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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 Jubal discover about Michael and religion?

2. How does Michael appear?

3. Why does Michael think he may not be human?

4. How did the human baby return to Earth?

5. Where does Jill find Michael?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is grokking and how did Michael learn it?

2. What does it mean when Jill does as Michael insists?

3. What does Ben ask Jill to do at the hospital and how does she do it?

4. What happens when Madame Alexandra Vesant tries to cast Michael's chart and what does she say?

5. How many levels of his being can Michael control and what does he do in a dormant state?

6. What does Ben do with a tape of Michael's room and what is on it?

7. What bothers Duke about Michael and how does Jubal handle it?

8. What does Captain Tromp do with Michael when he returns to earth?

9. What does Mrs. Douglas do after her talk with her husband?

10. What does Ben do to try to get to talk to Michael and how does that turn out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To Michael and the Martians, no religion exists. Only the truth exists, and every Martian knows what this is. Religion has no word or concept on Mars.

1. Do you think the world would be different without religion? Why or why not?

2. Do you think the religion of a particular country is reflected in its culture? Why or why not?

3. If you were God looking at all the religions of the earth, what would you think? Use examples from history to illustrate your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Heinlein introduces a highly important Martian ritual, the sharing of water. This results in the creation of water brothers, people who are tightly coupled beyond the concepts of friendship and marriage.

1. Describe a human ceremony which may be a less tightly bonded version of the water brothers. Compare the two.

2. Do you think that a short ceremony, such as the sharing of water can bond people together? Why or why not?

3. How has the concept of water sharing illustrated the problems with communication between two alien cultures? Use examples from the book or history to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Michael brings conflict to Mahmoud's Islamic faith, as he does to nearly every religion on Earth--except for some Eastern beliefs--astral projection and levitation for examples.

1. Why do you think Michael's existence or abilities would threaten religion? Use examples from the book and/or your own life to support your opinion.

2. Given the history of religion and "heretics" on this earth, what do you think will be the religious institutions' response to Michael? Use examples from the book and/or from history to support your answer.

3. Given Michael's scanty understanding of human society and religion, why do you think Jubal is concerned about him having contact with the Fosterites?

(see the answer keys)

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