Test Problem

A university student must mentally recreate a remote star system for a final exam by using psychotechnical devices to fashion a sun, planets and living ecosystems. After days of concentrated work he accidentally leaves the thought-amplifier running during sleep and discovers an unfamiliar creature among his creations. Instructors insist he eliminate the unauthorized lifeform because rules forbid adding species; he refuses and duplicates the creature to prevent its loneliness. His compassionate defiance earns a failing grade, and the story examines the tension between institutional authority, the ethics of creation, and the unforeseen consequences of imaginative power.