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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In 1973, the eruptions in Heimaey begin on January 23 and continue vigorously before diminishing in strength through when?
(a) March 1st.
(b) January 30th.
(c) February 25th.
(d) February 5th.

2. During Thorbjorn Sigurgeirsson's test run to cool lava by the coastline, what happens?
(a) Lava cools slightly, but it doesn't solidify.
(b) Water solidifies lava, but it doesn't cool completely.
(c) Water evaporates before it can solidify lava.
(d) Lava cools completely and stops flowing.

3. With "City Flow" moving towards them in Heimaey, what do pumping crews do?
(a) Abandon efforts and run away.
(b) Board a ship and leave.
(c) Dismantle and move equipment to save it.
(d) Send an emergency request for more crews and equipment.

4. What nickname do the residents of Heimaey give to Sveinn Eiriksson?
(a) Powell.
(b) Grant.
(c) Patton.
(d) Roosevelt.

5. Why do residents of Heimaey hose down oncoming lava?
(a) Because of local superstitions.
(b) Act of desperation in fear of the oncoming lava.
(c) It was attempted there before successfully.
(d) Create a chilled wall of lava to stop the flow.

6. When workers in Vestmannaeyjar hose down lava, why do they keep moving?
(a) Because the lava flow keeps shifting.
(b) To cool down other parts of the flow.
(c) To keep their boots from burning up.
(d) To stay warm in the cold climate.

7. For the most part, residents of Heimaey are what during the 1973 eruptions?
(a) Panicked.
(b) Indifferent.
(c) Frightened.
(d) Calm.

8. Even though Hawaii's Hilo is often threatened by lava flows, Hilo has thus far been protected because:
(a) A freshwater stream slows the lava flow.
(b) Of man-made barriers.
(c) Flows stop within a dozen to one mile of the port.
(d) A tall mountain stands between Hilo and the lava.

9. What childhood fear does Magnus Magnusson share with the author?
(a) Iceland will break in half.
(b) Heimaey will become a ghost town.
(c) Vestmannaeyjar will fall into the sea.
(d) Helgafell will erupt.

10. Sigurdur Jonsson is an Iceland resident who works on what?
(a) Fishing boats.
(b) Pumping crews.
(c) Tourism.
(d) Polar bear protection.

11. In gallons, how much water is pumped onto the lava flows of Heimaey each day?
(a) Thirteen thousand.
(b) Thirteen hundred.
(c) Thirty million.
(d) Thirty thousand.

12. How are residents and livestock evacuated from Heimaey during the 1973 eruptions?
(a) By ships, planes, and boats.
(b) By trains and planes.
(c) By ships and trains.
(d) By boats, trains, and planes.

13. What do doctors dispense to workers who are cooling down the lava in Iceland to soothe their hoarse throats?
(a) Icelandic throat lozenges.
(b) Swedish chest lozenges.
(c) Finnish cough drops.
(d) Norwegian chest drops.

14. Officials propose to protect Hilo, Hawaii's second-largest city and port, against lava flows through what?
(a) Relocation.
(b) Careful monitoring.
(c) Barriers.
(d) Plexiglass shields.

15. Thorbjorn Sigurgeirsson decides to try to stop the chunk of mountain moving towards Heimaey's town and harbor by:
(a) Blowing up the mountain with a thousand sticks of dynamite.
(b) Ordering a plane to drop a bomb on the mountain.
(c) Pumping seawater directly onto the mountain.
(d) Blocking the mountain with a natural barrier of cooled lava.

Short Answer Questions

1. The U.S. Army Air Corps' actions on an insulating vent on Mauna Loa volcano in 1935 result in what?

2. On January 23, 1973, the five thousand residents of Heimaey, the only populated island of Vestmannaeyjar, are threatened by what?

3. The Hawaiian Research Association forms for what purpose?

4. How tall does the erupting volcano in Heimaey grow to above sea level?

5. After work crews deal with the moving mountain on Iceland's erupting island, what challenge do they face?

(see the answer keys)

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