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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 does Snow call the visitors?

2. How long did it take for spacecraft to visit Solaris after its discovery?

3. Who does Kelvin see by Gibarian's body?

4. What does Rheya remember about the time while Kelvin was in the bathroom?

5. How does Kelvin feel when he sees the two dresses on the floor?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the person Kelvin is shocked to see go into Gibarian's room.

2. Describe the change in light between a red-sun day and a blue-sun day on Solaris.

3. What is Snow's reaction when Kelvin admits that he has had his first visitor?

4. Why does Kelvin launch the shuttle?

5. Why aren't Berton's experiences related in the Supplement that Gibarian's note directs Kelvin to?

6. Why is Kelvin surprised by his greeting when he approaches the research station?

7. What is Kelvin wearing when he arrives on the research station?

8. Why does Kelvin take the Historia Solaris down from the bookshelf?

9. What does Snow say that mankind is seeking in outer space?

10. Is Kelvin on time for his meeting with Snow?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss desire, shame, and secrets in the novel.

1) The scientists experience great shame about their visitors. Sartorius hides his visitor in his room. Snow hides his in a locker and never gives a hint of his, her, or its nature. Gibarian kills himself to prevent the discovery of his visitor by the others. Why do the scientists experience such great shame?

2) Kelvin desires Rheya, but he is also overcome with guilt and horror by her. Do the other scientists also desire their visitors at some level? What does this say about the relationship of desire and shame?

3) Why do the characters keep secrets from each other in the novel? Why do the scientists hide their visitors, even though the others can't know the deep-seated emotional connotations connected with those visitors?

Essay Topic 2

At a sub-molecular level, Rheya is not human. Yet, on a normal level, Rheya is indistinguishable from a human being. Discuss Rheya's status as a person.

1) Is it possible that Rheya has no real "thought" process and is merely mimicking the behavior of a sentient creature? How would Kelvin know?

2) Should Rheya be treated as a person, with the rights and privileges of a human being? To what extent is she a person?

3) Could Rheya know if her thought process was fundamentally completely different from others', as long as her actions were human-like, and would it matter?

Essay Topic 3

In Solaris, Kelvin is faced with his most deeply held guilt and desire. Similarly, the other characters are faced with repressed desires and obsessions, ones that horrify them when they're brought into reality.

1) What does the novel say about mankind's knowledge of himself and his own desires?

2) Are people's deepest desires always confounded with guilt, shame, or other negative emotions?

2) Why can't the scientists, as Kelvin suggests at one point, learn to live openly with their visitors and adjust to the situation over time?

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