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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 do H&MP lessons teach?

2. Who has Rico made proud?

3. What does Rico suffer in his first practice session using the suit?

4. What does Rico claim that training is as planned as?

5. What does one look like when suited up?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are most pilots women?

2. How do Rico's parents receive the news that he is going to join the army?

3. What is Rico's job upon landing?

4. Describe the release of the capsules in Chapter 1.

5. In what ways does training becoming harder in Chapter 4?

6. What does Jejal tell his troops?

7. Describe Sergeant Zim.

8. Why does the fleet sergeant discourage the two boys from joining the army?

9. In what way does the army make things tough for the recruits?

10. What is Rico's opinion of boot camp in retrospect?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Heinlein's representation of earth. What does Heinlein's earth say about his political beliefs? Why do the students think only veterans of federal service can vote? Could this be called a military government? In what way does Heinlein's earth reflect problems in 1950s society?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the recruitment process Heinlein portrays in the book. Is Mr. Dubois basically working as a teacher to find army recruits? What alternative opinions do the students think Rico has available to him? Why is Mr. Dubois and the government teaching such ideology when at the time there is no war? Does such ideology gear a population for war?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the values of 1950s America.

1) Why was spirituality finding oneself such an issue during this time?

2) In what ways are the characters' negative characteristics a product of their time? Do you think America was going through a transitional phase in the fifties? What significant changes do you think occurred during this period?

3) Does modern society share any values with fifties America?

(see the answer keys)

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