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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The reference to the five giants is referring to what group of five?
(a) Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Eunomia, and Vesta.
(b) The five most famous astronomers in history: Brahe, Galilei, Kepler, Copernicus, and Ptolemy.
(c) The five giant asteroids that orbit the Sun.
(d) The five biggest moons of Jupiter.

2. According to Chapter 11, with whom does the Commander have a brief romantic encounter?
(a) The Archeologist.
(b) The Ambassador.
(c) The Exobiolotist.
(d) The Surgeon Commander.

3. What are the only items the explorers must bring to Rama?
(a) Air tanks, water, and thermosuits.
(b) Food, water, and thermosuits.
(c) Water, food, and rebreathers.
(d) Food, water, and airsuits.

4. Most asteroids tracked by Spaceguard are described as having this sort of orbit.
(a) Orbits that keep asteroids within the confines of the asteroid belt.
(b) Orbits that posed a possible danger to Earth.
(c) Orbits that lay beyond Mars.
(d) Orbits dissimilar to Earth's orbit around the Sun.

5. What is a light curve?
(a) A slow variation in the brilliance of all asteroids.
(b) The degree to which an asteroid's orbit bends.
(c) The extent to which an asteroid waxes over a period of hours.
(d) The extent to which an asteroid wanes over a period of hours.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Baked Alaska mentioned in Chapter 14?

2. Where does Dr. Bose currently reside?

3. Rama is compared to what ordinary object?

4. What location is home to more than a million people who had their hearing permanently damaged in 2077?

5. How expensive is time on a big orbiting telescope?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Dr. Stenton discover about Rama after he processed the results from viewing the asteroid with a big orbiting telescope?

2. Compare and contrast the substance found at the bottom of the Straight Valley and the Cylindrical Sea.

3. SPACEGUARD computers are used for what purpose?

4. Is Professor Davidson interested in finding out more about Rama?

5. What is cocooning or mothballing, as referred to in Chapter 14?

6. What do believers in the Pandora movement believe in?

7. What precautions are taken to ensure the exploration party will be safe on Rama?

8. After the initial news media fuss, why did all the world forget about Rama, except for the astronomers?

9. Why will the equipment at Camp Alpha be left behind at the end of the exploration of Rama?

10. What lesson does Commander Norton believe he has learned after seeing the Straight Valley?

(see the answer keys)

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