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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 is the name of Cal's mother?

2. Where did Cal first meet Deb?

3. To what floor does Leon take Cal in the beginning of Chapter 11?

4. What season and episode of Shooting Stars is featured in the end of Chapter 6?

5. Where is Deb working in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cal know Deb?

2. Who is Jeremy and what role does he play in the novel?

3. What is Cal's social media outlet, and what is his standing in the beginning of the novel?

4. Who does Cal interview at NASA in Chapter 12? Why does this become important?

5. How does Cal perceive his version of journalism to mainstream journalism in Chapter 1?

6. What is StarWatch, and how would you compare it to contemporary media?

7. How is the Orpheus project described in Chapter 1?

8. How do Cal and Leon differ in their perspectives of the future?

9. Why does Cal become upset over a message in Chapter 8?

10. Where does Cal spend time with Leon at the party in Chapter 9? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the narrative style in The Gravity of Us. From what perspective is the story related? In what tense is it related? Why are these choices important?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of old versus new media in The Gravity of Us. What symbolism relates to this theme? What statement(s) do you think the author is making about new media? How are new and old media juxtaposed in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's allusions to mythology in The Gravity of Us. What are some examples of Greek mythology that appear in the text? What do they reference, and how do these allusions relate to the plot and themes of the novel? How do they relate to the novel's characters?

(see the answer keys)

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