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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. Conditions of what type were extremely important in the creation of early life on Earth?

2. The Anthropic Principle is divided into two theories that are termed what?

3. What is the major difference between space exploration and human exploration in the past?

4. What does Sagan say that philosophy and religion should provide?

5. Many of organic molecules arrived on Earth from what source?

Short Essay Questions

1. What "malevolent" theology does Sagan describe in Chapter 3, "The Great Demotions"?

2. What problems does NASA face in pursuing its missions?

3. What does Sagan think about the failure of the Voyager probes to find life in the solar system?

4. How did ancient people know about the planets?

5. Briefly describe the progress made to undermine the geocentric theory.

6. Why does Saga say he is optimistic about the "human prospect"?

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

8. What are the distinguishing characteristics of the planet Uranus?

9. Why did ancient people believe there could not be any other planets beyond the ones they knew about?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The geocentric theory of the solar system stated that the sun, the moon, and the planets orbit around the Earth. This world-view was formally endorsed for more than fifteen hundred years, but was eventually shattered by the heliocentric theory.

1) Explain the geocentric theory, including the details of its layout for the solar system and how it accounted for some of the abnormalities in the orbits of the planets.

2) Discuss the origin of this theory and how it came to be embraced by scholars and religious leaders alike.

3) Describe some of the shortcomings of this theory, according to Sagan's arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Each of the Voyager craft were fitted with golden phonograph records containing carefully selected information to be sent along with the probes into deep space.

1) Discuss the purpose of the Voyager records.

2) Explain the design of the Voyager records, why they are expected to endure without losing data, and how an alien intelligence would be expected to decode them.

3) Discuss the information contained on the records and why it was selected.

Essay Topic 3

The Apollo Missions had an enormous impact on the field of space exploration, on the international status of the United States, and on the public's interest in space and science in general.

1) Describe the Apollo moon landings, their operation, mission, and the scientific information gained from them.

2) Discuss the effect that Sagan says the landings had on the international standing of the United States.

3) Explain how the moon landings impacted the field of space exploration and sparked the public's interest in the field. Cite Sagan's arguments to explain specific ways that this occurred.

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