View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is Rod's family home?

2. Why does one of the new arrivals burst into tears when arriving at the shelter at the end of Chapter 7?

3. What sort of entrée does Rod enjoy during his meal at home in Chapter 2?

4. Once through the gate to the unknown planet, who is the first classmate Rod sees?

5. Why does Rod arrive late for his final exam?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Rod decide to sleep during his first night on an unknown planet, and what unforeseen difficulty does he experience?

2. What unusual phenomenon do Jack and Rod see in the sky at the end of Chapter 5, in addition to the pentagonal constellation?

3. Where has Rod's new partner, Jack, been sleeping?

4. Why is Chapter 6 titled, "I Think He's Dead?"

5. At the end of Chapter 7, who joins Rod, Jack, and Jimmy in their cave settlement?

6. Why do Rod, Jack, and Jimmy decide to signal other students to join their group?

7. Where does Rod believe he and the other students have been abandoned?

8. What advice does Deacon Matson give Rod, regarding the final exam?

9. List several ways in which the futuristic Earth of "Tunnel in the Sky" differs from our present-day planet.

10. What sort of test does the main character, Rod Walker, contemplate taking at the beginning of "Tunnel in the Sky," and what is his reaction to learning that the test is eminent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do Deacon Matson and Helen believe that students are better off not carrying guns during their final exam on an unknown planet? How is their philosophy proved correct or incorrect as the novel progresses? How does this relate to Heinlein's attitude toward violence?

Essay Topic 2

What clues does the author provide as the novel progresses that dopey joes may not be mere harmless, slow, clumsy creatures? What ultimate impact do the dopey joes have on the settlement created by the stranded students? What lesson does Heinlein wish to impart, by showcasing the dramatic changes exhibited by the dopey joes?

Essay Topic 3

In his numerous works of fiction, Robert A. Heinlein managed to predict many items that exist today, including waterbeds and online newspapers. Nevertheless, every work of fiction exists in the slice of time during which it was written, even when the story is set in the future. Do the anachronisms in "Tunnel in the Sky"--from societal attitudes to slang, from racial stereotypes to scientific advancements--add entertainment value or hinder the modern reader's immersion in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 881 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample