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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. What does Joan's father do for a living?

2. After the leak on the shuttle, how long can Lydia survive without treatment for the bends?

3. In "Fall 1980," what does Joan compare all the acronyms she is learning too?

4. What was the name of Joan's boyfriend in high school?

5. Who is going to be the ASCAN to go to Toronto to study the RMS (robotic arm)?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How is the weightlessness of space simulated, and how does Joan react?

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

4. How does Joan support Barbara after Barbara gets pregnant?

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

6. What is Joan's job on December 29, 1984?

7. Why are Joan and the other astronaut candidates required to listen to the Apollo 1 disaster?

8. Why do Vanessa and Griff leave the hatch on the airlock open after releasing the payload?

9. What inspires Joan to apply to NASA the first ime?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Teamwork involves a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. Why is teamwork important in NASA, and how does teamwork help the astronauts achieve their goals?

Essay Topic 2

A non-linear narrative moves back and forth in time. How does Reid use a non-linear narrative to focus on what is important in Atmosphere? How does the non-linear narrative help readers better understand characters, especially Joan and Vanessa?

Essay Topic 3

A character arc is the inner journey of a character in a book. What is Joan’s character arc, and what situations influence her growth and transformation?

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