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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 say about Kelvin's arrival?

2. How did Rheya die?

3. Which sun sets after Kelvin has showed and changed?

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

5. Where does Snow say that Sartorius is?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What reason does Kelvin give for his suggestion about the physical composition of the visitors?

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

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

5. Why do Sartorius, Snow, and Kelvin cover the cameras on their videophones?

6. Describe the view of Solaris that Kelvin first sees from his room.

7. Was Gibarian dead when Snow found him?

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

9. Describe Snow.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Kelvin's character and what Kelvin learns from his experiences on Solaris.

1) Does Kelvin grow and change throughout the story? How does his relationship with Rheya change?

2) Does Kelvin gain a deeper understanding of himself, the ocean, or mankind? If so, what understanding does he gain, and how does he gain it?

3) Why does Kelvin decide to stay on Solaris at the end of the novel? What does he hope to find or achieve on Solaris?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

One of the main dreams of Solarists is contact with the ocean, and so one of the major thematic elements in Solaris is communication.

1) What are the obstacles to communication in Solaris, both between the ocean and the scientists and between the human characters? What is the effect of a lack of communication?

2) Does the ocean attempt to communicate with the scientists?

3) Is communication possible with the ocean?

(see the answer keys)

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