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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Sagan suggests that throughout history, many have claimed that our species is what?

2. Which of the following does Sagan NOT cite as evidence for the age of the universe?

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

4. Which of the following is one of the "great demotions" that Sagan cites?

5. Sagan helped to discover that Saturn provides what critical element to Titan?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it difficult to detect intelligent life on Earth?

2. When this book was written, what was known about planets in other solar systems?

3. How does Saga claim that human beings expressed their desire to wander as civilization grew?

4. What does the Strong Anthropomorphic principle suggest?

5. What aspects of science make it unappealing to some?

6. What planets had been explored by human beings, at the time of the writing of this book?

7. How has the attitude of the Catholic church towards Galileo changed over time?

8. What are the distinguishing characteristics of the moon Titan?

9. What questions does Sagan say he intends to address in this book?

10. What seemingly important features of humanity does Sagan deny to be distinguishing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sagan presents a thought experiment in Chapter 5, "Is There Intelligent Life on Earth?" He suggests that the observations that a visiting alien might make of Earth would not necessarily reveal the presence of intelligent life.

1) Discuss the thought experiment that Sagan proposes in Chapter 5, and describe the obvious characteristics of the Earth from the perspective of this visitor.

2) Describe the types of observations a visitor to Earth would have to make in order to determine the presence of intelligent life on the planet.

3) Explain how this thought experiment demonstrates Sagan's point about "missing" important details in the search for life in the solar system.

Essay Topic 2

The program SETI is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Sagan endorses this program whole-heartedly despite its failure to date and many complaints about its cost.

1) Explain the SETI program and its goals, and how it goes about its search for intelligence.

2) Discuss some of the criticisms about the SETI program.

3) Explain why Sagan maintains his support for the program, despite its failure to date.

Essay Topic 3

Uranus was the first new planet discovered, aside from the five known to ancient cultures.

1) Discus the discovery of Uranus and what made this discovery unusual and unique.

2) Describe the planet Uranus, including a discussion of its unique inclination and theories to explain this feature.

3) Discuss Sagan's impression of the planet and the likelihood that it or its moons could harbor life.

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