Comprehension Test

I, Robot Short Stories

Isaac Asimov 1 Which story do these sentences come from? Reason, Catch that Rabbit, Liar!, Little Lost Robot, Runaround. a Mike, were trapped! Our own roof fell! ............... b Death by slow boiling is not a pleasant way to die. ............... c I see into human minds, you see. ............... d My third finger has been destroyed. ............... e He can control the station. What does it matter what he believes? ............... f Nestor 10 knew that we had lied. ............... g There is only one Master, and Cutie is his messenger. ............... h The more he wins, the more dangerous he gets. ............... i You hate me! But I was trying to help you! ............... j Its life or death, Speedy. ............... 20 marks 2 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? a b c d e f g h i j Dr Calvin worked with robots all her life. Powell jumped into the selenium pool to cool down. Cutie couldnt believe that human beings had made him. Cutie thought the energy converter was the Master. Dave went wrong when humans were near. US Robots made RB-34 to read human minds. Herbie gave people the answers they wanted. Nestor 10 disappeared after a fight. Nestor 10 was destroyed when he tried to attack Dr Calvin. Byerley was the last World Governor. 20 marks 3 Put the following events in the story in the right order. Number them 15. a b The subsidiaries stopped dancing. Powell and Donovan changed Daves circuits to stop him acting crazy. 1

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c d e

Powell fired his gun and hit one of the subsidiaries. The robots came to move the rocks away. Powell and Donovan got trapped in a tunnel. 20 marks

4 Fill in the gaps using these words: hurt, novels, loved, crazy, Managing Director, feelings, Bogert, read, truth, Dr Calvin. RB-34 could ............... minds. He learnt about ............... by reading ................ He told ............... that Milton Ashe ............... her. He told ............... that he was the next ............... . But when he had to ............... the scientists by telling the ..............., he went ............... . 20 marks 5 In the story Evidence, three tests were used to find out whether Stephen Byerley was a robot. Describe the three tests and their results.
.................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... ....................................................................................

20 marks

Total marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5

Multiple-choice Test

I, Robot Short Stories

Isaac Asimov

Setting
Choose the best answer. 1 For fifty years Dr Calvin had _____. a [ ] wanted to leave US Robots b [ ] studied at Colombia University d [ ] made robots c [ ] kind and nice d [ ] slow and lazy c [ ] watched the development of robots a [ ] cleaner and better

2 Dr Calvin thought that robots were _____ creatures. b [ ] slow and bad 3 One of the reasons that the first expedition to Mercury failed was because _____. a [ ] the equipment was old c [ ] the robots didnt work a [ ] twelve hours a [ ] robots a [ ] lost b [ ] the radio wouldnt work d [ ] they got lost c [ ] twelve minutes d [ ] twelve seconds

4 Powell and Donovan had only been on Mercury for _____ and already things had gone wrong. b [ ] twelve days 5 Powell and Donovan were sent to Mercury to repair the _____. b [ ] insosuits c [ ] maps d [ ] photocell banks 6 All the robots on the lowest sublevel of Mercury were _____. b [ ] with Speedy c [ ] over three metres tall d [ ] very fast c [ ] direct sunlight d [ ] the sublevels 7 The insosuits would protect them for twenty minutes in _____. a [ ] the selenium pool a [ ] five b [ ] fifteen a [ ] two arms b [ ] the Station 8 Powell and Donovan came out at exit 13A, _____ kilometres from the selenium pool. c [ ] fifty d [ ] fifty-five c [ ] a head d [ ] long hair d [ ] Mercury 9 There were seats on the robots and _____ to hold on to. b [ ] two long ears 10 The Three Laws of _____ are built in to a robots brain. a [ ] Mathematics 20 marks b [ ] Gravity c [ ] Robotics

Characters
Choose the best answer. 11 Susan Calvin was a cold girl, _____, who disliked the world around her. Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5 3

a [ ] happy and talkative c [ ] plain and colourless

b [ ] shy and nervous d [ ] dark and mysterious

12 Susan Calvin was leaving work at the age of _____. a [ ] sixty-five b [ ] seventy-five c [ ] seventy d [ ] sixty 13 The reporter worked for a newspaper with _____ readers. a [ ] two million b [ ] three million c [ ] two billion d [ ] three billion 14 At the age of twenty, Dr Calvin had met _____. a [ ] Mike Donovan a [ ] brown a [ ] SPD-13 b [ ] Greg Powell c [ ] Speedy the robot c [ ] black d [ ] blond d [ ] PSD-13 c [ ] able to speak d [ ] to Mercury d [ ] Head d [ ] Alfred Lanning 15 Mike Donovan had _____ hair. b [ ] red 16 Speedy was a _____ type robot. b [ ] STD-13 c [ ] PTS-13 17 Cutie was the first robot who had ever been _____. a [ ] curious about himself b [ ] intelligent a [ ] youngest director Psychologist 19 Alfred Lanning was nearly seventy and had been _____ for thirty years. a [ ] Managing Director 20 Peter Bogert was a _____. a [ ] psychologist 20 marks b [ ] robot c [ ] scientist d [ ] mathematician b [ ] a Psychologist c [ ] Head of Robots d [ ] in Finance b [ ] oldest director 18 Milton Ashe was the _____ of US Robots Company. c [ ] Head of Mathematics

