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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 is the biggest challenge of landing on a carrier ship?

2. What is the nickname given to Pete's flight test class?

3. What do Cape Canaveral and its surroundings remind the pilots of?

4. What does the author compare the career path of a fighter pilot to?

5. Scott Carpenter is the only astronaut who has a touch of what in him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do Chuck Yeager's comments in Phoenix almost set off a national scandal? What happens to avoid the scandal?

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

3. What is the procedures trainer?

4. Describe what the chapter's title of "On the Balcony" refers to.

5. Why does the Army fire Slick Goodlin and give the X-1 piloting assignment to Yeager?

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

7. The engineers tend to feel that the glorification of the astronauts has really gotten out of control. Why do they feel that way?

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

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

10. What is the Konakai Séance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of our book, and throughout the selection process, we see these brave men having the support (or the perception of support) from their wives and families.

a. While stationed at Muroc, what is the wives' biggest fear? How do they support each other and what unwritten rules govern their roles as pilot wives?

b. Once their husbands are selected for the astronaut program, how do the women's lives change? Give at least three examples.

Essay Topic 2

The Original Seven astronauts underwent medical and psychological testing as part of their selection process.

a. Describe the three tests conducted on the astronauts at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. What information were the psychologists trying to gain from these tests?

b. Why did Pete Conrad rebel as a result of all of the tests? Give one example of his rebellious streak from the Lovelace tests. Give one example of his rebellious streak from the Wright-Patterson tests.

Essay Topic 3

The mindset of a fighter jock, whether testing airplanes or riding on rockets, is different from the mindset of the "average" person. With the danger inherent in their daily occupational duties, the fighter jock mindset probably has to be different to continue to go up and push the envelope.

a. Describe the coping mechanisms the pilots had in place to help them deal with the enormous stress of their jobs.

b. Discuss the coping mechanisms the pilots' wives had in place to deal with the enormous stress of their husbands' jobs.

(see the answer keys)

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