View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was the last dodo killed in Mauritius?

2. Which of the following is not one of the five major extinction episodes on Earth?

3. Gregor Mendel, who conducted research on transmittal of traits in pea plants, was a scientist and a:

4. The skeleton "Lucy" found in Ethiopia in 1974 is thought to come from the hominid species:

5. What percentage of all existing water is fresh water?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does a Swedish DNA study reveal about the origins of modern man?

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

3. Describe the presence of bacteria in humans.

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

5. How does DNA replicate itself?

6. What type of scientific work did the monk and scientist Gregor Mendel do?

7. What does the author say about radioactive waste being dumped into oceans?

8. What did Charles Darwin do on the HMS Beagle?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe, in detail, the composition and function of a cell.

Essay Topic 2

Describe who the following scientists were and how they started out in their careers, and explain what they are best known for:

1. Marie Curie.

2. Albert Einstein.

3. Carl Sagan.

Essay Topic 3

The author shares many stories of one person making an important discovery and someone else getting credit for it. Cite two examples of this. Why does Bryson discuss these cases? What do you feel he is trying to reveal about scientific discoveries and the scientific community?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 675 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample