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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) Actor.
(b) Musician.
(c) Poet.
(d) Magician.

2. What does Sagan lament about the study of Titan?
(a) There are no probes headed for it.
(b) It is usually impossible to observe.
(c) There is no interest in studying it.
(d) We still know very little about it.

3. What hazard threatened the Voyager craft in Sagan's plan to take a distant picture of Earth?
(a) Cosmic rays.
(b) The Sun's rays.
(c) Space dust.
(d) Micrometeorites.

4. When probes enter the atmospheres of other planets, what color do they often see the sky to be?
(a) Red.
(b) Blue.
(c) Black.
(d) Yellow.

5. Many of organic molecules arrived on Earth from what source?
(a) Space dust.
(b) Comets.
(c) Meteors.
(d) Asteroids.

6. Sagan describes humans as which of the following, with respect to their arrival in the universe?
(a) Slow movers.
(b) Middling achievers.
(c) Extreme latecomers.
(d) Early adopters.

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

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

9. Earth will most likely lose contact with the Voyager probes when what happens?
(a) They reach the Kuiper belt.
(b) Their solar cells die.
(c) Their radio transmitters die.
(d) They pass the troposphere.

10. What planet did Sagan spend a great deal of time studying when an important space probe passed near it in 1976?
(a) Venus.
(b) Mars.
(c) Mercury.
(d) Saturn.

11. What visual resolution would be required to determine that humans are related to the intelligence on Earth?
(a) 10 cm.
(b) 1 meter.
(c) 1 cm.
(d) 10 meters.

12. What concept does Sagan suggest that the image of the "pale blue dot" mocks?
(a) Individuality.
(b) Human achievement.
(c) Human conceit.
(d) Technology.

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

14. 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) Most believed life on other planets was impossible.
(c) Scientists expected to find life on most of the planets and moons.
(d) No signs of life were known to exist.

15. Kuiper discovered that Titan has what chemical vital to the development of life?
(a) Argon.
(b) Methane.
(c) Cytozine.
(d) Hexamine.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the constituent particle of light?

3. What major change have humans made to the environment that would be easily detectable from space?

4. Sagan says that which of the following is the most immediately obvious thing about the Earth?

5. Besides the Voyager spacecraft, what does Sagan cite as a major triumph by NASA?

(see the answer keys)

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