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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. At 5 miles per second, how much energy of an equal weight of TNT is carried by every ounce of a space shuttle, including its human cargo?

2. How fast is the Moon moving in respect to Earth?

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

4. What is the Earth's atmosphere?

5. During what presidential administration was the neutron bomb developed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What dangers were there regarding nuclear weapons at the time the book was written?

2. What happened to the space shuttle Challenger?

3. In Chapter 13, what are the pros and cons of using depleted uranium in the shells of hydrogen bombs?

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

5. What was the Little Ice Age?

6. What happened to the space shuttle Columbia, and why does the author think what happened should not be a suprise?

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

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

9. What theory did Milutin Milankovic use to explain the cyclic pattern of the ice ages?

10. In Chapter 11, what two sides are there to stockpiling weapons?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The 9/11 attacks were an example of low-tech terrorism. What is the difference between low-tech and high-tech terrorism? Why might terrorists prefer low-tech terrorism?

Essay Topic 2

People are confused and misinformed about radioactivity. What confusion and misinformation surrounds discussions of radioactivity? How many people have died from radiation accidents? How do people usually die in a nuclear disaster? What are the risks of radiation exposure? How can safety measures decrease those risks?

Essay Topic 3

Many people fear that the next terrorist attack will be nuclear. Who might use nuclear weapons in an attack on the U.S.? Why would rogue countries be more likely to use nuclear weapons than terrorists?

(see the answer keys)

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