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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. To the treatment of what is Anton’s treatment of his experimental cells compared?

2. Which of the following does the novel equate to “wow”?

3. How wide is the spectrometer’s survey area?

4. Which of the following did the station crew eat in celebration of the moon mission launching?

5. With which of the following does the novel begin?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why had the moon mission astronauts been treated to a special meal on their last night on earth?

2. Where do lost things on the station go, and why?

3. Why is Shaun not surprised his wife remembers their teacher’s discussion of Las Meninas?

4. How are the cells with which Anton and Roman work derived?

5. What is it that prompts the fisherman to realize his children’s beauty?

6. Why are the station crew advised to anchor themselves in time?

7. Per the novel, why were the Voyager probes sent out?

8. Why does Chie, in particular, hesitate to leave the station?

9. Why are the station crew not allowed new underwear daily?

10. Why must the station crew exercise for hours daily?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To what other writer’s work in your experience does Harvey’s seem most similar? What makes the writers similar? What differentiates them? Overall, which do you regard as doing better at the craft of writing, and why?

Essay Topic 2

To what genre other than science fiction might Orbital be considered to belong? What in the text supports that identification? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

Overall, what is the most important theme of Orbital. What in the text indicates as much? How does it do so?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 600 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample