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Quiz about Masters of the Vortex by E E Doc Smith

'Masters of the Vortex' by E. E. 'Doc' Smith Quiz

'Masters of the Vortex' does not feature the Lensmen from the earlier books but it is set in the same background. See what you know about this book.

A multiple-choice quiz by JohnFair. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
JohnFair

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
313,787

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
128

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Our leading man in this book is a gentleman by the name of Neal 'Storm' Cloud. As the story opens he's just suffered a major tragedy. What had happened? Hint

His wife and children had been killed in a nuclear incident.

He'd just lost his job.

His family had been killed in a car accident.

He'd just been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

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Question 2 of 15

2. What was the family name for the Clouds' car? Hint

Pussy Cat

Monster Beast

Babe, the big blue ox

Fluffy Pet

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Question 3 of 15

3. Why did Cloud reckon he could blow out an atomic vortex? Hint

With his family dead, Cloud welcomed the chance of death

He could do the necessary calculations practically instantaneously in his head.

All he wanted was revenge on all vortexes

A fifty-fifty chance was not that bad.

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Question 4 of 15

4. Cloud's first attempt to blow out a vortex went well (obviously, I hope!) but he hadn't taken something into account. What was it? Hint

His flitter wasn't fast enough to get away.

Cloud was knocked unconscious.

As the vortex collapsed the flitter was drawn into the inferno.

The flitter's Bergenholm didn't come on straight away.

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Question 5 of 15

5. Was Surgeon-General Lacy particularly concerned about Cloud's condition?

Yes

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Question 6 of 15

6. After Cloud's successful elimination of the atomic vortex, he became the most popular man in the galaxy, bar no-one. What happened to the Chickladorian delegation? Hint

They saw Cloud and he refused to help.

Patrol goons shot them.

They had to be almost literally thrown out of the Patrol's offices.

They met Cloud and he promised to blow out their vortex.

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Question 7 of 15

7. What was being grown in Cave 217 of Tellurian Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s research plant on Deka? Hint

Thistles.

Heroin.

Thionite.

Cannabis.

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Question 8 of 15

8. Why did Cloud go to Deka? Hint

He'd heard rumours about the illegal drugs production.

Deka was on the route to a job.

It sounded like a nice planet.

To investigate a suspicious looking new vortex.

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Question 9 of 15

9. What started Cloud considering the likelihood of chance playing a part in the events that had happened to him? Hint

He considered the laws of chance as they applied to a slot machine.

Cloud suffered from paranoia.

He had overheard someone gloating over what they had done.

Cloud was disturbed by the loss of his harm.

10. After Cloud had dealt with Deka, he headed off to his next destination but he doesn't actually get to blow out a vortex on a planet hewing to Civilisation in his next encounter.

Where is this vortex? Hint

Nhal.

Lune

Dhil.

Traskia.

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Question 11 of 15

11. What problem was stopping Cloud from just blasting the vortex? Hint

Cloud had lost all his weaponry.

Alien forces were attacking him.

There was no atmosphere to transmit the explosion.

There were enemy fortresses overlooking the site of the vortex.

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Question 12 of 15

12. Who was Cloud's pilot in this adventure? Hint

Tommie

Vesta

Nadine

Thlaskin

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Question 13 of 15

13. Right, we're off to Tominga eventually - just a quick stop over Nixson II to eliminate the vortexes there.

Who was producing the atomic vortexes that were terrorising Tominga? Hint

Tommie

Number One

Tommie's brother Jim

Fairchild

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Question 14 of 15

14. Where did Cloud and the Patrol finally corner the person responsible for creating some of the atomic vortexes? Hint

Chickladoria.

Vega.

Terra.

Chaldor.

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Question 15 of 15

15. Once Cloud had the idea that some vortexes were being produced artificially, it was soon fairly apparent that none of the vortexes were natural but had been produced by a new race.

Who were they? Hint

The Cahuitans.

Serephins.

Boskonians.

Toodlepips.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Our leading man in this book is a gentleman by the name of Neal 'Storm' Cloud. As the story opens he's just suffered a major tragedy. What had happened?

