View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3, The Great Demotions, Chapter 4, A Universe Not Made For Us.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What other medium was used to express the desire to wander, according to Sagan, as human civilization developed?
(a) Technology.
(b) Religion.
(c) Law.
(d) Ethics.

2. What role does Sagan suggest that religion has played in the development of science?
(a) Religion has aided science in significant ways.
(b) Religiously-minded individuals often become scientists.
(c) Science progressed in spite of religion.
(d) Religion informs and guides scientific development.

3. The "great demotions" are changes in thinking about the status of what?
(a) The dominance of religion.
(b) The place of humanity in the universe.
(c) The body of human scientific work.
(d) The age of the Earth.

4. What is notable about pictures taken of the Earth from the moon?
(a) The Earth appears completely dark.
(b) There is no visible sign of mankind.
(c) No landmasses can be seen.
(d) The Earth is always in a half-eclipse.

5. What major component of the Voyager craft was threatened in Sagan's plan to take a distant picture of Earth?
(a) The spectral analyzer.
(b) The telemetry antenna.
(c) The solar panel array.
(d) The vidicon system.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the time of the writing of this book, what is the farthest planet that humans had reached through the use of exploratory probes?

2. According to Sagan, which of the following was the most notable historical tool that humans used to explore the world?

3. As of 1990, how many moons did the Voyager craft explore?

4. What does Sagan suggest that cavemen were usually looking for when they wandered?

5. What concept does Sagan suggest that the image of the "pale blue dot" mocks?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 267 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample