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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. Who attempts to portray Christ as a literary figure and is rebutted by Phyllis?

2. In what love triangle does Nadia find herself struggling to escape?

3. Who on Ares opposes following rules from Earth and advocates making their own rules?

4. What is the love of nature called?

5. What bombards the crew, creating a storm and making the crew members bond?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Nadia get furious when she sees the broken heating element?

2. Why does Selim get angry after talking to Frank about John?

3. How does Frank fool Selim, and how does Selim respond when Frank speaks badly of John to him for a second time?

4. What does Nadia notice when her expedition returns to the Ares colony?

5. Why does Maya get involved sexually with John?

6. Why is Nadia uncomfortable talking to Maya and what makes her long to escape the group?

7. How is Nadia described in Part 3 as a problem solver?

8. When Maya talks to Michel about her love life problems, how does he respond?

9. Why do people like Michel fail to do well on Mars, according to his theory?

10. Why are GEMS made by the scientists?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Red Mars is written primarily in the third-person point of view. Is this point of view more or less effective than telling the story from the first-person perspective?

Essay Topic 2

In Red Mars, Robinson's Ares society shows a conscious selectivity about technology. What do you think of the technology that Hiroko tries to use for her own purposes? Which aspects do you find more or less appealing? How is technology associated with power and rebellion?

Essay Topic 3

Describe some of the settings for Red Mars. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period, and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did Robinson choose to use these places in Red Mars?

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