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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. Under Grant's leadership, who is appointed as the historian of the group?

2. When Rod and Roy finally return to the settlement at the end of Chapter 11, who is the first person to spot them?

3. The title of Chapter 12 is a quote from which character?

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

5. During his campaign speech in Chapter 8, what does Grant state is the most important invention of mankind?

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

3. Who finally convinces Rod to return home to Earth?

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

5. Why do Bob and Carmen ask to wait a day when their friends consider abandoning Grant's rule and forming a new colony?

6. Early in Chapter 8, how is Jack injured?

7. Who becomes the first elected mayor of the student settlement in Chapter 8?

8. What happens to Grant during the dopey joes' aggressive period?

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

10. What creature attacks Roy, surprising him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Robert A. Heinlein perceive the roles and capabilities of men and women? Cite examples from the novel. In what ways does his perception seem quaint, given the fact that the novel was first published in 1955? Is Heinlein a sexist, by today's standards?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the governmental styles of Rod Walker and Grant Cowper. How are the two ultimately able to work together, despite their differences? What does this say about Heinlein's attitudes toward democracy and dictatorship, cooperation and autonomy?

Essay Topic 3

Rod Walker, the protagonist of the novel, is confronted by many antagonists--some real, some imagined. How does Rod typically deal with antagonists who disagree with him or try to thwart his purposes? What characters or creatures seem to be antagonists at first, but eventually turn out not to be? What characters or creatures seem benign at first, but eventually turn out to be antagonists?

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