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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. What loss is so great that it was beyond all computation?

2. In Chapter 5, what streams from the newly-opened pillbox "like dazzling diamonds as the brilliant sunlight caught them"?

3. What type of force does the Commander account for upon landing the Endeavour?

4. What is the origin of the name of object 31/149?

5. What are the only items the explorers must bring to Rama?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the devastation that occurred on September 11, 2077.

2. Describe what Commander Norton saw and felt when he entered Rama while tethered to a safety line.

3. Describe the theories put forth to the Rama Committee about the age of Rama.

4. Is Professor Davidson interested in finding out more about Rama?

5. The Rama Committed is concerned about an ominous possibility that they consider to be likely. What is it?

6. After the initial news media fuss, why did all the world forget about Rama, except for the astronomers?

7. Why is Commander Norton concerned about how Boris Rodrigo may react after disembarking to explore Rama?

8. According to Chapter 4, what unusual action was taken so that Rama could intercept Rama?

9. What did Dr. Stenton discover about Rama after he processed the results from viewing the asteroid with a big orbiting telescope?

10. What are some of the problems involving having simps on board?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Women appear to be a minority on the Endeavour. Only two women play substantive roles in the novel. Who are these two women and what are their accomplishments and/or shortcomings? Are they fully-formed characters or two-dimensional? Are they stereotypical or play against type? Compare and contrast them to two of the main characters who are male. Based on your analysis, what is the author saying about gender roles? Consider gender roles in the late twentieth century when the book was written as well as the author's apparent predictions for the future.

Essay Topic 2

The entire world of Rama is ostensibly created by beings that the explorers never meet, but based on the world they explored, the crew of the Endeavour, the officials, and the rest of the humanity make guesses and assumptions about what Ramans are or would be like. Describe your idea of what Ramans are like--their physical appearance, culture, and way of thinking. Back up your ideas with facts from the book.

Essay Topic 3

People in power are sometimes accused of seeing the small picture at the expense of the big picture and may make decisions that are good for a small number of people or for the short run and are bad for humans in general or for the long term. Who follows this pattern in the book, or the opposite pattern? Give one example of each type of behavior and compare and contrast their actions. Be sure to follow their pattern of behavior from the beginning to the end of the book and show if they learned anything, or are likely to have learned anything, based on the events in the story.

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