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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. Which of the following is one of the moons of Mars?

2. What does Sagan believe about weapons of mass destruction?

3. What type of asteroids does Sagan suggest that men might be able to live inside of?

4. Which of the following characteristics of Venus is LEAST similar to Earth's?

5. What is the shape of the galaxy closest to the Milky Way?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sagan believe black holes have to offer?

2. What profit motivations exist in a manned mission to Mars?

3. Why does Sagan believe it is unlikely that a manned mission to Mars will be carried out in the near future?

4. What promising signs does Mars have for being host to life?

5. How is Venus different from Earth?

6. How well can an asteroid's path be calculated?

7. How could planetary tides pull a small planet apart?

8. What does Sagan say that it is probably the fate of humanity to "live in the dark"?

9. How does Sagan believe that humanity will progress in the next hundred or so generations?

10. What does Sagan think were the major upsides of the Apollo missions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the most Earth-like of all of the moons in the solar system, making it a good candidate for finding extraterrestrial life.

1) Describe the characteristics of the moon Titan, including a discussion of its atmosphere and hydrocarbon lakes.

2) Assess the specific characteristics of the moon that make it suitable for life.

3) Discuss Sagan's personal involvement in the study of Titan, its importance to him, and why he believes the moon warrants further study.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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