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Quiz about First Lensman by EE Doc Smith
Quiz about First Lensman by EE Doc Smith

'First Lensman' by E.E. 'Doc' Smith Quiz

'First Lensman' by E. E. 'Doc' Smith sees humanity spreading out across the stars and the discovery of vast numbers of alien species. See how much you know of this exciting book.

A multiple-choice quiz by johnfair. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
johnfair
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
283,047
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
15 / 25
Plays
207
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Question 1 of 25
1. Who is shot in the opening paragraph of the book? Hint


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Question 2 of 25
2. Who, or what, shot our scientific genius? Hint


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Question 3 of 25
3. What problem did Bergenholm think could be solved by visiting Arisia? Hint


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Question 4 of 25
4. Did Arisia have a good reputation?


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Question 5 of 25
5. Who accompanied Samms on his visit to Arisia? Hint


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Question 6 of 25
6. What was the result of Samms' visit? Hint


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Question 7 of 25
7. Did Jill Samms get a Lens?


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Question 8 of 25
8. Whom did the Lensman candidates meet at Arisia? Hint


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Question 9 of 25
9. How many more times does Samms get invited back to Arisia? Hint


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Question 10 of 25
10. Which of the next four people to go to Arisia saw a beautiful female? Hint


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Question 11 of 25
11. Which of the four youngsters saw a physicist. Hint


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Question 12 of 25
12. Which of the four youngsters met the chief of the detective bureau? Hint


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Question 13 of 25
13. Which of the four youngsters didn't even land on the planet at all? Hint


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Question 14 of 25
14. What did Isaacson of Interstellar Spaceways want from Samms? Hint


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Question 15 of 25
15. Where does Samms go looking for his first non-solarian lensman? Hint


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Question 16 of 25
16. Which purple colored drug was rapidly becoming the bane of the spaceways? Hint


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Question 17 of 25
17. Who shot the person attempting to assassinate Virgil Samms? Hint


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Question 18 of 25
18. What was Operation Boskone concerned with? Hint


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Question 19 of 25
19. After the Patrol's headquarters was attacked by the pirate fleet, what did Rod Kinnison put into operation? Hint


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Question 20 of 25
20. As whom did Virgil Samms join the crew of the good ship Virgin Queen? Hint


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Question 21 of 25
21. What was the Virgin Queen's destination? Hint


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Question 22 of 25
22. Which Palainian is Samms recommended to go and see if the Palainians could become a Lensman? Hint


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Question 23 of 25
23. What did Mason Northrop name the system he and Jack found as they were tracing a signal beam? Hint


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Question 24 of 25
24. Back on Terra, North America is in full election fever for Regional President. Which side is Senator Morgan electioneering for? Hint


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Question 25 of 25
25. Who was the Cosmocrat's Presidential candidate? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who is shot in the opening paragraph of the book?

Answer: Nels Bergenholm

 Surely one of the more abrupt starts to any of my books. Bergenholm is shot seven times to little effect.
2. Who, or what, shot our scientific genius?

Answer: Gharlane of Eddore

 Gharlane of Eddore had activated a form of flesh that could survive in Earth's unnatural surroundings.
3. What problem did Bergenholm think could be solved by visiting Arisia?

Answer: All of these

 While everyone of Terran stock knew what the meteor of the Patrol was, this device was duplicable. A Rigellian or Pallainian would not have recognised it.
4. Did Arisia have a good reputation?

Answer: No

In fact, up to that point in time, Arisia was thought to be the home base of the pirates seeing as no ship of Civilisation could go there and back to report.
5. Who accompanied Samms on his visit to Arisia?

Answer: Rod Kinnison

 All would eventually make their own trips to Arisia but it was Rod who went with Samms.
6. What was the result of Samms' visit?

Answer: The receipt of the Lens

 The Lens was all that Samms could have hoped for. It would prove to be a perfect translator (within limits), it was unique, and it killed anybody except the person it was made for.
7. Did Jill Samms get a Lens?

Answer: No

There would eventually be a female lensperson, but not for many centuries - though she was a distant relation.

For Jill's type of work, a Lens was likely to get in the way anyway.
8. Whom did the Lensman candidates meet at Arisia?

