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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What astronomical discovery did Galileo make that significantly damaged the geocentric theory?
(a) Jupiter has its own moons.
(b) Planets move in ellipses.
(c) Gravity moves the planets.
(d) Stars are stationary relative to the Earth.

2. What does Neptune's moon have less of compared to Titan?
(a) Carbon.
(b) Ice.
(c) Iron.
(d) Potassium.

3. William Herschel, the discoverer of Uranus, had what unusual profession?
(a) Actor.
(b) Poet.
(c) Musician.
(d) Magician.

4. About how long does Sagan suggest that human beings have been "settled down"?
(a) 50,000 years.
(b) 10,000 years.
(c) 100,000 years.
(d) 1,000 years.

5. What visual resolution would be required to determine the existence of intelligent life on Earth?
(a) 1,000 meters.
(b) 1 meter.
(c) 100 meters.
(d) 10 cm.

6. What is one trait of human beings that Sagan cites as being responsible for our belief in our importance in the universe?
(a) Industry.
(b) Ignorance.
(c) Insecurity.
(d) Creativity.

7. Which of the following is NOT one of the major unknowns that Sagan says he will address in this book?
(a) What humanity's future is.
(b) Whether or not there is intelligent life on nearby planets.
(c) How humans can explore space.
(d) Why humans should explore space.

8. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that early planets may have been made incapable of bearing life?
(a) Being pushed into a distant orbit.
(b) Being heavily bombarded by meteors.
(c) Being thrown into outer space.
(d) Falling into the sun.

9. 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.

10. In Chapter 5 Sagan asks the reader to imagine that they are which of the following?
(a) A time traveler.
(b) An ancient person.
(c) An alien.
(d) An ant.

11. What does Sagan claim is the key element of humanity's future?
(a) Deep space travel.
(b) Faster than light travel.
(c) Distant worlds.
(d) Terraforming.

12. The Voyager probes found large amounts of what element on Titan?
(a) Iridium.
(b) Helium.
(c) Nitrogen.
(d) Oxygen.

13. What does the Geocentric theory state?
(a) The sun moves around the Earth.
(b) The Earth moves in a perfect circle.
(c) The Earth is a flat disc.
(d) The planets and heavens are all fixed.

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

15. As of 1990, how many planets did the Voyager craft explore?
(a) Three.
(b) Five.
(c) Four.
(d) Two.

Short Answer Questions

1. What hazard threatened the Voyager craft in Sagan's plan to take a distant picture of Earth?

2. Uranus has an unusual field around it of what type?

3. In what century was the geocentric theory conclusively disproved?

4. What unusual source of energy do the Voyager spacecraft take advantage of?

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that Sagan says life seems to be?

(see the answer keys)

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