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

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

3. In Chapter 14, who disobeys Rod's order to go to work?

4. When Rod and Roy return from their expedition, what do they find in place of the partially constructed stone wall?

5. In Chapter 8, who is the first person elected to be group leader?

Short Essay Questions

1. Under Grant's leadership, how frequently are town meetings held?

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

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

4. Why, according to Caroline, is Carmen unable to relocate to a new place?

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

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

7. Why does Rod banish Jock and his friends, four older boys, from the colony?

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

9. Why are Rod and Roy slow to return from their expedition?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Rod's dream job? Why is such a job important in his world? How do his experiences throughout "Tunnel in the Sky" prepare him for such a career? Why does he almost abandon his dreams near the end of the novel, when rescuers arrive?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample