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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916?
(a) Asceticism.
(b) The Tychonic system.
(c) General relativity.
(d) Quantum mechanics.

2. Who was the first physicist to conceptualize the vacuum genesis?
(a) Joseph Fraunhofer.
(b) James Keeler.
(c) Mikolai Kopernik.
(d) Edward Tryon.

3. William Herschel was the first astronomer to make "acute, systematic observations of the universe" beyond what?
(a) Jupiter.
(b) The solar system.
(c) The sun.
(d) The moon.

4. Where was René Descartes born?
(a) Germany.
(b) England.
(c) Greece.
(d) France.

5. Who wrote, "The greatest of all the accomplishments of twentieth-century science has been the discovery of human ignorance"?
(a) Giuseppe Cocconi.
(b) Lew Thomas.
(c) James Williams.
(d) Philip Morrison.

Short Answer Questions

1. William Herschel became most famous for the discovery of which planet?

2. According to the author, there may have been a short period during which the universe expanded more rapidly than before or after. This concept is referred to as what theory?

3. Who wrote in fourth century BC that "to consider the earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field sown with millet only one grain will grow"?

4. Kant first became interested in space travel after reading a review of what philosopher's book?

5. What refers to one of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who developed a unified electroweak theory, according to the author in Chapter 16: "Rumors of Perfection"? Where was it tested?

2. What obstacles did early quantum physicists have, as described by the author in Chapter 15: "The Quantum and its Discontents"?

3. What were the main premises of "The Origin of the Species," according to the author in Chapter 13: "The Age of the Earth"?

4. How does the author compare telescopes and accelerators in Chapter 17: "The Axis of History"?

5. What does the author assert man has always speculated about in Chapter 18: "The Origin of the Universe"?

6. What led to the emergence of quantum physics according to the author in Chapter 15: "The Quantum and its Discontents"?

7. What was indicated by Einstein's theory of relativity, according to the author in Chapter 11: "The Expansion of the Universe"?

8. What evidences does the author suggest implies extraterrestrial life in Chapter 19: "Mind and Matter"?

9. What influenced Emmanuel Kant in his interest in cosmology according to the author in Chapter 8: "Deep Space"?

10. What influences led William Herschel in his studies of nebulae, according to the author in Chapter 8: "Deep Space"?

(see the answer keys)

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