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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 happens to Grant near the end of Chapter 13?

2. Which member of the settlement is an aspiring medical student?

3. Why don't Bob and Carmen want to leave with their friends immediately following the elections in Chapter 8?

4. In Chapter 15, what personal news does Deacon Matson reveal to Rod?

5. What does Jimmy give to Bob and Carmen as a wedding present?

Short Essay Questions

1. During a square dance in Chapter 14, what do almost all of the students say they would do if rescuers come?

2. What does Deacon Matson finally define as a stobor?

3. How do Rod and Caroline clash the first time they try to hunt together?

4. Why do Rod and Roy embark on an expedition downstream from their settlement?

5. The first part of Chapter 11 is told from whose point of view?

6. Who stands up for Bob and Carmen during their wedding ceremony?

7. Where does Rod think the students should move their colony?

8. How does Grant use the incident between Rod and Jock in Chapter 8 to overthrow Rod from his leadership position?

9. What do Grant and Rod build in an attempt to protect their camp from the stampeding animals?

10. What vote do the students make while Rod is recovering from the dopey joe attack?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the family dynamics of the Walker family, as depicted early in the novel. Why do Rod's parents conceal from him the fact that Rod's father is terminally ill and the fact that both of Rod's parents plan to be frozen for twenty years in the hope that a cure will be found? How do the family dynamics change by the final chapter, as a result of Rod's new life experiences and the passage of time?

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

Describe the main character's changing perception of "stobor" throughout the novel. What, ultimately, is a "stobor?" Why should everyone watch out for "stobor?"

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