Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What specific role does Sven Olsen perform in the construction team on the space station?
Answer
He specialises in collecting floating girders in free fall and fusing them together.
Question
Why did early spacers like Sven aim to stay under a certain weight to earn a bonus?
Answer
To stay within the $150$-pound limit and reduce the cost of transporting mass into space.
Question
What adjective is used to describe Sven's thin but strong physical build?
Answer
Wiry.
Question
Term: Girders
Answer
Definition: Long, thick pieces of steel or concrete used to support a large structure.
Question
How does the narrator describe the movement of girders being assembled in space?
Answer
As a slow-motion, three-dimensional ballet.
Question
Term: Dovetailed
Answer
Definition: Fitted together precisely to form a pattern or joint.
Question
What is the primary disadvantage of working in a space suit mentioned in the text?
Answer
It is not a convenient garb in which to perform skilled and difficult work.
Question
Why does the construction team in space have an advantage over skyscraper builders on Earth?
Answer
They can step back to admire their work without being separated from it by gravity.
Question
What species is the 'feathered friend' Claribel?
Answer
A small yellow canary.
Question
Why was Claribel considered a sensible choice for a pet in space?
Answer
She weighed practically nothing, had tiny food requirements, and was not worried by zero gravity.
Question
Where was the narrator when he first heard Claribel's musical whistle?
Answer
In a small enclosed space used as his office, called a cubbyhole.
Question
Term: Ceased
Answer
Definition: Came to an end or stopped.
Question
What unusual aerial manoeuvre did Claribel perform that an earthbound bird could not manage?
Answer
A curious kind of backward loop performed with quietly folded wings.
Question
Why did Sven claim he brought Claribel to the space station?
Answer
He wanted to see how a bird would operate in the absence of weight while still using wings.
Question
Where did the crew typically hide Claribel when VIPs from Earth visited the station?
Answer
In ventilating shafts and storage bulkheads.
Question
Term: Bulkheads
Answer
Definition: Dividing walls or barriers between separate compartments in an aircraft or station.
Question
Why were the space station crew members on twelve-hour watches?
Answer
It was a standard duty cycle, made easier because humans need little sleep in space.
Question
What physical symptom did the narrator experience upon waking on the day of the crisis?
Answer
A nagging headache.
Question
Term: Nagging
Answer
Definition: Persistently painful or annoying.
Question
Who served as the station's cook, doctor, and dietitian?
Answer
Jock Duncan.
Question
In what physical state was Claribel found by Sven when she first collapsed?
Answer
A tiny bundle of yellow feathers with two clenched claws sticking pathetically into the air.
Question
Term: Snugly
Answer
Definition: In a way that is warm, comfortable, and cosy.
Question
How did the crew revive Claribel after she fainted?
Answer
They gave her a shot of oxygen using a face mask as an oxygen tent.
Question
Term: Keeled
Answer
Definition: Collapsed or fainted unexpectedly.
Question
What historical analogy did the narrator use to realise there was a problem with the station's air?
Answer
He remembered that miners used to carry canaries down into mines to warn them of gas.
Question
Why did the electronic alarm system fail to warn the crew about the air quality?
Answer
The single alarm in the circuit failed, and the duplicate circuit was not yet connected.
Question
What environmental event caused the air purifier to freeze up?
Answer
A rare eclipse of the station by Earth's shadow.
Question
Term: Safeguarded
Answer
Definition: Protected from harm or damage with a specific measure.
Question
According to the conclusion, why would visitors to a space station hear birdsong?
Answer
Birds serve as a cost-effective backup safety system for air quality detection.
Question
Definition: Regulation
Answer
An official rule that controls how something is done.
Question
Definition: Forbid
Answer
To refuse to allow something.
Question
Definition: Fuse
Answer
To join or blend together to form a single entity.
Question
Definition: Abruptly
Answer
Suddenly and unexpectedly.
Question
Definition: Confess
Answer
To admit that one has done something wrong or made a mistake.
Question
Definition: Dietitian
Answer
A person who advises others on what to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Question
Collocation: Nagging _____
Answer
Worry (or headache).
Question
Collocation: Sluggish _____
Answer
Traffic (or memory).
Question
Collocation: Hushed _____
Answer
Voices (or silence).
Question
Collocation: Inexplicable _____
Answer
Reason (or snatch of birdsong).
Question
Collocation: Sheepish _____
Answer
Expression.
Question
What is the term for a word made by combining parts of two words, such as 'intercom'?
Answer
A merged word.
Question
Merged Word: Breakfast + Lunch
Answer
Brunch.
Question
Merged Word: Motor + Hotel
Answer
Motel.
Question
Merged Word: Smoke + Fog
Answer
Smog.
Question
Merged Word: Situation + Comedy
Answer
Sitcom.
Question
In grammar, when is the 'Simple Present Tense' used to refer to the future?
Answer
When discussing events that are part of a regular schedule or fixed timetable.
Question
In grammar, when is the 'Present Progressive Tense' used for future time reference?
Answer
When referring to personal arrangements and fixed future plans.
Question
What does the auxiliary verb 'will' typically denote when discussing future events?
Answer
Willingness, certainty, or providing information about possible future occurrences.
Question
The phrase 'pipe of peace' is used to describe the crew's action of _____.
Answer
Passing the oxygen bottle around during the air crisis.
Question
Term: Sheepish
Answer
Definition: Showing embarrassment from shame or a lack of self-confidence.
Question
Term: Wits
Answer
Definition: The ability to think quickly and make good decisions.
Question
Term: Garbs
Answer
Definition: Clothing of a distinctive or special kind.
Question
What scientific concept allows objects and people to float on the space station?
Answer
Zero gravity (or free fall).
Question
Why does the narrator refer to his office as a cubbyhole 'laughingly'?
Answer
Because the space was extremely small and cramped.
Question
The air failure was caused by a part of the air _____ freezing up.
Answer
Purifier.
Question
How much was the estimated value of the chemical and electronic engineering that 'let down' the crew?
Answer
Half a million dollars.
Question
The word 'intercom' is a combination of the words _____ and _____.
Answer
Internal; communication.
Question
What does the narrator mean by the phrase 'slightly dead'?
Answer
It is a humorous understatement meaning the crew would have perished.
Question
Concept: 12-hour watch
Answer
Definition: A shift pattern where crew members are on duty for twelve consecutive hours.
Question
Why did Claribel's wings stay 'quietly folded' while she was motionless in the air?
Answer
She did not need to flap them to stay aloft due to the absence of gravity.