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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the astronauts rises early each morning to do his roadwork where everyone can see him?
(a) John Glenn.
(b) Wally Schirra.
(c) Gus Grissom.
(d) Deke Slayton.

2. Why is Pete Conrad transferred to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland?
(a) Because he is entering the Navy's test-pilot school.
(b) Because he has to prepare for combat missions in Korea.
(c) Because he requested a post involving less danger.
(d) Because he is promoted to Lieutenant.

3. What is the unofficial tradition at Cape Canaveral?
(a) No wives are allowed.
(b) The pilots work around the clock so they can get back to Langley.
(c) The pilots fly themselves to the Cape.
(d) No drinking is allowed.

4. What does every fighter jock also think of himself as?
(a) A being just beneath God.
(b) An ace driver.
(c) An indestructible force.
(d) A ladies' man.

5. What is the nightmare that Jane Conrad has repeatedly?
(a) That a test plane will crash into their house.
(b) That her husband leaves her.
(c) That Jane is in the pilot's seat of a doomed plane.
(d) That a figure is coming up the walk to tell her that her husband had been killed.

6. What is the Navy-calculated probability that a career Navy pilot will die in an aircraft accident?
(a) 7%
(b) 38%
(c) 23%
(d) 56%

7. While most fighter pilots revel in driving fast sports cars, John Glenn does not. What car does he drive?
(a) A Peugeot.
(b) A Civic.
(c) A Corvette.
(d) A Buick.

8. What did the astronauts most often hit in the procedures trainer?
(a) The oxygen stir handle.
(b) The abort handle.
(c) The communications button.
(d) The launch button.

9. What state is Chuck Yeager from?
(a) Minnesota.
(b) Florida.
(c) Kentucky.
(d) West Virginia.

10. What feature makes Pete Conrad different from a lot of other pilots?
(a) He speaks both English and Spanish.
(b) He is taller than average.
(c) He can't stand being trifled with.
(d) He is older than average.

11. What is the biggest challenge of landing on a carrier ship?
(a) Because the plane has to lose altitude so quickly.
(b) Because carrier ship landings are never discussed before attempting.
(c) Because the grey of the ship makes it hard to spot in the ocean.
(d) Because the ship is pitching and rolling in the sea.

12. When the book begins, where is the Naval Air Station that Pete Conrad is stationed at?
(a) Texas.
(b) California.
(c) Nevada.
(d) Florida.

13. Which of the astronauts is actually an atheist (although he told the press that he had previously "attended" a Christian Science church with his wife)?
(a) Scott Carpenter.
(b) Gus Grissom.
(c) John Glenn.
(d) Alan Shepard.

14. Why do fighter pilots have an intense dislike for flight surgeons?
(a) They hate needles.
(b) They would rather be flying than in a waiting room.
(c) They don't have good insurance.
(d) They don't want to be grounded for medical reasons.

15. When a pilot is in the air and looking down at the ground, what does he most often feel?
(a) Like it's time to get back to base.
(b) Grateful he has the opportunity to fly.
(c) Superior to the people below.
(d) Airsick.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which pilot waxes philosophical when asked at the press conference about family and religion (much to the surprise and astonishment of the other pilots)?

2. Why do the volunteers report to Lovelace?

3. By the end of the chapter, which one of the seven is beginning to assume the natural leadership role?

4. What are the pilots known by at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base?

5. Muroc Army Air Base is renamed in 1948. What is its new name?

(see the answer keys)

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