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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. Why do some suggest capturing asteroids in Earth orbit?

2. What type of missions does Sagan recommend in order to prepare to deal with Earth-bound asteroids?

3. How old are the terrain features generated by Venus' volcanoes?

4. It is believed that some of Saturn's rings may eventually form into what?

5. According to Sagan, what was the major advantage of the attitude of the government towards the Apollo project?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What location in the solar system either have or are believed to have once had volcanoes?

3. What is the purpose of SETI and how does it operate?

4. What is unusual about the ring systems of the planets in our solar system?

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

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

7. How is Venus similar to Earth?

8. What would the process of "terraforming" on Mars be like?

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

10. What does Sagan conclude about the morality of terraforming and planetary colonization?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Much of Sagan's discussion in this book centers on the idea that human beings are wanderers by nature. He sees this aspect of the human character as obvious and critical.

1) Explain Sagan's conception of how and why early humans were wanderers.

2) Discuss the ways that Sagan believes human beings cope with the desire to wander in the setting of increasingly sedentary civilizations.

3) Discuss some of the endeavors in space exploration described in the book in terms of the human desire to wander and explore.

4) Explain Sagan's opinion about how humans will become nomadic wanderers again in the future.

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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