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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. Three days downstream on their expedition, Rod and Roy find how many girls in a small cave?

2. In Chapter 10, what position does Grant ask Rod to assume after Rod insists that changes must be made?

3. What is the new name given to the settlement, as mentioned early in Chapter 14?

4. What unusual sight do Rod and his companions see on Cliff's farm, in Chapter 15?

5. Why does Rod initially turn down the position offered to him by Grant in Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. A strange migration of what creatures threatens the students' settlement?

2. What two characters on Earth were married while Rod and his friends are stranded on the unknown planet?

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

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

5. When rescuers arrive, who is the only student who refuses to return home?

6. At the end of the novel, what is Rod doing?

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

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

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

10. What demands does Rod make of Grant in Chapter 10, before agreeing to serve as his city manager?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What is the primary role of Jimmy in the novel? Is his comic relief a comfort to the other students? How does the character of Jimmy grow from the beginning of the novel, when he nearly skips the final survival exam due to fear, to the end of the novel, when he is a solid husband and father?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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