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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Sagan suggests that ancient people did not think of the moon as which of the following?
(a) As moving.
(b) As having an opposite side.
(c) As a place.
(d) As a real object.

2. When did the belief that Venus was a "sister planet" to Earth become dispelled?
(a) The early twentieth century.
(b) The late nineteenth century.
(c) The mid nineteenth century.
(d) The mid twentieth century.

3. What does Martian soil seem to contain?
(a) Ice.
(b) Oil.
(c) Organic material.
(d) Methane.

4. Sagan worries about how societies of what type would handle the technology that could stop Earth-bound asteroids?
(a) Totalitarian.
(b) Liberal.
(c) Progressive.
(d) Socialist.

5. When did NASA's SETI program go online?
(a) 1992.
(b) 1984.
(c) 1978.
(d) 1996.

6. According to Sagan, what was the major advantage of the attitude of the government towards the Apollo project?
(a) There was plenty of funding for space.
(b) New propulsion systems were developed.
(c) Computers advanced in power rapidly.
(d) Rocket science progressed quickly.

7. What characteristic of the atmosphere of Venus was initially impossible to explain?
(a) Its heat.
(b) Its composition.
(c) Its dark spots.
(d) Its high winds.

8. What process would be critical to terraforming Mars?
(a) The greenhouse cycle.
(b) Oxidation.
(c) Ozone catalyzing.
(d) The Turing effect.

9. Why does Sagan say that Mars is a more desirable target for human exploration than the moon?
(a) It is more like Earth.
(b) It is more inhabitable.
(c) It has more resources.
(d) It has more to teach.

10. How far out does the solar corona die out?
(a) 550 AU.
(b) 5 AU.
(c) 70 AU.
(d) 1200 AU.

11. Which of the following is NOT one of the missions that observed Venus using radar telescopes?
(a) Venera.
(b) Magellan.
(c) Vesta.
(d) Pioneer.

12. What planet is the "evening star"?
(a) Mercury.
(b) Venus.
(c) Saturn.
(d) Mars.

13. The primary discipline that Sagan argues nations benefit from by investing in space exploration is called which of the following?
(a) Gestalt geosurveying.
(b) Interstellar surveying.
(c) Planetary science.
(d) Atmospheric metrics.

14. What happens to the number of asteroids and comets in the solar system as time goes on?
(a) It increases.
(b) Its change is unknown.
(c) It remains about the same.
(d) It diminishes.

15. What does Sagan say the rings of Saturn composed of?
(a) Frozen methane clouds.
(b) Discs of stone.
(c) Chunks of destroyed planets.
(d) Tiny ice worlds.

Short Answer Questions

1. What moon was found to have volcanoes?

2. Sagan cautions that the beliefs he endorses could lead to an overabundance of what?

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

4. What fuel source might be viable within asteroids?

5. About how many channels does SETI search for signs of extraterrestrial communication on?

(see the answer keys)

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