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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. Scott Carpenter is the only astronaut who has a touch of what in him?
(a) A poet.
(b) A rebel.
(c) An activist.
(d) A ladies' man.

2. Which magazine buys the exclusive rights to the astronauts' personal stories for $500,000?
(a) Life.
(b) Aviation Week & Space Technology.
(c) Time.
(d) Newsweek.

3. What does the author compare the career path of a fighter pilot to?
(a) A journey.
(b) A pyramid.
(c) A marathon.
(d) A sprint.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The pilots hold Konakai seances. What is Konakai?

2. What do the engineers see as the most difficult, challenging, and pioneering part of the project?

3. What is the subject of the first press conference question?

4. What is the one sound that test pilots' wives are most afraid of?

5. Which of the astronauts commands the least star power?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are John Glenn and Alan Shepard in serious disagreement about?

2. What does Chuck Yeager become convinced of as he pilots the X-1 at near-Mach I speeds?

3. Why don't the wives ever discuss the dangers their husbands face each day?

4. Why is the book titled "The Right Stuff"?

5. What is the procedures trainer?

6. Name two reasons that fighter pilots hate to declare an emergency.

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

8. Why do the pilots come to hate Lovelace?

9. Why do many pilots choose to try to pilot a wounded aircraft to the ground rather than eject?

10. Why do the astronauts not refer to themselves or the other astronauts as "astronauts"?

(see the answer keys)

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