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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. Why does Bliss need more sleep than usual?

2. What happened to Yariff's attempts to find Earth?

3. What does Trevize look for as a landing spot?

4. Why does the minister have to be discreet about sex?

5. What does Trevize tell the minister?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are Earth and its system known as?

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

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

5. What does the choice of clothing of people on Comporellon show about human nature?

6. By allowing Trevize to land, what is the border official prioritizing above the law of society?

7. Why won't Bliss use her mental powers to help Trevize keep the Far Star?

8. How long has it been since there has been war in the galaxy?

9. Why does Deniador find it difficult to believe that a Spacer woman might travel with others on an ancient ship?

10. By trying to manipulate the border official, what is Trevize prioritizing above the law of society?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss predestination and choice in the novel.

1) Are characters' choices predestined by their psychology and environment?

2) The characters are unaware that they are being manipulated by Daneel. Do they still have choice or is free will an illusion?

3) In the novel, is the course of society as a whole predestined by the nature of man and his environment? In what ways is the course of society predestined or uncertain?

Essay Topic 2

Psychohistory is the idea that the course of human events can be plotted and predicted, at least on a macro-scale, as long as the society doesn't know (and therefore isn't affected by) the predictions. Discuss the role of psychohistory in the novel. How is Daneel utilizing a form of psychohistory? Is it dangerous for human beings to know and try to manipulate their own destinies? Is it possible for psychohistory to give human beings too much knowledge, or is more knowledge always better?

Essay Topic 3

The societies depicted in Foundation and Earth adapt to their environments and also adapt their environments to their own needs.

1) Compare in what ways do the planets Trevize visits adapt to their environments, and in what ways they adapt the environments to their own needs.

2) Is it better in the novel to adapt to an environment or to try to change the environment? Are both necessary?

3) Is it dangerous to try to change one's environment? Can it be dangerous to try to adapt to an environment?

(see the answer keys)

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