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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. Richard's father told him that when an atom makes a transition from one state to another, it emits a particle of light called what?

2. Richard decided to attend a new shrine dedication; what were the kids doing during the ceremony?

3. What did Richard's mother teach him were the highest forms of understanding?

4. After Richard graduated from college where did he decide to further his education?

5. When Richard's father was teaching him about birds and why they peck at their feathers, what did his father tell him the lice eat flakes of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Richard tell Gweneth he'd be doing for six months, and what did he do after he said this to her?

2. How did Richard's friend from Los Alamos explain to him how she may have mistakenly thought that he knew Herman?

3. How did Richard's father make the Tyrannosaurus Rex more understandable and more real to Richard when he was young?

4. What beauty did Richard state he could see in a flower?

5. What happens to the large central part of the shuttle a few minutes after a shuttle launch?

6. In Getting Ahead, how did Richard reply to the taxi driver when asked why his "people" weren't getting anywhere?

7. What did the policeman do while Richard followed the procession?

8. Describe what Richard looked like when he was performing one of his "experiments" and he forgot to lock the door and someone walked in on him.

9. What other projects did Richard have going on at the time when he was asked to participate in the Challenger investigation?

10. When Richard is describing the shuttle, what does he say is the large, central part of the shuttle, and what does this part contain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Richard had such a hard time believing in the miracles that he learned about in Sunday school? Explain what Richard's feelings were toward the stories that were told in church and how that shaped him for his life to come. Reference the book to support your thoughts.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the events of the O-ring ice water demonstration that Richard performs at one of the meetings of the commission. What objects did Richard need to complete this demonstration and why did he need those particular objects?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think feminist group in Feynman Sexist Pig was so offended by the stories that Richard had told concerning the police officer and about the astronomer and his girlfriend? Do you think the feminist group had a right to be upset by the stories that Richard had told in his lectures? Do you think Richard handled the feminist group in the right way? Why or why not? Why do you think the protesters changed their minds so easily when they saw Richard in San Francisco at the American Association of Physics Teachers meeting? Do you think Richard was a sexist pig like the protesters claimed? Use specific information from the book to support your ideas and answers.

(see the answer keys)

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