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 Old River Control began its operations in what year?

2. Sympathetically, who does McPhee blame for destructive actions against the natural order of the environment?

3. In New Orleans' earliest days, French settlers begin to live there despite the fact that the area:

4. What is a weir?

5. Of the Old River Control Project, LeRoy Dugas, also known as Dugie, is what initially?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Henry Shreve, and what does he do?

2. What is James B. Eads' contribution to the Mississippi River?

3. Explain who thinks the Old River Control project is an arrogant enterprise, and why they think this.

4. Congress enacts the Flood Control Act in 1928 to launch the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project. What is done through this project?

5. What are some of the predominant problems in the regions populated near the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers?

6. What are some of the main points the author tries to make through this work of historical nonfiction?

7. What is the goal of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with regards to the Atchafalya and Mississippi rivers?

8. Describe what McPhee writes about Morgan City, Louisiana.

9. What is Major General Sands' concluding thoughts regarding the Old River Control Structure?

10. Explain what the author says about Old Cajun bayou life in the Atchafalaya region after the Corps took control.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Based on what the author has described about each region, is it viable for residents to continue living there? Provide your answers for the following regions:

1. In Louisiana near the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers.

2. By the active volcanoes of Hawaii.

3. In the volcanic island of Heimaey off the coast of Iceland.

4. In the plains below the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California.

Essay Topic 2

From your observations of the Louisiana, Iceland, and California examples the author covers in his book, explain why people choose to live in dangerous places where the forces of nature are especially active. Do you feel that the reasons for living in these places outweigh the risks and dangers? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Using key characters from "Atchafalaya," show how groups of people (such as environmentalists, government officials, engineers, and residents) are in conflict with each other and with themselves in their attempts to deal with the challenging geography of the region.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 918 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample