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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. When oceanographer Jacques Piccard and a U.S. Navy sailor descended more than 35,000 feet to the deepest part of the world's oceans, what happened?

2. The first hand axe was shaped with a stone how many years ago?

3. How many elements occur naturally on Earth?

4. By volume, how much of the Earth's habitable space is covered by water?

5. The internal workings of cells are:

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the layer of atmosphere called the troposphere.

2. Throughout the history of Earth, what are some of the causes of different species going extinct?

3. What does the author say about bacteria and humans, particularly their interaction?

4. What are bipeds? What are some of the unique challenges they face because of their structure?

5. Why haven't scientists discovered every species of plant and animal life yet?

6. Describe the fossilized traces of microbes found in Greenland.

7. How many elements occur naturally on Earth? How many are central to life?

8. Describe what happened when the KT meteor crashed on Earth, killing off the dinosaurs.

9. Why does Bryson say that fossils represent only a tiny fraction of life on Earth?

10. How does DNA replicate itself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In your own words, explain Superstring Theory.

Essay Topic 2

Explain what Bryson says about water distribution on our planet. How much is saltwater? How much is fresh water? Describe where the different types of water are distributed throughout the world.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the existence of bacteria on Earth with the existence of humans. Does one depend on the other? How so? Which organism is more resilient? Why?

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