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Quiz about The Martian
Quiz about The Martian

The Martian Trivia Quiz


This quiz will test your knowledge of the 2015 film "The Martian" which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by Triviaballer. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Triviaballer
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
379,885
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
579
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 220 (4/10), Guest 118 (5/10), Guest 103 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Similar to many popular movies, the source material for "The Martian" was a novel released a few years before the film. Sharing his last name with a Canadian golfer, which author released the novel "The Martian" in 2011 which told the story of Mark Watney stranded on Mars in the year 2035? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The success of the film "The Martian" was a product of its stellar cast and crew. Which individual famous for his work on movies like "Black Hawk Down" and "Thelma and Louise" directed "The Martian"? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "The Martian" begins with the crew being informed that a big natural disaster is imminent. What type of calamity separates Mark Watney from the crew making them think that he is dead? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. After the storm has subsided Mark Watney goes to the crew's base on Mars that is known as the 'Hab'. While there he fixes his wounds and then assesses his dire situation. Similar to Jake Sully in the movie "Avatar", in "The Martian" what does Watney do to track his progress over time? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Realizing that he is alone on Mars and that the next mission to Mars wouldn't be back for another four years Watney decides that he must grow his own food. What popular crop does Watney grow in the 'Hab' so that he won't be famished? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. While on Mars Watney uses a rover to travel to areas for supplies and exploration. While in the rover he listens to music from the crew's commander Melissa Lewis. Much to Watney's dismay, the commander's music was primarily of which genre that includes songs like "Love Train" and "Turn the Beat Around"? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Over time the NASA Mars mission director surmises that Watney must be alive as satellite images over time seem to indicate human activity near the 'Hab'. Realizing that he must find a way to communicate with NASA Watney journeys with the rover to retrieve a probe that landed on Mars in 1997. What is the name of this probe that shares its name with a Nissan vehicle? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. After Watney is able to communicate with NASA he is told that his crew was not informed that he had survived. Watney agreed with this decision noting that it would just cause them to worry and jeopardize their mission home.


Question 9 of 10
9. The crew of the Ares III decide that they want to try and rescue Watney by using the orbiting vessel Hermes to return back to Mars after using Earth's gravity as a slingshot. However, the Hermes did not have all the supplies needed for another trip to Mars. Which country provided a rocket booster that docked with the Hermes providing the crew with 18 months of supplies? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. After more than 500 sols on Mars Watney has a slim chance of rescue by using the Mars Ascent Vehicle to link up with his crew aboard the Hermes. During the fly-by Watney is too far from the Hermes to be captured and he decides to puncture his spacesuit to release pressure that gets him close enough to reunite with the crew. What character does Watney reference that he is after performing this maneuver? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Similar to many popular movies, the source material for "The Martian" was a novel released a few years before the film. Sharing his last name with a Canadian golfer, which author released the novel "The Martian" in 2011 which told the story of Mark Watney stranded on Mars in the year 2035?

Answer: Andy Weir

"The Martian" was actually the debut novel for Andy Weir and it reached number 12 on the New York Times bestseller list. Interestingly considering his successful novel was about space travel and being stranded, Andy Weir has a strong fear of flying that compelled him to not visit Budapest where most of the filming of "The Martian" took place.
2. The success of the film "The Martian" was a product of its stellar cast and crew. Which individual famous for his work on movies like "Black Hawk Down" and "Thelma and Louise" directed "The Martian"?

Answer: Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott is well-known as a director for his ability to capture audiences with both historical epics and science fiction thrillers. Possibly his best known science fiction films are "Alien" released in 1979 and "Blade Runner" released in 1982. Surprisingly (at least to me) Ridley Scott was not nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for "The Martian" but it was his first film to gross more than $600 million in box office receipts.
3. "The Martian" begins with the crew being informed that a big natural disaster is imminent. What type of calamity separates Mark Watney from the crew making them think that he is dead?

Answer: Dust storm

During the dust storm Watney is hit by a large piece of debris that sends him far away. The rest of the crew are able to return to their escape vehicle and they discuss whether or not they should try and locate Watney. The severity of the storm and the lack of vital signs being transmitted from Watney's spacesuit prompt the group to leave without getting 100% confirmation that he was dead.
4. After the storm has subsided Mark Watney goes to the crew's base on Mars that is known as the 'Hab'. While there he fixes his wounds and then assesses his dire situation. Similar to Jake Sully in the movie "Avatar", in "The Martian" what does Watney do to track his progress over time?

Answer: He creates a video diary.

The crew on Mars track their time in Martian solar days known as sol. The dust storm occurs on sol 18 and in his first video diary entry Watney speaks about the storm, the crew presuming that he was dead, and he estimates that he has enough food to survive for about 300 sols.
5. Realizing that he is alone on Mars and that the next mission to Mars wouldn't be back for another four years Watney decides that he must grow his own food. What popular crop does Watney grow in the 'Hab' so that he won't be famished?

Answer: Potato

Luckily for him, Watney is a botanist and he is able to improvise a growing area with soil from Mars and human fertilizer. Needing water for the potatoes Watney extracts hydrogen from leftover rocket fuel. The potatoes were originally planned to be used for a Thanksgiving meal for the entire crew.
6. While on Mars Watney uses a rover to travel to areas for supplies and exploration. While in the rover he listens to music from the crew's commander Melissa Lewis. Much to Watney's dismay, the commander's music was primarily of which genre that includes songs like "Love Train" and "Turn the Beat Around"?

Answer: Disco

In addition to the aforementioned songs, Watney also listened to the songs "Hot Stuff", "Rock the Boat", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Starman" and "Waterloo". The composer for "The Martian" was Harry Gregson-Williams who had previously worked with Ridley Scott on three other films.

The sets and sound of "The Martian" were superb and the film was nominated for four Academy Awards in technical categories.
7. Over time the NASA Mars mission director surmises that Watney must be alive as satellite images over time seem to indicate human activity near the 'Hab'. Realizing that he must find a way to communicate with NASA Watney journeys with the rover to retrieve a probe that landed on Mars in 1997. What is the name of this probe that shares its name with a Nissan vehicle?

Answer: Pathfinder

The entire mission of the Mars Pathfinder cost $280 million and it consisted of a base station and a small rover named Sojourner. The Pathfinder mission returned data about the Martian landscape and atmosphere as well as more than 16,000 pictures. In the film "The Martian" Watney gets confirmation that NASA is able to see him by writing messages on a whiteboard and observing the movements of the Pathfinder's camera controlled by NASA on Earth.
8. After Watney is able to communicate with NASA he is told that his crew was not informed that he had survived. Watney agreed with this decision noting that it would just cause them to worry and jeopardize their mission home.

Answer: False

Watney emphatically disagreed with the decision of Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels), the head of NASA, who unilaterally decided not to inform the crew. Other administrative members of the mission to Mars team like Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) felt that the crew should be told about Watney surviving. Eventually Watney is able to speak directly with his crew through typed messages with the rover.
9. The crew of the Ares III decide that they want to try and rescue Watney by using the orbiting vessel Hermes to return back to Mars after using Earth's gravity as a slingshot. However, the Hermes did not have all the supplies needed for another trip to Mars. Which country provided a rocket booster that docked with the Hermes providing the crew with 18 months of supplies?

Answer: China

Initially NASA had intended to send a probe developed from their Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Mars with supplies to last Watney until the next Mars mission would arrive. Unfortunately, the probe blows up shortly after take-off as proper safety inspections were skipped in order to have it launched sooner.

This disaster prompted the Chinese to offer their booster Taiyang Shen to NASA as a humanitarian gesture.
10. After more than 500 sols on Mars Watney has a slim chance of rescue by using the Mars Ascent Vehicle to link up with his crew aboard the Hermes. During the fly-by Watney is too far from the Hermes to be captured and he decides to puncture his spacesuit to release pressure that gets him close enough to reunite with the crew. What character does Watney reference that he is after performing this maneuver?

Answer: Iron Man

The scene where Watney reunites with his crew is both intense and dramatic. Watney's punctured suit propels him through the air similar to "Iron Man" albeit without the classic "Iron Man" sound effects. After the Ares III crew is reunited the movie shows scenes of individuals on Earth cheering as they are viewing on television. "The Martian" ends by showing some of the main characters five years later in their new roles: Watney as a teacher at an astronaut training program, Melissa Lewis home with her family, and Rick Martinez (Michael Peņa) taking off with the crew of the Ares V.
Source: Author Triviaballer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor jmorrow before going online.
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