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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Sagan, how profitable is it for a nation to invest in space exploration?
(a) It has high costs.
(b) It has great benefits in a limited scope.
(c) It is not related to a nation's welfare.
(d) It is highly profitable.

2. At the time this book was written, how many Mars Observers had been flown successfully?
(a) Five.
(b) None.
(c) One.
(d) Three.

3. When did a "disrupted" comet famously fall into Jupiter?
(a) 1994.
(b) 2000.
(c) 1982.
(d) 1964.

4. Where does Sagan think it is most likely that life will be found on Mars?
(a) In the ice at the poles.
(b) In salt caverns.
(c) On the surface.
(d) In the subsurface rock.

5. How old are the terrain features generated by Venus' volcanoes?
(a) 4 billion years.
(b) 2 billion years.
(c) 500 million years.
(d) 1 billion years.

6. About how large a percentage of the mass of the total universe does dark matter make up?
(a) Five percent.
(b) Ninety percent.
(c) Sixty percent.
(d) Thirty percent.

7. Which of the following is one of the moons of Mars?
(a) Gilgamesh.
(b) Hecuba.
(c) Orpheus.
(d) Phobos.

8. Which of the following planets is NOT known to have a ring system?
(a) Uranus.
(b) Venus.
(c) Saturn.
(d) Jupiter.

9. What element does Sagan say motivated the space programs of the 60s and 70s?
(a) Scientific endeavor.
(b) Curiosity.
(c) Brinksmanship.
(d) Nationalism.

10. Sagan suggests that the Apollo missions were primarily about what?
(a) Politics.
(b) Military strategy.
(c) Technology.
(d) Science.

11. What does Sagan believe about weapons of mass destruction?
(a) They must be destroyed.
(b) They are a necessary evil.
(c) They must never used in anger.
(d) They should be tightly controlled.

12. Sagan says that the moon was once understood as a symbol of which of the following?
(a) Fertility.
(b) Prosperity.
(c) Madness.
(d) The unattainable.

13. What country does Sagan believe is best suited for undertaking a terraforming effort?
(a) The European Union.
(b) The United States.
(c) Japan.
(d) China.

14. The atmosphere of Venus would best be described as which of the following?
(a) Cold.
(b) Deep.
(c) Thick.
(d) Light.

15. Sagan estimates that intelligent life might arise on average in one out of how many stars?
(a) One billion.
(b) One million.
(c) One trillion.
(d) Ten thousand.

Short Answer Questions

1. What process would be critical to terraforming Mars?

2. What type of government is Sagan most opposed to?

3. What is the main component of the atmosphere of Venus?

4. What is the primary distinguishing feature that SETI looks for to identify a communication from an intelligent source?

5. Sagan suggests that humans could live and thrive around what unusual type of star?

(see the answer keys)

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