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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What problem does the Army have with Yeager piloting the X-1?
(a) They can't keep his wife away from the base.
(b) They can't hold him back.
(c) They can't convince him the sound barrier is real.
(d) They can't stop him from drinking.

2. What is focused on as being the pilots' best qualification for their selection to the Project Mercury astronaut program at the press conference?
(a) Their physical fitness.
(b) Their extraordinary combat accomplishments.
(c) Their piloting skills.
(d) Their superior adaptability.

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

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

5. While most fighter pilots revel in driving fast sports cars, John Glenn does not. What car does he drive?
(a) A Corvette.
(b) A Peugeot.
(c) A Civic.
(d) A Buick.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is known as the "king of the test fighter pilots"?

2. What record does Bob White set during one of his X-15 flights?

3. Why do the volunteers report to Lovelace?

4. How many fighter jocks volunteer for the top-secret civilian program?

5. The first flight into space will turn one of the seven astronauts into what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is written in Conrad's file as a reason he isn't selected for the Mercury program?

2. What is the procedures trainer?

3. Contrast flight training with astronaut training.

4. As the number of killed pilots rises, how does that affect the mood of Pete Conrad?

5. The morning after the press conference, the newspapers are full of stories about the astronauts. What do the stories highlight?

6. The training program for the chimpanzees is based on operant conditioning. Describe what that means for the chimpanzees.

7. Describe Jane Conrad's nightmares and hallucinations?

8. Jane Conrad sees a real man going to her front door and realizes it wasn't one of her hallucinations. Who is the man and why is he there?

9. According to the author, why does every pilot sound the same and talk with a lilting, vaguely Southern-sounding drawl?

10. What is the goal of the pilots in Project Mercury, which is the same goal in every new and important flight project?

(see the answer keys)

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