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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. Where does Cal go after learning about the plane crash in Chapter 13?

2. In what spacecraft did the first African American female astronaut go to space?

3. Where is Cal supposed to start an internship next week in Chapter 3?

4. Near where did the plane crash, according to the news reports in Chapter 13?

5. What did Leon have a budding career in before he was forced to relocate for his mother's job?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who is Mark Bannon in the novel?

3. Describe Cal's dad. What has his career been like until the opening of the novel? How does it change?

4. How is the Tucker home described?

5. How does Cal describe his family life early in the novel?

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

7. What item of clothing does Cal restrain from wearing in Texas on most occasions? Why?

8. How does Cal describe the way he is perceived by others in the opening of the novel?

9. Why would Cal's career ambitions be threatened if his father were accepted at NASA?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of competition and selfishness in The Gravity of Us. How are these themes developed through character and setting? How is the theme of competition explored by the author? Is competition perceived of as healthy? What characters demonstrate selfishness?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Cal's actions against StarWatch in The Gravity of Us. Why does Cal take offense at StarWatch and the way the network portrays the astronauts and their families? Who does Cal solicit to help him expose StarWatch? What becomes of StarWatch at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss Cal's character arc in The Gravity of Us. How does Cal change from the beginning of the novel to the end? What events and characters evoke these changes? How has Cal's perspective evolved in the course of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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