Essay Questions

--Term Test--

The Term Test will consist of 5 content questions worth 5 marks, 5 short answer questions (no more than 1 page) worth 5 marks each, and 1 longer essay questions (2-4 pages), worth 20 marks. Some of the questions on the term text (though not necessarily all of them!) will come from the lists below. You might want to sketch out answers to these questions beforehand to prepare for the test.

Shorter Questions

Name five conventions of an SF story, and give an example of each one from the assigned readings.

Is "It's a Good Life" an SF story? Support your argument by referring to concrete examples from the story.

Names and the use of names are important in "The Cold Equations". What is the author trying to say?

In "Nightfall" Anton the director of Saro University, Theremon the reporter, Sheerin the psychologist and Latimer the cultist represent different ideas. Describe the ideas associated with each.

Longer Questions

Ideas often take precedence over characterization in SF stories. Illustrate this using at least three of the assigned readings.

Describe the development of SF as a genre by referring to at least four of the assigned readings.