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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. What do the inhabitants of a ranch north of the Polanco River find interesting when Darwin arrives?

2. What does Darwin learn about the ostrich?

3. What does Darwin find in the area of Bahia Blanca?

4. Who invites Darwin to visit an estate near Rio de Janeiro?

5. Leaving Monte Video, where is the Beagle headed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Darwin given to eat at Tapalguen River?

2. Who does Darwin encounter at Las Minas and how does he size them up?

3. What does Darwin find to write about just outside of Maldonado?

4. Describe the problem Darwin faces when he returns to Buenos Aires.

5. How does Darwin regard the Brazilian horses?

6. Describe the problem with getting three boats up the Santa Cruz River.

7. On his trip to Buenos Aires, What does Darwin have to observe?

8. What does Darwin surmise about the geology of St. Jago?

9. What does Darwin discover in the area of Bahia Blanca after the Beagle arrives and how does he theorize about his find?

10. Heading toward St. Fe, about 300 miles north of Buenos Aries along the Parana River, describe the strange animal Darwin observes.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the type of person who is scientifically, physically, and emotionally fit to undertake a voyage like the one Darwin made around the world. In explaining your thesis, use examples of Darwin's inquisitive mind, his ability as a hunter, his ability to ride a horse, his nerve to go off with strangers into the unknown, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about trying different kinds of food. Using Darwin's experiences of eating things like puma meat and tree fungus, discuss how different cultures have different culinary habits. Include any experience you have had in trying a food you had never eaten before. Explain in your essay how adventurous you are (or are not) in trying unusual foods.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay comparing the hardships of exploring the earth in the mid 1880s to the hardships of space exploration today. Compare such things as cramped living conditions, facing the unknown, and dietary changes that go along with each type of exploration. Speculate how much different space travel may become in the next 100 years by comparing with the improvements in travel since the voyage of the Beagle.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 933 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample