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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. What can Michael do to his metabolism?

2. What happens when Ben demands to see Michael?

3. What does Michael do when he wants to think things over?

4. Why does Ben demand to see Michael?

5. What does Jill tell Jubal about Ben?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mrs. Douglas do after her talk with her husband?

2. What does the book say about human behavior and reproduction?

3. What does Gillian give Michael and what does he insist she do?

4. How does Jill get Michael out of the hospital and where do they go?

5. What does Duke brag about in relation to Michael and what does Jubal tell him?

6. Who went to Mars 25 years before the beginning of this book and what happened to them?

7. What does Jill tell Jubal about Ben and what does he do?

8. What happens to Ben after he leaves the hospital?

9. What bothers Duke about Michael and how does Jubal handle it?

10. What kind of writing does Jubal Hershaw do and how does he do it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In carnival slang, a blowout is an ending act that leaves the crowd impressed and willing to buy. Patty, with her extensive carnival experience, correctly identifies Michael's martyrdom as the quintessential blowout.

1. Why do you think Michael chose to end his life in this way? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Do you think the way Michael died will affect the church? How?

3. How did you feel about the way Michael's friends reacted to his death?

Essay Topic 2

Heinlein introduces a highly important Martian ritual, the sharing of water. This results in the creation of water brothers, people who are tightly coupled beyond the concepts of friendship and marriage.

1. Describe a human ceremony which may be a less tightly bonded version of the water brothers. Compare the two.

2. Do you think that a short ceremony, such as the sharing of water can bond people together? Why or why not?

3. How has the concept of water sharing illustrated the problems with communication between two alien cultures? Use examples from the book or history to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

All human behavior, all human motivations, all man's hopes and fears, were heavily colored and largely controlled by mankind's tragic and oddly beautiful pattern of reproduction.

1. Why do you think human motivations and cultures would be so influenced by reproduction?

2. How do you think the animals on earth are influenced by reproduction?

3. If humans began to reproduce strictly by science how do you think that would change humanity?

(see the answer keys)

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