Answer: His wife and children had been killed in a nuclear incident.

Dr. Neal Cloud knew all about protecting his home and loved ones from the vagaries of nature. Unfortunately, his precautions had worked as an attractor for an atomic vortex.

2. What was the family name for the Clouds' car?

Answer: Babe, the big blue ox

Like Bunyan's fabulous beast, this vehicle was practically six feet between the eyes.

No worries about the environment or petrol in the sixties!

3. Why did Cloud reckon he could blow out an atomic vortex?

Answer: He could do the necessary calculations practically instantaneously in his head.

Cloud had to make a whole lot of complex calculations to know when to launch his explosives. When this book was being written, electronic computers were still relatively slow.

4. Cloud's first attempt to blow out a vortex went well (obviously, I hope!) but he hadn't taken something into account. What was it?

Answer: The flitter's Bergenholm didn't come on straight away.

The Bergenholm had been around for generations and not something anyone thought about any more. Cloud had just assumed that the Bergenholm would work practically instantaneously. Instead, it took a while to insulate Cloud from the effects of the explosion.

5. Was Surgeon-General Lacy particularly concerned about Cloud's condition?

Answer: No

Indeed, Lacy was rather dismissive of Cloud's injuries. Just minimal radiation damage and a few torn muscles...

6. After Cloud's successful elimination of the atomic vortex, he became the most popular man in the galaxy, bar no-one. What happened to the Chickladorian delegation?

Answer: They had to be almost literally thrown out of the Patrol's offices.

The Patrol isn't in the goon biz.

Cloud and his bosses reckoned they would deal with the vortexes in order of threat to local populations.

7. What was being grown in Cave 217 of Tellurian Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s research plant on Deka?

Answer: Thionite.

Until now, thionite had only been available on the dread world of Trenco, but a scientist had worked out a way of simulating Trenco's weird atmosphere.

8. Why did Cloud go to Deka?

Answer: To investigate a suspicious looking new vortex.

Although Deka's vortex was killing a relatively large number of people, it was the fact that the vortex wasn't behaving the 'right' way that piqued his interest.

9. What started Cloud considering the likelihood of chance playing a part in the events that had happened to him?

Answer: He considered the laws of chance as they applied to a slot machine.

Cloud was able to work out the chances of each incident occurring in a chain purely by chance, and it was a provable certainty that someone had to be out to get him.

Answer: Lune

Lune is the fortress-moon of Dhil and Nhal their eternal enemy. Traskia is made up.

11. What problem was stopping Cloud from just blasting the vortex?

Answer: There were enemy fortresses overlooking the site of the vortex.

On Lune, the Nhallian forces had taken over some of the fortresses and these would have been able to destroy Cloud's flitter. It took some inspired piloting and skippering to take them out.

12. Who was Cloud's pilot in this adventure?

Answer: Thlaskin

Thlaskin was a Master Pilot, but was actually a passenger on a liner attacked by pirates and eventually rescued by Cloud.

Tommie, Nadine and Vesta were also passengers or crew on the same vessel along with Thlaskin's wife Maluleme. All decided to sign on as Cloud's original crew.

13. Right, we're off to Tominga eventually - just a quick stop over Nixson II to eliminate the vortexes there. Who was producing the atomic vortexes that were terrorising Tominga?

Answer: Fairchild

Fairchild was behind the thionite production on Deka as well, and it had been thought that he'd died there.

Number One had thought he was in charge of things on Tominga. Pity he was wrong.

14. Where did Cloud and the Patrol finally corner the person responsible for creating some of the atomic vortexes?

Answer: Vega.

Vega is Vesta's home world and Chickladoria was also a planet under the control of Fairchild's gang.

Chaldor is a planet in the General Sector medical stories from James White.

15. Once Cloud had the idea that some vortexes were being produced artificially, it was soon fairly apparent that none of the vortexes were natural but had been produced by a new race. Who were they?

Answer: The Cahuitans.

The Cahuitans were energy beings and required a high energy, high temperature environment to gestate their young and the newly created nuclear power plants proved irresistible.

Source: Author JohnFair

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