Discussion Questions for Anomaly by Peter Cawdron

1. Do you believe that it is possible that an alien intelligence has already discovered life on Earth?

2. What do you imagine a first contact between aliens and humans would be like on our planet?

3. Do you believe that patience is a sign of intelligence? Why or why not?

4. Cathy said, “I don’t understand why they call it the opposite sex—I’ve always thought of them as more complementary.” What is your opinion of this statement?

5. Do you believe the Anomaly challenged the religious status quo?

6. What did you think about the religious debate concerning the anomaly?*

7. Why do you think people trust science?

8. Do you think that religion distrusts science?

9. If you were at NASA and cameras were recording everything that you said and did, would you avoid the cameras or seek them out?

10. The teacher seems to be regularly putting himself down and saying that he didn’t belong there at NASA. Do you believe that he belonged there?

11. How believable do you think the author’s description was about how other countries and their citizens behaved?

12. What did you think about Teller’s idea of going to the mall as a tool to stimulate the brain? What stimulates your brain?

13. NASA gave no consideration to the ethical, moral, or religious implications of alien contact. Do you think other implications should have been considered?

14. Teller describes beauty saying, “Beauty is more than makeup, more than styled hair, more than lipstick or pretty earrings. True beauty is a connection between two people that reaches beyond mere looks.” How would you describe beauty?

15. If you could communicate with an alien, what would you want to know?