1. John Wesley Powell figured that if you evenly distributed all of the surface water flowing between the Columbia River and the Gulf of Mexico, you would have what?
(a) A desert almost indistinguishable from what is there today.
(b) Astounding yields on farms covering a quarter of the country.
(c) Lush green pastures as far as the eye can see.
(d) The most productive agricultural system the world has ever seen.

2. Where was Harry Chandler born?
(a) Landaff, New Hampshire.
(b) Marquette, Michigan.
(c) Arco, Idaho.
(d) Akron, Ohio.

3. When was John Wesley Powell born?
(a) 1896.
(b) 1865.
(c) 1807.
(d) 1834.

4. What was the population of San Francisco in 1851?
(a) 12,000.
(b) 35,000.
(c) 27,000.
(d) 48,000.

5. How many major dams does the author say California has in the Introduction?
(a) 50.
(b) 1,200.
(c) 240.
(d) 560.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was to the man to “discover a malleable yellow rock in the tail race of Sutter’s Mill on the American River above Sacramento” in the 1800s,” according to the author in Chapter One?

2. What river is known as the River of No Return?

3. What is the title of the book’s Introduction?

4. What is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth?

5. For what organization was Marc Reisner a staff writer from 1972 to 1979?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 243 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample