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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 is a biped?

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

3. The human body is composed of how many cells?

4. What is the name of the Navy-funded mini submarine often used in undersea explorations?

5. In times past, Earth was:

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does the author say about oxygen and the highest elevations people can live at?

3. How much of Earth's land is suitable for humans to live on?

4. What does Bryson caution regarding extinction?

5. How are scientific discoveries challenging the understanding of human evolution?

6. How long do human cells live?

7. What does the author lament about the study of wildlife throughout much of human history?

8. What did scientists find in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia?

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

10. What is a hominid? Describe some of the hominids that existed in the past.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the theory that life on Earth was "seeded" from outer space. How was it "seeded"? Where did it come from? How does this theory compare to other theories about the origin of life on our planet?

Essay Topic 2

What are quarks? Describe them in detail, including their function, composition, colors, and "flavors."

Essay Topic 3

Describe what the author means about Yellowstone being a supervolcano. What do scientists know about Yellowstone's history? How did it form? What is a caldera? Describe other supervolcanoes the author writes about.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 727 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample