Explain the importance of Darwin's work as a botanist.

Students should discuss how Darwin's study of plants challenged the idea that plants are insensate and immobile beings. They should also mention the importance of his discovery of cross-pollination and the coevolution of plants and insects.

Discuss how the topic of speed relates to the theme of reality vs. perception.

The examples Sacks provides of people who experience and perceive altered states of speed illustrates that motion and time are matters of perception and are not necessarily tied to an objective reality as we may think.

How does the complexity of a nervous system relate to the concepts of mind and consciousness?

Students should be able to summarize and explain, with examples, the idea that a more complex nervous system relate directly to a higher level of consciousness in organisms. For example, they may compare the 20,000 neurons of...