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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. Sagan worries about how societies of what type would handle the technology that could stop Earth-bound asteroids?

2. What does Martian soil seem to contain?

3. What does Sagan believe about weapons of mass destruction?

4. What planet is the "evening star"?

5. What is the farthest orbital location that humans have ventured to since the last time men went to the moon?

Short Essay Questions

1. What major environmental catastrophes does Sagan warn against in Chapter 14, "Exploring Other Worlds and Protecting One"?

2. How is Venus different from Earth?

3. What does Sagan want to see on Mars?

4. What does Sagan think were the major upsides of the Apollo missions?

5. What is unusual about the ring systems of the planets in our solar system?

6. What does Sagan conclude about the morality of terraforming and planetary colonization?

7. What location in the solar system either have or are believed to have once had volcanoes?

8. How well can an asteroid's path be calculated?

9. What profit motivations exist in a manned mission to Mars?

10. How does Sagan believe that humanity will progress in the next hundred or so generations?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Much of Sagan's discussion in this book centers on the idea that human beings are wanderers by nature. He sees this aspect of the human character as obvious and critical.

1) Explain Sagan's conception of how and why early humans were wanderers.

2) Discuss the ways that Sagan believes human beings cope with the desire to wander in the setting of increasingly sedentary civilizations.

3) Discuss some of the endeavors in space exploration described in the book in terms of the human desire to wander and explore.

4) Explain Sagan's opinion about how humans will become nomadic wanderers again in the future.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 1, Sagan discusses in detail the photo of the "pale blue dot" for which he named this book. He regards it as a singular and impressive symbol of man's place in the universe.

1) Describe how the photo of the "pale blue dot" was taken, the risks involved, and how Sagan was personally involved in its creation.

2) Describe the photo itself, using details from the book.

3) Explain how Sagan thinks that this photo demonstrates part of the triumph of the Voyager spacecraft.

4) Discuss in detail the meaning of this photo to Sagan and what it says to him about man's place in the universe.

Essay Topic 3

The Apollo Missions had an enormous impact on the field of space exploration, on the international status of the United States, and on the public's interest in space and science in general.

1) Describe the Apollo moon landings, their operation, mission, and the scientific information gained from them.

2) Discuss the effect that Sagan says the landings had on the international standing of the United States.

3) Explain how the moon landings impacted the field of space exploration and sparked the public's interest in the field. Cite Sagan's arguments to explain specific ways that this occurred.

(see the answer keys)

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