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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 did Whittington conclude about Yohoia in 1975?

2. When did Whittington publish a monograph on Yohoia?

3. How many levels are there in the taxonomy of life?

4. What type of evidence concerning Opabinia is considered to be decisive?

5. What did Marella have that no trilobite shared?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Whittington try to uncover the bodily appendages of Opabinia?

2. Why are the Burgess Shale's arthropod designs odd?

3. What did people think Opabinia was and what did Whittington choose to believe about this idea?

4. What did Whittington find Opabinia to actually be?

5. What did using these new methods allow Whittington's team to do?

6. How is the Marrella splendens described in relation to the other Burgess Shale fossils?

7. What did Leif Størmer's "Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology" describe?

8. What did Leif Størmer decide to do in contrast to Walcott?

9. What evidence favors Opabinia's uniqueness?

10. What was the difference between Simon Conway Morris and Whittington in the way that they worked?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Act 1 discusses the differences between Leif Størmer's explanation of the Burgess arthropods in his Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology and Walcott's narrow groupings of arthropod phylums. Compile at least three examples provided by Gould's book that examine their similarities and differences.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 2, Gould discusses the two interpretations of the Burgess Shale, one known as true, and the other known as inaccurate. Using the book for context and description, tell these two different stories in your own words and explain their importance. Be sure to discuss the setting, storyline, and characters which are involved in the two interpretations. Also, answer why Gould chooses to relate the inaccurate version of the Burgess Shale's discovery, as well as the true version.

Essay Topic 3

Agree or disagree with the following statement: the scientist is responsible for the implications or consequences of his or her research regardless of its accuracy or inaccuracy. Cite three examples from the book that support your view. Explain you argument with solid reasoning and make sure to address what responsibility the public might have in this argument.

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