A World of Difference Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mars doesn't exist

Harry Turtledove himself says at the start "Mars is boring. Turns out it's too small. But what if it weren't...?"
And this book is the answer. Intelligent life, a breathable atmosphere, strange animals, and much much more.

Answer: 6

Six people are on each, though it's unclear if that was intentional or not. Three married couples inhabit the US ship, while five Soviet men and one woman are aboard the other. The woman is arguably the most popular of the USSR crew!

Answer: Images from the Viking Probe

In our world, the Viking space probe came back safely with pictures of a barren rocky landscape and no sign of life.
But the Viking probe in this world not only sent back a picture of an alien (a Minervan), it never returned because that alien proceeded to smash it to bits!
It turns out the Minervan was (and is) head of the local tribe and he kept the probe in his ice castle for years, calling it "the strange creature". He later apologises to the Americans when they reveal what it really was. He is quite flattered to learn millions of humans have been studying a photo of him for years!

Answer: False

That was the original intention - both expeditions landing roughly where the Viking photo was transmitted. The area west of a large canyon called Jotun Canyon on earth (but called Ervis Gorge by the locals).
But just as they are preparing to land, the Americans receive a coded transmission from Houston. It seems there was an error years ago in the calculations, and it is really EAST of the Canyon they should land, not west.
After some internal debate amid adjusting their course, the Americans agree not to tell the Russian ship. If Houston wanted the Soviets to know, why send the message in code?
Both parties of explorers later wonder if Houston actually knew the truth all along - and decided not to tell the Russians.
It is rather ironic: the Eastern Bloc team lands among Western Minervans and their Cold War rivals land among EASTERN ones!

Answer: Two tribes are on the verge of war

Co-incidentally: the earth spaceships land pretty much as soon as the western leader's eldest son threatens war on the eastern leader. Unless the latter agrees to immediate annexation, which he certainly will not. Not only that, but the earth expeditions land on opposite sides of the gorge (and therefore opposite sides of the brewing conflict).

Answer: Athena

Funnily enough, the ancient names "Athena" and "Minerva" refer to the same god.

Answer: 2

The Soviet ship's engineer, one Oleg Lopaktin, is openly KGB. He makes it no secret, and all but orders the poor Colonel in charge. But later it turns out the quiet chemist at the back of the ship is KGB as well. The chemist stops a crew-mate from warning the Americans hostile Minervans are on their way.

Answer: True

All Minervans have six eyes, six arms (with three fingers on each), six legs and nose, mouth etc on top of the head. Therefore it is impossible to sneak up behind one because they have no definitive front or back. They're completely symmetrical and their eyestalks point in all directions. Only if their six eyestalks were pointed elsewhere could one sneak past them, but that is rare.

Answer: Mates

There is a saying on this planet "Whoever heard of an old mate"?
The females exist purely to have babies, or budlings as they're called, then die immediately after. They die due to the excessive bleeding in six places after the six budlings are born - and Minervan science and medicine are too primitive to do anything about it.
However, Sarah Levitt, the Americans' doctor, tries to change that. She befriends the tribal leader's favourite mate and promises to try and stop her fatally bleeding after childbirth.

Answer: Winter

Minerva is mostly made of ice and therefore quite cold all the time. The areas the humans visit are closer to the equator so ice is not too much of an issue, only occasional snow. Spring has just begun and most locals are unhappy about the warmer weather, because Minervan blood is the same temperature as a reptile's. Minerva has huge gorges (canyons, in human perspective) which get flooded this time each year when ice melts at the poles and torrents of water cascade toward the equator. Usually there is a long rope bridge stretching across a canyon, but the local one was cut down after the westerners threatened war.

The Americans' hosts wonder how their enemies across the canyon plan to cross...

Answer: Motorcycle

I liked the American miniature plane. It was an ultra-light one-person craft which was usually piloted by Sarah's pedaling!
At one point she uses it cross the canyon when two of the Russians have been in a jeep accident and urgently need medical help. She was very brave considering the wind could easily change her trajectory and send her into a canyon wall! But hey, she was a doctor and couldn't ignore those in need.

Answer: AK-47 Assault Rifle

One day a wild beast attacks the mission commander and the tribal crown prince. Luckily the commander had brought his weapon along and narrowly saves their lives. But the crown prince ("eldest of eldest" he's called) has never seen such a weapon before and is astonished! He knows this would be invaluable in the coming conflict so he does everything but beg the colonel to sell it to him. The colonel is wise enough to decline. He even checks with Moscow who say it's up to him.
But soon the colonel and his crew are forbidden by the prince's father to leave their tent or their spaceship (though he lets them go from one to the other). The clanfather rationalises the humans will give him what he wants or be unable to explore his world as they came to.
They eventually give in, and KGB man Lopaktin eagerly shows the locals how to use an AK-47. He is eager because he's a dedicated Marxist-Leninist and believes this tribe is destined to win the war and have their own communist revolt.
NOTE: Harry Turtledove's other book "Guns of the South" also features AK-47s so perhaps this is his favourite weapon?

Answer: Boats

The Americans and their hosts keep wondering how the aggressors plan to carry out their threat of invasion since since the rope bridge has been cut. Day by day the gorge becomes more flooded as melted ice roars down it. Surely only a suicidal individual would consider crossing?

Answer: True

Even though the Russians were pretty much forced to help the invaders (their hosts), the Americans decide to help their own hosts defend themselves. It is Sarah who finally saves the day, she flies up in her cycle-powered airplane and drops a "little present" onto the aggressor Minervans. With only one AK-47 (now empty), they turn and run back for home.
Oleg, the KGB man forced to come and help, is found dead. It is revealed he tried to escape his companions and therefore during the battle they kept him as close to the action as possible.

Answer: False

Each crew flies home as they came, albeit minus one crewmember each. Poor Frank the American geologist was killed in the invasion and, shortly after, Oleg the KGB engineer. The Russians are considerably less sad about him than their American counterparts are about Frank! The good news is that Sarah was able to save the life of the expectant mother after all.

The bad news is the rest of the mother's community regarded her afterwards, reciting the old saying "Whoever heard of an old mate." But the clanfather, delighted his favourite mate survived, told everyone to be nice. And together they started looking into other ways their way of life could improve.