Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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Critical Reading
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1.
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What
does Clarke predict in his prophetic essay “We’ll Never Conquer
Space”? a. | Our technology
will not allow us to explore space any farther. | b. | Inability to
communicate will hinder space travel. | c. | Humans’ inability to comprehend space will prohibit us
from going beyond the confines of our solar system. | d. | Travel across
interstellar space, unlike modern travel on Earth, will always isolate travelers from those left at
home. | | |
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2.
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Which
is an example of a memorable phrase Clarke uses in “We’ll Never Conquer Space” to
convince readers of his viewpoint? a. | “The ants have covered the world but have they conquered
it . . . ?” | b. | “Such a
statement may sound ludicrous, now that our rockets are already 100 million
miles beyond the moon . . . ” | c. | “. . . radio and light
waves travel at the same limited speed of 186,000 miles a second.” | d. | “Imagine a
vast ocean, sprinkled with islands—some desert, others perhaps
inhabited.” | | |
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3.
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In
“We’ll Never Conquer Space,” what is Clarke’s main prophecy? a. | We don’t
have the technology to conquer space. | b. | The vastness of space prevents us from conquering
it. | c. | Humans are
intimidated by the vastness of space. | d. | Our concept of the vastness of space is
limited. | | |
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4.
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In
“We’ll Never Conquer Space,” why does Clarke mention the time lag caused by
communicating on a planetary or stellar basis? a. | to show how inadequate our technology
is | b. | to emphasize the
vastness of space | c. | to make a point about the speed of radio and light
waves | d. | to convey how isolated space travelers would be from
Earth | | |
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5.
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What
does Clarke mean by this statement in “We’ll Never Conquer
Space”?
Because we have
annihilated distance on this planet, we imagine that we can do it once again.
a. | Distance no
longer means anything to us. | b. | We will be able to move from planet to planet as quickly as we
can get around on Earth. | c. | Since people travel incredible distances on Earth without
disrupting their lives, they think they will be able to do the same in
space. | d. | Our planet seems small and insignificant to
us. | | |
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6.
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According to “We’ll Never Conquer Space,” what would prevent
instantaneous communication with a person on another planet? a. | inferior
communications technology | b. | the time transmissions take to cross such
distances | c. | radio wave interference | d. | difference in
time between one planet and the other | | |
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7.
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In
addition to making his own prediction in his prophetic essay, “We’ll Never Conquer
Space,” Clarke is also a. | displaying his technical knowledge. | b. | recounting the
history of space exploration. | c. | painting a picture of humanity’s place in the
universe. | d. | casting doubt on the existing laws of
physics. | | |
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8.
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In
“We’ll Never Conquer Space,” when Clarke compares space to a “vast ocean
sprinkled with islands,” he makes the point that a. | there are too
many planets to be explored. | b. | the distances between stars are so great that exploration would
be impossible. | c. | current space technology is as primitive as a dugout
canoe. | d. | the distances between stars would forever separate space
travelers from Earth, just as island residents were separated from their original
culture. | | |
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9.
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Which
does Clarke assume as an unchangeable fact in “We’ll Never Conquer
Space”? a. | Nothing can move
faster than the speed of light. | b. | Telephone technology is at its peak. | c. | Spaceflight
technology may improve some, but not much. | d. | Humans will never comprehend a number like
109. | | |
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10.
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In
“We’ll Never Conquer Space,” Clarke asks us to picture an object five feet away, with
nothing around it for 1,000 miles. He uses this image to illustrate the a. | difference
between travel on earth and travel in space. | b. | distance to our
moon versus the distance to the sun. | c. | difference between our nearest star and the next
galaxy. | d. | distance to the nearest planet as opposed to the distance to
the nearest star. | | |
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11.
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Given
his use of the word might, what is Clarke doing in this statement from “We’ll Never
Conquer Space”?
This achievement
[harnessing nuclear energy for spaceflight], which will be witnessed within a century, might appear
to make even the solar system a comfortable, homely place, with such giant planets as Saturn and
Jupiter playing much the same role in our thoughts as do Africa or Asia today.
a. | He is partially
agreeing to the opposing viewpoint for persuasive effect. | b. | He is stating
when nuclear-powered spaceflight will be achieved. | c. | He is creating a
picture of how we would view our solar system. | d. | He is guessing
about the consequences of nuclear-powered spaceflight. | | |
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12.
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How
should a critical reader respond when seeing the word never in an essay? a. | Accept this as a
fact. | b. | Assume that the writer is using the term
loosely. | c. | Be suspicious of an
overgeneralization. | d. | Assume that the writer researched the issue and is
correct. | | |
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13.
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How
would a reader best challenge this statement from “We’ll Never Conquer
Space”?
These suns are on
the average five light-years apart; in other words, we can never get from one to the next in less
than five years.
a. | Are our measurements of the distances between the suns
accurate? | b. | This assumes that faster-than-light travel is not possible. Is
this a valid assumption? | c. | This assumes we can even get to the first sun. How far away is
it? | d. | Are the suns
habitable? | | |
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14.
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Which
sentence in “We’ll Never Conquer Space” expresses Clarke’s prediction about what
would happen if humans colonize space? a. | “For the universe has two aspects—its scale, and its
overwhelming, mind-numbing complexity.” | b. | “Before
such numbers, even spirits brave enough to face the challenge of the light-years must
quail.” | c. | “We have left the realm of human comprehension in our vain
effort to grasp the scale of the universe; so it must always be, sooner rather than
later.” | d. | “So it will be with us as we spread outwards from Mother
Earth, loosening the bonds of kinship and understanding.” | | |
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15.
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In
“We’ll Never Conquer Space,” why does Clarke say humans will never venture back from
Vega of the Lyre, “the brightest star of the northern skies”? a. | It is so
pleasant that people would not want to leave. | b. | Given the
average human life span, it is unlikely someone could make a round trip. | c. | We will never
have the technology to go there. | d. | It is uninviting and uninhabitable. | | |
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Vocabulary and Grammar
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16.
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Clarke maintains that a time lag in communication between Earth and the stars would be
inevitable, or a. | intolerable. | c. | unavoidable. | b. | tolerable. | d. | conquerable. | | | | |
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17.
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Clarke identifies 61 Cygni as an enigma, meaning that it a. | is unlike any
other star. | b. | was only recently discovered. | c. | is
unapproachable because it is so far away. | d. | poses a perplexing riddle. | | |
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18.
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Identify the sentence that contains a linking verb. a. | “Self-contained cosmic arks . . . may be another
solution . . .” | b. | “Imagine a
vast ocean, sprinkled with islands.” | c. | “But the messages will take minutes . . . on their journey . . .” | d. | “Returning
messengers could report what had happened on the nearest colony—five years
ago.” | | |
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