Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay Questions

The 60 short essay questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. Students must describe what they've read, rather than just recall it.

Short Essay Question - Prologue

1. Why does Diamond argue that wealth and power are distributed unevenly across the globe?

2. What is one other explanation (different than Diamond's) to explain the uneven distribution of wealth and power.

3. How is climate used as an explanation for the uneven distribution of wealth and power?

4. Why does Diamond object to many of the traditional views on the uneven distribution of wealth and power?

Short Essay Question - Chapter 1 "Up to the Starting Line"

5. What was the development of humans like before the Great...
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