The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions Test | Final Test - Medium

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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What point does Quammen make by describing his sighting of the species he sought on Aru?
(a) That it is just a matter of time before these animals are extinct.
(b) That magnificent species survive in spite of human activity.
(c) That extinction is looming not only for this species but for the entire ecosystem it lives in.
(d) That species are in danger regardless of their magnificence.

2. What did Wilson show Quammen when the two men visited?
(a) Letters people had written to Wilson and MacArthur about their theories.
(b) Specimens that had helped Wilson and MacArthur develop their theory.
(c) A slide show of how Wilson and MacArthur developed their theory.
(d) Drafts of the papers that defined biogeography.

3. What habitats did researchers have to examine in the Texas case?
(a) Riffles.
(b) Deep sections in the water.
(c) Hillsides for burrows.
(d) Wetlands.

4. How does Quammen's tone change in the final chapter?
(a) His narrative is filled with detailed scientific observations.
(b) His discomfort with habitat loss is finally made screamingly clear.
(c) His even-handedness gives way to persistent pessimism about the destruction of habitat.
(d) His description of the trip is not scientific, just tourism.

5. How many Mauritius kestrels were still in existence at the species' lowest point?
(a) Twelve.
(b) Nine.
(c) Two.
(d) Four.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the previous theory that governed speciation on islands?

2. What did Wilson and MacArthur postulate according to Quammen?

3. Where did Lovejoy implement his plan?

4. What was Thomas Lovejoy's interest in the debate about the size of reserves and the number of species they support?

5. What was the state of the muriqui population when Quammen visited Karen Strier?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Quammen describe Bedo's death?

2. What did people argue over in the wake of Simberloff and Abele's 1976 article?

3. What note does Quammen end 'The Song of the Dodo' on?

4. What factors affected the populations on an island, according to 'An Equilibrium Theory of Insular Zoogeography'?

5. How did Carl Jones save the Mauritius kestrel?

6. What theory did Simberloff and Abele challenge in a 1976 article?

7. What was Quammen looking for at Aru?

8. Why did Quammen choose Aru as the destination for his final chapter?

9. How do genetics play a role in the minimum viable population?

10. What was the practical example of species management Quammen cited from Texas?

(see the answer keys)

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