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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What are the records on the Voyager craft engraved in?
(a) Lead.
(b) Platinum.
(c) Iron.
(d) Gold.

3. How fast was Voyager I moving in 1990?
(a) 10,000 mph.
(b) 500 mph.
(c) 1,000 mph.
(d) 40,000 mph.

4. What was the state of the knowledge and belief about life on other planets at the time the book was written?
(a) It was believed there was abundant life on Mars.
(b) Scientists expected to find life on most of the planets and moons.
(c) No signs of life were known to exist.
(d) Most believed life on other planets was impossible.

5. The Anthropic Principle is divided into two theories that are termed what?
(a) Old and new.
(b) Greater and lesser.
(c) Orthodox and reformed.
(d) Strong and weak.

6. What abstract concept does Sagan specifically say he is optimistic about?
(a) The human prospect.
(b) Human destiny.
(c) The human capacity for love and discovery.
(d) The future.

7. When were the Voyager spacecraft launched?
(a) 1972.
(b) 1982.
(c) 1977.
(d) 1969.

8. According to Sagan, how do early Earth and Titan compare?
(a) They are totally different.
(b) They are similar.
(c) They are only vaguely related.
(d) They are almost exactly the same.

9. What means does Sagan suggest that humans use to represent and express their desire to wander?
(a) Adventures.
(b) Trade.
(c) Stories and symbols.
(d) Colonization.

10. What does Sagan suggest that cavemen were usually looking for when they wandered?
(a) New territory.
(b) Shelter.
(c) Mates.
(d) Food.

11. How many planets were known to ancient people?
(a) Five.
(b) Six.
(c) Four.
(d) Three.

12. Sagan compares the human need for religion to what?
(a) A blind person's need for a cane.
(b) A man's need for water.
(c) An injured person's need for aid.
(d) An infant's need for a parent.

13. What major change have humans made to the environment that would be easily detectable from space?
(a) Desertification.
(b) The pollution of rivers and lakes.
(c) The Three-Gorges dam.
(d) The destruction of the rainforests.

14. In what century was the geocentric theory conclusively disproved?
(a) The 21st century.
(b) The 19th century.
(c) The 11th century.
(d) The 13th century.

15. What did ancient people notice about planets that set them apart from the stars?
(a) They had unique colors.
(b) They were much larger.
(c) They had complex motions and were not fixed.
(d) They grew closer from time to time.

Short Answer Questions

1. Kuiper discovered that Titan has what chemical vital to the development of life?

2. What did Galileo demonstrate?

3. What visual resolution would be required to determine that humans are related to the intelligence on Earth?

4. Sagan suggest that modern religious thinking treats scientific evidence in what way?

5. What other medium was used to express the desire to wander, according to Sagan, as human civilization developed?

(see the answer keys)

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