You think you know your science fiction authors? Check these out. (Your local library needs the circulation.)

Multiple choice, this time.

1. Which classical author went all high-tech with golden robots?

a. Hermes Trismegistus

b. Apuleius

c. Homer

d. Julius Caesar

2. What was the title of Lucian of Samosata's 2nd-century novel about space travel?

a. From the Earth to the Moon

b. Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

c. By Jove!

d. A True Story

3. According to Antonius Diogenes' The incredible wonders beyond Thule, which direction did you have to head in to get to the Moon from Greece?

a. North

b. South

c. Up

d. Down

4. What is the main character's problem in The Golden Ass?

a. He wants a date with one of Hephaestus' robots.

b. He has accidentally turned himself into a donkey.

c. He has an embarrassing metal body part.

d. He has lost a valuable zoo exhibit.

5. A number of ancient Greek tales, including the Argonautika, include a bronze cyberguard by the name of Talos. Who is said to have built him?

a. Icarus

b. Daedalus

c. Hephaestus

d. Archimedes of Syracuse.

6. What book describing star wars and aliens on Earth made its way into some versions of the Bible?

a. The Book of Enoch

b. The Meaning of Life

c. The God Delusion

d. The Book of Thoth

7. Speaking of science fiction and the Bible, which of these Old Testament prophets qualifies as an alien abductee?

a. Joshua

b. Elisha

c. Samson

d. Ezekiel

8. What work of classical Hindu literature features time travel as a plot device?

a. The Bhagavad Gita

b. The Rig Veda

c. The Mahabharata

d. The Dance of Shiva

9. What classical 2012-like event is to be found in Plato's Timaeus?

a. The sinking of Titanic

b. The sinking of Atlantis

c. The eruption of Vesuvius

d. A major tsunami in the Mediterranean

10. What is science fiction writer Zhang Heng's other claim to fame?

a. He built the first rocket.

b. He proved to the Chinese emperor that the earth was round.

c. He introduced chopsticks to China.

d. He invented a device for measuring earthquakes.

You know the drill: click on the picture for the answers.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

23.04.12 Front Page

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