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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 happens to the memories of someone who dies on Gaia?

2. What do people on Comporellon call Earth?

3. Trevize's information about Earth comes mostly from what source?

4. How can Bliss protect the travelers?

5. What does Trevize say he might do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why might the showers on Comporellon be colder than showers Trevize is used to?

2. Why is the Far Star important to Comporellon?

3. Who do the people on Comporellon believe caused the downfall of Earth?

4. Does Lizalor show respect for the law?

5. What does Trevize's willingness to lie, bribe, and bully show about his character?

6. Why would a Gaian naturally value law?

7. Why are the oldest records of Gaia stored in inanimate, inaccessible locations?

8. What does Pelorat say the rain means, when the spaceship is departing?

9. Who picks up the three travelers when they land on Comporellon?

10. What caused Yariff's project to find Earth to fail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss information in the novel.

1) How is information used to manipulate people in the novel? Why is information about Earth hidden?

2) What are the benefits to Gaia of sharing information across multiple minds?

3) Is it possible to have too much information? Does information always give more power?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Gaia and Solaria. Both have gone to opposite extremes. In Gaia, all mankind and nature has joined together. In Solaria, each human separates himself from other humans and from the natural environment, living in a robot-built estate underground. However, in both Gaia and Solaria, peace is achieved through a lack of conflict. Compare the different values that the societies exhibit, and how they attempt to resolve the conflict between the individual and the society. After the attempt, do these cultures still contain "individuals"? Do they still contain "societies"? Is one possible without the other?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the three types of conflict in the novels.

1) How does the novel show the conflict between man and nature? How is adaptation and control of the environment part of that conflict?

2) How does the novel show the conflict between man and man? How is competition between different cultures part of that conflict?

3) How does the novel show the conflict between man and himself? Discuss the conflicts felt by major characters including Trevize, Fallom, and Daneel.

(see the answer keys)

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