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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 Richard was walking his first date home, he complimented her on her pretty what?

2. Richard attended some meetings in Poland inside the palace. What was painted on the ceiling of the palace?

3. When Richard was a small boy, what did his father read to him?

4. In Part 1, Richard mentions an artist friend who stated that scientists take beautiful flowers apart and then the flowers become what?

5. When Richard joined the same group as Arlene, he found out that she had a boyfriend named what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what happened when Richard showed up at Barbara's house to take her out on their date.

2. What happened when Gweneth realized that she had lost a roll of film?

3. When did Richard finally cry after his wife passed away?

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

5. What did Richard's friends, Al Hibbs and Dick Davies, tell Richard he should do about being asked to be on the investigation committee of the Challenger accident?

6. What did Richard tell his wife about the Palace of Culture and Science?

7. Why were there a lot of new buildings in Warsaw, Poland?

8. When Richard was in graduate school at Princeton, there was a psychology paper that came up about controlling the "time sense" in the brain. How did the author of this paper test his theory?

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 the section, Photos and Drawings was included in the book? What significance do they have to the rest of the book that Richard has written? Describe how seeing the photos and letters help the reader to connect with the stories.

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

Describe one of your favorite individuals in the book. Expound on their characteristics and values that you find intriguing. Describe what their importance in the book was.

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