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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 are the Calypso, Beagle, and Challenger waiting for?

2. In Chapter 15, how does Dr. Ernst get to the surface of the Cylindrical Sea?

3. Who speaks fluent Simplish?

4. Who are the first three explorers on Rama?

5. Rama is compared to what ordinary object?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Compare and contrast the substance found at the bottom of the Straight Valley and the Cylindrical Sea.

3. Name two things that concerned Commander Norton about landing on Rama.

4. When do objects like 31/439 obtain a name?

5. What precautions are taken to ensure the exploration party will be safe on Rama?

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

7. Why will the equipment at Camp Alpha be left behind at the end of the exploration of Rama?

8. What were the characteristics of the object known as 31/439 that set it apart from other asteroids?

9. What do the members of the Rama Committee think of Commander Norton?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Captain Norton has two wives living on two worlds. These women never appear in the book but their existence provides an important contribution to the book. Why did the author include letters to the wives in this book and how do these letters and the existence of these women serve the writing of the book?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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