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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 element is needed to power the transport tunnels?
2. At Emigrants' Gap, Rod watches emigrants from the Australasian Republic being sent to a destination planet known as what?
3. What number does Rod draw, for entering the gate to the unknown planet?
4. Rod's friend jokes that their survival instructor would eat what, without salt?
5. What rare treat does Jack share with Rod during their first meal together?
Short Essay Questions
1. What sort of test does the main character, Rod Walker, contemplate taking at the beginning of "Tunnel in the Sky," and what is his reaction to learning that the test is eminent?
2. How does Jack finally convince Rod that they are not on Terra?
3. Why is Chapter 6 titled, "I Think He's Dead?"
4. Why does Helen advise Rod not to carry a gun during his survival final exam on an unknown planet?
5. Why is Chapter 2 titled, "The Fifth Way?"
6. Why does Deacon Matson fail several students before they even start their final exam?
7. Why does Helen choose to tell Rod about his parents' decision, despite telling them that she would not reveal their plan?
8. List several ways in which the futuristic Earth of "Tunnel in the Sky" differs from our present-day planet.
9. Describe the invention of Dr. Jesse Evelyn Ramsbotham, as compared with the item he intended to invent.
10. Who does Rod finally agree to partner with, before traveling through the gate to an unknown planet?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In his numerous works of fiction, Robert A. Heinlein managed to predict many items that exist today, including waterbeds and online newspapers. Nevertheless, every work of fiction exists in the slice of time during which it was written, even when the story is set in the future. Do the anachronisms in "Tunnel in the Sky"--from societal attitudes to slang, from racial stereotypes to scientific advancements--add entertainment value or hinder the modern reader's immersion in the story?
Essay Topic 2
Why do Deacon Matson and Helen believe that students are better off not carrying guns during their final exam on an unknown planet? How is their philosophy proved correct or incorrect as the novel progresses? How does this relate to Heinlein's attitude toward violence?
Essay Topic 3
What elements must be present in order for a novel to be classified as science fiction? How do descriptions early in the novel lead the reader into the world of "Tunnel in the Sky," creating the situations and showcasing the technologies necessary for the plot to develop? What is the author's attitude regarding the technologies he imagines in this world?
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This section contains 857 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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