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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 organisms does the author say are the most enduring inhabitants of our planet?

2. If all of the ice in Antarctica were to melt, by how much would ocean levels rise?

3. In times past, Earth was:

4. Compared to Homo sapiens, Neanderthals were:

5. Scientists now believe that life began on Earth how long ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Indonesian volcanic eruption of 1815.

2. What is cytoplasm?

3. How long do human cells live?

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

5. What does Bryson caution regarding extinction?

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

7. What is the water distribution across the world's major oceans?

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

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

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

How did the dinosaurs become extinct? Explain the sequence of events that happened after the asteroid hit. What was the outcome to other life forms? What conditions changed in the aftermath? What group of animals became dominant following the dinosaur extinction?

Essay Topic 2

How has man influenced the extinction of plant and animal species? How does the author feel about this influence? What does his writing state or imply about what should be done differently?

Essay Topic 3

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

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