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Probably a USA paperback read 70s or 80s in English. (The tone of the story was probably light-hearted.)

Alien visiting the Solar System discovers primitive humanoid life on Earth (Chemical Rockets have only just allowed man to reach the moon) and Captures a man for study and testing. He sticks him in a MRI type machine to do a detailed study of his brain and body to determine the human intellect and capabilities. (I think it was looking for a race to use as cannon fodder in their wars? or to use as slave labor? or looking for races which might be a threat?)

I think it was going to take a while for the computers to process the data to produce a report.

Meanwhile the alien put the man in a chamber or contraption that was like an exercise machine. To test his physical capabilities. The alien would select a skill on the controls, and the machine would then start painfully - bending, flexing, contorting, and manipulating the mans body. After which the man was able to preform that skill with ease. For example from being able to just shuffle a deck of cards, to a master card manipulator able to do riffs, spreads, dealing 2nds, 1 hand cuts and shuffles, etc. in just a few minutes.

The alien also tries to teach/implant his language, so he can talk to him with out having to learn the primitive humans language. But the man fools him into thinking that the language implant failed. So he can only speak a bare minimum of the alien language (like baby talk) and that the advanced concepts of the language did not take. (that the human mind to simple to understand them)

I think the man might have been a conman or criminal. Someone good at hiding their reactions/fooling people.

I THINK the ships computer was controlled by voice, so when the alien went to sleep, the man activated the computer (he now knew the language) to teach him A LOT more. (ex. Fighting skills, alien ship operations, etc) and then returns to his cell when the alien wakes up. (This might have been repeated for a few nights)

The alien is now also studying Earth and learning its Technological levels, political climate, history, etc.

Suddenly the alien freezes, obviously very panicked, and ask the man something like, Your race only learned to fly powered heavier-than-air crafts only 70 years ago? You put men in orbit 10 years ago? You went from leaning to fly, to safely landing a man on your moon in less than 70 Earth years? Humans went from theory to a working Nuclear Fission reactor and a Nuclear Bomb in less than 5 years?

And then he activates the Nav systems and sets course to leave the Solar system and max speed, so he could get clear to either activate his FTL drive or transmit his research data back home. (All the while muttering the alien equivalent of "Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God")

He tells the man that his race took about 500-1000(?) years to go from flight to rockets, and 200-300(?) to develop nuclear fission and bombs. Most other races they have meet in their explorations have taken longer.

About this time the computer finishes its report and says the due to the accelerated tech advancement of humans they will surpass the aliens in 50-100(?) years.

He needs to report back home how dangerous the humans are and they need to be destroyed as soon as possible.

At which point the human takes full control of the ship. (He has learned the ins and outs of the ships control systems, whereas the alien is just a pilot, Not a tech, he knows what commands or buttons to press to operate the ship, but not how to manipulate the system to regain control.

This is all I remember of the story, I believe this was only about half of the book, and there was much more as the man (by himself?) turned the tables on the alien race.

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