View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The ___________ can serve as a sort of DNA fingerprint if a person wants to determine if a plant is a Monsanto plant.

2. _________ is one example of a chemical which was tested before it was used, only to find that later on it affected other ecosystems.

3. The book states that although marijuana cultivation is driven to some extent by money, the underlying principle is that of ______.

4. Antheleme Brillat-Savarin noted, "Tell me what you _______ and I will tell you what you are."

5. The book states that one culture's cure all could be another culture's 'root of all evil' also known as ________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the experience Pollan had when the police almost found his large marijuana plants in his backyard?

2. What is the status of marijuana use and growing in Amsterdam, according to Pollan in his book?

3. What happens to the animal in the wild who decides to eat hallucinogens and thus takes in the toxins of these plants?

4. What does Pollan begin to realize after the powerful storm that ruined a part of the famous gardens of Versailles?

5. What does Pollan believe the experience of the sublime has to do with the experience of nature?

6. What are some of the reasons why potatoes were not very popular in Europe around the late 1500s?

7. What does genetic engineering promise to do for the crops which are growing with these modifications?

8. How does Heath avoid the purchases of many inputs on his farm so that he can save money?

9. What is the rationale that Pollan gives for growing pot as he decides to do when it is not as much of a legal issue?

10. What were the dangers of the potato, according to Malthus during the time of the rise of the potato?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While the Potato Famine was devastating, one could say it helped to shape modern day American society.

Part 1: Why do you think the Potato Famine changed the U.S. society and population?

Part 2: What might have happened if the Potato Famine had never occurred?

Part 3: Do you think the Potato Famine was necessary in order for the United States to become a success?

Essay Topic 2

Pollan's main idea is that plants have shaped human evolution just as much as humans have shaped plant evolution.

Part 1: In what ways do you think plants have helped to shape human evolution?

Part 2: In what ways do you think humans have helped to shape plant evolution?

Part 3: Do you think humans or plants are responsible for more change for the other species? Why?

Essay Topic 3

The process of bidding on flowers in order to have them in flower shops for orders seems to be a strange process to those outside of the flower market.

Part 1: Do you think that it's fair for flower sellers to have to bid on the flowers they want in their stores?

Part 2: How do you think flower auctions run? Are they frenetic like the stock market or are they more subdued?

Part 3: Why do you think flowers are so popular in the world among people of all ages and backgrounds?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 807 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample