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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 did the judge want to be done with all bears?

2. Walker pointed what at the bear?

3. Only _______________ hundred of the world's three hundred thousand species of plans have caused death or serious illness to those in the western hemisphere.

4. What caused most trees to fall down?

5. Why has Yellowstone never been extensively logged for timber?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to David Allen Kirwan? How could this have been avoided?

2. Give an example of someone who caused dangerous rocks to fall. What were the consequences?

3. What happened to Harry Walker? Are you surprised by this story? Why or why not?

4. How does the author treat the deaths in this book? Why does he treat them in this way?

5. Why is death due to falling rock a significant risk at Yellowstone?

6. How did Harry Walker and Crow's story affect life for the bears at Yellowstone? Is this good or bad?

7. Why did many of the deaths described in this book take place?

8. Describe the court case that came from Harry's and Crow's actions.

9. What led to a lessening of the risk of death due to trees falling? Is this good or bad?

10. What is the myth of the bison? How has this affected the behavior of visitors to the park?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Yellowstone National Park is a beautiful place yet it is full of fatal dangers.

Part 1) Describe Yellowstone National Park. How is it beautiful, yet dangerous? Why is this important to the author that the reader understand? How is the author's background and interests tied to the writing of this book?

Part 2) What is the purpose of this book? Does the author fulfill this purpose? If so, how? If not, why not? Can you relate to the purpose of this book? Why or why not?

Part 3) How might other places around the world be both beautiful and dangerous? Might the information in this book pertain to those places as well? Why or why not? What can be learned about the U.S. view of dangerous and beautiful places such as Yellowstone through this book? How might this compare to other views around the world?

Essay Topic 2

Most of the suicides at Yellowstone were those of employees.

Part 1) Describe the suicides that took place at Yellowstone. Why did many of them take place? How do these deaths compare to other deaths that have taken place at Yellowstone?

Part 2) How does the author feel about the suicides? Why might he feel this way? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? How do the author's feelings regarding these suicides compare to how he feels about other deaths at Yellowstone?

Part 3) How does the author treat these suicide cases? Does he speak of them in a different tone than he does the other deaths? Why or why not? How does he show his compassion for all who have died at Yellowstone?

Essay Topic 3

Many deaths have been caused by hot springs and geysers.

Part 1) What are hot springs and geysers? How are they dangerous? Give an example of how someone has been killed by a hot spring or geyser.

Part 2) What were the consequences of this death? How did these consequences affect the park, the running of the park, and other visitors' experiences? How does the author feel about many of the responses to deaths at the park? Why does he feel this way?

Part 3) Why might someone not realize the dangers of a hot spring or geyser? How is this innocence, or ignorance, reflected in other areas of the park? How do these beliefs regarding the safety of the park affect the author? Why is he affected in this way?

(see the answer keys)

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