A Short History of Nearly Everything Test | Final Test - Medium

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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. If all of the ice in Antarctica were to melt, by how much would ocean levels rise?
(a) 920 feet.
(b) 50 feet.
(c) 200 feet.
(d) 12 feet.

2. The author seems to condemn the fact that, over the years, studying wildlife meant what?
(a) Mere recreation for the wealthy.
(b) Capturing and killing it.
(c) Destroying the environment.
(d) Nothing to the average person.

3. The internal workings of cells are:
(a) Exceedingly simplistic.
(b) Identical from one cell to the next.
(c) Not understood very well.
(d) Understood perfectly.

4. Of all the elements occurring naturally on Earth, how many does the author say are central to life?
(a) 10.
(b) 6.
(c) 20.
(d) 1.

5. The early Cambrian period, or the Cambrian explosion, refers to a time how long ago?
(a) 7 million years.
(b) 998 million years.
(c) 39 million years.
(d) 540 million years.

Short Answer Questions

1. Gregor Mendel, who conducted research on transmittal of traits in pea plants, was a scientist and a:

2. The skeleton "Lucy" found in Ethiopia in 1974 is thought to come from the hominid species:

3. In Chapter 30, the author notes that, in the past, some larger species became extinct because:

4. The human body is composed of how many cells?

5. The first hand axe was shaped with a stone how many years ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bryson caution regarding extinction?

2. What is Carl Linnaeus known for?

3. What is the water distribution across the world's major oceans?

4. What did scientists find in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia?

5. How are scientific discoveries challenging the understanding of human evolution?

6. Describe the Indonesian volcanic eruption of 1815.

7. What does the author say about bacteria and humans, particularly their interaction?

8. What are cyanobacteria? How did they affect the environment billions of years ago?

9. Describe the presence of bacteria in humans.

10. What does the author say about radioactive waste being dumped into oceans?

(see the answer keys)

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