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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 Kelvin keep in his wallet?

2. What did the biologists at first consider Solaris' ocean?

3. How did Rheya die?

4. What happens when Kelvin goes into the restroom?

5. How does Kelvin explain the gaps in Rheya's memory to her?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Who was the first human to die in Solaris's ocean?

4. Explain the term "no appreciable relation to reality" as the president of the committee uses it to describe Berton's report.

5. What do the scientists see when the cover falls off Sartorius' video phone?

6. Why does Kelvin launch the shuttle?

7. Why does Kelvin blame himself for Rheya's death?

8. Describe the research station as Kelvin first sees it.

9. What does Kelvin feel as he goes into his room on the space station?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The ocean of Solaris is an active force in moving the story forward, and yet that ocean is incomprehensible to humans.

1) How does the author make Solaris' ocean a character in the novel while retaining its unknowability?

2) Are the reader's expectations of consciousness reflected in the way the reader interprets the story? Does the reader "read into" the ocean, and see sentience where there may be none?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how Solaris' ocean can be seen as a metaphor for God.

1) Solaris' ocean creates a semblance of human beings, even bringing the dead back to life, at least on one level. In what ways can Solaris' creative power be compared to a god?

2) Solaris' ocean is beyond human understanding. In what ways can Solaris' unknowability be compared to a god?

3) Is Solaris' ocean in any way fundamentally different from a god?

Essay Topic 3

The ocean of Solaris is a life form that is inexplicable both from a physics perspective and from a human consciousness perspective.

1) Can mankind ever understand anything that's truly different from itself, and does this preclude an understanding of Solaris?

2) Do any of the explanations advanced for Solaris' ocean define it outside of the context of humanity, or are they all reflections of human experience?

(see the answer keys)

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