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

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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Bacteria take nitrogen from the air and form it into what?

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

3. Scientists believe that our planet is currently in a period of what?

4. What percentage of the human body consists of water?

5. Of the available land on Earth, how much is suitable for people to live on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are bipeds? What are some of the unique challenges they face because of their structure?

2. How many elements occur naturally on Earth? How many are central to life?

3. Why does Bryson say that fossils represent only a tiny fraction of life on Earth?

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

5. Throughout the history of Earth, what are some of the causes of different species going extinct?

6. What is cytoplasm?

7. Why haven't scientists discovered every species of plant and animal life yet?

8. Describe the presence of bacteria in humans.

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

10. What does the author lament about the study of wildlife throughout much of human history?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe, in detail, the composition and function of a cell.

Essay Topic 2

Explain why scientists were reluctant to believe evidence of our planet's actual age. How did belief systems get in the way of scientific evidence?

Essay Topic 3

Explain supernovas. What exactly are they? Describe the mechanism behind them. How long do they last? What contributions do supernovas make to the universe?

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