Dialogue
Who said this? 21 There was a time when human beings faced the world alone and without a friend. a [ ] the reporter b [ ] Dr Calvin c [ ] Mike Powell d [ ] Dr Lanning c [ ] Dr Calvin d [ ] Dr Lanning d [ ] Herbie d [ ] Mike Powell 22 Its life or death, Speedy. I need you. a [ ] Mike Powell b [ ] Greg Donovan a [ ] Speedy b [ ] Dave a [ ] Greg Donovan a [ ] Dave c [ ] Cutie 23 There should be a better explanation. It seems improbable that you made me! 24 We must discover the problem before we can solve it. b [ ] Dr Calvin c [ ] Cutie c [ ] Herbie 4 25 Boss? Where are you? My third finger has been destroyed. b [ ] Cutie d [ ] Speedy

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26 A positronic brain is very complicated. It involves 75,234 separate operations in the factory in order to produce one positronic brain. a [ ] Milton Ashe b [ ] Susan Calvin c [ ] Peter Bogert d [ ] Alfred Lanning d [ ] Peter Bogert 27 Weve got a mind-reading robot and its important that we discover the reason. a [ ] Susan Calvin b [ ] Alfred Lanning c [ ] Milton Ashe produced. a [ ] Susan Calvin b [ ] Milton Ashe robot was lost a [ ] Peter Bogert a [ ] Peter Bogert 20 marks b [ ] Susan Calvin c [ ] Milton Ashe d [ ] Alfred Lanning d [ ] Gerald Black 30 The locks of the robots room have been damaged. I think Nestor 10 is trying to escape. b [ ] Susan Calvin c [ ] General Kallner c [ ] Alfred Lanning d [ ] Peter Bogert 29 My first experience with space travel and atomic engine development was in 2029, when a 28 He knows everything, including the mistake which was made in the factory when he was being

Vocabulary
Choose the best answer. 31 a strong reason for believing something a [ ] brain a [ ] beam b [ ] evidence b [ ] bar c [ ] protection d [ ] vibration 32 a line of light or heat c [ ] battery d [ ] circuit c [ ] electron d [ ] subsidiary 33 connected to, but of less importance than something else a [ ] serial number a [ ] dot b [ ] converter 34 a sign like the letter X b [ ] cross c [ ] flash d [ ] number c [ ] liar d [ ] psychologist d [ ] conflict 35 a man who controls people, animals or things a [ ] Master b [ ] mathematician b [ ] admit 36 the ability to realize what needs to be done, and do it without help or advice a [ ] protection a [ ] electron a [ ] ore a [ ] cable c [ ] initiative 37 when people vote to choose who to govern them b [ ] mine c [ ] protect c [ ] planet d [ ] election d [ ] Mercury 38 rock from which metal can be taken b [ ] photocell b [ ] battery 39 a metal case which contains and supplies energy c [ ] gravity d [ ] atomic 5

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40 the sending out of energy in rays a [ ] oxygen b [ ] photocell bank c [ ] detonator d [ ] radiation

20 marks

Plot
Choose the best answer. 41 The reporter went to interview Dr Calvin to get _____. a [ ] more information about Dr Lanning b [ ] more personal information c [ ] information about Mercury a [ ] 2025 a [ ] QT-1 them. a [ ] photocell happened on _____. a [ ] Mercury b [ ] the asteroids c [ ] Earth d [ ] the sun d [ ] they were old 46 Susan Calvin wanted to destroy 63 robots because _____. a [ ] one was lying a [ ] lawyer b [ ] one was bad c [ ] one was speaking d [ ] mathematician 47 Before he became City Governor, Stephen Byerley was a _____. b [ ] reporter c [ ] scientist 48 Francis Quinn believed that Byerley was a robot because he _____. a [ ] looked like one c [ ] didnt sleep b [ ] had a positronic brain d [ ] didnt eat or drink b [ ] look better in photographs d [ ] prevent robots attacking him c [ ] took a photo d [ ] shot a man b [ ] positronic c [ ] gravity d [ ] electron 45 After listening to stories about engineers, the reporter wanted to know if anything ever b [ ] 2015 b [ ] TQ-1 d [ ] a new address d [ ] 2125 d [ ] QC-1 42 The Second Mercury Expedition was in _____. c [ ] 2105 c [ ] QP-1 43 Powell and Donovan had to fix robot _____. 44 Powell and Donovan were worried about what was going to happen when the _____ storm hit

49 Byerley wore special clothes to _____. a [ ] make him look like a robot c [ ] prevent x-ray photographs

50 Byerley _____ in front of millions of people. a [ ] hit a man on the chin b [ ] ate an apple 20 marks

Total marks
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5

I, Robot - Short Stories

1 a b c d e f g h i j 2 a b c d e 3 3 5 2 4 1 Catch that Rabbit Runaround Liar! Catch that Rabbit Reason Little Lost Robot Reason Little Lost Robot Liar! Runaround T F T T F a b c d e f g h i j F T F T F

4 read, feelings, novels, Dr Calvin, loved, Bogert, Managing Director, hurt, truth, crazy 5 Robots dont eat, so they gave him an apple, but he ate it. They took a secret X-ray of his body, but it showed nothing because he was wearing special clothes. A man told Byerley to hit him, because a robot would not hit a human being. Byerley did hit the man, and then everybody believed that Byerley was human.

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5

I, Robot Short Stories

Setting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 d a b a d c c a b c

Characters 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 c b d d b a a a a d

Dialogue 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 b a c d a c a a d

Vocabulary Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5 8

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Plot 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

b a d b a c d a b d

b b a d c a a d c a

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5