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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. A _________________ was killed by lightening in the park on August 27th, 1894, named Bayard T. "Curley" Rogers.

2. Because Walker and Crow hitchhiked in illegally, what did they miss?

3. What court case was created because of this incident?

4. Whittelsey was a ___________________ at the time.

5. How does the author suggest that people get more in touch with nature?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are winters at Yellowstone dangerous?

2. What led to a lessening of the risk of death due to trees falling? Is this good or bad?

3. How many dangerous plants exist in Yellowstone? Name one of them. How is this plant dangerous? Why is this important to know?

4. Why did many of the deaths described in this book take place?

5. What happened to David Allen Kirwan? How could this have been avoided?

6. How does the author treat the deaths in this book? Why does he treat them in this way?

7. Have falling trees been a significant danger in Yellowstone? Why or why not?

8. Why is death due to falling trees a real threat at Yellowstone?

9. What happened to Harry Walker? Are you surprised by this story? Why or why not?

10. What is the myth of the bison? How has this affected the behavior of visitors to the park?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author finds the information in this book to be very important.

Part 1) What are the five most important pieces of information found in this book? How is each of these pieces of information important? Why do you believe these are the most important? How do each support the author's purpose for the book?

Part 2) How are these five pieces of information connected to each other? How do they help to tie the book together? Are they important specifically to those visiting and working in Yellowstone? Why or why not?

Part 3) How is this book, as a whole, important for both visitors to Yellowstone and others who want to be closer to nature? How can the information found in this book also be relevant in everyday life?

Essay Topic 2

Deaths have been caused by lightning strikes, fires, and earthquakes.

Part 1) Describe the deaths caused by lightning strikes, fires, and earthquakes. Who was at fault in each of these deaths? Could these deaths have been prevented? If so, how? If not, why not?

Part 2) Are these dangers as important as other dangers in Yellowstone? Why or why not? How are these deaths different from others in this book?

Part 3) What can be done to help prevent injury and death from lightning strikes, fires, and earthquakes? How can the park learn from other areas of the country where lightning strikes, fires, and earthquakes are more prevalent?

Essay Topic 3

Deaths have occurred due to falling.

Part 1) Describe these deaths. Why is falling such a threat at Yellowstone? What leads people to put themselves in situations in which they could suffer a potentially deadly fall?

Part 2) How have these falls and the consequences of the falls affected Yellowstone? How does the author feel about this? Why does he feel this way? How is this sentiment echoed throughout the book?

Part 3) How do these deaths compare to other deaths mentioned and discussed in this book? How are many of the deaths connected to one other? How does the author use them to support his message to the reader?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,379 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample