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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 is Pelorat's experience of Gaia like?

2. What does the government offer Trevize?

3. Who does Pelorat believe settled the planet?

4. What is the minister's apartment like?

5. What does Trevise run to for protection?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does Trevize hope to find in the ruins?

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

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

7. Why does Bliss think marriage is unnecessary for Gaians?

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

9. What does Lizalor do when she hears the word "Earth"?

10. Why would a Gaian naturally value law?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the power of the individual versus the power of the group in the novel.

1) Is Daneel more powerful than Gaia because he is a truly single entity, not a group consciousness?

2) What advantages does Trevize's individuality give him over groups? What disadvantages does he have as a single individual?

3) What are the disadvantages of governments and ruling groups in the novel? What are their advantages?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the genre of the novel.

1) What aspects of the novel make it science fiction? What science is important to the novel?

2) What aspects of the mystery genre does this novel have? What is the mystery at the heart of the novel?

3) In what ways does Trevize act as a detective? What is the "twist" at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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