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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. How does Vasilia agree to speak with Baley?

2. What amazes Baley as his investigation gets underway?

3. What does Vasilia insist RIA will do?

4. What is the Outside work party led by Elijah Baley planning to do?

5. What had brought Baley and Fastolfe together three years earlier?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain why Fastolfe hurls a large spicer at Baley.

2. Describe the circumstances of Baley's former relationship to Gladia.

3. Explain why Baley is both unfamiliar with and panicked by a storm.

4. What are Earth cities like at the time of the novel?

5. Describe the impact on the weather as Baley goes about trying to prove Fastolfe's innocence.

6. What is the odd thing about the Aurorans dislike for Earth?

7. Aside from assisting Baley, why is Daneel sent on this mission to bring the detective to Aurora?

8. How do Vasilia and her sister, Lumen, differ politically from their father?

9. How is Fastolfe preventing the robot-only expansion of the galaxy?

10. In what way is Daneel unique?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the subject, Judging Books by Their Covers. Using Giskard as an example, discuss how (1) intelligence and function have little to do with appearance of the robot, (2) how an android may appear human but lacks human emotion, and (3) how misjudging robots parallels mistakes in evaluating human beings.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the subject, Bigotry in ROBOTS OF DAWN. Points in the essay should include (1) Baley's being annoyed by Giskard, (2) Aurorans' obsessive-compulsive germ phobia, and (3) prejudices on Earth and Solaria as well as on Aurora.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typed, double-spaced pages on the subject, Why Mystery in THE ROBOTS OF DAWN brings Realism to Science Fiction. Points should include (1) the mystery genre as a believable occurrence, (2) how a realistic plot adds credibility to the science fiction, and (3) how the element of mystery moves the story along.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 646 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample