1. What event do the inhabitants of Earth see as inevitable?
(a) Catastrophic destruction caused by a meteorite from space landing in an inhabited city.
(b) The overpopulation of Earth.
(c) Continued cosmic bombardment of the Moon, causing additional scarring of the "face."
(d) The destruction of the city of Venice by a tsunami, caused by the eruption of Krakatoa.

2. What is the name of the author whose book inspired Dr. Stenton to become an astronomer?
(a) Carl Sagan.
(b) H.G. Wells.
(c) Arthur C. Clarke.
(d) Jules Verne.

3. What is the object that is first cataloged as 31/439?
(a) A chunk of space junk that is tracked by the super computers until it crashes into Mars.
(b) The mysterious object that became known as Rama.
(c) One of Saturn's rings.
(d) One of Jupiter's moons.

4. According to Chapter 1, what happens after the initial shock wore off in 2077?
(a) A great war broke out that caused losses of more than a trillion dollars.
(b) The people of Earth became united and determined.
(c) The wealth of the world was squandered as many countries attempted to destroy weapons launched at their citizens.
(d) Skills long forgotten were revived and taught in colleges and universities.

5. What words does the author use to portray the vast majority of asteroids?
(a) "...were almost always under 500 kilos and small enough to fit in a backyard swimming pool."
(b) "... were just under forty kilometers in diameter."
(c) "...were simply massive rocks the size of a small car."
(d) "... were merely oversize boulders that would fit into a small park."