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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. Who does the president recall attempted to help him by exposing Senator Sexton's affair months before but that he refused?

2. What does Michael explain that the fossil imprint fits in with that could mean it's from the ocean?

3. What does Ekstrom say he is aware of about Pickering regarding NASA in Chapter 85?

4. Who is quickly eaten by sharks after the cable for the Triton is cut on the Goya?

5. What does Gabrielle find a coincidence regarding a meteor suddenly appearing while talking with Chris Harper at NASA?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the scientists on the Goya discover after finding a photo of an organism similar to the meteorite?

2. How is the Delta Fore assassination described in Chapter 96?

3. How does Rachel escape the Triton with Michael's help after it sinks?

4. How does the Coast Guard save Michael and Rachel at the Goya?

5. How does Gabrielle get to the fourth floor of NASA headquarters?

6. What does Ekstrom tell the president when he calls him in Chapter 111?

7. How does Michael use the Triton to defend himself against the Delta Force?

8. Why is Gabrielle stuck in traffic in Chapter 100?

9. What happens when Corky goes for a motorboat after the Delta Force arrives on the Goya?

10. How does Rachel describe the expander cycle engine to Michael and Corky?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although not the greatest evil present in the book, Senator Sexton offers the reader a look inside megalomania and politics through his character.

Part 1.) How is Senator Sexton's true nature uncovered by the end of the book?

Part 2.) How does Senator Sexton portray megalomania and greed in the book?

Part 3.) What is telling of Senator Sexton's nature based on his refusal to keep Rachel's fax hidden to ensure her safety?

Essay Topic 2

True to its title, the book does a good job of deceiving the readers leading them down many paths with no real truth and honesty found.

Part 1.) How does the author deceive the reader with characters like Marjorie Tench and Lawrence Ekstrom who seemed motivated to falsify the meteorite finding?

Part 2.) How does the author present several levels of deception in the book with the inclusion of Senator Sexton's bribery scheme?

Part 3.) What might the author be saying about the nature of politics and power based on his portrayal of deception in the book?

Essay Topic 3

The character Rachel is one of the leads in the book and brings an interesting level of knowledge and depth to the book.

Part 1.) What role does Rachel's job as intelligence liaison to the White House play in her ability to stay alive in the book?

Part 2.) How is the author able to humanize Rachel's character by noting her fear of open water?

Part 3.) What impact might Rachel's difficult relationship with her father play in her survival instincts in the book?

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