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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 long does Steve spend on the phone with his wife on December 28, when the astronauts are quarantined at Cape Canaveral?

2. How many women were involved in the Women in Space Program led by William Randolph Lovelace II?

3. Who crews the Columbia during the inagural space shuttle program launch?

4. When do the ASCANS go to the National Space Technology Labs in Mississippi?

5. What type of plane is used to simulate weightlessness for the ASCANs?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does Joan feel for Griff?

5. What does Joan like to draw and what is her favorite part of her drawing?

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

7. In June 1981, why does Joan have to call Barbara and tell her she cannot pick Frances up from school on Monday?

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

9. What assignments are ASCANs given as NASA prepares for the first shuttle mission?

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

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

Joan, Vanessa, and the other women astronauts are in the second group of candidates that includes women. Why has it taken so long for women to become astronauts and what do their experiences reveal about women’s roles and the way those roles have evolved?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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