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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Galileo demonstrate?
(a) The Earth is not the only planet.
(b) The moon does not orbit the Earth.
(c) The stars are fixed.
(d) The Sun is just a star.

2. Who was the first to discover moons around another planet?
(a) Galileo.
(b) Copernicus.
(c) Brahe.
(d) Kepler.

3. What scientist is well-known for writing about the differences between species of animals?
(a) Dawkins.
(b) Maxwell.
(c) Hawking.
(d) Darwin.

4. What fault does Sagan admit that science has?
(a) It is always inaccurate.
(b) It fails to uplift human spirits.
(c) It can only develop theories, not laws.
(d) It is marred by human perception and arrogance.

5. What was Neptune's position in the solar system as of the writing of this book?
(a) It's position was uncertain.
(b) It was the last known planet.
(c) It was third to last.
(d) It was last.

6. What does the Geocentric theory state?
(a) The Earth is a flat disc.
(b) The sun moves around the Earth.
(c) The Earth moves in a perfect circle.
(d) The planets and heavens are all fixed.

7. When probes enter the atmospheres of other planets, what color do they often see the sky to be?
(a) Yellow.
(b) Blue.
(c) Red.
(d) Black.

8. One feature that Sagan suggests would be easier to detect that human intelligence would be flatulence from what kind of animal?
(a) Krill.
(b) Cows.
(c) Plankton.
(d) Sheep.

9. What was the state of the knowledge and belief about life on other planets at the time the book was written?
(a) Scientists expected to find life on most of the planets and moons.
(b) No signs of life were known to exist.
(c) Most believed life on other planets was impossible.
(d) It was believed there was abundant life on Mars.

10. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that Sagan says life seems to be?
(a) Insignificant.
(b) Meaningless.
(c) Intentional.
(d) Absurd.

11. What are the records on the Voyager craft engraved in?
(a) Iron.
(b) Lead.
(c) Gold.
(d) Platinum.

12. What is notable about the stars in Sagan's distant picture of the Earth?
(a) They appear very close.
(b) Very few are visible.
(c) They have many different colors.
(d) An immense number are visible.

13. About how long does Sagan suggest that human beings have been "settled down"?
(a) 10,000 years.
(b) 1,000 years.
(c) 50,000 years.
(d) 100,000 years.

14. According to Sagan, when viewed from space, how apparent would the existence of life on Earth be?
(a) Impossible to discern.
(b) Obvious.
(c) Difficult to discern.
(d) Ambiguous.

15. What means does Sagan suggest that humans use to represent and express their desire to wander?
(a) Adventures.
(b) Stories and symbols.
(c) Trade.
(d) Colonization.

Short Answer Questions

1. What strange motion do all of the stars in the sky exhibit?

2. What does Sagan say is an easy way to visually identify planets?

3. What is unusual about Uranus's orientation?

4. What role does Sagan suggest that religion has played in the development of science?

5. The Voyager probes found large amounts of what element on Titan?

(see the answer keys)

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