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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. How long did the author believe it would take for a true power tokamak to become a reality in Chapter 14?

2. When was Iraq attempting to develop nuclear weapons?

3. What would the temperature of the Earth's surface be without greenhouse gases?

4. How how long could the lasers mentioned in Chapter 14 deliver a power of 500 trillion watts?

5. How many times less toxic is plutonium that cyanide?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information can be discovered from space?

2. Why do all objects fall at the same speed?

3. Why is it not necessary to enrich the uranium in a nucelar reactor, and what types of moderators can be used?

4. What is the weapon paradox?

5. At the time the book was written, what prototype of a nuclear waste facility was developed by the U.S. government?

6. What is the main physics problem in fusion reactors, and what are some solutions?

7. What happened to the space shuttle Challenger?

8. What was learned about the climate of the past from glaciers covering Greenland?

9. What does Muller say about the safety of a space shuttle?

10. In Chapter 18, what could the author see with night vision binoculars?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analogies are used to compare an unfamiliar object or idea to a familiar one in an attempt to explain the unfamiliar. How does the author use analogies in the book? How do analogies help readers understand unfamiliar ideas or understand events?

Essay Topic 2

People fear nuclear weapons. Why are nuclear weapons considered to be the most fearsome invention of the twentieth century?

Essay Topic 3

Physics is the science that seeks to better understand the behavior of the universe. Why does Muller believe a basic understanding of physics is important for future presidents?

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