanessa ask Joan to help her with, and why does asking for help embarrass her?

5. What does Vanessa find when she enters the cabin?

6. Why does Joan play the piano after a long week of classes in the fall of 1980?

7. How is Griff injured after he and Vanessa released the payload?

8. Why does Vanessa close her eyes as she prepares to enter the cabin?

9. What does Vanessa share with Joan about her father?

10. What is the first liftoff of a space shuttle like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What a reader knows about events and characters is determined by the point of view in a book. What is the point of view in Atmosphere? How does the point of view influence what readers know about events and characters? How does it help readers connect with and understand characters?

Essay Topic 2

Suspense in literature is when an author leaves readers wondering what will happen next. How does Reid use suspense to encourage readers to keep reading, entice their curiosity, and strengthen their connection to the characters and plot?

Essay Topic 3

Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of a group of words and are pronounced as a single word. How and why does Joan struggle with all the acronyms at NASA?

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This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample