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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does NASA hire to be the astronauts' press representative?
(a) Alfred Godfrey.
(b) John Mortey.
(c) Leo DeOrsey.
(d) Betty Grissom.

2. How does Ted Whelan die?
(a) He flies beneath the hard deck and into power lines.
(b) His plane crash lands in a swamp.
(c) His parachute fails to open.
(d) He is in a car accident.

3. What is the Navy-calculated probability that a career Navy pilot will die in an aircraft accident?
(a) 23%
(b) 7%
(c) 38%
(d) 56%

4. Who is John Glenn's greatest ally in the debate over how the astronauts should conduct themselves?
(a) Scott Carpenter.
(b) Gordon Cooper.
(c) Gus Grissom.
(d) Deke Slayton.

5. Who runs the Fly Inn near Muroc Field?
(a) John Louis.
(b) Pancho Barnes.
(c) Marcus Graves.
(d) Amelia Earhart.

6. At the insistence of the astronauts, what feature is finally designed into the capsule?
(a) A window.
(b) A homing device.
(c) A mayday beacon.
(d) A lavatory.

7. Which of the astronauts commands the least star power?
(a) John Glenn.
(b) Scott Carpenter.
(c) Deke Slayton.
(d) Alan Shepard.

8. Who is Bob White?
(a) The Air Force's prime pilot for the X-15 project at Edwards.
(b) The reporter writing the Life stories.
(c) The head of mission control.
(d) The lead engineer on Project Mercury.

9. From the pilots' point of view, what is the only thing lacking during their astronaut training?
(a) The intense and constant media scrutiny.
(b) Resources being funneled to the program.
(c) Flying time.
(d) The pioneer spirit.

10. What is housed at the Holloman Air Force Base?
(a) The mission control center.
(b) The psychologists' new testing facility.
(c) The chimpanzee colony.
(d) The rocket launchers.

11. When Pete receives his top-secret orders, what is the project he is being asked to volunteer for?
(a) The Saturn Project.
(b) The Moon Project.
(c) The X-1 Project.
(d) The Mercury Project.

12. How many kills does Yeager have by the end of World War II?
(a) 21.
(b) 13 1/2.
(c) 10.
(d) 5 1/2.

13. When the book begins, where is the Naval Air Station that Pete Conrad is stationed at?
(a) Florida.
(b) Nevada.
(c) California.
(d) Texas.

14. What is the nickname given to Pete's flight test class?
(a) The Soaring Eagles.
(b) Class A.
(c) Group 20.
(d) Top Guns.

15. What is the unofficial tradition at Cape Canaveral?
(a) The pilots fly themselves to the Cape.
(b) No wives are allowed.
(c) The pilots work around the clock so they can get back to Langley.
(d) No drinking is allowed.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many test pilots are in the original group in Jacksonville?

2. Which magazine buys the exclusive rights to the astronauts' personal stories for $500,000?

3. What do the Project Mercury engineers think will be an easy task?

4. While NASA is introducing and promoting Project Mercury, what is the Air Force trying to promote?

5. Where is Cape Canaveral located?

(see the answer keys)

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