Answer: Mentor

 Mentor was the being tasked with nurturing the survival of Civilisation - not that everyone sees the same Mentor of course.
9. How many more times does Samms get invited back to Arisia?

Answer: No more - ths is his one and only visit

 Mentor, and Arisia, won't help the Patrol except in the provision of the Lenses. If Civilisation can't survive on its own, then it's not the one that Arisia wants.
10. Which of the next four people to go to Arisia saw a beautiful female?

Answer: Jill Samms

 Jill's vision was a beautiful, seven-foot-plus tall, and Lensless, female.
11. Which of the four youngsters saw a physicist.

Answer: Mason Northrop

 After being faced with a massively complex scanner and milling router, he's told to scram.
12. Which of the four youngsters met the chief of the detective bureau?

Answer: Conway Costigan

 Conway is an undercover policeman. He too is told not to come back.
13. Which of the four youngsters didn't even land on the planet at all?

Answer: Jack Kinnison

 Jack interacted with a pattern of pure force with his Lens just appearing on his wrist.
14. What did Isaacson of Interstellar Spaceways want from Samms?

Answer: Samms' go ahead to create an interstellar monopoly

 Isaacson offered Samms $26 million credits and 22.5% of Spaceways stock - not a bad deal even now and completely unimaginable when these books were written back in the forties and fifties.
15. Where does Samms go looking for his first non-solarian lensman?

Answer: Rigel IV

 Rigel IV was a long way from Earth, but it was the Rigellians' driving habits that caused any human visitor to have the collywobbles!
16. Which purple colored drug was rapidly becoming the bane of the spaceways?

Answer: Thionite

 Thionite was apparently one of the most addictive drugs ever, having its deadly way with virtually every warm-blooded species around.
17. Who shot the person attempting to assassinate Virgil Samms?

Answer: Conway Costigan

 Jill Samms managed to give her colleagues enough warning so that Conway could kill the assassin just before he could finish pulling the trigger.
18. What was Operation Boskone concerned with?

Answer: Getting to the heart of the piracy plaguing the spaceways

 The pirates were parasites on the commerce of the galaxy but Samms and Kinnison had little idea of just how deeply the pirates' influence went.
19. After the Patrol's headquarters was attacked by the pirate fleet, what did Rod Kinnison put into operation?

Answer: Project Bennett

 Project Bennett was the Patrol's anwer to the pirates' secret planet. It was a heavily industrialised planet that had been selected to become the Navy Yard for the Galactic Patrol.
20. As whom did Virgil Samms join the crew of the good ship Virgin Queen?

Answer: George Olmstead

 George is one of Samms' cousins but it was thought that the enemies of the Patrol wouldn't realise they were still close.

Although undercover for most of his working life, everyone who mattered on both sides knew him.
21. What was the Virgin Queen's destination?

Answer: Trenco

 Trenco's atmospheric conditions made Venus look like a paradise.

Trenco is the home world of thionite.
22. Which Palainian is Samms recommended to go and see if the Palainians could become a Lensman?

Answer: Tallick

 By Terran standards, Palainians are cowardly and weak-willed but Samms considers it's still possible for a Palainian to become a Lensman.

Kragzex was another potential candidate but Pilipsi on Pluto thought both of them very unstable and excitable.
23. What did Mason Northrop name the system he and Jack found as they were tracing a signal beam?

Answer: Zabriska

 Mase was going to call it Virgilia after Jill Samms, who he was seriously dating but Jack's derisive comments changed his mind.
24. Back on Terra, North America is in full election fever for Regional President. Which side is Senator Morgan electioneering for?

Answer: The Nationalists

 The Nationalists are against the Galactic Patrol and would see it destroyed. What Samms and his people don't know is what's behind the party.
25. Who was the Cosmocrat's Presidential candidate?

Answer: Rod Kinnison

 Rod 'the Rock' Kinnison was deemed to have the best chance of winning the election.
Source: Author johnfair

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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Referenced Topics
Literature   World   People   US Presidents   Names   North America   Pirates   Virgil   E. E. 'Doc' Smith   Purple   Pluto   Venus  

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