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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. Who is the envelope Kelvin finds addressed to?

2. What startles Kelvin as he's getting out of his spacesuit?

3. When did Kelvin last see Rheya?

4. How does Kelvin know his way around the space station?

5. What did the physicists at first consider Solaris' ocean?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Kelvin react emotionally to the two sundresses on the floor?

2. What is Snow's reaction to Kelvin's description of Rheya as a woman he once loved who killed herself?

3. Describe the person Kelvin is shocked to see go into Gibarian's room.

4. Why does Kelvin launch the shuttle?

5. Why aren't Berton's experiences related in the Supplement that Gibarian's note directs Kelvin to?

6. Is Kelvin on time for his meeting with Snow?

7. Why does Kelvin take the Historia Solaris down from the bookshelf?

8. What reason does Kelvin give for his suggestion about the physical composition of the visitors?

9. Describe Kelvin's first view of Solaris.

10. How punctual does Kelvin say he is?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel Solaris, humanity has searched through the reaches of the galaxy and tried to explain what it has found. By far, the greatest mystery has been Solaris.

1) What reasons do Solarists and humanity in general have for trying to explain and understand Solaris, and the other things found in the galaxy?

2) Does "explaining" Solaris make the ocean into a reflection of humanity and human traits?

3) Are the Solarists looking for something spiritual, beyond the nature of humanity? If so, is it possible for humans to connect with the spiritual, outside of the human realm?

Essay Topic 2

In Solaris, Kelvin is faced with his most deeply held guilt and desire. Similarly, the other characters are faced with repressed desires and obsessions, ones that horrify them when they're brought into reality.

1) What does the novel say about mankind's knowledge of himself and his own desires?

2) Are people's deepest desires always confounded with guilt, shame, or other negative emotions?

2) Why can't the scientists, as Kelvin suggests at one point, learn to live openly with their visitors and adjust to the situation over time?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Kelvin's character and what Kelvin learns from his experiences on Solaris.

1) Does Kelvin grow and change throughout the story? How does his relationship with Rheya change?

2) Does Kelvin gain a deeper understanding of himself, the ocean, or mankind? If so, what understanding does he gain, and how does he gain it?

3) Why does Kelvin decide to stay on Solaris at the end of the novel? What does he hope to find or achieve on Solaris?

(see the answer keys)

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